Help - Tank Cycling

[5x5]

I am about 3 weeks into my tank cycling (with fish) and seem to be having a problem.​

I had to go 4 days without a water change due to travel and I came back and my fish looked extremely pale and sickly. I had purchased one of those ammonia absorbing filter bags and added it to my filter to keep the ammonia levels down, since I wasn't going to be around to do the PWC.​

When I saw how bad things looked when I returned, I did some API tests:​

Ammonia: .25 - .50 ppm
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 0ppm
Ph: 7.8 - 8.0​

I fed them and did a PWC and they look much, much better now.​

My tap water PH is 7.3, so I was concerned about how much that had risen in the 4 days I was gone.​

I'm trying to determine what was causing the pale/sickly look of my fish. Was is the high PH? Could the autofeeder have malfunctioned and not fed them for 4 days? Anything else I am missing?​

 

[roydooms]

I would think that it is the ammonia that is making your fish not looking healthy. Did you do a PWC and lower down the ammonia below .25ppm? Most fish can go without food for a few days. So, I don't think it is because your fish didn't eat for a few days. Keep your ammonia and nitrite below .25ppm and nitrate below 40.0ppm until your tank cycles(0.0ppm ammonia and nitrites)

 

[5x5]

Roydooms - Thanks for the response.

The initial Ammonia reading was about .25 - .50, when I was done with the PWC it was basically .25. I really am kind of surprised how poorly the fish looked considered the ammonia readings weren't exactly off the charts.

 

[roydooms]

Do you have your lights on timer? Most fish will turn dull in color when lights are off. Or for a few minutes after you just turned on the lights. How are they looking now?

 

[5x5]

I did not have lights on a timer, so they were in mostly darkness for 4 days. I put the lights on for about 3 hours last night and they were looking good. This morning they looked fine as well, since I left moonlighting on overnight.

Do you think they could have been fine and it was just the lack of light making me think they were pale? I am cycling with a convict cichlid and you couldn't even make out the faintest black stripe. He was almost completely white - it was scary. Now he looks normal.

 

[roydooms]

Most likely just the lack of light for 4 days.