Sick Swordtail? Need Help FAST!

[Orange Oreo]

So I'm New and I've just got some fish and about after a week of having them, my Orange swordtail has developed TINY black dots and she has been going to the bottom of the tank and just staying there. She's been doing this for 4 days, but one day was normal and then she went back to sick the next day.. However when she sees me she greets me, but when I go she goes back to the bottom of the aquarium and lays there. I do see her swimming normally sometimes but usually she will lay on the bottom. She doesn't lay on her side or anything she just lays with her belly on the gravel. She breathes normal and sometimes moves her fins, but usually has them clamped when she lays on the bottom. When she does swim, she swims completly normal. She has also some very stringy, clear waste. I just got her! I really need help.
I have 120 gallon tank. I clean the tank every month and its been set up for years, but then all my fish got sick and sadly died and then my dad cleaned the whole tank out, took out most of the gravel, and all the decorations. After he cleaned it out, he put water back into it and ran it without any fish in it for a year. Alge did grow and covered the whole bottom like a blanket, and it had a very slimy and soft texture to it. I tried to get most of it out. I cleaned the decorations and gravel and put them back in the tank and I have not gotten any new decorations, I only used the ones that I had and they have been left out of water for a year along with the gravel. Ive been feedig them Omega One Flakes that help with their colors supposedly and I accidently used goldfish food the first time because I had a bunch of goldfish before. I've tried to feed them veggies, but none of them will eat it. The other fish are 3 mollies. I have three snails. What is it? What do I do? All the others are fine! Please help me...

[Orange Oreo]

Ummmmmm I really need help, why is no one answering me?! I just got my fish. People are reading this, but no answer. People are answering other people's questions. I am not trying to be rude, but I love my fish so much and I would do anything possible for them. I would never want them to die, they are my babies. I know it may sound funny and weird that I'm so worried, but please just help me figure out a solution.

[Toad]

My guess is you didn't cycle the tank and at least one of your fish has parasites

[Orange Oreo]

But it's been cycling without fish in it for a year. And if it does have parasites....do u know what kind?

[Toad]

Tanks don't cycle without a source of ammonia, no ammonia source, no cycle. You can read up on fish-in cycling. As to the parasites, no idea, paraguard is supposed to be good for parasites.

[Orange Oreo]

Ok, thank u. How does it not cycle without ammonia? How does ammonia help? I thought that u aren't supposed to put anything in there until it cycles for a week.

[Toad]

https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

[V227]

Nobody is trying to avoid you or be rude. You have thrown a whole lot of somewhat confusing information out there. Essentially it sounds like you added a group of fish into a likely uncycled tank, a tank that a year ago had a disease outbreak that took out the entire population of fish. No information on how the tank and decor were cleaned after the outbreak and you indicated that the tank was filled with water and left unstocked for a year. You noted you clean the tank out once a month. Are your cleanings 25 % water changes and a filter cleaning, or do you drain the entire tank. But to the point, if your tank hasn't cycled your sick fish is likely suffocating due to a cycle spike. If the tank is cycled then your sick fish has some type of a parasitic infestation. Research fish included tank cycling, common fish diseases and medications. Good luck.

[Delapool]

OP fyi there is a sticky on posting information for sick fish in this sub-forum. This can help people in replying.

Water readings for ammonia and ph (mainly but I'd do the rest), would be a good check. Since it has been 4 days, I'd check nitrites and nitrates as well.

[Orange Oreo]

The outbreak of the disease was Ich, this isn't ich. And like I said we drained all the water and cleaned all the decorations and gravel. They were left out of the water for a year. I'm so confused what cycling is because I thought cycling was leaving the tank running for a week. I thought that explaining everything was a good thing, I'm sorry that I threw a whole lot of somewhat confusing information at u. I was just asking for help. Everyone keeps throwing at me that I didn't cycle the water, I clearly don't know what it means......

[mimiheart]

Originally Posted by Orange Oreo

The outbreak of the disease was Ich, this isn't ich. And like I said we drained all the water and cleaned all the decorations and gravel. I'm so confused what cycling is because I thought cycling was leaving the tank running for a week. Everyone keeps throwing at me that I didn't cycle the water, I clearly don't know what it means......

Read the thing that Toad posted or go to the getting started forum and read the articles in there about the cycle.

Running the tank alone doesn't do much. Though I know I made that mistake at first. What you want is a tank with good bacteria built up.

[Orange Oreo]

But I dont understand how the ammonia just appears if u dont put any fish in the tank. I'm still so confused.

[mimiheart]

You add it in manually.

[Orange Oreo]

May I ask how you do that? I'm super new to this, I'm sorry if I'm being annoying....

[mimiheart]

Read these.

Start with the fastest fishless cycling one and the one about already having fish. Also, since you got your fish at a place not known for healthy fish to begin with, be prepared to maybe have to deal with more than usual to get your fish to healthy.

[Orange Oreo]

Ok, thank u so much. You have helped me a lot.

[Delapool]

These links might help on general information.


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...um-154837.html


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...de-176446.html

[Orange Oreo]

Ok, thanks a lot.