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Can someone help me? Fish just almost died/filter is pumping out white stuff?!


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Old 19-08-2012, 21:10
EEfan24
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goldfish are extremely hardy and can survive in very vile water, i have seen some in some rotten water in some peoples houses..
cloudiness can also come from adding new gravel and sometimes takes a few days to clear out... have you done that at all????
now matter how well i wash out gravel when i fancy a colour change, it always leaves my tank well cloudy for a few days....

any tank filter, if working correctly, should have the water crystal clear within 24hrs or so whether a cycled tank or not...

as for the tank size, i have had 4 medium & 4 small goldfish in a 100l tank for the past 3years and they are all healthy and fine with a fortnightly 20-30% water change...
so i would think one in a 60l is fine...
considering my goldfish was suffocating and almost dead after 7 hours I'm not sure he's particularly hardy....! The bacterial bloom got so bad the bacteria was taking all the oxygen.

Yeah I'm a bit confused as to why my tank is SO cloudy when there's not even a fish in it. As it's a new tank it is relatively new gravel but that wouldn't account for why my goldfish was suffocating.
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Old 19-08-2012, 21:44
ghostdreamer1
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considering my goldfish was suffocating and almost dead after 7 hours I'm not sure he's particularly hardy....! The bacterial bloom got so bad the bacteria was taking all the oxygen.

Yeah I'm a bit confused as to why my tank is SO cloudy when there's not even a fish in it. As it's a new tank it is relatively new gravel but that wouldn't account for why my goldfish was suffocating.
We've all made mistakes with our fish at one point or another I'm sure. I did when I added fish before my filter was cycled and ended up doing a fish in cycle.

Keep up the cycling, test for ammonia and nitrites daily and you will get there. The bloom is all part of the process. Bacteria is present in the air, in the water from your tap, everywhere, it just needs the right conditions to reproduce. Think about it. if you left a bucket of tap water out for a few days it would start to smell a bit stale, longer and it would start to go what we would call stagnant and look a bit yucky, that would be bacteria at work even though you've added nothing. The filter in the tank will remove particles, but won't deal with the stuff you don't want in your tank until it has grown enough of the good bacteria, in other words, cycled. This happens in stages. First the ammonia munching bacteria, a by-product of which is nitrites which are bad for the fish, then the nitrite munching bacteria which has the by-product nitrates which at reasonable levels are harmless to fish and will be present in all cycled tanks and is also commonly present in a lot of people's tap water. A filter is not performing correctly until it is cycled. All it does until then is remove visible particles.
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Old 19-08-2012, 21:54
EEfan24
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We've all made mistakes with our fish at one point or another I'm sure. I did when I added fish before my filter was cycled and ended up doing a fish in cycle.

Keep up the cycling, test for ammonia and nitrites daily and you will get there. The bloom is all part of the process. Bacteria is present in the air, in the water from your tap, everywhere, it just needs the right conditions to reproduce. Think about it. if you left a bucket of tap water out for a few days it would start to smell a bit stale, longer and it would start to go what we would call stagnant and look a bit yucky, that would be bacteria at work even though you've added nothing. The filter in the tank will remove particles, but won't deal with the stuff you don't want in your tank until it has grown enough of the good bacteria, in other words, cycled. This happens in stages. First the ammonia munching bacteria, a by-product of which is nitrites which are bad for the fish, then the nitrite munching bacteria which has the by-product nitrates which at reasonable levels are harmless to fish and will be present in all cycled tanks and is also commonly present in a lot of people's tap water. A filter is not performing correctly until it is cycled. All it does until then is remove visible particles.
Thank you so much for your help/advice. You've made things really clear. Why does no one who works in pet shops explain this to you?!
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Old 19-08-2012, 22:46
ghostdreamer1
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Thank you so much for your help/advice. You've made things really clear. Why does no one who works in pet shops explain this to you?!
No problem, I'm sure your fish will really appreciate his new tank once it's all ready for him.

Regarding advice given by pet shop employees, unless you are lucky to get a staff member who knows their stuff you get the so-so to downright bad advice that so many new to the hobby end up with. There are good people out there but sadly there are also many with only the script that the store managers give them. Not their fault, for the most part they're just kids who need a job. There are some very good forums out there for people needing advice though. Most are for tropicals but have sub-sections for cold-water fish too.
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Old 19-08-2012, 23:26
marieukxx
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You haven't cycled your tank love. Research before killing anymore fish
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Old 20-08-2012, 17:24
EEfan24
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You haven't cycled your tank love. Research before killing anymore fish
Thanks for that really helpful comment. I have spoken to a number of people in the industry over the last 2 weeks and not one single person told me about cycling my tank. Thanks to some kind people on here I now know what I'm doing. And for the record, I haven't killed any fish.
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Old 20-08-2012, 20:52
Summat
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@OP: I think you fell into the trap that most people do when they first start fish-keeping - it looks so easy "on the box" but no-one, especially the fish stockists want you to know how difficult it is to start a tank. You've responded intelligently to problems by asking advice - which is to be commended, and it sounds like you're on the right track now. Don't let some condescending comments upset you too much.
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Old 21-08-2012, 11:53
EEfan24
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@OP: I think you fell into the trap that most people do when they first start fish-keeping - it looks so easy "on the box" but no-one, especially the fish stockists want you to know how difficult it is to start a tank. You've responded intelligently to problems by asking advice - which is to be commended, and it sounds like you're on the right track now. Don't let some condescending comments upset you too much.
Thank you, that's exactly what happened. I thought it was an easy animal to keep (which I'm sure it is once the tank is established) and I'm sure I'm not the only person who has struggled.

Back to my tank cycling- I've decided fish food is too slow. Does anybody know where I can get ammonia appropriate for fishless cycling?
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Old 21-08-2012, 19:21
ghostdreamer1
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Thank you, that's exactly what happened. I thought it was an easy animal to keep (which I'm sure it is once the tank is established) and I'm sure I'm not the only person who has struggled.

Back to my tank cycling- I've decided fish food is too slow. Does anybody know where I can get ammonia appropriate for fishless cycling?
Hi there.

I got some in Robert Dyas but it was quite weak, It did do the job though and yours being a smaller tank than mine wouldn't need to be fed as much, probably about 5ml would get yours up to 4ppm whereas mine being a 240L tank needed almost 13ml, I had to use even more with the original stuff, therefore I got through that bottle in no time. I then got some called Kleen-Off which is a lot stronger but it was from an independent hardware shop near where I work. Apparently some Homebase stores sell it but I've never seen it in either of mine. I did have to hunt around for it. it's surprsingly hard to find and you do need to get ammonia that's got no additives such as perfumes added.
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Old 21-08-2012, 22:24
EEfan24
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Hi there.

I got some in Robert Dyas but it was quite weak, It did do the job though and yours being a smaller tank than mine wouldn't need to be fed as much, probably about 5ml would get yours up to 4ppm whereas mine being a 240L tank needed almost 13ml, I had to use even more with the original stuff, therefore I got through that bottle in no time. I then got some called Kleen-Off which is a lot stronger but it was from an independent hardware shop near where I work. Apparently some Homebase stores sell it but I've never seen it in either of mine. I did have to hunt around for it. it's surprsingly hard to find and you do need to get ammonia that's got no additives such as perfumes added.
Would this do the trick? Think this is the 1 sold in Robert Dyas. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...A2ER2RXCV7F289

Also (sorry for all the qu's), but do you think it would be worth completely changing the water again as the bloom has been there a few days, or just start adding the ammonia and it should clear when my nitrites start to rise?
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Old 21-08-2012, 23:25
xdow
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the product you've linked to there has had someone leave a comment that they used it to perform a fishless-cycle their tank with good results, so that should do the job, yes
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Old 22-08-2012, 19:11
ghostdreamer1
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Once you have your ammonia you need to know how much to add to the tank.

According to an on-line calculator I know of you should dose with 3.16ml of 9.5% ammonia. This has to be done each time your ammonia level reaches 0ppm which why you need an ammonia test. You carry on dosing until nitrites and ammonia reach 0. In other words, you dose to 4-5ppm ammonia wait until it goes back to 0 and re-dose, aiming to get to 0 in a 12 hour period each time you've re-dosed. Once this happens consistently for a week your filter is cycled. Your nitrates will now be sky-high, that's why you need to do a massive water change, almost all of the water, before adding your fish. Then 30-40% weekly to keep fishie happy and comfortable.

Keep us informed as to how it's going.
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Old 22-08-2012, 22:28
EEfan24
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Once you have your ammonia you need to know how much to add to the tank.

According to an on-line calculator I know of you should dose with 3.16ml of 9.5% ammonia. This has to be done each time your ammonia level reaches 0ppm which why you need an ammonia test. You carry on dosing until nitrites and ammonia reach 0. In other words, you dose to 4-5ppm ammonia wait until it goes back to 0 and re-dose, aiming to get to 0 in a 12 hour period each time you've re-dosed. Once this happens consistently for a week your filter is cycled. Your nitrates will now be sky-high, that's why you need to do a massive water change, almost all of the water, before adding your fish. Then 30-40% weekly to keep fishie happy and comfortable.

Keep us informed as to how it's going.
This makes sense, thank you, I definitely will do Next step after cycling the tank...figuring how to post a picture on here so you can all see him in his new home that you've all helped with!
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Old 23-08-2012, 19:56
ghostdreamer1
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This makes sense, thank you, I definitely will do Next step after cycling the tank...figuring how to post a picture on here so you can all see him in his new home that you've all helped with!
I use photobucket for adding pics. DS doesn't a allow you to place pictures directly in your posts for obvious reasons, with such a huge membership and so much traffic, allowing pics in posts will overload the servers and the place will grind to a halt.

look forward to seeing your pics though. I'll post links to my tanks. Two have fish in and the third's just reaching the end of it's fishless cycle.

This is my 200L tank which has been established for just over a year.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...dCommunity.jpg
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Old 23-08-2012, 21:34
EEfan24
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I use photobucket for adding pics. DS doesn't a allow you to place pictures directly in your posts for obvious reasons, with such a huge membership and so much traffic, allowing pics in posts will overload the servers and the place will grind to a halt.

look forward to seeing your pics though. I'll post links to my tanks. Two have fish in and the third's just reaching the end of it's fishless cycle.

This is my 200L tank which has been established for just over a year.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...dCommunity.jpg
Wow that is amazing! Lucky fish I currently have 3 plants lol
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Old 23-08-2012, 21:45
ghostdreamer1
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Wow that is amazing! Lucky fish I currently have 3 plants lol
Thank you, I'm pleased with how it's turning out but every so often I want to change the layout LOL I'm also addicted to buying plants
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Old 28-08-2012, 14:23
EEfan24
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Well my ammonia and test kit has arrived which means I can finally start the cycle! At the moment I'm trying to get the initial levels right and testing them, going to be using all the test kit straight away at this rate!
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Old 28-08-2012, 19:03
ghostdreamer1
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Well my ammonia and test kit has arrived which means I can finally start the cycle! At the moment I'm trying to get the initial levels right and testing them, going to be using all the test kit straight away at this rate!
I quite enjoyed playing at being a scientist doing my tests.

Now that my new tank has cycled I bought some fish for it at the weekend. I bought six really pretty little Odessa barbs but they are all alone in a 4ft tank and I think it's freaking them out a bit. Once i get some more I think they'll feel more secure.

Keep us informed of your progress and I'll help where I can if you hit any snags.
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Old 28-08-2012, 20:32
EEfan24
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I quite enjoyed playing at being a scientist doing my tests.

Now that my new tank has cycled I bought some fish for it at the weekend. I bought six really pretty little Odessa barbs but they are all alone in a 4ft tank and I think it's freaking them out a bit. Once i get some more I think they'll feel more secure.

Keep us informed of your progress and I'll help where I can if you hit any snags.
I've tested it about 4 times and it seems stuck at 1.5, should I just keep adding ammonia till it gets to 4?
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Old 28-08-2012, 21:45
ghostdreamer1
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I've tested it about 4 times and it seems stuck at 1.5, should I just keep adding ammonia till it gets to 4?
What kind of tests did you get, the strips or the liquid tests?
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Old 28-08-2012, 22:28
EEfan24
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What kind of tests did you get, the strips or the liquid tests?
Liquid, heard strips weren't reliable? I've just read in the leaflet that it says the water needs to be 20-30 degrees It's a cold water tank?!
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Old 29-08-2012, 13:24
EEfan24
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Ok I've got it to 4 Just a case of patience now! Hope this cloudiness bloom clears up now the cycle is starting.
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Old 29-08-2012, 18:49
ghostdreamer1
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Ok I've got it to 4 Just a case of patience now! Hope this cloudiness bloom clears up now the cycle is starting.
I found with the first bottle of ammonia I bought I had to use a lot, with the second hardly any in comparison, so much so that I accidentally overdosed the tank and my ammonia reading went off the scale !!! I'm a little puzzled as to why your cloudiness hasn't cleared yet, any chance of pictures? Maybe it's not a bacterial bloom as we thought at first.
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Old 29-08-2012, 22:03
EEfan24
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I found with the first bottle of ammonia I bought I had to use a lot, with the second hardly any in comparison, so much so that I accidentally overdosed the tank and my ammonia reading went off the scale !!! I'm a little puzzled as to why your cloudiness hasn't cleared yet, any chance of pictures? Maybe it's not a bacterial bloom as we thought at first.
Didn't you say it would when the nitrites started to rise? I had to change the water again before starting the cycle as a gross layer had formed on the top from where the food I put in was rotting!! So I put new water in and the bloom happened again.
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Old 01-09-2012, 22:09
ghostdreamer1
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Any changes yet?
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