Am I being Obssesive?!! Please help!!

[Naidisbo]

Alright, I've HAD to put my tyretrack eels into a non-cycled 30gl tank.
I //KNOW// it's horrible for them but I CAN'T return them and I HAVE NO ONE to take them.

I haven't been able to get the cycle started, the last few bottles of bacteria were DEAD and completely ineffective and the problem now is that I HAD BEEN doing a 60% water change every day because the Ammonia levels are always at .5pp to 1pp and that's HORRIBLE for them.
The problem, is that my mom thinks I'm being obsessive about water changes and won't let me do them any more. Her reason?

"I've had fish before and NEVER had to change the water out like that. You're wasting too much water, the fish are FINE and you're being ridiculous."

I need people on here to TELL HER SHE IS WRONG because she won't believe me and my fish are going to DIE. They already are breathing heavily in this toxic environment and I'm trying everything I can but I NEED to be able to change water...

EDIT: Thank you ~ Sorry I freaked out a bit. They started looking sickly and I was worried the ammonia would do them in. This is a very good community, for no one to have said anything about the hysteria.

 

[Naidisbo]

I know this probably isn't exactly forum-worthy but
I REALLY need some people who KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING to tell her she's WRONG about the fish.
I need ADULTS to say how BAD a non-cycled tank is for fish.

 

[SFFishSticks]

you need to keep changing the water as long as there is ammonia or nitrite added together over 0.5 to 1.0.

try to get some cycled media into your filter if you can. well rinsed (in drained tank water or treated tap water) substrate from a cycled tank if you have nothing else may help too.

these fish also need an aquarium over 100 gallons when they mature, so you should look to finding them a new home if you don't have a large tank for them to move to.

 

[Naidisbo]

these fish also need an aquarium over 100 gallons when they mature, so you should look to finding them a new home if you don't have a large tank for them to move to.

Yeah... I don't have a larger tank yet, but I was going to upgrade to a 50 - 60gl after they outgrow this one, maybe a bigger tank if I have the money by that time. They're both under six inches right now, and I planned on switching out their tank once they're both around 10 inches. I just need to get this one cycling and to try to keep them from getting sick... It's really frustrating. Their old tank /was/ cycled, I left for only a week and at some point it got disturbed and the nitrates were way high. T'is when I moved them over to their new tank early, seeing that they'd have to sit through a cycle either way.

 

[SFFishSticks]

... Their old tank /was/ cycled, I left for only a week and at some point it got disturbed and the nitrates were way high. T'is when I moved them over to their new tank early, seeing that they'd have to sit through a cycle either way.

High nitrates can be fixed with water changes, live plants can also help keep them down. Do you have the filter from the old tank still? If so, put it on the new tank.

If ammonia and nitrites were 0, and you had high nitrates, then your cycle didn't crash, you just needed a water change.

 

[SnailPocalypse]

Yeah I would say if ammonia was like that then you do.And things have changed since she has kept fish,people have gotten more educated in the hobby,figured more things out,and found out that ammonia is one of the most toxic substances to fish.

 

[Naidisbo]

Thank you both ~
Took awhile, but finally got through to her~

 

[NickAu]

MOM you are wrong, The water needs to be changed to keep the nasties down.