Whole Tank Died Over Night! :( :(

[RobGoldsmith]

Yes i was testing, the nitrites went up to 2 the night before. I did a water change and added a load new plants yesterday, when i pulled out the old plants they smelt a little horrid below the surface! This is why i changed them for new ones.

Ok so, i have now:

1. Taken the tank down and cleaned it out
2. Changed my sand for new fine white gravel
3. Cleaned all of the plants and rocks and put them back in
4. Filled it up with new water
5. Added Stress Coat and Stress Zyme

My question is. what next? When can i add new fish again? Will my tank be cycled? I left the pump in some water to stop it drying out the hour it took me to take the tank down and put it back together. I dont want to leave it too long fishless so that any bacteria die! Any thoughts would be appreciated

Rob

 

[moochy13]

if you left your filter media in old tank water, than an hour shouldnt be too much of aproblem. i wouldnt go straight back to full stocking, but you could go pretty close i think. even so, it would be wiser to slowly build the stock up again.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

At the moment I currently have bubbles all over the sides and the heater is going on and off as the water circulates.

Do you think adding the fish within a few hours should be ok?

Thanks for replies btw

Rob

 

[moochy13]

do you already have fish to put back in ? i would just put a bit of food in until you can get some fish to re-stock the tank. the food should hopefully produce a bti of ammonia to keep the filter ticking over, and you still have some fish left dont you ? leaving the tank mostly empty till tomorrow isnt the end of the world, but possible bacteria die off is why you should probably slowly restock, just to be safe. especially as the tank is recovering from an unknown problem.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Yes I have put my betta in tonight, will test tomorrow and hope like hell! I am scared to get up tomorrow and see if it is alive

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Added my Siamese Fighter last night, also a platty which I had in another tank.

Todays tests show:
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0.25ppm
Nitrate 40ppm

Does this mean I should stop adding fish or do you guys think the slightly raised nitrite level is not a concern considering?

Thanks

Rob

 

[moochy13]

do another water change, and leave it a couple of days and see what happens. so what exactly is in your tank now ? how big is it ?

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Here it is

 

[ian]

I would probably not add any more fish. It's only 30 ltrs, you need to stock it as a 30 ltr even though it's got the length of a bigger tank.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Yeah i know, it is quite deceiving as you see it at 1.2 metres long so everything swims the length and looks happy.... then the filter dies

 

[Tizer]

Aesthetically pleasing tanks those wall tanks, although they should only home plastic fish in my opinion.

 

[kevinjames]

sorry but i think the best place for it is a big green wheelie bin.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Helpful comment, nice to see we are talking with grown ups! #118####

 

[kevinjames]

i dont mean to offend, its just my opinion. i think its horrible and totally takes the ethics of fishkeeping to a very low level. but aslong as you take care of the fish your housing they isnt a problem. but if you get the bug i think you will be agreeing with me in the near future.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

I have the bug, this is my fourth aquarium. I decided to go down this route as I think massive tanks in lounges can look pretty chavvy, like someone on an estate buying a 50" television for a tiny lounge. I like these because you get so much more time to look at them, they arent tucked away or hidden on a shelf, also having it at head height makes it a lot more appealing to look at that down 4 feet off the floor.

I have this one above my desk for when I work and it looks amazing! All the wires plug into it internally so only 1 wire going down the wall. I can see it is easy to overstock as the tank looks fairly empty being so massively long though. I just wouldnt write them off without giving it a go, we have had tanks in my house all of my life and i have never spent so long looking at one than this one which is in front of my face seven hours a day.

I am however looking at a 350litre tank next which I like too! I just like variation, I have a corner and a hexagonal tank also.

Rob