Ill Sword Tail And Tiger Barb

[dpr]

I have an 80 litre tank which is W31"xH11 3/4"xD15 1/2". I have a couple of questions regarding my male swordtail and a tiger barb? This tank was set up in a rush 4 weeks ago and had to start from scratch so my nitrate levels have been very high but I am just managing to bring them down. The readings tonight are NO3=100,NO2=5,GH>10,KH=3,pH=6. I am using the tetra test 5 in 1 kit. Temperture 23 C. In the tank I have a 9" sucker mouth (plec), 5 x-ray tetras, 5 gold tetras, 2 swordtails, 2 tiger barbs,2 bleeding heart tetras. I have put some plants in there but they look like they have been attacked and I have trimmed some dead looking leaves off.
The male swordtail spends most of his time either lay on the floor of the tank or goes up to the surface he doesn't seem to eat much he seems very lethargic. The tiger barb that seems ill is also quite lethargic, he is still interested in food. Now here comes the difference in opinion between my husband and myself, I think that his nice dark stripes seem to be changing colour to a green his colouring looks wishy washy, my husband thinks that he looks like he has got a white dusty coating. Any advice would be gratefully received as we are complete beginners in tropical fish keeping. I have posted some pictures.

http/aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ddp...p5Fd3Ig=/large/

http/aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ddp...p5Fd3Ig=/large/

http/aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ddp...p5Fd3Ig=/large/

http/aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ddp...p5Fd3Ig=/large/

 

[dpr]

Thought I better add in that my tiger barbs don't seem to attack their tank mates they seem to get on fine. I am feeding them tetraMin flake food and tetra plecowafers (for the plec), I do add a piece of cucumber every now and then but i only leave it in for a day and I take the remains out.

 

[WILDER]

Bad water quality.
How many gallons or litres is the tank.
How often do you maintain the tank.
Can you get a pic up of the fish it could be ammonia to nitrite poisoning.
http/www.fishtanksandponds.info/care-mai...ealth/index.htm

 

[dpr]

Hi, this is a picture of the fish http/aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ddp...p5Fd3Ig=/large/
The tank is aprox 80 ltrs. I have been doing 10% water changes every 3rd day to try and bring the nitrate levels down, syphoning the crap off the bottom of the tank. I know its bad water quality but I don't really know how to rectify it. The books I have read all seem say do water changes, the nitrate levels are coming down compared to what they were. But I'm quite concerned about the two fish, if anyone knows where I'm going wrong please help?

 

[WILDER]

The tanks overstocked with that big sucker fish.
Sounds like your filter not coping, what filter do you use.
Can see a sore on one of the tetra is that correct.

Plus plecs are massive waste producers, how often do you do a gravel vac.
When did you last maintain the sponges.
How long has the tank been set up.

 

[dpr]

The tank is a jewel tank so its a jewel fliter.
I have been washing the sponges out in some of the tank water weekly, but the tank was set up from scratch 4 weeks ago.I have been doing gravel vacs every 3rd day taking 10% water out and replacing it.
A friend of ours was moving away and I didn't think to take the old tank water when I dismantled the tank to move it to our house.The plec and tiger barb came with the tank.
The tetra I think you have seen in the picture is a bleeding heart tetra, he looks normal. The only fish that seem to be affected is the swordtail and the tiger barb.
How often can I do water changes? I don't want to shock the fish.
I am using the sponges from when my friend had the tank. Do you think I should get some new ones? The only filter I have replaced is the green filter for nitrates.

 

[dpr]

I did a 50% water change last night and the readings tonight are 50-100=NO3, 1=NO2, 10d=GH, 3d=KH, 7.2=pH.

 

[WILDER]

Go an buy a fluval two, and squeeze some of your beneifcal bacterial off the juwel sponges onto the new ones.
I would rehome the plec he's to big for that tank.