Sunny.C
Fishaholic
i have a African Cichlids tank setup, 35 gallons my tank is still on the cycle process on it's 3rd week. my fish are a little shakey and the scratch themselves against the rocks and gravel. why is this??? what shall i do???
shaking and scratching
- Thread starter Sunny.C
- Start date
as you are still cycling it could be the water making them scratch. have you tested the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph? if so what are the results?
Sunny.C
Fishaholic
i can't recall the results... but i know they are all a little off,though it is more ammonia then anything. What shall i do to help them get threw this period??? i have applied a product call ammonia lock to stop the ammonia from affecting them for the time being.. Shall i keep adding live bactria to get the filter up and going quicker
what shall i do??? i also cut down in feeding them for the time being... What shall i do? 
what shall i do??? i also cut down in feeding them for the time being... What shall i do? 
Elisabeth83
Fish Herder
You should definately be doing water changes to try and get rid of all the ammonia. Feeding them less will also help so your on the right track 
I have never tried ammonia lock so I don't know much about it
But definately do water changes. What are your ammonia readings? If it's high your probably going to have to so large changes daily.
I have never tried ammonia lock so I don't know much about it
But definately do water changes. What are your ammonia readings? If it's high your probably going to have to so large changes daily.Sunny.C
Fishaholic
Ill change 20% starting from today, but won't this make the cycle affect take longer??? won't it kill off the bacteria?? Also i notice there's alot of dirt and poo 
in between the gravel, even if i clean it out looks like my filter doesn't pick them up totally. Should i put another filter in Or even a under gravel filter(how are they)??
in between the gravel, even if i clean it out looks like my filter doesn't pick them up totally. Should i put another filter in
Or even a under gravel filter(how are they)??
Elisabeth83
Fish Herder
20% daily sounds like a good idea until you can get the ammonia under control Yes doing daily water changes will lengthen the cycling process but if you want to keep your fish alive it's what you have to do 
I went through the same process 9 months ago when I set up my first tank and knew nothing about cycling 
No doing water changes wont kill off the benificial bactera. Your treating the new water with dechlorinator I'd assume?
I had the same problem with my gravel and eventually switched it to sand and find it to be a lot easier to clean. Try and get as much poo and crud with the gravel vac as you can. It isn't good if a lot of that stuff falls between the gravel and stays there
What kind of filter do you have? I'm not too good with filters types/brands so I hope someone else can come along to help you with that question. I just use sponge filters and rinse out the sponge in old tank water every 2 weeks or so.
Yes doing daily water changes will lengthen the cycling process but if you want to keep your fish alive it's what you have to do I went through the same process 9 months ago when I set up my first tank and knew nothing about cycling No doing water changes wont kill off the benificial bactera. Your treating the new water with dechlorinator I'd assume?
I had the same problem with my gravel and eventually switched it to sand and find it to be a lot easier to clean. Try and get as much poo and crud with the gravel vac as you can. It isn't good if a lot of that stuff falls between the gravel and stays there
What kind of filter do you have? I'm not too good with filters types/brands so I hope someone else can come along to help you with that question. I just use sponge filters and rinse out the sponge in old tank water every 2 weeks or so.
Stir the gravel up so the filter gets some of the debris, do a water change, it will delay it abit, do you no any friends with fish who could give you some gravel and a muture filter sponge for your filter.
CathyG
Fishaholic
You should keep up water changes if you are cycling with fish. As for your filter, what type is it? Cichlids are messy fish, maybe you might benefit by adding another filter but it is difficult to say without details of what you have already, and the current stocking levels of your tank. I would suggest you vacuum a corner of your tank every other water change so as to clean up the mess without losing too much bacteria.
Changing the water itself will have minimal impact on the bacteria, since it colonises the filter and the gravel, not the water column. But it will help your fish by keeping Ammonia and Nitrites to a level they can cope with (try to keep them at less than 1ppm) Your cycle may take longer, but at least your fish will stand a better chance of surviving it
Keep an eye out for Ich, "flashing" is one of the early signs, and the water parameters might have stressed them, making them vulnerable.
Good luck!
Changing the water itself will have minimal impact on the bacteria, since it colonises the filter and the gravel, not the water column. But it will help your fish by keeping Ammonia and Nitrites to a level they can cope with (try to keep them at less than 1ppm) Your cycle may take longer, but at least your fish will stand a better chance of surviving it
Keep an eye out for Ich, "flashing" is one of the early signs, and the water parameters might have stressed them, making them vulnerable.
Good luck!
Sunny.C
Fishaholic
It's a all in one unit aqua ar620t, i have a tank pic if you guys want to see let me know. My temp is at 26. i Just did a full gravel clean and changed 20% water see how it goes.
Sunny.C
Fishaholic
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