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[Curiosity101]

I'm not sure how long it'll take for them to get better... I guess just go by whatever guidelines the medication gives?

 

[Curiosity101]

Oh and you can add new fish any time after transfering them over. But personally i'd give it at least until you've removed all the 125's media from the 200l. And when the 200l has had 0 ammonia and nitrite for a couple of days.

 

[Steiffbear]

Thanks once again - you've been a great help.

 

[Curiosity101]

I'd still recommend you maybe post this in the tropical emergencies section... you might get some more ideas/advice as to what could be causing the deaths in the first place.

 

[rob158]

to the forum,

 

[Steiffbear]

Guppy died this morning

Still rooting for the Platy - hope it survives.

 

[Curiosity101]

Were these the original fish you cycled the tank with? Or did you cycle the tank fishlessly?

 

[Steiffbear]

The tank was originally cycled fishless over about 3 weeks. I had the water checked by the fish store and they said it was safe to add fish. The first fish I added were the 4 Black neon tetra back in March 2010 which are still very healthy.

 

[Curiosity101]

Cycled how..?

 

[Steiffbear]

The tank was filled with de-chlorinated water, plus some bought liquid kit (though i cannot remember what it was called) which was supposed to assist in the set up of a new tank, this was left to settle for a week with filter etc all on then. the water went cloudy and then over a few days cleared. I seem to remember adding a tiny amount of flaked fish food. Fish were added 3 weeks from the day i put the water in. Did I do it wrong?

i test the water carefully with a kit weekly now. the levels on 1st Jan were as follows;

PH 7.5
Ammonia 0
Nitrite less than 0.1mg /L
Nitrate 5mg / L

 

[Curiosity101]

Not neccesarily wrong... but I find it unlikely that the tank was cycled. Often, on here, we will recommend fish keepers do a fishless cycle. This involves adding ammonia artificially, pref from a bottle so it's a measured amount, but equally it can be done with rotting fish food... dead prawns etc. Pretty much anything that gives off ammonia that isn't a living thing.

Thing is it usually takes around 6-8 weeks for the bacterial colonies to develop enough to sustain fish without exposing them to toxins like ammonia and nitrite.

Now you 'may' have been cycled enough after 3 weeks to have put fish in and them never have been exposed to anything. But equally they might have been... and if the levels were low enough then it wouldn't neccesarily kill them outright. Often we find fish that have survived a fish-in cycle (especially an un monitored fish in cycle), don't have the lifespan that they should have.

Often people come on here 3-6months after setting their tank up saying 'My fish are dying one by one and I don't know why'. I mean you're 11 months down the line so I do think it's more likely that there is probably some sort of infection/disease to treat. But it's worth thinking about.

Your nitrite is a bit high, particularly for a tank that should be fully cycled. I suggest you test daily until the nitrite reads 0. That way if it creeps up (above 0.25ppm) you will know that there is something wrong and be able to do a water change before it affects the fish.

You might find it beneficial to read the cycling topics listed in my sig... just to get yourself aquainted with cycling in general. You'll then understand exactly why I said you can move the fish straight into the new tank when it arrives (with all the 125's filter media), rather than your lfs which suggested it'd take ages...

Edit: Oh and just to add that cycling is a relative term... cycled just means the bacterial colony you have are able to sustain YOUR number/size of fish + the amount that you feed. That's why I said you 'may' have been cycled enough for the first few fish. But it's not a definite.

 

[Steiffbear]

Thanks for the advice.

The nitrite is reading at less than 0.1mg /L it was the Nitrate which was higher at 5mg /L

Maybe I should avoid getting a new tank yet until I'm more knowledgable on the whole subject of fish keeping. I don't want to put any fish at risk of illness/dying etc.

 

[Curiosity101]

Some areas of the country have nitrates of 20-30ppm straight out of the tap. So don't worry about that. Just always aim to keep it around 10-15ppm above your tapwater value at max.

And I don't see any reason for you to hold off on upgrading. Tbh you don't 'need' to read the cycling topics I suggest as your tank is likely to be cycled. It's just one of those things that you can't avoid as a fishkeeper, so it's good to know all you can about it.

 

[ARMS87]

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