Fishless cycle

[Calvin and Kyle]

Thanks for all your help man! I really appreciate it. And I will surely post some pictures for you!

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

Hey, so I've had fish in my tank for about a month since it cycled, slowly building the community, when in the last couple of days I have ammonia readings of .5?

What happened? The fish seem fine most the time, every now and then one or two will go to the surface and do that dreadful gasping like thing.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

What's your cleaning schedule been like? Cleaning substrate and filters? And how many fish do you have now?

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

I have not cleaned the filter. But I recently cleaned substrate with a gravel vacuum very thoroughly. Just about 4 days ago. Should I clean the filter?

Also I have:
3 tiger barbs
2 green tiger barbs (1 died the other day from what seemed to be dropsy or a swim bladder infection)
1 peacock eel
1 albino bristlenose pleco
1 blue ram cichlid
1 ivory snail
1 nerite snail
1 upside down catfish.
All the fish are about an inch long. Except the peacock eel who is 5" and of course the snails who are about the size of a dime.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Slow down on adding anything else. Don't clean the filter just yet at less it's not working right. Bacteria lives in the substrate and when you cleaned it you may have cleaned to much. When I clean mine I only do about half.

More than likely that's what happened. Don't add anything new for awhile and let the system catch up with the bio load. Keep an eye on water perimeters and do a water change(s) as needed if it starts to climb more.

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

Okay, thanks man! I'll keep on eye on it. And if anything changes ill let you know.

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

How long do you think till it's caught up? I worry they will die of ammonia.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

How long do you think till it's caught up? I worry they will die of ammonia.

If your worried do a water change just don't clean anything. It shouldn't take long for it to change and get caught up.

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

Well I did the water change when I cleaned the gravel the couple of days ago.

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

Alright, one green tiger barb died yesterday while i was at work. Everyone else in the tank seems totally fine. And my ammonia seems to be between 0 and .5 a little reduced and close to zero. Just keep waiting?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Alright, one green tiger barb died yesterday while i was at work. Everyone else in the tank seems totally fine. And my ammonia seems to be between 0 and .5 a little reduced and close to zero. Just keep waiting?

Yea keep waiting, I don't know what else to do they should be fine. Those Api colors are all so close together so it will be hard to tell what ammonia really is. How's the nitrite? Is there any chasing or fighting?

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

The nitrites are at 0

The nitrates are at 15ish.

And we'll the tiger barbs kinda do their thing. The only other thing I noticed is they started picking on the blue ram. And I've been contemplating finding him a new home, for he has a couple nips off his tail.

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

Alright, well everything seems okay! I got rid of the blue ram and replaced him with an albino tiger barb.

There are no signs of any ammonia or bad water conditions amongst the fish.

But I don't plan on putting anything new in for a week or two?

Does that sound appropriate?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Sounds good
When adding new fish go slow and easy and each time keep testng and doing water changes if need to be. Each time you add your adding a bigger bio load and the filters may need to catch up.

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

Okay cool! I'll be sure to go slow and easy, and monitor my water levels before and after I add any. Thanks man! Ohh and as promised I do have some pics! I don't have all my fish obviously but I got some of the tank



My tank.





White ivory snail




My stripped peacock eel! I have a video of him eating I took with my phone but I'm not sure how to put that here.





And my albino just after adding him.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Looks like a good start if it was me id add a black background aand some more plants

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

That was the plan! I will upload again once I have such or more/all my fish in.

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

My tank has ich now. Help! Lol I'm gonna turn up the temperature as I heard this helps, and go but ich treatment. Anything else??

 

[Andrew McFadden]

My tank has ich now. Help! Lol I'm gonna turn up the temperature as I heard this helps, and go but ich treatment. Anything else??

Don't use the meds just heat make it go up to 86 degrees solely over the tonight and tomorrow

 

[Calvin and Kyle]

Oh okay! Thanks! I am getting the degree slowly up. And I already put one day of ick treatment in. But I'll just not put anymore in!