@#$$... Need Help

[slickwill]

I just set up a 55 Gal, with a HOT Magnum Filter and two power heads. I used 15 gallons of cycled water from my 20 gallon tank and the rest of the water is from the tap. I used aquarium salt, amquel, biocoat, aqua plus, and easy balance. My tank looks good (Water clear) and my pleco and betta love it. But my Red Devil, Green Terror, Jack Dempsey, and Dojo Loach do not. When I put them in their new tank they swam around checking out the tank. Then they started flair their gills like they were not getting enough oxygen, then they started sitting at the bottom of the tank and slowly started to turn on their sides. What is wrong with the tank? Right now I have my fish sitting in a bucket while I'm trying to figure out what to do. (they look and act normal in the bucket) Please give any advice.

 

[LAGlocker]

Ok, you put water from your tank into the new tank, what about gravel, decorations, filter media anything? Because the bacteria you need isnt really in the water as much as it is in the gravel and such. As for salt, I wouldnt use it unless you have a fish that has to have brackish water, and the I wouldnt put freshwater fish in with it. Not sure about all the chemicals you used, but when I set up a tank I use biocoat and biosafe and perhaps bio-spira and thats it. As far as the oxygen content goes, do you have the hot or power heads moving the top of the water? If not, you may have low oxygen content in your tank. I also personally would use two of the hot magnums or a magnum 350 on a 55 gal tank.

 

[Allivymar]

Hiya slickwill and welcome to Aquariumadvice.

I don't think its a nitrifying bacterial issue. Thing is LA, its doubtful ammonia levels are a problem if the fish are being put in what technically is a brand new tank. There hasn't been enough time to ammonia to build up (I'd check the water parameters just in case tho slick).

I wonder if its a temp or pH issue. What is the temp and pH of the original tank, and how does the new tank compare?

 

[madasafish]

Slickwill,

It takes more than water to cycle a tank! The bacteria in the 55 is not nearly ready to start nitrifying your fishes' waste yet. You really have to condition these tanks slowly by adding fish one at a time (if it's a large tank), or by adding BioSpira, which is a concentrated solution of bacteria meant to jumpstart a tank's proper biological filtration. Allivymar has used this with great success, as have numerous others on the site.

Alli's probably right that the ammonia is not the issue already, but still you need to consider putting your fish back into their old tank for a time while you cycle this new tank (2-3 weeks). Consider putting one hardy fish, or a bunch of zebra danios in for now to condition the 55 Gallon water.

 

[Allivymar]

Actually, if slick puts the decor, and/or a bunch of gravel, and/or the original filter media (assuming of course, all this stuff is still available and hasn't been washed), there is no need to cycle the tank or use BioSpira. There should be enough nitrifying bacteria in that combination of stuff from the original tank to help cycle the new one. And yes, adding original tank water will not cycle a tank (nitrifying bacteria colonise surfaces, not the water column), although using it should help reduce sharp changes in water parameters.

 

[QTOFFER]

I agree with everything that has been said regarding cycling.

Yet, I find it odd that the fish seem unhappy in the new tank, but OK in a bucket....
Is this 55 gal a brand new tank or one that has been out of use for a while? If so, did you rinse it out really good with water first?
I'd suspect that there is something in the tank or the filter that is bugging the fish.
I would drain it and rinse it really well with warm tap water - NO SOAP OR DETERGENT!!!! Add your dechlorinator and let it run for a few days before doing anything else.

 

[madasafish]

Ah! Agreed Alli (you know I know that!!) but, Will doesn't say that he's using the same filter or any decorations from the old tank (did I miss this?).

Will, Alli's right. If you switch over your old filter and decor this point is moot. But if you're running a new filter, have new gravel and decor, then you're in trouble.

 

[Allivymar]

Heh, he is using a new filter, but note I said filter media. Stuff some of that in the tank and it should help cycle the tank quickly.

 

[Menagerie]

For my curiosity--
All of these fish were in a 20 gal? The cichlids left the betta alone!?!?

 

[slickwill]

Hey, thanks the quick replies everyone. I just ran out to pick up some testing tools. I found out that my pH is at 6.5 and everything else turned out good. I think that is why my Cichlids didn't like the tank. I am using Proper pH 8.2 to raise it.
Also the Magnum canister filter, decorations, and about 40 pounds of gravel are from my old tank. I also rinsed out the tank before I set it up. (no soap)
Once again thanks for the replies.

 

[madasafish]

Ah, filter media. Geez, I'm NOT on the ball tonight. I'll just stop... after one more comment!

Will, why are you raising the ph? The cichlids you mention--Jack Dempsey, Green Terror, Red Devil--are all South American or Central American. These cichlids are usually housed in slightly-acid water tanks. So, your 6.5 pH is right for them. Same applies to the Plecos. The Dojos are Asian, and these tend to prefer relatively neutral water (I'm no expert). Are you thinking of African Cichlids? The Rift Lake cichlids, esp. Malawis, Tanganyikans and Victorians require a high pH (as high as 9.2 or so in Lake Tanganyika), but few other cichlids require this. Also, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble with chemical pH buffers (i.e. phosphate spikes and algae blooms). If you need to raise the pH, you're best to do it naturally with a mesh bag of crushed coral in the filter. If you're looking to lower it, use peat in the filter. I've been there, tried that...

 

[Christmasfish]

I am surprised the bettas was happy in water that cichlids lived in even putting aside the fact he is bite sized. Don't know about Monsignor Pleco, But นาย Betta
is a blackwater fish prefering a softer more neutral more acidic enviroment than cichlids.