Livebearing Tank And All My Issues.

[littigger1983]

To start, my name is Melissa.  I live in Iowa, USA.  I have lots of tanks over the years, my first was when I was 16 and it was a 20 gallon eclipse form Petsmart.  My sister bought it for my as a birthday gift.  For this tank, she bought me 2 black moors and I loved them. I went on spring break to the beach for my senior year.  Was gone for 2 weeks and when I came back, one had died and the other was turning white.  Come to find out my nieces and nephews were in my room bothering them.  2 months later after doing everything I could I lost the last one.  I refused to have another tank until 5 years later.  My son's daycare was over ran with guppies and they gave 10 to him.  So here we go again.  I ended up with 6 tanks: 2-55 gallon long one with 4 Oscars which was giving to us by a neighbor and one with 2 red eared sliders.  3-20 gallons with guppies and platys.  1-25 gallons with guppies and platys.  After several moves and a divorce I was tank free.  Over this past summer, my fiancé decided to get a 10 gallon to store crayfish in for fishing bait.  After chancing crayfish around my house for 2 weeks I finally said NO, IF YOU WANT A TANK IT WILL HAVE FISH AND NOT BAIT.  He said ok and got rid of the crayfish.

 

[littigger1983]

Life with a 10 Gal aquarium.  Once we got rid of the crayfish I emptied the tank and scrubbed everything in hot, hot water.  I changed the filters and washed the pump so everything was like brand new again.  I then set it back up.  I went to my closest pet shop and got guppies, platys, and mollies.  Ten fish total.  I came home put the bags in the tank to allow them to temp.  Then dumped them in.  With in 2 weeks I lost almost everything.  So I took a water sample to the pet shop and the PH was too high.  A week later the Nitrite was though the roof.  I was completely lost.  I couldn't get it down at all.  I remember telling my fiancé that I don't get it, I have never had this much trouble with fish before and I have done no different then what I have don't in the past.  Instead to throwing my hands up in the air and calling it quits.  Basically say that I am doomed to ever owning fish in the state of Iowa.  I called a friend of 20 years who grew up in a fish store and asked him what the heck I was doing wrong.  After having the Nitrogen Cycle explained to me, I came to the realization that I an idiot.  so I turned to doing my research to learn everything that I can about cycling water and aquarium care.  I have learned so much.  I decided to surprise my fiancé with a larger tank because what we wanted to keep was not going to work in a 10 gallon.  So here comes the 29 galloon tall that I bought off of craigs list for $75.00 that came with pump, filter, deco, thermometer, and stand.  I couldn't beat it. 

 

[littigger1983]

My difficult life with a 29 gal tall aquarium.  I got the used aquarium home and what did I do.  I scrubbed the heck out of it with hot, hot water.  Made sure everything was extremely clean.  Once done I set it up and added water.  Once the water got to the correct temp I transferred the remaining fish from the 10 gallon aquarium.  after testing the water in a weeks time and everything was still ok.  I went and bought more fish this time from Petsmart.  I did mention that I was an Idiot.  I did the same thing as before.  I got the home up the bags in the water to temp and then dumped them in.  Ok great bigger tank less fish we should be good.  A week later nitrites through the roof, water changes once a day, and added a nitrite remover.  Things started to look better.  Another week goes by and I find THAT MY FISH HAVE WHITE DOTS ON THEM.  I freak out.  I do more internet research and I stumble across this wonderful glorious forum.  I had ICK. great, now how can I deal with this.  I have never had this before.  Salt and  high temps here I came.  I ended up losing all fry and everything but 2 female guppies non pregnant and 1 male black molly.  After a month and a half I was completely ICK free, and levels were good.  I could have sworn that I was doing everything right, until I had shampooed my carpets and rearranged the house.  And please let me clarify when it comes to running an aquarium I am an idiot. lol

 

[littigger1983]

Ok, so the moving of the aquarium.  My 12 year old son was in charge of empting the tank but to leave enough in for the fish that remained.  While he was doing this I was shampooing and my fiancé was disconnecting the entertainment center to put it where the aquarium was.  I love my son and he deep cleaned all the gravel while draining the tank.  GREAT YEAH A REALLY CLEAN TANK.  So once the area where the tank was going to go was cleaned we moved the whole thing at once.  Now, my son is in charge of filling it back up.  I was shampooing where the entertainment center was to go and my fiancé was starting to move it over.  Did you know that having a 12 year old refill a 29 gal tank takes twice as long as when an adult does it.  lol.  So shampooing is all done, everything rearranged, and fish tank is finally refilled.  We called it a night and went to bed.  By the next morning we had lost everything.  We figured it was oxygen deprivation.  So a few days later I test the water and again everything was ok and in safe standards.  SO WHAT DID I DO.  I went to Walmart and bought more fish: 3 male guppies, 2 female platys, a pair of mollies.  the next morning I lost a male lair tail guppy.  I called and talked to my friend again and he advised for a cory and a live plant to help out even more.  Great so I went to my pet shop and bought: 1 albino cory, 1 live snail free plant, 6 female pregnant guppies, a pair of Dalmatian Mollies, a pleco, 1 female platy, and 2 male platys.  And here we go again.  Brought them home, temped them, and dumped them in.  I also bought a Tetra Whisper 40 to replace the Tetra Whisper 30 in tank filter.  I switched the filter and media from the old to the new and plugged it in.  Thinking to myself that everything is great.  Yesterday morning I had to break out the breeding net because here comes fry.  I put mama in the net and we had 5 fry.  Ok so I am so use to having more fry in a birthing then that but everyone is ok.,  What more could I ask for.  Last night I tested the water since it was a week since the move.  And to my surprise NITRITE through the roof 5.0ppm.  What the Heck.  Well low and behold I had put 2 yes 2 algae wafers in.  IK IK STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.  So last night we siphoned the tank as I added fresh replacement water.  We kept this up until the level dropped to almost 0ppm and I added prime to the last gallon of fresh water and dumped it in.

 

[littigger1983]

It is now today.  I woke up and saw that there were no more fry, just the five, so I put mama back in the main tank.  I then tested nitrites again.  This time we were at 1ppm so not as high as last night but still every dangerous.  SO LETS SIPHON AGAIN.  My fiancé and I kept it up (siphon and fresh water to keep water level good in the breeding net). We siphoned all floating matters and in the fake plants.  we left the gravel alone.  we finally got it down to .25ppm and again I added prime.  I will retest tonight and if it is back up I'll siphon again.  I am continuing to do research to be a better fish keeper.  But what can I say for myself.  At my advanced age of 31 years old Alzheimer's must have set in.  LOL.  I know better now to wait and cycle the water without having fish.  My fiancé needs to pop all my tires and take my bank cards so my impatience doesn't get the best of me.  In between homework for my bachelors in business and the building of my new online store for M & C Gifts Unlimited (site not published yet) I will continue to learn everything I can about aquariums.  I will repost tonight with my next nitrite results.  Any and all suggestions and helpful tips are more than welcome.  I hope y'all enjoy my journal and laugh along with me at all my stupid trials.

 

[SeanTrollope]

gee that is hard. so many fish so fast. i would have given up looong looong time ago

 

[littigger1983]

What can I say I don't give up easily.  I know I can do this I have don't it before with no knowledge.  No the I have some knowledge I feel like an idiot. lol

 

[Mamashack]

Sounds like you didn't cycle your tank again after killing off by scalding the friendly bacteria that get rid of the toxins that fish produce.
You need to cycle the tanks again otherwise you'll continue to have further fish losses. 
For help with cycling follow the link at the end of my signature.

 

[littigger1983]

So test results of last night was .25ppm.  I read tested it this morning and still at .25ppm.  Plan of action another water change.  So far everyone is alive and good.  Next update will come tonight.  I feel like im doing the right thing by not feeding and doing constant water changes.

 

[Mamashack]

If you can, get someone to foster your fish while you get it cycled as the constant water changes are counter-productive for the cycle.
Next best thing you can do is read the fish-in cycle which is covered in the 2nd and 3rd thread here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/291-cycle-your-tank/
Seriously tho the best thing is to get the fish out of there and cycle the tank with ammonia - it's much quicker than fish-in cycling and much much kinder to fish.