- Have you tested your water?
- Yes
- If yes, what is your ammonia?
- Slightly elevated
- If yes, what is your nitrite?
- 0
- If yes, what is your nitrate?
- 0
- If I did not test my water...
- ...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.
- Do you do water changes?
- Yes
- What percentage of water do you change?
- 91-100%
- How frequently do you change your water?
- Infrequently; more than a month between changes
- If I do not change my water...
- ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.
I’ve had these goldfish for a little over two years. They’ve been pretty healthy. Sunday, I did a complete 100% water change. I know I shouldn’t have done this now after reading about “tank cycle” and how sensitive fish could be. I just wanted to get a good cleaning of the tank. I moved the fish to a smaller tank while I cleaned their 75gal tank. I did not use any chemicals. Just a sponge to clean the glass sides and bottom while siphoning all the water and gunk from the rocks. Replaced the water using tap getting as close as I could to the temp it was before. I put in the following with appropriate doses following my tank size (75gal) and what the bottle said: “API STRESS COAT+”, “SEACHEM NEUTRAL REGULATOR POWDER”, “API ALGAEFIX”, “FRITZ MARACYN OXY”, and “SEACHEM PRIME CONDITIONER”. Monday when I check on them, they’re all at the bottom, mouths open (not shutting), barely moving, kind of “drunk appearing”, and like just swaying with the current. I immediately go to get my water tested. They said PH was normal around 7, nitrites and nitrates normal 0, only thing was ammonia was a little elevated, but nothing crazy to cause what I was describing with the fish and she said my PH was good? I don’t really understand. I was reading and read about “the cycle new tanks have to go through” and I feel so bad now and I really don’t want my fish to die. She checked the GH and KH and said the GH was at 0 and KH was at like 3, but it really depends on what the tank is usually before. I have strips at home and remember testing before and the GH usually reading at like 60-120ppm and KH reading at like 120-180, so generally high for both, I know for sure I never got a 0 reading for those before. She said it’s most like likely this and that they’re in shock since I just plopped them in the tank right after the same day. She recommended “SEACHEM EQUILIBRIUM” and she told me to do a tablespoon each day and do it gradually, instead of the dose it says on the container all at once. I did what she said yesterday. She also recommended a bottle which I threw out and don’t know the name of it, but she said it was bacteria and the back of the bottle said 75gal tank, to put the whole bottle so I also did that yesterday too at the same time I added the EQUILIBRIUM thing. Today, they seemed a bit more active, swimming around a bit more, but generally still at the bottom of the tank huddled up with their mouths open. They’re just not themselves. One of them will go up and stay at the top of the tank with its mouth open too. And then swim back down. It’s weird but they almost seem like they’re all blind now too… like bumping into things and unaware of their surroundings. I have two filters on it creating a great amount of water breakage on the top for air and I could see the tiny air bubbles throughout the tank. Each filter says it does up to 70gal. I’ve had two filters going for several months. The substrate rocks that were in there, I left, I never took them out, just moved them around a lot to bring all the poop and stuff up in the water as I was siphoning it out. I did take out a big center piece I had decorating it. I put that back in yesterday when I added the EQUILIBRIUM and the bacteria bottle. I also added a air tube thing that blows more bubbles with the stone at the end in case they needed more oxygen. I just don’t know what to do. I personally think I used too much of something and brought something (oxygen or whatever” too low and conditioned the water too much. I was looking at the bottles I used on the fish tank and like 3 of them say the same thing, something about detoxifying chloramines and nitrates/ites, etc… they’re just called different things. I’m wondering if I “conditioned” the water too much or essentially out too much of the same thing. I also know now that I shouldn’t have taken out all the water as it disrupts the cycle of the tank and I’m taking away all their healthy bacteria, etc. which is why I put the center deco piece back that I hadn’t yet thoroughly finish cleaning all the gunk off of it from before, to try to make the tank “cycle faster”. Sorry, I don’t really know too much about fish, I’ve just always had cats. I really love my fish and don’t want them to die and just need advice. The temperature is also around 68F what it is usually so I think this is not the issue. But yes, everything is pretty much new and cleaned, new filter pieces (the sponge and little white rocks looking thing). Let me know if I missed anything. I’m going to be glued to this forum waiting for some help or advice.
