2 Dead, How Many More?

[fish nutter]

Hi everyone,

I am cycling my tank (240 liter, 53 Gal) and doing a fish-in cycle (once i realized what a cycle is it was too late to return fish). The cycle is about 4 - 5 monnths in and have been seeing .25 ammonia (this is where i do a 30% water change - which is about every week), 0 nitrites (haven't seen a single blip throughout the start of the cycle) and roughly 5 nitrates. this is after i got 5 more rummynose tetras (I started off with 10 and nothing much was happening so i got 5 more). the first 10 i got were fine and normal, however after i got the other five (mabe a 5 days before the 1st one died) they started dying. after a water change i noticed a fish having trouble swimming and had darkidh mottling going down it's spine, i left it over night and found it alive stuck on the filter intake, i quickly turned it off and it rolled around feebly moving, this is when i decided to take it out because it was just suffering more.

About a day or two later i found another dead tangled in the weed, it had none of the symptoms of the other one except bulging eyes. I figured the fish couldn't handle the .25 amount of ammonia in the tank so i gav it a 30% water change and cleaned the pipes in the filter (covered with black grime ). when filling up the tank i made sure i added prime - the de-chlorinator (with a slight overdse) and that the teperature of the water was safe. and today the fish seem fine however that is what i noticed about the others during the deaths.

Have i introduced a bacterial infection into the tank, is it unbearable levels of ammonia...

Any help to discover the reason or any other things i should do is much appreciated.

Regards

Fish Nutter.

 

[WILDER]

At the most a tank should cycle in 2 months.

How many fish and which type.
What test kit are you using.
Can you post full water stats please.

Are you touching the sponge filters.

Bad water quality will take it's toll on fish causing stress and desease.

 

[fish nutter]

Hi wilder,

I currently have 13 rummynose tetras (after the 2 deaths)

I am using an API freashwater master testkit and testing every second day for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates.

I Have a Eheim pro 3 2073 canister filter and left it alone throughout the cleaning apart from cleaning the pipes - first i disengaged the pipes from the filter, leaving it full, i then cleaned the pipes, emptied the filter and merely flattened out the media after pouring out the water from it, i then attached everything back up, (after filling the tank and then started the filter.

I am having lots of algae problems, brown on gravel, glass, rocks, plants along with green (incredibly hard to get off) on a rock which is exposed to the most light.

My results now are:

Ammonia 0.20 ppm

Nitrites 0 ppm

Nitrates 3 ppm

PH 7.8

Temperature 24.5

 

[WILDER]

The tanks took longer to cycle due to the light stocking.

Brown algae common in newly set up tanks. Once the tank matures it will disappear.
Just wipe the brown algae off glass, and ornaments.

Is the tank near direct sunlight.
Also cut down on lighting.
Over filtering a tank helps keep away green algae.

 

[fish nutter]

No it is not in any direct sunlight, The lights are kept on for 10 hrs but have cut back to 8.

Another fish has died!!!!

Same problem, wake up and see a body on the gravel with bulging eyes.

Is it the temperature?

The algae?

Bacteria?

water quality?

Food?

PH fluctuations?

Water test is same as before...

Fish look happy however i do notice they have pale noses that redden up in the middle of the day

these strange deaths must stop.

 

[WILDER]

Bad water soon takes it's toll on the fish.

Add some anti internal bacteria med by interpet to the tank.

 

[Truck]

Surely an antibiotic is going to make the problem worse?

Would it not make sense to isolate the fish in a separate tank and do 50% water changes twice daily and add the med, and keep the main tank ticking over with ammonia.

 

[WILDER]

Anti internal bacteria med dosn't have antibiotics in it.

 

[Truck]

If it's anti bacterial then it's going to kill bacteria.

 

[WILDER]

It dosn't knock water stats normally.

It's only good on mild bacteria infections.

I agree the poster needs to improve water quality. As popeye can be caused by bad water quality.

I think the fish need a bacterial med for abit of protection.

Do you know any fish keepers who could donate you a mature filter sponge.

 

[fish nutter]

No, i don't sadly .

So i should add some anti internal bacteria med. Should i change the water more often? and how can i speed up my cycle? (without other media)

My LFS thinks it is the high PH and maybe popeye. Should i get some bogwood to lower the PH of 8.0 to maybe 7.0? will it bogwood lower it that much? my tap water ranges from 7.2 - 8.0. Will I need to lower my PH?

Thanks Wilder and Truck for your advice

 

[WILDER]

Cycling tanks can alter ph.

Bogwood lowers ph. Also adding some peat to the filter in a bag lowers ph.

Check the ph for the type of fish you keep.

The only way to cycle the tank is getting a mature filter sponge off another fish keeper. That's only if they have no desease in there tank.
Also members donate mature filter sponges on here. Go to tropical discussion, there a pinned thread on donated filter media.
Nutafin cyle not very good. I wouldn't bother with that.

 

[fish nutter]

I live pretty much on the otherside of the world to most the people here (im from NZ) do donations are out of the question. It looks like I have to cycle my tank on my own. My ph is too high for my fish so i will get some bogwood and carbon (for the discoloring). I will also get an antibiotic for my fish and hope that the cycle wont take too long

 

[WILDER]

I wouldn't recommend antibiotics in main tank. Antibiotics completely wipes the beneifical bacteria out in the filter.
Only recommend using antibiotics in isolation.

 

[fish nutter]

oh ok, i dont have another tank to isolate them. so what should i do to save my fish and cycle?