Accidental Aquariast needs help

[Strix]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to aquariums, and new to this group. I've always wanted to establish a nice aquarium but didn't think it would happen so soon. My daughter wanted some fish for her 6th birthday, so my husband took it upon himself to get a 10 gallon tank and all the fixin's for her. I don't think he realized how much maintenance was going to be involved and left it alone. We lost a guppie two weeks into it (water tested acidic so we did Ph decreaser), and I have since taken over testing the water, cleaning, etc. and trying to get things happy and healthy -- but what a bumpy road it's been.

To make a long story short, we were inadvertently overfeeding the fish (3 guppies, 3 tetras, 3 mollies, and a bottom feeder). I first noticed the ammonia spike and got ammonia neutralizer. Water was also very alkaline, but lady at the store said not to mess with any more chemicals, and to leave the Ph alone. Now the ammonia is safe, but we have bad nitrite levels. I did 25% water change yesterday, but being in panic mode to get the water changed, didn't realize I should've sucked water from the gravel to get the gunk out. I lost a Molly after the water change. (I had noticed a few hours earlier that she had a bit of fin rot on her tail, but otherwise seemed fine, but she declined rapidly after the water change.) I then noticed a guppy with swollen tummy (dropsy?). He's been fine up until a few hours ago, when he started hanging out at the bottom. Everybody else seems okay so far.

It's been 4 weeks since tank was set up with fish. Yesterday was the first water change (25-30%). How long should I wait to change the water again so I can get the nitrite levels down? Is this still part of the cycle the tank needs to get the bacteria growing? I am anxious to get these guys happy and healthy but feel so helpless. Also, should I change the filter or wait for next water change? I am now paranoid about doing too much, too quickly, but desperately want to remedy the situation. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm looking forward to learning more about aquarium-keeping from everyone here. I am sure you will inspire me to get my aquarium skills to advance levels! (I would love to be able to keep live plants some day too!) Thanks for your help!

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA!

It sounds as if you've fallen into quite a common set of pitfalls that happens all the time with new (sometimes surprised) aquarists - so don't fret, you're not alone and you've come to the right place!

You're exactly right, the ammonia and nitrite issues you're seeing is your tank cycling. If you haven't already, take a read on the Nitrogen Cycle article linked in my signature. It will explain a ton of what's happening to the chemistry in your tank.

As for water changes - do them as often as you need to - every day if you need to. We tend to recommend, for the health of your fish, to do a 50% (or more) water change anytime either your ammonia or your nitrIte gets above 0.5ppm. Make sure to match the water temperature, and use a good dechlorinator (I prefer Prime) at every water change. As for your filter, I would not change it until your cycle completes, or it might prolong the process.

We're glad you're here!

 

[BigJim]

Welcome to AA!

+1 on not using any more chemicals. A partial water change (PWC) will take care of most of the water problems you'll encounter. Your fish will adjust to the pH usually.

Your tank is cycling right now. The nitrifying bacteria responsible ammonia-nitrite-nitrate conversions are establishing in the tank. You need to do 50%-80% PWCs every day until the ammonia and nitrite levels are zero. PWCs won't affect the cycle very much. The bacteria live on the surfaces of objects in your tank. Very few are free-swimming. Hold off on changing/cleaning anything in the filter until the cycle is complete. I'd also wait for the tank to finish cycling before adding any more fish. Get a liquid test kit if you don't have one. The strips aren't very accurate.

What kind of filter are you running? If it's an under gravel filter, be sure to vacuum your gravel well or you'll end up with a lot of nastiness that can kill your fish. If it's a sponge or HOB filter, you can rinse the cartridges/sponges in an bucket of old tank water when you do a PWC. (That is, after your tank has finished cycling.) There's no need to replace the cartridges until they're falling apart. The filter companies give you that schedule to sell more cartridges. Also be sure to use a dechlorinator when you do your PWCs.

Hope I haven't overloaded you with info. You're further along than most newbies. Good luck and, again, welcome to AA!

 

[melosu58]

Moving this to the FW forums. More people will see it there.

 

[ampa one]

welcome to AA

 

[Strix]

Thanks so much for your quick responses! I set up a big pitcher of water yesterday in preparation for my next PWC, so it's already room temp. I will do PWC tonight! I do have a sponge filter. Should I still syphon from the gravel when I take out the water for my PWC, or will that suck up the bacteria on the surface? There really is a ton of particles floating around when the gravel gets stirred up. Should I leave the tank ornaments in there when I do the PWC so the bacteria stays on it? I watched a tutorial on youtube about cleaning the tanks, and they washed the ornaments, so I rinsed them off yesterday. Hopefully I didn't sabotage my efforts to grow bacteria by doing that.

How will I know when my cycle is done? When everything tests normal? I appreciate your wisdom! I hope I can get back on track. Sorry to bug you with more questions. I do appreciate all the help and support.

 

[Lowryder]

Thanks so much for your quick responses! I set up a big pitcher of water yesterday in preparation for my next PWC, so it's already room temp. I will do PWC tonight! I do have a sponge filter. Should I still syphon from the gravel when I take out the water for my PWC, or will that suck up the bacteria on the surface?

The majority is growing in your filter so using your gravel vac in my opinion will not be detrimental to your cycle.

There really is a ton of particles floating around when the gravel gets stirred up. Should I leave the tank ornaments in there when I do the PWC so the bacteria stays on it?

Yes there is no need to take them out. If you want to do a through cleaning them just move them.

I watched a tutorial on youtube about cleaning the tanks, and they washed the ornaments, so I rinsed them off yesterday. Hopefully I didn't sabotage my efforts to grow bacteria by doing that.

How will I know when my cycle is done?fdg

When you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrItes and under 40 nitrAtes. Your nitrAtes will not be so much of a problem since you are doing regular PWC's

When everything tests normal? I appreciate your wisdom! I hope I can get back on track. Sorry to bug you with more questions. I do appreciate all the help and support.

Maybe I am missing some advice because I never have done a fish-in cycle

 

[Halthe]

Thanks so much for your quick responses! I set up a big pitcher of water yesterday in preparation for my next PWC, so it's already room temp. I will do PWC tonight! I do have a sponge filter. Should I still syphon from the gravel when I take out the water for my PWC, or will that suck up the bacteria on the surface? There really is a ton of particles floating around when the gravel gets stirred up. Should I leave the tank ornaments in there when I do the PWC so the bacteria stays on it? I watched a tutorial on youtube about cleaning the tanks, and they washed the ornaments, so I rinsed them off yesterday. Hopefully I didn't sabotage my efforts to grow bacteria by doing that.

How will I know when my cycle is done? When everything tests normal? I appreciate your wisdom! I hope I can get back on track. Sorry to bug you with more questions. I do appreciate all the help and support.

Don't clean off your ornaments until after you have readings confirming that your cycle has finished. Remember that the bacteria lives on surfaces, like the ornaments and the gravel.

I would reduce feeding to every 2 or 3 days. Keep doing the PWC's every day until the cycle finishes!

Cycle finishes when Ammonia reads 0 and NitrItes read 0. NitrAtes should be <20 ppm.

 

[dkpate]

+1 for the daily water changes! I was in your same shoes in August (thanks to this site, I now know what I am doing for the most part LOL) and did 50-70% water changes every single day for 4 weeks.
I don't know if I would keep the bottom feeder, because if it's a pleco, they can get HUGE.
Smaller tanks take alot more work than the big ones, because of the smaller water volume.

 

[mfdrookie516]

there is a link in my signature started by a member here regarding cycling the tank while fish are present... great read with good ideas