Hi all. I'm very new to keeping fish and I am getting very discouraged.
I got a 10 gallon tank for my daughter for Christmas. It has brightly colored gravel for substrate, silk aquarium plants and a plastic castle. We set it up and let it run for 72 hours, adding Seachem Stability according to package directions. Then we added 4 platies and a cory catfish.
About 2 days later, we had ich. Treated it and only lost 1 platy.
About 3 weeks later, 2 platies died. I took some water to the pet store and they told me the ammonia was high. I started using the stability again and took the water to the pet store pretty regularly to test. Once they told me it was "good," we added a dwarf gourami, a platy and another cory. And I bought some test strips and an ammonia kit.
On my home testing, I have never gotten nitrates or nitrites on my dipstick, a ph of 6-7 and ammonia from 0.5 to 8.
I have done so many 30-50% water changes. I use seachem stability and prime with every change.
Lost the original cory about a month ago. Have been doing water changes 2-3 times a week- any time ammonia tested over 2. Water was getting really cloudy, so when the ammonia was 0.5 twice in a row, we added 2 new cories.
That was Tuesday.
Thursday the nitrates and nitrites were still 0. Ammonia was 1. Did a 20% change.
Saturday, one cory dead this morning on my way to work. This evening after work, ammonia 4, still no nitrates or nitrates on dipstick. Both other cories dead. Did a 50% change. Both platies acting normal.
What is happening? Why is there never any evidence of cycling? What am I doing wrong?
I got a 10 gallon tank for my daughter for Christmas. It has brightly colored gravel for substrate, silk aquarium plants and a plastic castle. We set it up and let it run for 72 hours, adding Seachem Stability according to package directions. Then we added 4 platies and a cory catfish.
About 2 days later, we had ich. Treated it and only lost 1 platy.
About 3 weeks later, 2 platies died. I took some water to the pet store and they told me the ammonia was high. I started using the stability again and took the water to the pet store pretty regularly to test. Once they told me it was "good," we added a dwarf gourami, a platy and another cory. And I bought some test strips and an ammonia kit.
On my home testing, I have never gotten nitrates or nitrites on my dipstick, a ph of 6-7 and ammonia from 0.5 to 8.
I have done so many 30-50% water changes. I use seachem stability and prime with every change.
Lost the original cory about a month ago. Have been doing water changes 2-3 times a week- any time ammonia tested over 2. Water was getting really cloudy, so when the ammonia was 0.5 twice in a row, we added 2 new cories.
That was Tuesday.
Thursday the nitrates and nitrites were still 0. Ammonia was 1. Did a 20% change.
Saturday, one cory dead this morning on my way to work. This evening after work, ammonia 4, still no nitrates or nitrates on dipstick. Both other cories dead. Did a 50% change. Both platies acting normal.
What is happening? Why is there never any evidence of cycling? What am I doing wrong?