What am I doing wrong [Archive]

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tigger1

11-06-2009, 11:17 PM

Ok here's the story. I have a 5gal tank that I use for a quarintine tank. When I first set it up I'm guessing I did a fish in cycle(didn't mean to) cause I put water from the larger tank into it and put the fish in it. They did fine and kept them in there for about a month to make sure they were not sick. I moved them to the larger tank and left the 5 gal running but didn't think to keep adding ammonia into it to keep whatever cycle i had in it.

Well now i restarted it about 4 months or so ago. Doing the fishless cycle. I've kept adding ammonia to it and i think a few weeks ago it may have finished BUT, I put a silk plant and a fake stone with silk pieces into the tank preping for fish (the two items were in the tank when i did the quarintine before so they are not new). Now the ammonia is thru the roof for almost 2 weeks now I believe and I don't know what caused it. I have not added any ammonia to it since i put the 2 items in the tank and the ammonia increased.

I don't want to put more fish in my 55gal until i have a quarintine tank first, been thru to many Ick outbreaks. My 5 MM platties are lonely. (trying to get fry is another story for another day).

edit* I'm running a penguin mini in there and also Hydor Mini Aquarium Heater. I also started with R/O water but since changed to tap water adding Amquel plus to replenish the water that evaporates.

Can anyone help me please, I'm at my wits end and almost ready to give up.
thanks

MonkeyPox

11-06-2009, 11:30 PM

Some basic info would help.

What are your water readings?
Did I understand correctly that you've been trying to cycle your tank for 4 months?

Any reason why you didn't use media from your other tank?

Northernguy

11-06-2009, 11:58 PM

Do you have a test kit for the water?
A liquid test is best.
How did you know the tank was cycled?

tigger1

11-07-2009, 12:32 AM

I have a wet/dry on my 55 so hard to use media from that. The ammonia readings are showing 4-5 and no nitrites. I have to get more test drops for nitrate hopefully this weekend but last test there were only .5. and yes its been like 4 months.

domjd05

11-07-2009, 12:57 AM

Any idea as to why the 55g is having frequent ich outbreaks?

How often are you adding new fish?
How many fish are in it?
How often are you doing WC's?

tigger1

11-07-2009, 01:06 AM

It's not having frequent ick outbreaks. Thru the years of having fish and no quarintine tank it's happend many times. I reset the 55 gal up back in july 08 and have only had one maybe two outbreaks. The last one pretty much wiped out my last stock so I cleaned the tank and restarted it. Since then I've had a quarintine tank and no outbreaks.... just haven't had new fish to put in it since the Q-tank won't recycle.

rangur1

11-10-2009, 01:05 PM

i am not sure about what amquel does, i thought it "locked up" ammonia to render it less harmful to fish. anyway, do a 50% water change to quarintine tank, add some substrate from regular tank. check water parameters.

ammomia,nitrite should be half what they were before. let tank run, check levels again every 3 days until ammonia reaches 0. do not add amquel!

if i am correct, amquel binds with ammonia to make it safer , but it registers on a test kit. making your readings inaccurate. hopefully, with the water change, nature will take its course.

MonkeyPox

11-10-2009, 02:52 PM