Emegency!!!

[jespenguin]

So first off a background, I have a 5 gallon set up completely and it's had 3 neons and 2 guppies in it for a month (I know too many, and they like more), sooo I bought a 55 gallon I've had it up and running for about a week and I was gonna start my cycling this weekend (first week back to classes so priorities). Well long story short a neon died, and from what I've read on here I know a death in a small tank meant sure death for all others. Up until last night everyone seemed happy, they swam around and ate and where bright and pretty, but last night they seemed sluggish and dull. So in a pickle I put them in the 55 gallon and hoped for the best, this morning everyone is still alive. But now I don't know what to do! How to i get my 5 gallon back on track, because I want a betta in there, and what do I do now with my 55 gallon (my neons have color again and everyones back to swimming, but there's no way it was ready!). Please help, i already feel awful for the poor dead fishy.

 

[hdultra]

You need to get the water tested to see were the cycleing is. Do you have a Test Kit. What are your Ammonia, Nitrite, And Nitrate Readings.
Tips for Cycling Your New Aquarium - The First Tank Guide - Getting Your Fish Tank Up and Running with Minimal Headaches
Read this link
If it only been a week for your 55 gal tank, it is in danger of killing your fish.

Also read this: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/fishless-cycling-for-dummies-103339.html

Even tho you already put fish in this is a good place to start. Your fish will produce the ammonia.

Other members here will help you get on track, There are some great advisors here. I'll help were I can.

 

[Deep Seven]

What filter and stuff did you have in the 5g? if it didn't dry out or get washed in tap water or soap, then you want to add the filter to the larger tank. A lot of the benificial bacteria is stored in that stuff, so if you can add it to the 55g tank you'll have a head start on cycling it.

from what I've read on here I know a death in a small tank meant sure death for all others

A dead fish will produce a spike in ammonia which can kill other fish, especially if ammonia caused the first death. Usually the safest action is a PWC with treated tap water, test for ammonia and nitrites, and if it's above 0.25ppm do another PWC until it's 0.25ppm or lower. Test daily until you get consistant readings of zero ammonia and nitrites.

How to i get my 5 gallon back on track, because I want a betta in there

Well, if it was me, I'd get the 55g tank cycled and stocked with the fish and plants I want first while running the filter from the 5g in the larger tank. If you added the 5g filter to the 55g tank in the beginning, then just leave it in there, rinsing it in old tank water during PWCs as necessary. After the 5g filter has been running in the stocked 55g for a few weeks, I'd set up the betta tank, and swap the filter over when I added the fish.

 

[jespenguin]

So my nitrates and nitrites are 0 ppm and my pH is 7.6. I forgot ammonia when I just went shopping. But I forgot to mention my 55g was bought used and I left all the gravel in it. Also we're in our second day and still alive, so I don't know if that is a hopeful sign.

 

[Deep Seven]

What type of filter are you using?

Almost worried the bioload might be a bit low. If everything looks good for a week, add 3-6 neon tetras to help increase your bioload slowly and give your other neons a proper school to play with.

Below is a handy site to help you with stocking your tank.
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

If you see any ammonia or nitrite spikes do PWCs as necessary. If everythings stable for a week, slowly increase your bioload until you have your aquarium stocked.

 

[jespenguin]

I'm assuming my fishless cycle just became fished. So I'm not a's prepared. So any advise on how to keep everyone from suffering. PWC every couple days to keep ammonia in check, then when nitrates appear keep doing the same till they Zero out?

And it's an aqua tech 30-60? That's what my lid says lol

 

[Deep Seven]

PWC every couple days to keep ammonia in check, then when nitrates appear keep doing the same till they Zero out?

Ammonia->Nitrites->Nitrates

Thats basically it, except you got nitrites and nitrates mixed up.

Ammonia and nitrites you want to keep below 0.25ppm.
Nitrates are safe up to 20-40ppm, and can be taken care of with weekly water changes.

And it's an aqua tech 30-60? That's what my lid says lol

Filters are usually underpowered, and most experienced aquarists recommend cutting the filter rating in half. The one you have is perfectly fine for now, and if you understock your tank a bit there's no need to change it, but I'd consider looking into upgrading the filter before you fully stock your tank.

If you upgrade the filter you basically have two choices, get a twin to the filter you have now, and just run the tank with both of them, or replace the 30-60 altogether with a filter rated for 80-110 gallons.

 

[jespenguin]

Ohk, so this might sound strange but I tested everything today, remember ammonia kit today. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all zero. When I tested 2 day ago (forgot ammonia kit at that point) nitrates and nitrites were both zero. Could keeping all the used gravel have really cycled my tank that fast? Also my pH is high, like a 7.8, so I tested my tap water and it comes out 7.8 so what do I do to bring this down!?!? I'm going to keep testing a couple weeks to be on the safe side, but I'm still baffled.

 

[Deep Seven]

You have a low bioload, if you used your old gravel then it's possible you won't experience much of a cycle. Don't add too much at a time and give the tank time to adjust.

The pH I'm not so sure about. Unless your fish can't tolerate high pH I think you're better off just leaving the pH alone. Generally fish can handle a fairly large pH range, what hurts them are the big pH swings. Just be careful when adding new fish. Use the drip aclimation method for bigger pH adjustments. Anyone who knows more about pH feel free to correct me.

Do you know what you want to add to your tank yet?

 

[Greenmaster]

They have FW PH up and PH down. But as Deep Seven said you shouldn't need to adjust it. 7.8 is tolerable for most FW fish.

 

[mudraker]

I agree completely with Deep's advice on the PH. And everything else advised also.

I have naturally high ph from the tap also, but with proper acclimation (drip method is best, like Deep said) most fish with not only adjust but thrive.

Trying to raise or lower ph ususally results in wasted time, money and unhealthy or dead fish.

Just keep on track with what Deep said and you and your fish will do fine.

 

[jespenguin]

I know I want to increase my neon tetra school, and do a school of kuhli black loaches, and someone suggested German blue rams and I like them a lot and LFS has them. But I'm open to suggestions (going for peaceful community), and I'm not too familiar with the drip method. So any more info on that is appreciated. Lastly when should I be concerned with the pH being too high (and here I thought I'd never use my chem in real life))

 

[ejaramillo01]

As suggested before, you should never be worry about a pH at 7.8, it is more important to keep it stable. Unless you get a very special fish that requires a lower pH, but in most of the cases all your fish will do great with a stable 7.8 .

A lot of people have tanks with even higher than yours, and the fish will adapt fine.

As for the drip method, I'm not really familiar with it.

 

[Coleallensmom]

I know I want to increase my neon tetra school, and do a school of kuhli black loaches, and someone suggested German blue rams and I like them a lot and LFS has them. But I'm open to suggestions (going for peaceful community), and I'm not too familiar with the drip method. So any more info on that is appreciated. Lastly when should I be concerned with the pH being too high (and here I thought I'd never use my chem in real life))

You may want to talk to your LFS about what type of water parameters they keep their German Blue Rams in. AFAIK, they prefer soft acidic water with a a lower PH then what you have. I was interested in GBRs at one point but my PH like yours is a bit higher and I have moderately hard water, so in the end I decided against them.

Most types of tetra make good community fish. Just remember to keep them in groups as they feel most comfortable in numbers.

 

[Deep Seven]

All you need to know about Acclimation

This is one of the articles on acclimation from this site. She details how to use drip-acclimation on page two.

 

[jespenguin]

Well that cleared that up fast! An as for the gbr's I will do more research and ask the fish store thanks for the great advise!