help... one problem after another

taxidermist

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2014
22
2
3
35
Linden, NC
Three weeks ago i purchased a 60 gallon setup from petsmart with 2 penguin 350 filters and an air bar.I had rocks and plastic plants. My tank was set up for a week with 2 Oscars. I added the "stability" to get bacteria going. I have well water, but still added Fluval to remove any metals or irritants. PH was 6.0 and amonia was safe.
I ordered 6 peacock bass off the Internet 2.5"-3".
They arrived thin and shocked, as to be expected. I know they will out grow my aquarium, I'm already working on saving for a larger one.

After a week, one of my Oscars died for no apparent reason. I thought maybe I fed it a sick rosy red. All other fish seemed healthy. Then the next day, I see little white spots on their fins.great...ick.
So, I removed all rocks and plants, raised water temperature to 86°F and added 2 tsp of aquarium salt per gallon.I tested amonia again, it was at unsafe levels.I have been changing 25% water daily.replacing the salt every water change. Yesterday, one of my peacock bass had no color and was laying on his side at the bottom of the tank. I checked the amonia, it was at dangerous levels AGAIN. So j changed 50% of water, again replacing salt(slowly). This time adding Stability and 5x the amount needed of Prime (as directed on the bottle for emergencies). I was sure I'd wake up to dead fish but, this morning they were all alive. I have been using the heat and salt method to treat ich for 7 days now. I was about to add new gravel and plants, but I noticed the bass that was acting sick was rubbing on the sides of the tank, as if he still has ich.
Someone please point me in the right direction!

How do I get my tank back healthy and "set up/cycled" as it should be?
 

taxidermist

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2014
22
2
3
35
Linden, NC
I want to add, I've had aquariums years ago. I'm not completely new keeping fish, but I've never had a problem before. Usually set the tank up, add the proper chemicals and bacteria starter and a couple fish and enjoy for years.

Now that i understand the importance of cycling an aquarium, better late than never, how do i get it there worth the ich and ornery problems I'm experiencing?
 

xraycer

Arapaima
MFK Member
Sep 5, 2013
5,383
2,571
203
Southern NH USA
You never gave your tank a chance to properly cycle. Basically, when ammonia and nitrite are at 0 and nitrate starts appearing then your tank is fully cycled. All you can do now is do about a 50% water changes everyday until your tank is cycled. Maintain high temp and salt treatment for the ich issue
 

brich999

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 3, 2010
4,312
11
38
New Hampshire
Overstocking an uncycled tank is just poisoning your fish. Wish you the best of luck with the fish you have as xracer said gotta just do wc after wc and do everything you can to give the fish a semi stable environment until the tank builds up enough bacteria to manage the fish load which may take a month. High temps are good for baby bass anyways because they are so prone to ich. Keep replace some salt with water changes and dont forget to use prime at normal doses.
 

taxidermist

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2014
22
2
3
35
Linden, NC
Would it help jump start the cycle by adding wood or gravel from an outdoor pond? The fish in it are healthy. I know there's a chance of introducing other unwanted organisms. I have read, using media from a cycled tank will jump start the bacteria, wouldn't that media from a pond have the same effect or potential hazards?
 

taxidermist

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2014
22
2
3
35
Linden, NC
Thanks, should i go ahead and add the new gravel to house bacteria (more surface area) or will that be too big of a risk for "housing" ich?
 

poppalina

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 26, 2010
669
27
18
Boston
It hasn't been mentioned yet, I would hold off on feeding them it will only add to the problem. Not sure about ponds but if you could get some established media from your LFS. The only reason I would add gravel or sand is if it comes from an established tank and will help with the cycle.
 

xraycer

Arapaima
MFK Member
Sep 5, 2013
5,383
2,571
203
Southern NH USA
Adding established "media" will only increase your chance of introducing diseases and such to your tank. Like I said, do a daily 50% water chance for the next 4-5 days, then you should be able to decrease the daily water changes to 25% for the next several weeks to let your bio-wheels established the necessary bacterias. Check your water parameters at least every few days to get an idea of how the BB are developing. Be patient and doing things right from the getgo would of saved you from the headaches of your current issues.
 

Xia

Exodon
MFK Member
Aug 13, 2014
115
1
21
New York
i made the same mistake when i first started, i threw in too much fish with an uncycled tank and the filters couldnt handle the big ammonia load. had to stop feeding them everyday right away and continue with the water changes. went from feeding once a day to maybe once every 3 days. after a few weeks the tank started to stabalize and i was able to feed daily again.
 

duanes

MFK Moderators
Staff member
Moderator
MFK Member
Jun 7, 2007
20,932
26,154
2,910
Isla Taboga Panama via Milwaukee
I overwinter my pond fish in a pool in the basement, and don't need to cycle it because I add floating logs and plants from the pond, and because it is large and understocked, 10-12 fish in 500 gallons. If the pond has healthy fish, it works.

And I often soak logs and rocks in the pond for any new aquarium set ups, but even with seeded objects, I stock slowly, only a few fish at a time.
I hear of products out there that supposedly cycle a tank immediately, but building a robust population of bacteria does not happen over night or in even 2 weeks.
And as a former microbiologist, any dry, or even stock shelved liquid culture, seems to be me to be a stretch.
It takes 2-3 weeks to get the ammonia consuming population bacteria up and running, and another 2 -3 weeks to get the nitrite consumers up. This means to me a 6-8 span before any new tank is ready, unless you have just a few tiny (sacrificial) fish and/or do major daily water changes to dilute the toxic ammonia and nitrite.
Adding sensitive fish such as oscars and Cichla to a week old setup is not prudent, and if the sales people say it is, find a new store.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store