I need some help!!!!!!

[fishlover092]

I have a 29 gallon fresh water tank. I have 4 live plants, three snails, 4 dollar's, 3 cory cats, 2 albino tiger barbs, 2 killies, one plec and one pearl gaurami. I had four angel fish and I had/have one yoyo loach.
About three weeks ago I thought my water looked cloudy, so I did a 25% water change. I had my water tested and was told my ammonia was a little high and my nitrite was a little high as well. I added Safe Start from Tetra to the tank. It seemed to help.
About a week or so ago I saw ick and treated with tablets. I tested the water and all tested safe. Well over the last three days all my angel fish have died. All my other fish seem to be fine but I am worried and not sure what to do?
I have 2 10 gallon tanks as well and they r doing fine. So i believe it is not the water, but I do not know for sure.
One other thing, I have two rocks in my 29 gallon from my garden. I boiled them and cleaned them with vinegar.
Any help would be great. The angel fish I had started off in my 10 gallon and I am very disappointed that I have lost them. So PLEASE help.
Thank you!!!!

 

[LyndaB]

Welcome to the forum. You can learn a lot here.

How long have you had this tank running and what are your exact readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

Tetra Safe Start is meant to be used when you first stock a tank, not as an escape hatch when you have an issue. Did you read the instructions?

Your tank is grossly overstocked and poorly stocked from a compatibility point of view. You have 4 silver dollars in there. They get huge. What species of pleco is it?

The first thing you need to do is research your species and decide what you want to keep based on your tank size, the school size they require and also general compatibility. You need to rehome most of your fish, I'm afraid. You will continue to have nothing but trouble otherwise.

 

[Alfredoman]

I tried to start with angel( bad idea) and was told they get stressed very easily

 

[Bubble_B0y]

oh dear....where to start?....

First off, your tank has too many fish!
If possible, for the next several weeks, temporarily remove the silver dollars, pleco, pearl gourami, yoyo loach, angelfish, killifish. Put them in your two 10 gallon tanks!
ONLY keep the corydoras and tiger barbs.


Secondly, your tank has not fully cycled.
Your fish has ick because of the poor water (high ammonia, high nitrite) and this has stressed them and made them sick.
So before you treat the ick, you need to treat the root and cause of the problem - and that is your water quality.


So lets start.
Remove ALL dead fish.
Remove ALL fish that have ick (on second thought....they may all be infected, so maybe its best to use them for cycling? what are the ethical dilemmas?)

geez.........


Maybe its best to start from the beginning. Start from scratch.
You tank needs to be cycled. This is a natural process where a small ecosystem is formed in the aquarium.
Good, beneficial bacteria grow in the tank, the filter, decorations. And they break down fish waste and the chemical ammonia that are released from the fish gills.
Ammonia is broken down into nitrite, which is further broken down into nitrate.

This process takes 4-6 weeks to complete.


I recommend buying the following
- 1 bottle of Seachem Prime water conditioner (For your water changes and to detoxify ammonia/nitrite over this cycling period)
- 3 test kits (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)

For the next 4-6 few weeks, you have to test your water everyday and do 25%-50% water changes based on your water quality, until your tank has fully cycled.

Since you already have a fully stocked aquarium AND sick fish.
This is going to be very difficult
But like I said in the beginning, you have to treat the cause and root of the problem - the poor water quality (high ammonia, nitrite)

 

[LyndaB]

I recommend buying the following
- 3 test kits (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)

The API master test kit runs about $23 and will lasts for hundreds of tests. You can do ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH testing with this one kit.