HELP!!!

[searcyb]

I came home today and found half of my cichlids in my tank to be dead. I have one Ornate that is trying to hang on and swim around. I have an FX5 for filtration as well as a HOB Aquaclear 110. I took the Aquaclear off of the tank last night because it had started to leak. I have done a 50% water change and added stress coat and it has seemed to help my cichilids however I think that the ornate has bloat... He is upside down and breathing fairly well. Any suggestions as to how to get rid of the bloat? I have heard of trying to release the built up gas by using a needle on the swim bladder. Anything else?

Thanks!

My current water conditions:
pH 7.2
0 Nitrates
0 Nitrites
0 Amonia


Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[creepyoldguy]

0 nitrates means an uncycled tank. Was the media in the fx5 established before you took off the ac110?

 

[searcyb]

4-5 weeks and I did a 50% water change so the nitrates will be low

Thanks

 

[floridagar]

what i would do is another water change cause depends you should do them weekly like i do some times i wait two but i normally do it weekly help the cycle of the water but then again chiclids like the water pretty ruff. but then again sry for the lost good luck

 

[ar0wan]

I suggest better test kits.

 

[creepyoldguy]

4-5 weeks and I did a 50% water change so the nitrates will be low

Thanks

You always should have traces of nitrates. its the last step in the process. if you dont have nitrates yet, you either dont have your tank cycled, or nothing in your tank.

 

[creepyoldguy]

what i would do is another water change cause depends you should do them weekly like i do some times i wait two but i normally do it weekly help the cycle of the water but then again chiclids like the water pretty ruff. but then again sry for the lost good luck

cichlids dont like "ruff" water, they prefer prestine water conditions just like any other fish. different cichlids like different ph and hardness/softness, if thats what youre referring to as "ruff"

 

[jclyde13]

You always should have traces of nitrates. its the last step in the process. if you dont have nitrates yet, you either dont have your tank cycled, or nothing in your tank.

I agree. Unless you are just using a bad test kit, I think it's safe to say that this is definitely your problem.

 

[knifegill]

Unless you filed the tank and added the fish five minutes ago, those numbers do not exist in aquaria aside from super-planted setups with very few or no fish. As suggested, get a real test kit like the API liquid test set and check again.

For the bloat, epsom salt and elevated temps are a start. Don't feed him anything expect high-fiber food in case it's just constipation. And don't be afraid to do another 50% each day until you get things sorted out. How often do you normally change your water?

 

[creepyoldguy]

I agree. Unless you are just using a bad test kit, I think it's safe to say that this is definitely your problem.

Yes, or, what I did for the longest time, not shake up the nitrate bottles good enough!!!!! if he's using the api test kits, which he should. I normally do 2 w/c per wk in my 75 and 150 at roughly 40% and on the 75 i have 2 ac110's and the 150 has 2 xp4's and fx5 and i still have 5ppm nitrates