HELP: Started out on the WRONG foot

[Nickh007]

OK here we go..

I like alot of people bought a tank (10 gallon), added water and dechlorinator and added fish. A few weeks later most were dead. right now i have my 2 baby oscars, a molly, and a snail. After reading a few articles online, i realized i had made a huge mistake.

Where do i go from here?? I bought some test strips (mistake #2) and according to them, nitrites are at about 3 - 4 ppm, probably more...i doubt their accuracy, and nitrates are 0, everything else is ok (although they dont test ammonia, so not sure about that). I am going to get an AP master freshwater test kit soon. Obviously my tank is not cycled right and im not sure what to do. I have been adding Prime in the hopes of not killing off the rest of the stock, and doing PWC's once or twice a week. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

As a side note, Im using a Penguin 200 Bio-wheel filter, and im aware 10 gallon is not nearly big enough for 2 oscars (they need 55 gallons each) but they are babies right now. I have plans on upgrading and am saving to get a 55 gallon soon.

 

[dkpate]

You should probably be doing pwc's every single day until it's cycled. The ammonia is building up because there are no beneficial bacteria to get rid of it. If possible, try to get some filter media from an established, disease-free tank and stick that either in yout filter or in the tank itself. You could also use a pile of gravel from someones tank and put in in a foot of a brand new unwashed pantyhose. I made the same mistake as you when I first started a month ago. I have been getting more fish and tanks and so far everyone is doing fine. But let me tell you, I went thru A LOT of water doing the changes EVERY day! Get that liquid test kit asap and test for ammonia right away. You can buy one online for about $20 and there is about 700 total tests in there. Also, make sure when you do a pwc, add enough Prime for the whole 10G, not just the 50% or so you are taking out.
I used media from someone elses tank and had my 75G cycled in a week and the fish is doing fantastic. Good luck!

 

[Blueiz]

You really should take the oscars back. Your tank is way to small for them. Your molly will quickly become food, and I can't say enough that the ten is way to small for even one oscar.

Dkpate's advice about cycling the tank is right on target .

 

[BigJim]

+1 for dkpate and for Blueiz.

That Penguin is a little overkill for a 10g. I have that model on my 29g and I have a ton of flow. When its clean, the fish tend to stick near the bottom because of the flow.

Look for the media baskets for the Penguin. I found the Marineland filter cartridges clogged up way too fast, so I bought a pair of media baskets and some sheets of filter sponge and made my own washable, reusable cartridges. They've been running for a year now and work great! The baskets are hard to find. I had to go online and search.

 

[fort384]

Water change every day to keep nitrites and ammonia below .25 ppm. At 4+ ppm nitrites your fish will not live much longer. When your tank is cycled u will have 0 ammonia/0 nitrite, and do weekly partial water changes to keep nitrates ~10 ppm.

Agree about the oscars too. Best to take them back.