Newbie Needing Urgent Advice!

[Kimberley]

Hello everyone, I wonder if there is someone that can offer some advice please.
We set up a brand new tank a couple of weeks ago, left it for a week and took a sample into the local fish shop as requested. They tested the water and said we would be ok to add a few fish, and advised us to leave it for another 2 weeks before adding any more. We bought a cory and 3 platies. I also bought a water testing kit for myself.
Now, our ammonia is fine at 0 but the nitrites are really high. My sister has advised me to do a water change of about 30%, is this the way to go? I am really worried because one of the platies looks very ill. It has developed a large white patch on the top of its head, and it has been very lethargic today. Within the last hour it seems to be keeping very still, like lying on its side and the cory has nuzzled at it a couple of times.
Does anyone know what it is, if is there something I can do to help it or whether I should put it out of its misery.

 

[scorphonic]

The people in your fish shop are fools. Your tank is not cycled and the dangerous toxins are building up in your tank and hurting your fish. There is one thing you can do and that is to do a massive water change...this will reduce the nitrites in the water....maybe you could even remove the fish and get the fish shop to look after them until you are fully cycled.

What did you do in the first week? Just let the tank sit there with filter running and heat on? Leaving a tank to sit does absolutely nothing for the filter and does not lead to growth of bacteria unless you add in ammonia into the tank or add in some hardy fish that can withstand the high levels of ammonia and nitrites while the bacteria develop in the filter.

Your fish shop should never have sold you plattys to cycle a tank and I dont think corys are all that hardy either...It is sometimes a bad idea to completely trust the advice given to you from a pet store.

I hope you can read alot of stuff on this site and get a good rounded understanding coz we all have our own opinions but its all very useful when taken together. Best of luck with it

 

[Kimberley]

The people in your fish shop are fools. Your tank is not cycled and the dangerous toxins are building up in your tank and hurting your fish. There is one thing you can do and that is to do a massive water change...this will reduce the nitrites in the water....maybe you could even remove the fish and get the fish shop to look after them until you are fully cycled.

What did you do in the first week? Just let the tank sit there with filter running and heat on?

We just followed their advice. We have never kept tropical fish before.
We added declorinator and filter start stuff, added a few flakes of food and left it running for a week. They said at the water test that they would tell us if the water was ok to add some fish. They said platies were hardy and a very good start to the tank, and to leave it a couple of weeks now.

 

[scorphonic]

Ok I understand what you were doing. You were indeed doing a fishless cycle then you switched over to a fish aided cycling of your filters.

I still dont think plattys are hardy and maybe that is why they are getting ill. Generally in a cycling tank if your fish start to get ill it is due to the toxins that are building up. Do a water change with water that is similar in temperature to try and minimise fish stress.

Are the gills of the fish red and inflamed?

 

[Kimberley]

Ok I understand what you were doing. You were indeed doing a fishless cycle then you switched over to a fish aided cycling of your filters.

I still dont think plattys are hardy and maybe that is why they are getting ill. Generally in a cycling tank if your fish start to get ill it is due to the toxins that are building up. Do a water change with water that is similar in temperature to try and minimise fish stress.

Are the gills of the fish red and inflamed?

Argh, I think the fish shop just wanted our custom! The gills don't look red or inflamed, but the is another platy who seems to have a lighter patch on its side. I am wondering if this one is going to get a white patch too.

 

[scorphonic]

A lighter patch? Is it white or just a lighter shade of the fish's own colouring?

If its white it could be a bacterial or fungal infection, if they are swimming on their side it could be a swim bladder problem. I'm not an expert with fish diseases and thankfully non of my fish have every been very ill before...I'm sure there are a few others that can give you some definate info, there is a guy called rdd1952 that is always very helpful!

 

[Kimberley]

No, it looks to be going white.

 

[WILDER]

The lfs shouldn't of let you have the bottom dwellers till the tank has cycled.
The fish is in a bad way its bacterial and sounds like the cycle took its toll on the fish.

 

[scorphonic]

some wise people will come back to try and help ya!! I see wilder is typing so your going to get some helpful info soon!!

 

[mommyof2bettas]

the white patches might be fungus or columnaris which both spread quickly although columnaris should be more deadly to fish
looks like you didn't cycle your tank, do a big water change, and I advise that you don't follow your lfs's advice.
How are the fish doing?