help! made a mistake with platy fish in cylcing!

[amanda_may]

Ok so i have to admitt. I messed up. And against your advice i did what my husband told me too. I bought 7 platies. fish in cycle. Everything actully seemed ok. The cloudly water started to clear and the very night my levels went down my wonderful son dumped the entire bottle of fish food in the tank.. we stayed up til 2 in the morning cleaning the gravel the best we could. (literaly took it all out. did a 25-30 % water change too). week has gone and i have changed water twice since then. still the water is cloudy. I transfred 3 platies to my son's 20 gallon. just 4 days later his tank is cylced! levels are good. but went to local fish store and they said that my water is good and i would actually be able to add some neons. (even thought i told her i had read up on neons and they are extremly sensitive to water conditons). I feel horible as i bought 5 and now only 2 live. Da@@ it!!! So i don't want my fish to die.. Guys help me! what do i do? do i replace gravel completly? as of now i have a aqueon filter system. And i plan on up grading. Though i have a 38 gal tank i am getting the filter system that can be used for up to a 90 gal.. Please help me? take out gravel??? Do a 50 % water change, and take the one filter and put in new filter system as the new system requires 2 cartidges? please help me! help me!! 2 neon tetras and 4 platies. And hey? do i transfer all platies to my sons tank? please help me!!

[Peteostler43614]

I would gravel vac and do a 30-50% water change and leave the filter media in for now. For now, wait a minimum of 2-3 weeks to add any more fish. Most people at your lfs dont really know what cycling is truly like for a new fish tank. The employees at my LFS take some of the used media from the stores filter to do an instant cycle on their tanks. Tomorrow replace one of the filter cartridges and then in 1 week replace the other. Make sure that the intake to the filter is clean and flowing well. the water will clear soon. In the future also make sure the food is out of your sons reach. My kids love feeding my fish but I am the only one allowed to open the fish food. Your sons tank if it is also new might have gone through a Microcycle, but rarely does a tank fully cycle for about 4-6 months. Good luck and no new fish for a few weeks.

[amanda_may]

Ok thanks!!! The filter I have now only has one cartridge. So when I get new filter system which will require 2 cartridges (same brand just bigger) I want to take the one I have in now and put in the new system right? Also adding a brand new filter.

[Peteostler43614]

If you can afford it, get a small canister filter, and add it leaving your current filter to also filter.

[amanda_may]

Yes I can afford it. I have a aqueon filter system that uses one cartridge now. But the one I am uogradding too uses 2. I will put my filter cartridge that I have now in tank when I upgrade system.

[Ingy]

I was confused between neon gobys or neon tetras. Then I saw it (tetras). Oops, wrong forum I think.