Incomplete Fish Cycle

[destinyj]

I took the advice of the pet store but have found much more information in this forum and think I just might have the answer to my question already. I just want to make sure I'm not overlooking anything else.

We have a 55 gallon tank that is doing great. We decided that we wanted to get a bigger tank to eventually get some cichlids so we bought a used 70 or 75 gallon tank. Now after about a week the pet store told us it would be fine to put some fish in to get the cycle started. I now know this is not correct information however I want to make sure that we don't have any other problems in the tank. After one week we put 4 tiger barbs in the tank and they all died within a couple days. We took our water sample to the pet store (again - I now know I should have tested the water myself) however they said the water was fine and they gave 4 new tiger barbs. Again, they have all died, pet store tested water and everything was fine and they sent us out the door with 4 more tiger barbs. Again, they died. I bought a master test kit last night and tested the water. Everything came out fine. I guess my question is, with the water being fine - did the tank not cycle for long enough or could there be some type of disease in the tank. Suggestions on what I should do? The fish were very active and swimming together when we first put them in but the next day would be hiding in their own spaces away from each other. They would then swim upside down, then right side up, then they would get tired and go to the bottom of the tank like they were dead (on their side) and then all the sudden they would shoot back up to the top of the tank and swim normally.

What should I do?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Four tiger barbs in a 70 gallon uncycled tank would not be affected by water conditions for over a week (at least). It's unlikely perhaps that you had three separate unhealthy batches of fish so I think we can discount that.

So:
Did you dechlorinate the water?
What temperature is the tank at?
What were the water parameter readings you made with your test kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH)?
How did you acclimatise the fish to their new home?
How did you clean the tank before filling it with water?

 

[destinyj]

Thank you so much for the quick response. I did dechlorinate (brand-Prime). Tempature of tank is 78 degrees. When I tested the water last night this was the readings: ph 7.6, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate 0. I let the fish float in their bag from the pet store for 20 mins before I put them in the tank. The previous owner of the tank was moving and had not cleaned the tank so it had some algae and I cleaned it with a fish tank scrubber (warm water). I purchased rocks and decorations and rinsed them in warm water also. I also forgot to mentioned that when I first filled the tank with water it was clear and after a couple days got a little cloudy and now it's more cloudy.

Four tiger barbs in a 70 gallon uncycled tank would not be affected by water conditions for over a week (at least). It's unlikely perhaps that you had three separate unhealthy batches of fish so I think we can discount that.

So:
Did you dechlorinate the water?
What temperature is the tank at?
What were the water parameter readings you made with your test kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH)?
How did you acclimatise the fish to their new home?
How did you clean the tank before filling it with water?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Were the rocks and decorations purchased from a pet store?

When you introduce fish to the tank you must float the bag, as you did, but you must also gradually add some tank water to the bag. So you would, for example, add a few tablespoons of tank water every few minutes until the bag has about 50% more water than it did originally. This may well be the cause of the problem.

The cloudiness is probably a bacterial bloom but that usually goes along with an increase in a ammonia, which would could also cause the symptoms you mention. So your zero ammonia reading is a little perplexing.

I would be tempted to break the tank down again and clean it and all the contents thoroughly with household ammonia or bicarbonate of soda solution as it could be a toxin causing this.

Do you have gravel or sand and is it new?

What else do you have in the tank?

Which test kit are you using?

 

[destinyj]

Yes the rocks and decorations were purchased from a pet store. I have smooth gravel and yes it was new. I rinsed it well with warm water before putting it in the tank. I'm at a loss as my readings all seem fine. Oh by the way, I'm using the API Freshwater master test kit. If I start all over again, should I change the filters also? I'm use the Aqua Clear 70 filter that has 3 seperate(different) filters. And how long do you think I should wait to add fish again once I have started over again and the water levels are normal - probably should still wait another month or longer, right?

Were the rocks and decorations purchased from a pet store?

When you introduce fish to the tank you must float the bag, as you did, but you must also gradually add some tank water to the bag. So you would, for example, add a few tablespoons of tank water every few minutes until the bag has about 50% more water than it did originally. This may well be the cause of the problem.

The cloudiness is probably a bacterial bloom but that usually goes along with an increase in a ammonia, which would could also cause the symptoms you mention. So your zero ammonia reading is a little perplexing.

I would be tempted to break the tank down again and clean it and all the contents thoroughly with household ammonia or bicarbonate of soda solution as it could be a toxin causing this.

Do you have gravel or sand and is it new?

What else do you have in the tank?

Which test kit are you using?

 

[destinyj]

Well today I broke down the entire fish tank, cleaned everything and filled it back up. We'll see how this goes.

Yes the rocks and decorations were purchased from a pet store. I have smooth gravel and yes it was new. I rinsed it well with warm water before putting it in the tank. I'm at a loss as my readings all seem fine. Oh by the way, I'm using the API Freshwater master test kit. If I start all over again, should I change the filters also? I'm use the Aqua Clear 70 filter that has 3 seperate(different) filters. And how long do you think I should wait to add fish again once I have started over again and the water levels are normal - probably should still wait another month or longer, right?

Were the rocks and decorations purchased from a pet store?

When you introduce fish to the tank you must float the bag, as you did, but you must also gradually add some tank water to the bag. So you would, for example, add a few tablespoons of tank water every few minutes until the bag has about 50% more water than it did originally. This may well be the cause of the problem.

The cloudiness is probably a bacterial bloom but that usually goes along with an increase in a ammonia, which would could also cause the symptoms you mention. So your zero ammonia reading is a little perplexing.

I would be tempted to break the tank down again and clean it and all the contents thoroughly with household ammonia or bicarbonate of soda solution as it could be a toxin causing this.

Do you have gravel or sand and is it new?

What else do you have in the tank?

Which test kit are you using?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Well today I broke down the entire fish tank, cleaned everything and filled it back up. We'll see how this goes.

Yes the rocks and decorations were purchased from a pet store. I have smooth gravel and yes it was new. I rinsed it well with warm water before putting it in the tank. I'm at a loss as my readings all seem fine. Oh by the way, I'm using the API Freshwater master test kit. If I start all over again, should I change the filters also? I'm use the Aqua Clear 70 filter that has 3 seperate(different) filters. And how long do you think I should wait to add fish again once I have started over again and the water levels are normal - probably should still wait another month or longer, right?

Were the rocks and decorations purchased from a pet store?

When you introduce fish to the tank you must float the bag, as you did, but you must also gradually add some tank water to the bag. So you would, for example, add a few tablespoons of tank water every few minutes until the bag has about 50% more water than it did originally. This may well be the cause of the problem.

The cloudiness is probably a bacterial bloom but that usually goes along with an increase in a ammonia, which would could also cause the symptoms you mention. So your zero ammonia reading is a little perplexing.

I would be tempted to break the tank down again and clean it and all the contents thoroughly with household ammonia or bicarbonate of soda solution as it could be a toxin causing this.

Do you have gravel or sand and is it new?

What else do you have in the tank?

Which test kit are you using?

I think that was probably the right thing to do. Remember, when you introduce your new fish, to float the bag and gradually add water from the tank to it over about half an hour. Also add a tiny amount of dechlorinator to the bag straight away after opening it. I think I would add at least the same volume again of water as is already in the bag. Be sure the bag is not closed again to allow oxygen to get in. Don't add the bag water to the tank, net the fish and introduce them that way.

 

[Miles_hot]

Glad to hear that you've cleaned the whole tank - that way you know you're dealing with a clean slate.

I would suggest that you take some of the mature media from your established tank and use that to seed the new tank. If you're worried about fish keeling over you could do a mini fishless cycle - it should be very quick as you've got mature media however if you want to have fish then I'd keep the numbers down to the level that the mature media transferred can handle + a little bit to push the growth of the new bacteria.

Miles

 

[CezzaXV]

If you've currently got no fish, I'd recommend getting some bottled ammonia and cycling that way. If you have mature media it shouldn't take long at all, but the presence of no nitrate makes it seem that the tank isn't cycled, even though there was no ammonia or nitrite in the water when you tested. Nitrate tests are notorious for being wrong actually, but it'd be worth doing it to make sure 100% that that was not the reason your fish have been dying.