Ammonia & Nitrites

[finchfarm]

Last week we had a major pH crash in our tank. The pH crash led to our good bacteria dying and bad bacteria invading our tank which caused an ammonia spike. We took all of the fish out and put them in a 20 gallon hospital tank. In order to prevent our 75 gallon tank from being infected again we drained all of the water, removed all of the gravel which was coated with the bad bacteria, and completely cleaned the tank. Now we're in a Catch 22 position.

If I put the fish in the newly set-up 75 gallon tank without doing a fishless cycle they could die. However I have three Silver Dollars (one the size of a small plate), two 3 inch Angelfish, one 4-5 inch Knife Fish, 1 Marble Hatchetfish, one 2 inch Black Skirt Tetra, and a 3 inch Sailfin Pleco. With the tank being small and us having many big fish they can die if they stay there too long to.

What is my better bet for the fish, move them to the 75 gallon uncycled tank or keep them in the small 20 gallon until the 75 cycles? Giving them to someone else to watch for a while isn't an option.

Whatever tank I chose, I know they're going to have to be closely monitored. What can I do to help prevent deaths in either tank?

 

[WhoFlungPoo]

Were there any fish in the 20 gal. tank before you had the pH crash? If that tank was sitting empty, when you added the fish from your 75 gal, the ammonia would quickly build up to toxic levels. Your hospital tank lacks the "good" bacteria to break it down (if there was no constant source of waste, ie fish poo, the bacteria quickly starves).

For now, I would not feed any of the fish in the 20 gal. and do some major water changes every day until you get this matter worked out.

 

[finchfarm]

There were no fish previously in the 20 gallon hospital tank, however the water in the 20 gallon was from the 75 gallon so the water in the 20 gal does have some good bacteria in it. Everything in the 75 gal is brand new...the water, gravel, everything. That's where my problem is.....put them back in the uncycled 75 gal and risk the ammonia and nitrite levels when the tank begins to nitrogen cycle, or keep them in the 20 gallon and risk pH problems, ammonia, ect., because of the size of the fish vs. small tank size. I did add some treatment today to the 20 gallon called Freshwater TLC, its supposed to help control nitrates and all, so hopefully the fish in there will be a little happer. I'm also going to do a partial water change in the 20 gallon tomorrow....then I'll have to decide what I want to do about the big tank..to put the fish in or go ahead and do a fishless cycle.

 

[WhoFlungPoo]

ouch... unfortunately there is almost NO good bacteria in the water itself. There is bacteria on the gravel (or any other substrate) but they are primarily found in the filter. So essentially we are dealing with 2 brand new, uncycled tanks. Is there any way you can get gravel from a friend's tank or even the LFS? or better yet, see if you can snag some mature filter media teeming with the good bacteria and add that to both your tanks.

What I would suggest doing now (assuming your 75 gal. is set up and ready to go) is split up your fish between the two tanks. Essentially both tanks are going to be cycling at the same time so it is necessary to keep the bioload as low as possible for each of the tanks. Feed your fish every other day ( or less if you think they can manage) and do those water changes. Careful monitoring of ammonia and nitrites is a must. Keep us updated

good luck

-Greg

 

[finchfarm]

Thanks. I hate to be in such a situation. Poor fish.

I'll probably keep them in the 20 gallon one more day. I'll do a partial water change on it today and check out the ammonia, nitrite and pH stuff in it and treat as necessary. Tomorrow I'll probably go down to our fish store and see what they're opinion on the matter is or if they can give us some mature filter media or something.

 

[-germ-]

What I would suggest doing now (assuming your 75 gal. is set up and ready to go) is split up your fish between the two tanks. Essentially both tanks are going to be cycling at the same time so it is necessary to keep the bioload as low as possible for each of the tanks. Feed your fish every other day ( or less if you think they can manage) and do those water changes. Careful monitoring of ammonia and nitrites is a must. Keep us updated

Good advice, split them up.
What caused the PH to crash in the first place?
Bear in mind that using Seachem Prime on top of regular water changes, from my experiences with in fish in cycling about 2/3rds a day, you have a good chance of performing a relatively safe fish in cycle, not that i'd advocate it.