Had Some Problems And Fish Have All Died What To Do Next

[stefngarrett]

I started with a small 5 gallon tank 5 weeks ago with two groumi fish and all was well. Then I decided to move up instead to a 20 gallon tank which I didnt cycle but used some of the previous water, I also added a few tiger barbs (3 ) after checking my water which at the time was considered appropriate per petco(not 0s). A week passed ...groumis died, did 25% Water change and the rest of the fish followed. 1 week has gone by since as i swore off fish till my tank is cycled and my last fish Chinese algae fish died from either Columnaris or some sort of algae that was growing on it overnight . My question is what do I do now? Shoukd I continue to keep the water cycling without fish or should I scrap everything with bleach and restart the cycling ?

 

[Far_King]

Just using the water is not enough to cycle a tank.  Did you move any of the filtration media over to the new tank?
 
Can you tell us what sort of filter you were using?  What temperature you had the tank at and what the water parameters were?  Did Petco test more than just pH?
 
If I were you, I'd buy my own test kit.  I'd continue to cycle the water and get some SureStart or similar bacterial treatment to ensure that the cycling was well under way and test regularly before adding any more fish.
 
Moving from one tank to another can stress fish anyway.  A tank that isn't fully cycled will also put added stress on the fish.  Stressed fish are more prone to disease and this may be what's caused the issues you've experienced.

 

[Far_King]

I've just read this again and it troubles me that you've mentioned columnaris and some sort of algae growing on a fish.
 
It's entirely possible this is columnaris and you can get a treatment to put through the tank but some treatments may also kill off the bacteria in your filter so you would need to start cycling again.

 

[Byron]

Columnaris is a possibility, but it may be fungus which will attack an open wound (I'll come back to this).  Given the circumstances I would suggest a thorough cleaning (with bleach) of the tank (empty), and replace the substrate and all filter media as these cannot be reliably cleaned if disease is suspected.  Substrate (gravel or sand) and filter media will absorb everything, including bleach, and these cannot be rinsed sufficiently.  However, having said that, it is also possible that the issue here was just cycling of the 20g, which causes severe stress and fish often become aggressive as it is their own way to combat the frustration.  Giving everything a good clean with hot water would suffice.
 
Read the cycling articles on this forum.  They will explain this issue.
 
Now to some real issues, involving your choice of fish.  The fungus on the chinese algae eater may have occurred if the fish was nipped, which is something for which Tiger Barbs are notorious.  But the real issue here is fish that will not work in small tanks, and a 20 gallon is small for these fish.  Forget the Chinese Algae Eater, they grow to six inches, won't eat algae as they mature, and often (if not always) get very nasty.
 
Tiger Barb need a large group, no less than eight but ten or more is recommended, and this group needs no less than a 30 gallon tank, to themselves.  In smaller groups, or smaller tanks, they can become even more aggressive.  There are better fish for your 20g tank.
 
Gourami are sedate fish and should never be combined with active swimmers, like barbs.  Plus, the sedateness of the gourami makes it a prime target for fish that like to fin nip anyway, like the barbs.  I don't know the species of gourami...some get very large and can be nasty.  The honey Gourami is a good choice for a 20g tank, in a pair (male/female) or a trio of one male and two female.  Male gourami are territorial, though this species is one of the more peaceful.  The dwarf gourami I would forget, as these can carry incurable disease and are not worth the risk.
 
If you eventually decide on gourami again, after cycling, some suitable tankmates would be the rasbora, or some of the quieter peaceful tetras (some are anything but peaceful with gourami).  Rasbora and tewtra are shoaling fish, meaning they must have a group, minimum usually six but depending upon the species a couple more would be better in most cases.  So this will fill out a 20g tank.
 
Byron.