New Tank Syndorme?

[chrisbastin]

Recently bought a new fish tank after having a smaller one when i was younger and used soll bactinettes to speed up the biological filtration... i had heard mixed reviews about these but decided to go ahead with it anyway. i was advised to buy 5 neon tetras and 5 striped danio for my 110 litre tank. they have been acting and feeding well until recently and they are now 'sucking' the top of the water. i purchased 2 more less hardy fish which died very quickly. my nitrate and nitrite levels are practically 0 and was just wondering why my fish are behaving this way and why my new fish died so suddenly. thanks

 

[Mauricia]

Did you test for ammonia? It's fine if your nitrates are practically 0, but anything about 0 for nitrite could be harmful. Do you have a high pH? This could make even a trace of nitrite pretty toxic. Do you have strong enough filtration? Do you have enough aeration? what is the temperature of the tank? Did you use dechlorinator? To start with I would do a 25% water change right away and see if this brings the nitrites down. Also test the ammonia levels. Even with adding a bacterial starter, if the bacteria is still alive, it still takes a couple days for it to be activated and you will still experience a mini cycle so you need to test the water often and do changes as necessary.

 

[fatheadminnow]

to TFF!

I am sorry that you fell victim to your LFS (local fish stores) advice and went ahead with what you did. However, you have come to the right place!

First off, products that "claim" to speed up the cycle of your tank are completely junk. The best method to speeding up your cycle is from adding some mature filter media from another filter into your filter.

Your fish are being effected by high levels ammonia, not nitrite at this point.

You also NEED a good LIQUID test kit to test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Strip test kits are no good and inaccurate and will give you false readings.

You are in what is known as a fish-in cycle, and can be read about here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=224306

-FHM

 

[chrisbastin]

thanks for the help, im now goin to do a 25% water chan ge and i will let you know how i get on. i have read the beginners guides which are greatly appreciated. thanks again chris

 

[Assaye]

thanks for the help, im now goin to do a 25% water chan ge and i will let you know how i get on. i have read the beginners guides which are greatly appreciated. thanks again chris

If the problem is ammonia (which in a new tank with so many fish, it is very likely to be), you'll need to do more than a 25% water change.

Get an ammonia test ASAP and in the meantime, do a 75% water change.

Neon tetras are also NOT hardy fish or good for beginners (despite what shops may tell you). They are notoriously fragile and often die unexpectedly even if the water all seems OK. If you don't want to return them, you need to be EXTRA careful if you want to keep them all alive.