What were your "tropicals"? How long were they in the tank? I think it might be easier if you explain your timeline of tank setup and fish additions. Give us all information you can on your tank.
My fish are dropping like flies!!
- Thread starter alibaloochi
- Start date
i got the tank a month ago, got tropical fish.. goldfish, a rainbow shark and a bala shark. a week later i gave those away.. completely redid the tank setup, gravel, fixtures, etc. then i started with the african chiclids, they were doing fine for a bit, then a few days later one fish had died, i noticed some fish just looked obviously sick, i figured it was ich so i put some treatment tablets in the water.. but it wasnt working. fish kept dying and dying and now here i am.
I think that you didn't cycle the tank. There is a lot of info on this board on how to properly prepare and cycle a fish tank before you can add fish. Many of us started this hobby just like you did and we all learned the hard way. Sometimes it's hard not to quickly add fish as soon as you add water but you somehow have to be patient and wait. The Doctor.
Yeah, it's not cycled. As I said, you need to get a test kit. At the very least, take a cup of water to your local Petsmart/Petco/Petland/whatever and have it tested. You probably have a huge ammonia spike right now. You need to take the remaining fish out and get them in a better tank for now and treat the possible ich. Treating them in your tank will be pointless as the cause is still in the tank. You will then need to monitor your parameters to see when your tank is ready. Your ammonia will spike, then go to 0, then your nitrite will spike, then go to 0, then your nitrates will spike as well. At this point you need to do about a 25% water change to clean out some of the nitrates. Until then, your tank will not be suitable or safe for fish.
ive had that hapen to me on my newest tank. before i could just put them in. always wait to add in fish. especially fish that tend to be "messy" eaters. i wait like 1 month maybe loner to add like 1-2 fish depending on size then even longer or so to add more. but thats just how i cycle my tanks.
also never remove all your gravel at once it hold alot of beniafulcial bateriaadvice taken... i will take everything into consideration and let you know how it goes. thanks guys
There is a product called Biospira (kept refrigerated before sale) that will help cycle your tank quickly. Try looking it up here or on Google.
A long shot would be to find someone with a very large tank who could give you 20 gallons out of their tank.
A long shot would be to find someone with a very large tank who could give you 20 gallons out of their tank.
aquaventions;1572726; said:
I don't think the water will help. A cycled filter would be more beneficial. Find someone else with a tank that is about to do a filter change, and ask for it. Keep it damp, take it home, and put in your filter. Biomedia would work, or sponge material. If this is not possible, find some BioSpira.
