125g Cycling -- What happened?

[zennzzo]

Now I'd do a 25% water change once a week with de-clorinated water, drop the added ammonia now that the levels are at 0ppm for ammonia and nitrite and your nitrates are present. Enjoy brother you are well on your way...

 

[IRoman]

Now I'd do a 25% water change once a week with de-clorinated water, drop the added ammonia now that the levels are at 0ppm for ammonia and nitrite and your nitrates are present. Enjoy brother you are well on your way...

This may have been a bad idea

About an hour or so after the fish were actually swimming in the tank they went to the bottom and stoped moving

I panicked and did a 70% WC. I thought the fish were having a hard time breathing and I remembered that I didnt do a water change before I put them in. I thought since my Nitrates were at 5.0 I would be okay

Well after I changed the water, I checked the levels in the tank...Nitrites 5.0+

We took the fish out and put them in a tuberware bowl using bottled water--thats where they are at right now

I went to the store and picked up a python and a bottle of bacteria, Walmart didnt have anything to lower Nitrites (at least the one I was at) and Petsmart and petco were closed

I just finished doing another water change using the Python. I would say I did a 90% water change. Now my Nitrites are at 2.0

The fish are in the bowl with the bottle water, I plan on getting some Nitrite reducer first thing in the morning

Any thoughts

 

[zennzzo]

This may have been a bad idea

About an hour or so after the fish were actually swimming in the tank they went to the bottom and stoped moving

I panicked and did a 70% WC. I thought the fish were having a hard time breathing and I remembered that I didnt do a water change before I put them in. I thought since my Nitrates were at 5.0 I would be okay

Well after I changed the water, I checked the levels in the tank...Nitrites 5.0+

We took the fish out and put them in a tuberware bowl using bottled water--thats where they are at right now

I went to the store and picked up a python and a bottle of bacteria, Walmart didnt have anything to lower Nitrites (at least the one I was at) and Petsmart and petco were closed

I just finished doing another water change using the Python. I would say I did a 90% water change. Now my Nitrites are at 2.0

The fish are in the bowl with the bottle water, I plan on getting some Nitrite reducer first thing in the morning

Any thoughts

Yeah if the nitrites are that high after a 70% WC
I'd say that you're not quite cycled...see if the LFS will hold your fish until you are done cycling...I'd steer from nitrite removers just let the bacteria handle it...otherwise you'll never get cycled...check the levels tommorro and see where they are at...when was the last dose of added ammonia you put in the tank?
The biggest mistake everyone makes is adding fish too soon when it comes to establishing a new tank...be patient Brother, otherwise it'll make you crazy chasing parameters. Less than reputable fish sellers count on selling many different chemicals and stuff to try to do what will happen naturally. Try to get the right foam ordered from those links, as it will also help to establish the needed bacteria....~Zennz

 

[JAK]

This may have been a bad idea

About an hour or so after the fish were actually swimming in the tank they went to the bottom and stoped moving

I panicked and did a 70% WC. I thought the fish were having a hard time breathing and I remembered that I didnt do a water change before I put them in. I thought since my Nitrates were at 5.0 I would be okay

Well after I changed the water, I checked the levels in the tank...Nitrites 5.0+

We took the fish out and put them in a tuberware bowl using bottled water--thats where they are at right now

I went to the store and picked up a python and a bottle of bacteria, Walmart didnt have anything to lower Nitrites (at least the one I was at) and Petsmart and petco were closed

I just finished doing another water change using the Python. I would say I did a 90% water change. Now my Nitrites are at 2.0

The fish are in the bowl with the bottle water, I plan on getting some Nitrite reducer first thing in the morning

Any thoughts

bring the fish back and wait for the cycle to end.sounds like your close to the end. stop changing water,get some bio-spira,bottle water not a good ideia it dosent have the trace elements your fish need to live get them out of there,better to use treated tap water,i use prime.DO NOT USE ANY CHEMICALS BUT TAP WATER CONDITIONER.LESS CHEMICALS THE BETTER.good luck

 

[IRoman]

Yeah if the nitrites are that high after a 70% WC
I'd say that you're not quite cycled...see if the LFS will hold your fish until you are done cycling...I'd steer from nitrite removers just let the bacteria handle it...otherwise you'll never get cycled...check the levels tommorro and see where they are at...when was the last dose of added ammonia you put in the tank?
The biggest mistake everyone makes is adding fish too soon when it comes to establishing a new tank...be patient Brother, otherwise it'll make you crazy chasing parameters. Less than reputable fish sellers count on selling many different chemicals and stuff to try to do what will happen naturally. Try to get the right foam ordered from those links, as it will also help to establish the needed bacteria....~Zennz

Hey Zen,
I will be checking with Petco shortly to see what I can do about the fish. As far as the last dose of ammonia, I think friday night was the last night

bring the fish back and wait for the cycle to end.sounds like your close to the end. stop changing water,get some bio-spira,bottle water not a good ideia it dosent have the trace elements your fish need to live get them out of there,better to use treated tap water,i use prime.DO NOT USE ANY CHEMICALS BUT TAP WATER CONDITIONER.LESS CHEMICALS THE BETTER.good luck

Last night the guys at OscarFish.com told me to get the fish out of the bowl with bottled water, so they have been back in the tank. The guys there also told me to add aquarium salt to prevent nitrite poisening for the Oscars

I used water dechlor and I also used Nitraban. Im going to do another big WC shortly (since the fish are still in there)

 

[IRoman]

I did an 80% WC and my Nitrites are now down to less than .50. My ammonia is 0 and my nitrates are 0.

I added aquarium salt and I plan on actually doing another big water change tomorrow.

I also added 4 feeder fish to see if they would eat (I tried giving them pellets but they would eat them and the current of the tank pushes it in the Over Flow

I think this might work out

 

[zennzzo]

IRoman,
ideally you want your
ammonia 0ppm
nitrites 0ppm
nitrates 40ppm or less
The less chemicals you can use the better...I strictly use a declorinator/slime enhancer (stresscoat)and catapa leaves (for arowana lower ph etc.)and a touch of salt...I let my filtration take care of the rest....weekly 20% WC's...

 

[IRoman]

IRoman,
ideally you want your
ammonia 0ppm
nitrites 0ppm
nitrates 40ppm or less
The less chemicals you can use the better...I strictly use a declorinator/slime enhancer (stresscoat)and catapa leaves (for arowana lower ph etc.)and a touch of salt...I let my filtration take care of the rest....weekly 20% WC's...

Im working on getting my Nitrites down to zero . I think my tank is doing pretty good, I went from 2.0 to less than .50 in a day. Im going to do another big WC tomorrow morning and see if I cant get it down some more (or to none).

I finally picked up a python to help with the job-- that thing is awesome, a little slow but the lack of mess is well worth the wait

 

[zennzzo]

Im working on getting my Nitrites down to zero . I think my tank is doing pretty good, I went from 2.0 to less than .50 in a day. Im going to do another big WC tomorrow morning and see if I cant get it down some more (or to none).

I finally picked up a python to help with the job-- that thing is awesome, a little slow but the lack of mess is well worth the wait

Your filtration should do that by itself,when it becomes fully established it'll handle the load no prob...

 

[Lil_Stinker]

you want the nitrates to come up, they will never do this will untill the BB forms to process the nitrites.

if you "over" change your water you will be fighting nitrites forever. you need to allow the filter to establish & start converting nitrites to nitrates.

Two different bacteria.....
Nitrosomonas = ammonia into nitrite.
Nitrobacter = nitrite into nitrate.

You need Nitrobacter to grow & for that you need nitrites.

Dont change any filter media untill the cycle completes. Watch feedings, remove un-eaten food, do water changes only to keep nitrites in check, safe but high safe.

You have nitroS now, the nitrites will start to come down naturaly as nitroB forms, then you will WC to keep the nitrates in check.

I am a fan of frequent lower volume WC, to keep levels more static, once the cycle completes. (many have & will debate this)

It sounds to me like the tap water you used previously hurt/killed your bacteria as a fishless cycle should have been complete a while ago.

The O's will pal around at this point & may stay a pair forever. I have 2 that 90% + are best buddies, the another 9% is pushing & shoving. Only rarely will they actually lock jaws in an actual fight.

Good luck with these guys, the size they are now, they have a relatively low bio-load so you should be fine as the cycle completes.