Help with tank 're-cycle' + High Ammonia Problems

[Dalebuk]

Hi, firstly I apologise if I have posted in the wrong place, admin feel free to move my thread.

Secondly I apologise for a long post, just would like to give brief background into whats happened.

I have a 100 litre tank with fluval U2 filter and sufficient heater etc.

I first cycled the tank with a few rummy nose tetra and a red tailed black shark around 4 months ago when I first set it up and everything went fine.

I added my new fish slowly over the course of a few weeks and then two weeks ago 3 clown loach died, I had to get tid of the shark and the tetras died too. I also lost two bulldog pleco's and nearly lost my fighter fish. I had the disease diagnosed as white spot/fin rot and removed my biological filter section of my Fluval U2 while I medicated for a week.

While medicating I found the rest of my fish were dying of ammonia poisoning or nitrite poisoning. I decided to stop medicating and put the bio filter back into the U2 to hopefully begin some sort of re cycling of the tank.

This was 5 days ago, I have been having to do 50% water changes almost twice a day just to keep the ammonia below 0.50. The Nitrites are still testing 0.00 and the Nitrate is around 80ppm. PH is fluctuating between 7.6 and 8.0.

It seems the Ammonia isn't being cycled into Nitrite, but the Nitrate is very high?

I am using Interpet Tapsafe which does neutralise the chemicals in the tap water, I know this because I have been testing the water after adding the tapsafe but before putting it in the tank but 4-6 hours later the readings are spiking.

In the last 3 days I have lost 2 tiger barbs and one orange gourami to what I can only assume is ammonia poisoning.

The fin rot/white spot seems to have gone as I have raised the temp to 28c and the medication must have worked.

I have a planted aquarium with a large peice of bogwood and two coconut caves. The only rocks are what I think is slate, and my substrate is a very fine gravel.

Again I apologise for the long post but wanted to provide as much information as possible. I really need help cycling this tank without adding chemicals like AMMO LOCK or PH down etc.

Please see my profile for an updated stock list and ask any questions you need to. Thanks

Dale


P.S help!

 

[Crepe]

Alright first of all you should stop buying fish. There's no need to keep sending men into a battle unequipped.

Anyways.

How long has the tank been set up? You said you cycled with fish. Did you test to make sure ammo became 0 consistently and nitrates were being produced?
Also, what test kit are you using? Test strips are notoriously inaccurate. Liquid reagent tests are better.

Next, 100litres is not enough for common plecos or clown loaches, so don't stock with them again. Neither are most "sharks".
However the bulldog plec and the redtail sharks can fit if you plan on getting them again.

Also, test the water coming from your tap. You should not have removed the bio-filter. Having it out of the tank would have starved the bacteria and killed them. Most meds are minimally harmful to bacteria when dosed properly. Secondly, it's always best to quarantine fish when you first receive them for at least 2 weeks.

A fluctuating pH implies that the tank isn't actually cycled as ammonia can cause pH to spike.

For now all I can suggest is continually changing the water and to not add anymore fish until you get your levels stable.

 

[Dalebuk]

The clown loach were only 2" and I planned on upgrading my tank when they got bigger. Now I have lost them.

I currently have;

1 x Alligator Pleco
2 x Opaline Gouramis
1 x Orange Gourami
2 x Bolivian Rams
1 x Fighter Fish (Betta)

I removed the biological filter only because I read on the med instructions to do so... I assumed this was common practice.

Before the meds were added and the bio filter removed the ammonia and Nitrites were stable at 0.

Its only since the bio filter was removed and dried out that I have had to begin re cycling.

So I just persevere with the water changes and hope that it will sort itself out?

I have a new external cannister filter on the way will this speed up the cycling? or should I wait until the tank is cycled before setting it up? I planned to run it along side the Fluval U2 until it has colonized enough bacteria on the new cannister filter.

 

[Dalebuk]

I have alos tested the water from the tap... it has 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites. The test kit I am using is a API Master test kit, i tried the testing strips months ago and realised how inaccurate they were

 

[Crepe]

It won't speed it up but it will make your tank more stable and stop this from ever happening again. I would say just wait it out. Next time, when using that med store your filter material in some tank water to keep it at least semi alive. Best yet, switch meds. Kordon Ich-attack is really good.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

+1 for the above advice!

 

[Dalebuk]

Okay, well the ammonia seems to be staying below 0.50 with water changes every 24 hours. Nitrites are 0.25. This probably ssuggests that the cycle has begun, just don't understand why its taken a week nearly for the bacteria to colonise and become established. Last time I cycled the ammonia was 0.00 within 3 days.