Gomez Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Hello, I'm new to the hobby. Mostly started because my wife loves fish and wanted a tank, however knowing she wouldn't want the task of care and maintenance rather just the joy of viewing i have taken on the hobby. I did extensive research prior to setting forward with any purchases. Unfortunately her centerpiece fish, and Beautiful zebra pattern angelfish died after 4 days... and followed 2 days later we lost a mickey mouse platty as well. Looking for any ideas as to the cause, hoping its maybe isolated issues with the fish but I certainly want to ensure the health and safety of the other fish. We have a small variety of fish at moment with plans for more and maybe increased tank size. In the beginning it was 2 black Molly's, 2 glowfish, a golden platty and a gold Mackey mouse platty, and then the angelfish. I properly cycled the tank for a week before adding fish, to include using quick start as well. Its a 20gal tank, with a over top filter with biowheel, as well as running a sponge filter, modified with an air stone inside, have a full test kit , except calcium hardness..however we have a pool and I've tested or tap water 100s of time for hardness with caring for it and we generally always have a hardness from the tap around 60. We also have a submerged heater and temp indicator, with a consistent temp of 76°F. Using a ph balancer and ph at 7.0, tested ammonia at time angle fish died and there was some detected but just enough to color change the test solution that wasn't zero but not enough to fully be the color of 0.25ppm. However I know any is bad, so I used api ammo lock to neutralize and did a 20% water change next day as well. No nitrates or nitrites. With that , im not sure as to the cause of the death of 2 fish, the rest however seem healthy and very energetic and enjoying the tank. Also it is not planted at the moment, but hopes for planting in future after more education. Any ideas from the community on what possible causes are? Or could this be just isolated issues? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Did you cycle the tank first? Sorry for the possibly silly question, but it is a primary reason for new fish death. That is a lot of fish for a brand new set up, especially without plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 Yes, api quick start was added on set up then cycled just over a week just for extra measure. Tested prior to adding fish as well all levels were perfect. Acclimated very slowly also and used aquarium salt as well to help any distress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDoc Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 You mentioned you are at "No nitrates". Have you ever seen nitrates in your testing? Because I'm worried it sounds like it wasn't fully cycled to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 It sounds like you thought your tank was cycled, but it wasn't. There should be 10-20ppm of nitrates in the tank. When you tested your water before adding fish was there any nitrates? When cycling a tank you are looking for the following: -0 Nitrites -0 Amonia -10-20ppm Nirates If I am not mistakes after adding the API Quick Start you MUST add a source of amonia (food, fish, poop, etc.) otherwise the bacteria in the bottle dies. I would suggest to add API Quick Start right now. As well as for the next week feed every other day feeding very little until you come back with 10-20ppm of nitrates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 Sorry, I miss typed that part, yes there was approximately 10ppm, indicated by my test, of Nitrate before adding the fish, there were no Nitrites however. Looking more into it after your question tho, I now too have concerns the test was a false indication that the cycle was good as apparently tap water can have nitrate present.. I will be testing my tap today to see if levels are present to be sure. It has been over a week in the tank for the remaining fish However and they do seem to be striving but again I am worried theres danger im missing that will lead to further loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Add API Quick start, that should help. How long did you cycle it before adding fish? Usually a cycle will take 4-6 weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 Also it may be notable that I believe the sponge filter i began with may have been inadequate, and since the death have moved up to a decent size, also when adding the new sponge i did my best to use the tank water to wet and rinse it. As well as cleaned the old sponge in tank water in bowl then rinsed new sponge in that water as well in hopes to transfer any established bacteria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 Because I used api quick start , I waited over a week then tested , test showed 0-ammonia 0- nitrites 10ppm nitrates I took this as indication the quick start was established, and yes fish food was added when quick start was used. I will definitely add more quick start today However to be on safe side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDoc Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 One important thing to remember (if it was indeed a bad cycle) is: don't feel bad. We've all made mistakes. Most (all?) of us have killed fish before. All of us have dealt with fish that have died unexpectedly. Try not to beat yourself up about it. Use it as a learning experience. There are people who do fish-in cycling (where the beneficial bacteria colony is built up while fish are present/ammonia is produced by fish waste). It might not work with all/sensitive fish, but it's done fairly frequently. It sounds like you are doing your research (a huuuuge step in the right direction from many people just starting out in the hobby). Even the fact that you made an account and asked is more than some people do. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez Posted January 27, 2021 Author Share Posted January 27, 2021 Just to update, as caution i dosed some api quick start, just after their feeding, so that the food waste wood help with establishing the bacteria. Going to wait few days, then hopeful to add new angelfish and plattys, and as soon as get some algae development i think a clown pleco would be a great addition too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Yes, those seem like great additions! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 Update!- things went south so fast smh... today we woke up with cloudy water, did testing and its bad.. 8ppm - ammonia 0 - nitrites 0 - Nitrates I fear I indeed had a failed cycle and lost any good bacteria. I've quickly added api ammo lock to neutralize the ammonia.. and since it's clear there is not nitrifiying bacteria established given the test results, I also added more api quick start.. Where do I go from here, should I wait on any water change? I'm skipping feeding today to limit any additional sources for the ammonia and bad bacteria. Is that smart? The overhead filter is fitted for additional filter media , im headed out today to purchase another carbon filter to double up, I read this will help reduce supply sources for the bad bacteria that is blooming. Otherwise I'm not sure what else to do or what to expect.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 I would do small daily water changes and add Fritz zyme to help re establish you nitrifying bacteria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Agree with Colu. Defently do a waterchange to get rid of the amonia. The cloudy water is a part of the nitrogen cycle, its called a bacteria bloom and its not harmful to fish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 Will do, does a 20% change sound appropriate? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 I would do 25% daily water changes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now