please HELP!!!!!!!!

[bassmaster707]

so i just got my new tank up and running had two peacock bass two geos and a pleco. everything was going great. i have a good filter, air stone and a piece of manzanita wood and a strong heater. kept the tank around 83 degrees f. everything was going great. all fish were happy. feeding on blood worms and and everything. then i bought a 1050gph powerhead and some feeder fish. i put the fish in first and it was a feeding frenzy for the bass the geos did not eat any fish. then i added a the power head and it blew some of the sand around.............next day one geo dead and all other fish look ill. no signs of ick (whitespots) bass started to rund into walls of tank and stick. i tried every method on this site to help and nothing....RIP my fish.


what went wrong? i want to start again but dont want to make the same mistake.

any advise helps. oh and it was a 55 gal tank

thanks so much!

 

[Mr. Rain Cloud]

Hi there, sorry to here about the sad incident!

There are two things that I can think of:
1. The feeder fish may have been carrying a deadly disease(food poisoning).
2. A combination of the new powerhead and your sand substrate. I'm not sure if you're aware, but if you don't stir the sand every now and then, poisonous gas pockets may form and kill the fish if released. So maybe the powerhead disturbed the sand enough to release all the ammonia(correct me if I'm wrong). That or the sand flying around the tank isn't really healthy for the fish...

It could have been both also, the fish were sick from the feeder fish and their environment got "sandy" so they didn't have a chance of recovering.


Hold on... you did cycle the tank, didn't you??

 

[bassmaster707]

i was thinking something similar with the powerhead and sand.
but the geos didint eat any fish?
and i cycled it for a while 2-3 hours is that not enough?
thanks for the help btw

 

[bassmaster707]

how often shod i sir up the sand?

 

[Morledzep]

cycled for 2 -3 hours? what did you use to cycle it? did you do any water testing before you put fish in the tank? what are the readings now?

cycling takes weeks not hours. and you have to add something to the tank to start the cycle, something that will produce ammonia, like fish waste or rotting food or pure ammonia. there are entire articles on how to properly cycle a tank in setup and filtration. or you could clone your tank with established media from a fully cycled and healthy tank (that could take less than 24 hours). but you still need to do water testing to make sure before you put your fish in it.

and dumping feeders in without quarantining them first is a HUGE no no.

seriously, if any of your fish are still alive, get some seachem stability and do a large water change and cross your fingers, you might actually save a fish. but i wouldn't bet money on it.

 

[Mr. Rain Cloud]

how often shod i sir up the sand?

i was thinking something similar with the powerhead and sand.*but the geos didint eat any fish?and i cycled it for a while 2-3 hours is that not enough?thanks for the help btw

Every time you vacuum is good, which would be once a week....................
IT TAKES TWO WEEKS TO CYCLE A TANK(Yes, the caps are necessary). Maybe a week if you do it right rushing.

SMH

 

[Mr. Rain Cloud]

cycled for 2 -3 hours? what did you use to cycle it? did you do any water testing before you put fish in the tank? what are the readings now?

cycling takes weeks not hours. and you have to add something to the tank to start the cycle, something that will produce ammonia, like fish waste or rotting food or pure ammonia. there are entire articles on how to properly cycle a tank in setup and filtration. or you could clone your tank with established media from a fully cycled and healthy tank (that could take less than 24 hours). but you still need to do water testing to make sure before you put your fish in it.

and dumping feeders in without quarantining them first is a HUGE no no.

seriously, if any of your fish are still alive, get some seachem stability and do a large water change and cross your fingers, you might actually save a fish. but i wouldn't bet money on it.

I believe they are all Resting In... Peace?

 

[bassmaster707]

i cycled it with another established tanks media. and i didnt even think about the quarantine i was too excited i guess. but thank for the info!

so if i want to start again what steps should i take with the tank how it is now?

 

[Mr. Rain Cloud]

Keep it running for a week at least. Then test your water. If it's good, add in some danios(hardy fish) to see if they survive rather than putting in $100+ worth of fish to see if it's safe.

Please, do some research! I can't believe this just happened.