So advice time

[Jasoncwrd2002]

So I had my 55g fowler with a sump goin for awhile. Added a goby and a wrasse and a flame angel (forget what order) but bout 3 weeks after last fish was added (maybe more) all my fish died. Well that was about 2 months ago. Due to other circumstances I was like yea ill wait till after my vacation to worry bout restocking it. Also my ammonia had spiked really high at time of deaths so I'm sure that was the cause. Of all the fish I had in there I found all but 2 of there bodies and I'm sure one of them was the culprit of ammonia spike cause I hadn't seen him in like 2 weeks. So for roughly past 2 months I've had a cleaner shrimp and some snails, of which snails have been dying off and I'm sure it's due to not having any bacteria to clean. I have did water changes and top offs and last time I tested ammonia had dropped alot. Gonna retest tomorrow cause I just did a water change and do another tomorrow to get ammonia down to 0 is the goal of course. But anything else I could be doing? I need to do a filter change on my sump also I just noticed.

Oh and looking at my glass today I have a brown hard substance on it. Bout to do research on cause and prevention of it but I've always had that I think lol

 

[Tkey3425]

I wouldn't be doing water changes to bring your ammonia down. Is your tank still cycling? How long was it up before you added the fish.

 

[Jasoncwrd2002]

It was up for like a month and a half or two. I tested it every few days and everything spiked then lowered to normal levels. Right now I'm just high on nitrates tho on latest test

 

[bskerrichard27]

I'd say its not cycled and just add fish slow so you don't overwheln the bioload

 

[Bectan01]

What do you test for? Where do you get your water from? On paper you should be cycled (based on length of time) how much do you feed?

 

[TheTodd]

If your nitrates are high and ammonia and nitrites are zero, you are cycled. Normally you would do a big water change to lower the nitrates.

As for the fish...it sounds like you added them prior to your tank being properly cycled. Were you doing anything to cycle the tank (shrimp decaying, dosing ammonia)? If not, then those high ammonia levels were simply part of the biological cycle. Ammonia and nitrates will kill fish. It chemically burns their gils. After you cycle, those will be zero.

 

[begginersluck]

It's also possible your tank was cycled to some degree but adding too many fish too soon may have caused another cycle due to the extra bioload on the filtration.

 

[Jasoncwrd2002]

Well right now only thing above normal is nitrates. Did 10g of water yesterday and prob do another 5 today.

As for feeding since its only the shrimp I usually feed him on wed and less then half a cube of mysis shrimp.

 

[Jasoncwrd2002]

Only thing above average now is nitrates. Did a 10g change yesterday and will do another 5 today.

As far as feeding since its only the cleaner shrimp I usually feed him once a week and half a cube of mysis shrimp

 

[huma-huma]

The beneficial bacteria in the tank feed on ammonia. Think of this as an engine, b.b. is the engine, ammonia is the air. The more air you push into the engine, the stronger it is. ( b.b. will thrive and take off) if you then choke the engine off of air, itll kill it and wpnt make any more power. By doing these big water changes, you are effectively starving the bacteria of food. I wouldnt do water changes and id closely monitor The ammonia levels until they naturally drop do (after the b.b. converts it)

 

[Jasoncwrd2002]

K so should I stop water changes and just let it run? I haven't had fish in like 2 months now


Also I have one power head on one side of tank. The other side looks like its over ran by diatoms. Should I put another in on that side for circulation?

 

[huma-huma]

Id keep an eye on all 3 params (ammo, trites, trates.) let it go until your ammonia comes down, then do a big pwc. At that point, id add 1 fish, wait 2 weeks, then add another and so on. (measure levels everyday)

 

[Jasoncwrd2002]

Ammonia is at 0