hi, i'm new to all this so bear with me. we have just set up a tank, put the chemicals in two weeks ago(stress-zyme and stress coat) and added 4 plattys this week as advised they were the best hardiest fish to start with. they were happy for a day or two but are now just sitting at the bottom of the tank behind the ornament and only come out very occasionly. i'm worried they are sick as they don't look too good.what can i do to help them? added a bit more stress- coat today thinking it might help.
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- Thread starter angjools
- Start date
Harlequins
***Corydora Crazy***
Hi & welcome 
When setting up a new tank,the bit the pet shops dont tell you is that your filter will need to cycle before it is safe to add fish,chemicals like stress zyme & stress coat aren't much use really.
When fish are put into a new tank with a new filter,they pee,poo,breath and waste food etc all produce ammonia which is very toxic to fish,in time the ammonia converts to nitrite which is also toxic to fish eventually produces nitrates which is less harmful and is removed with weekly waterchanges.This is all called the Nitrogen cycle.
The filter needs to cycle on average this takes 4-6 weeks.
I would suggest at this moment do a large waterchange with water conditioner such has aquasafe or prime etc,theres loads of choices out there,try to match the temperature of the water also.This will make the fish more comfortable has you probably have ammonia and/or nitrite in the water slowly poisoning them.
Daily waterchanges will help until you can test your water.
You will also need a liquid test kit to test for ammonia,nitrite,nitrate & ph,these are readily available,the most common one is API master liquid test kit,which can be bought on ebay for around £20.
Having this kit will help you to determine how safe your water is for the fish.
You will do good in reading this Beginners section it has fab info on fish in cycle and other very useful info.
Good luck and let us know how you get on
When setting up a new tank,the bit the pet shops dont tell you is that your filter will need to cycle before it is safe to add fish,chemicals like stress zyme & stress coat aren't much use really.
When fish are put into a new tank with a new filter,they pee,poo,breath and waste food etc all produce ammonia which is very toxic to fish,in time the ammonia converts to nitrite which is also toxic to fish eventually produces nitrates which is less harmful and is removed with weekly waterchanges.This is all called the Nitrogen cycle.
The filter needs to cycle on average this takes 4-6 weeks.
I would suggest at this moment do a large waterchange with water conditioner such has aquasafe or prime etc,theres loads of choices out there,try to match the temperature of the water also.This will make the fish more comfortable has you probably have ammonia and/or nitrite in the water slowly poisoning them.
Daily waterchanges will help until you can test your water.
You will also need a liquid test kit to test for ammonia,nitrite,nitrate & ph,these are readily available,the most common one is API master liquid test kit,which can be bought on ebay for around £20.
Having this kit will help you to determine how safe your water is for the fish.
You will do good in reading this Beginners section it has fab info on fish in cycle and other very useful info.
Good luck and let us know how you get on
Harlequins' advice was spot on
The only thing I would add is that Stress Coat is actually an excellent water conditioner and so I'd recommend you keep using it, at least until you finish the bottle.
The reason your fish are sick is because they are being affected by the bad water quality that you get in a new tank. In time the water will naturally improve but you need to help the fish along with daily water tests and large water changes. This is why the shop recommends hardy fish - because they know the water quality is going to get much worse before it gets better and they want you to have fish that are more able to endure it. Unfortunately, no fish should be subjected to the pain and suffering that comes with a cycling tank, especially as the shop didn't give you good advice for how to deal with it.
Read the link Harlequins' posted and get those bits and bobs in order first. If your water is looking great and everything seems in order, post again if you need help.
The only thing I would add is that Stress Coat is actually an excellent water conditioner and so I'd recommend you keep using it, at least until you finish the bottle.
The reason your fish are sick is because they are being affected by the bad water quality that you get in a new tank. In time the water will naturally improve but you need to help the fish along with daily water tests and large water changes. This is why the shop recommends hardy fish - because they know the water quality is going to get much worse before it gets better and they want you to have fish that are more able to endure it. Unfortunately, no fish should be subjected to the pain and suffering that comes with a cycling tank, especially as the shop didn't give you good advice for how to deal with it.
Read the link Harlequins' posted and get those bits and bobs in order first. If your water is looking great and everything seems in order, post again if you need help.
hi, thanks for your advice, unfortunately i did lose one platty yesterday but went and got some extra concentrated cycle stuff which has helped already. i did a big water change, added more stress coat and this new stuff and i could see the other three fish come up and look almost relieved straight away! i will do more smaller water changes over the next week and if the fish are still improving and looking happy, i will add a couple more plattys and see how it goes before trying any other breeds.this is a really useful site and i'm glad i stumbled across it! many thanks, angie.
Don't add any new fish until your water tests perfect
Have you been testing the water? If you're not testing the water you need to work on the basis that you're in the worst case scenario. I'd be doing 75% water changes a day until I can test my water. Don't rely on the shop - most of the time they don't know what advice to give and you should really have your own test kit for those times (like now) where you need to test once or twice a day.
oops! it's ok, i just read all the info on the link sent me and saw the answer to that question. have also emailed a donor asking for some help. god there's alot to learn! determined to win though.
angie.
angie.
Sounds like you're well on the way!
Unfortunately pet shops very rarely gve good beginner advice. The simpler and easier they make it sound, the more people will buy tanks ans fish (especially as presents or for children). It's actually fairly technical and while not hard to understand, it does take patience and dedication! Those are not qualities that fish shops cash in on, lol.
Great to hear you're getting through the material and looking for a donor. Keep us updated!
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