Nitrites/ammonia Disaster

[caity]

If anyone could PLEASE offer me some advice, I'm desperate. (I've had Ken for three years and this has never happened before... and i don't actually know whether he's a boy-fish.)

While I've had goldfish as pets most of my life, I honestly didn't know anything about the system of bacteria and waste management. I thought I was doing him a big favour by scrubbing out his tank, doing a 90% water change and cleaning his filter - and buying him a new friend, who died within one week.

When my fish started to look ill, I got the water tested at a local aquarium. The guy told me I had serious nitrite and ammonia issues I went home and put most of a 250ml bottle of 'Amtrite Down' into my tank. Over the last week, I have put the whole bottle in.

He didn't pick up terribly much, so after about five days (he started looking pretty awful) I moved him into a large ceramic bowl. He seems to have stopped getting worse. I'm doing a daily partial water change (maybe 10%) in the bowl, and leaving the filter running in the tank, where hopefully some kind of bacteria cycle is working.

He has stopped eating, so he isn't producing any waste. He's gotten extremely thin. Is there any way to get him to eat?? He showed vague interest in it a few times, but didn't have the energy to eat it. This is a huge problem. While he doesn't seem to be heaps worse than he was in the tank, he is really wasting away. (His fins have also gotten very raggedy, he spends a lot of time lying on his side near the surface, although swims about occasionally.)

Aside from obviously getting the nitrate and ammonia levels checked again, can anyone offer any advice on how to rehabilitate my poor fish? He is a gold fantail. How long will it usually be before the tank is safe for him again?

Thank you to anyone who can help. (Also, I know I've been a totally ignorant fool, so please don't point that out - I seriously love this fish.)

 

[evilchild]

is the tank well oxeygenated? (well aired sorry for the poor spelling) as high nitrite and ammonia can reduce the oxeygen in the water. also did you use a decloranator when you cleaned the fish out and did you leave any of the filter media in or was it all new?

 

[caity]

is the tank well oxeygenated? (well aired sorry for the poor spelling) as high nitrite and ammonia can reduce the oxeygen in the water. also did you use a decloranator when you cleaned the fish out and did you leave any of the filter media in or was it all new?

I think it's well oxygenated: I have a filter that spurts the water about 5mm above the surface - it causes bubbles and a light current. I also have a live plant in there, which I also thought would be good for that type of thing.
I didn't use a de-chlorinator, no. I only just found out about that stuff since I have checked out this forum tonight. I asked the guy at my fish shop whether chlorine could be a problem (water in melbourne is mildly chlorinated), but he didn't seem to think so.
I totally scrubbed out my filter. It has a plastic-type sponge in it, which i rinsed several times in new water, so I think all hope is lost on that front.

 

[evilchild]

sorry to say, but yeah sounds like it. the de-chlorinator takes all the nasty stuff out that the water companies put in, I.E metals and other chemicals that are bad for fish. what has basicly happened all the good bacteria stuff that would kill off the ammonia has gone and that is why every thing has shot up, just keep doing water changes and use the de-chlorinator. have you got a tester kit to test the water for nitrite and ammonia leavles? if not try and get one then you can see if your tank is improving? i hope that can help you out a little?

p.s
when cleaning the filter rinse the sponge in old tank water, this will clean it off and still keep all the good stuff.

 

[caity]

Thank you evilchild.

Going to head back to my local aquarium shop tomorrow and get a tester kit for this sort of stuff. A(nd yell at him for telling me not to bother with de-chlorinator!)

I don't suppose there's any kind of emergency 'miracle cure'?
This poor little fish, I really hope he doesn't die. I got him a few years ago, and I'm very attached. I'm pretty much willing to try anything that might keep him alive.

 

[caity]

After seeing him struggling in the poisonous tank, I moved him to a very large ceramic bowl, where I am changing the water frequently. (about 20% twice a day for the last 2 days)
After having him out of the tank for 2 days, will this mean that the tank water might now be more inhabitable?
Should I wait until I get the water tested before moving him back into the tank? He doesn't seem to mind the bowl - I moved some of his gravel, stones and a bit of plant in there.
Should I continue doing water changes in the tank if the fish is no longer in there?

 

[littlest]

Assuming the tank is bigger than the bowl, he will probably be better off in the tank. He will still be producing ammonia as waste, and as it is the ammonia he produces which is toxic to him, moving him to a different container won't help as the ammonia will just shoot up in there. If its a smaller volume of water the ammonia will be less diluted, therefore more toxic to him.

How large is your tank?
I would suggest you do a very large waterchange in the tank to remove the ammonia built up in there.
Replace with dechlorinated water.
Move Ken back over to the tank
Buy a liquid test kit (buy ones for at least ammonia and nitrite, preferably pH and nitrate too)
Test the water daily. If ammonia or nitrite are bove 0.25 do a water change.
Eventually the bacteria will catch up (as long as you don't scrub everything clean again).

Since you would have lost most of the bacteria in your filter what you will essentially be doing is a fish-in-cycle. It is tough, particularly with goldfish which are big waste-produces, and it will involve a lot of waterchanges. If you can get hold of any mature filter media from an established tank that would speed things up a lot.

 

[caity]

Since you would have lost most of the bacteria in your filter what you will essentially be doing is a fish-in-cycle. It is tough, particularly with goldfish which are big waste-produces, and it will involve a lot of waterchanges. If you can get hold of any mature filter media from an established tank that would speed things up a lot.

Thank you very much. I will move him back to the tank.
I poured a whole bottle of 'amtrite down' into the tank over the last week... will changing the water again mess with that? It's a live-bacteria product. According to the guy in the shop, it's supposed to eat all the ammonia and nitrate. Will throwing out the water in frequent changes cause me to throw out all this new bacteria I'm trying to cultivate? I will try and get some mature filter media at the aquarium shop.
Is twice a day at about 20% a good rate to change the water?

AGAIN - Thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[caity]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. But I'm afraid Ken just died. I appreciate your efforts.

 

[littlest]

Sorry for your loss
If you decide to get any more fish I suggest you read the cycling thread pinned at the top of the forum.