I "cycled" my tank for 24 hour period which I was misinformed about. Anyways I've been trying to save the fish by doing a 20% water change and adding aquarium salt. I lost one fish today. My ammonia level is .25 or less then my nitrate is really high as well as my nitrite. Is there anything else I can do to lower these and relieve the stress on my fish? My fantails are staying at the top of the water gasping for oxygen so I think they wont make it tonight. They are my favorites and I'm really trying to save them all. The other fish seem to be doing better as they are trying to swim around and have stopped bottom sitting and clamping their fins.
I need help with 55 gallon goldfish tank!
- Thread starter DustyAnn
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
Change the water, not 20% but 50 or 75% as many times as need to get the nitrites under .5ppm.
revchristinejday
Aquarium Advice Activist
I agreed with rich311k above:at least 50% or as much as 75% to get the ammonia down below .25 and to get the nitrates (less than 40) and nitrites down closer to 0. Both nitrite and Nitrate are deadly. Prime can detoxify all of the above but only for 2 days maximum. Try to get some cycled media from a friend. Also I have used in a pinch Tetra Safestart. Make sure it's in date and follow directions. Some have used it with less good results, but it helps jump start the cycle.
If you don't have a python/water changer, get one as it will make the water changes easier in a 55 gallon. You dose the Prime when you replace the water for the whole tank. Daily water changes may enable you to help your fish. There is also a guide to fish in cycling on this site. Check it out.
Good luck!
If you don't have a python/water changer, get one as it will make the water changes easier in a 55 gallon. You dose the Prime when you replace the water for the whole tank. Daily water changes may enable you to help your fish. There is also a guide to fish in cycling on this site. Check it out.
Good luck!
glassbird
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2009
- Messages
- 449
+1 on the larger water changes. Just be sure to match the temperature of the new water to the temp already in the tank, and use a good dechlorinator (like Prime). How many fish total do you have?
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
Nitrites binds to hemoglobin, preventing oxygen uptake. This is the reason the fish is gasping at the surface. They are suffocating.
Important: Do a large water change immediately!! Nitrites should be less than 0.25. If your nitrites is over 1 or 2, do a 75%+ change. If the fish is looking really bad, do a 100% change ... ie. remove fish to fresh clean water in a clean bucket (make sure water is temp & parameter matched.), then change out all the tank water & return fish to tank.
Second, after the water change, add some salt. The Chloride in salt competes with nitrites & help prevent its uptake. This is the only easy treatment for nitrite poisoning. You don't need a lot of salt ... a low level like 0.05% (1 teaspoon in 5 gallon) will do. Use aquarium salt if you have it, or kosher salt or sea salt or pickling salt in a pinch.
Adding a double dose of Prime will also buy you some time (~24 hrs).
But do the water change now!
<BTW - high nitrites cause a false positive reading in nitrates ... if you have high nitrites, don't bother testing or worry about nitrates.>
Important: Do a large water change immediately!! Nitrites should be less than 0.25. If your nitrites is over 1 or 2, do a 75%+ change. If the fish is looking really bad, do a 100% change ... ie. remove fish to fresh clean water in a clean bucket (make sure water is temp & parameter matched.), then change out all the tank water & return fish to tank.
Second, after the water change, add some salt. The Chloride in salt competes with nitrites & help prevent its uptake. This is the only easy treatment for nitrite poisoning. You don't need a lot of salt ... a low level like 0.05% (1 teaspoon in 5 gallon) will do. Use aquarium salt if you have it, or kosher salt or sea salt or pickling salt in a pinch.
Adding a double dose of Prime will also buy you some time (~24 hrs).
But do the water change now!
<BTW - high nitrites cause a false positive reading in nitrates ... if you have high nitrites, don't bother testing or worry about nitrates.>
Last edited:
Okay so no vie removed all the dead fish from my tank what do I need to do now? So I can do this right this time? Do i need to empty the entire tank and start over? Or will the disease go away if I do water changes. And how do I really cycle my tank? I seem o have some bacteria but I'm afraid it will die since I don't have ammonia anymore right? Help me please
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sorry to hear about your fish loss.
Chances are you don't have any real disease in the tank, so just a good rinse & clean of everything should be fine. If you are paranoid, you can bleach everything to disinfect (1:20 bleach), then rinse very well until all smell of bleach is gone, then soak in water with 5x the dose of dechlor. Then rinse again & you are set. This is a lot of work, and really only needed if you have some contagious disease. As the fish appears to die from nitrite poisoning, bleaching is prob. overkill.
I would suggest you cycle the tank fishless this time. If you don't bleach the tank, you will still have a bit of bacteria in the bio-filter. This will give you a bit of a head start & maybe save a few weeks. To keep the bacteria alive, you would need to add some ammonia. If you don't have pure ammonia on hand, just throw in a pinch of fish food (or a small raw shrimp). The decomposing matter will form ammonia & feed the bacteria.
Read this so you understand what fishless cycling is. If you have any questions, just ask.
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling
Chances are you don't have any real disease in the tank, so just a good rinse & clean of everything should be fine. If you are paranoid, you can bleach everything to disinfect (1:20 bleach), then rinse very well until all smell of bleach is gone, then soak in water with 5x the dose of dechlor. Then rinse again & you are set. This is a lot of work, and really only needed if you have some contagious disease. As the fish appears to die from nitrite poisoning, bleaching is prob. overkill.
I would suggest you cycle the tank fishless this time. If you don't bleach the tank, you will still have a bit of bacteria in the bio-filter. This will give you a bit of a head start & maybe save a few weeks. To keep the bacteria alive, you would need to add some ammonia. If you don't have pure ammonia on hand, just throw in a pinch of fish food (or a small raw shrimp). The decomposing matter will form ammonia & feed the bacteria.
Read this so you understand what fishless cycling is. If you have any questions, just ask.
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Nitrates up, pH and total alkalinity down
- Latest: Airborne 82nd
-