Water readings and disease help

[MikeyE82]

I'm in desperate need of advice.
This is my 1st tank and I know you should do your homework before taking one on but I bought a tank that was already established so I thought I could learn as I go.
However Im having trouble understanding my readings.
I know I have high ammonia levels which I can keep at bay by water changes but that's only good for short term and need to know best ways to keep it a bay long term.
My nitrate is 0.5, nitrite is 25, gh is 250, kh is 100 and my ph is 7.2 which to be honest doesn't really mean much to me.
My main concern is my oyster cichlid. It has a red blister on its tail and I've now noticed a red blister on his gill. Does anyone know what this is and how to treat it?
Any advice on any of this would be much appreciated.
My tank is 220 litre with 1 Oscar, 1 Sailfin pleco, 2 catfish, 2 clown loach, 1 parrot fish, 1 green terror, 1 oyster, 1 threadfin and another cichlid I can't pronounce.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi Mikey. You will want to keep up the water changes and keep the ammonia and nitrIte under .25ppm. The tank is going through a mini cycle. it is extremely over stocked as well.
The red spots on the cichlid are most likely from poor water conditions. They should heal with clean healthy water.

 

[MikeyE82]

Thanks for getting back to me.
With the overstocking issue, how many fish would you advise to keep in my tank?
Would it be sufficient if I got rid of my pleco (12") and my 2 catfish (both 6")

 

[Hholly]

I'm wondering if your fish has ammonia burns. Do you have a test kit? I'm pretty sure your Oscar and loaches are too big (or will be) for that size aquarium, as well as the pleco. Keep up daily 50% water changes, is your best bet to get your fish well. Maybe you could trade some of your large fish at your LFS for credit toward some more appropriate fish. Good luck!

 

[MikeyE82]

Can you tell what it is off the photo's?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

My tank is 220 litre with 1 Oscar, 1 Sailfin pleco, 2 catfish, 2 clown loach, 1 parrot fish, 1 green terror, 1 oyster, 1 threadfin and another cichlid I can't pronounce.

I'm not familiar with some of these fish but in know the majority of them have to go. Sorry. The pleco the Oscar, the green terror and the two clown loaches definitely have to go. They will outgrow your tank.
What kind of catfish?
Parrot as in blood parrot or something else?
Keep doing water changes and add some salt and see if they improve.
I suggest you take photos of each fish and post in the cichlid section an ask for IDs and minimum tanks sizes.

 

[severum mama]

Moved to FW and Brackish- Getting Started.

 

[MikeyE82]

This is the pic of my parrot fish with the other cichlid that I can't spell the proper name. The catfish are striped rafael, if that's any good to you.

 

[MikeyE82]

How much salt do I need to add? Is it normal salt or is it a special aquarium salt?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

This is the pic of my parrot fish with the other cichlid that I can't spell the proper name. The catfish are striped rafael, if that's any good to you.

As i said before I'm not familiar with some of these fish but I'm thinking you will have to rehome all of them except for maybe the blood parrot and one catfish could stay. Idk what a oyster or threadfin cichlid is sorry. Your tank is only 58 gallons.

Start off with a half dose (1 tablespoon per 10g/40L of tank water) of salt added slowly. The catfish might not agree with it.

 

[Hholly]

Only use aquarium salt, not table salt. There should be directions on the package.

 

[MikeyE82]

What's the general rule of thumb in how many fish to have in a tank? Someone told me 1" of fish per gallon of water. Is that true or just bad advice?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

What's the general rule of thumb in how many fish to have in a tank? Someone told me 1" of fish per gallon of water. Is that true or just bad advice?

Completely untrue. A bad old school thought on tank stocking. You need to look at the adult size of the fish, compatibility with tank mates, aggression, bioload, if schools are needed, swimming space, etc. There is too much to take into consideration to be able to put a rule on a stock list for a tank.

 

[Hholly]

Check this out
http://aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AqVolUnit=gUS&AqTempUnit=F&AqLengthUnit=inch

It's not perfect either, but it's a good starting place.