New Member

[Wmc2009]

Hello. My names Matthew. I'm not new to the fish world but it's been a few years. I just recently bought a 29 gallon aquarium and set it up that same day. I bought several live plants and let it run for four days before adding my fish. I have always liked cichlids so I purchased 4 Africans and an algae eater. Started noticing a week after adding them that my water was starting to cloud up and then another week later they were all dead. I was thinking it was ich but even after treating they all still died. Before the last yellow cichlid died I added aq salt as suggested on here but I guess it was too late. So I cleaned out my entire tank and decided to start over. My plants are thriving and that's really the only things that survived. I made sure when I first set up my tank to fertilize them once a week and added stuff to the gravel to help them grow. I've decided I'm going to let it run without fish for a few weeks before I spend more money on stocking it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Plant fertilizer (first layer pure laterite mixed in gravel and leaf zone liquid once a week)t

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi welcome to AA!
Did you cycle your new tank?
Letting a tank sit for days or weeks will not cycle it. You need an ammonia source from fish, dead prawn or bottled ammonia to start and continue the cycle. By the sounds of it your fish may have suffered from ammonia poisoning with the ich being the last straw.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-to-Starting-a-Freshwater-Aquarium/Page1.html
Please read this and if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask!

 

[Wmc2009]

Thanks for the response. No I didn't cycle the tank. I have cleaned it out and started over like you suggested just kinda overwhelmed with that whole fish less cycling process. Seems like it might take forever? Do you have to do that every time you want to clean out your tank and redecorate? I've found some cichlid rams I want to purchase but it's only been a few days since I cleaned it up. Don't want another fish death trap. I'm noticing a lot of snails if that means anything.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Thanks for the response. No I didn't cycle the tank. I have cleaned it out and started over like you suggested just kinda overwhelmed with that whole fish less cycling process. Seems like it might take forever? Do you have to do that every time you want to clean out your tank and redecorate? I've found some cichlid rams I want to purchase but it's only been a few days since I cleaned it up. Don't want another fish death trap. I'm noticing a lot of snails if that means anything.

Nice tank you have there. Whether you fishless cycle or fish in it will still take 4-8 weeks (sometimes longer). It's not a good idea to add rams to a tank any less then 6 months old. They need very stable conditions and a new tank will not provide that.
Redecorating the tank (not removing anything) will not cause a cycle. Removing an established filter and sometimes changing substrate will cause a cycle.
FISHLESS
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-Guide-and-FAQ-to-Fishless-Cycling/Page1.html

FISH IN
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html
Here are the direct links to the cycling guides. Have a read of them and then make up your mind which way you wish to cycle.

 

[Wmc2009]

Last question and I'll quit bugging you. When it's talking about adding ammonia it says add 4 ppm? PPM ? Do you mind telling me what that is?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Last question and I'll quit bugging you. When it's talking about adding ammonia it says add 4 ppm? PPM ? Do you mind telling me what that is?

ppm is parts per million. Equivalent to milligrams per litre. Your test kit will measure in one of the two.

 

[redsea]

Welcome to AA!

 

[Wmc2009]

Welcome to AA!

Thanks.