I am not very good at this...

[FordForever]

I just came back from Petco and found a dead zebra on the bottom of my tank. Naturally I tested the water: .50 amm / 0 Nitri / 5 Nitri

I have neons, a platy and a cory all are fine. The zebra has red gills. He isn't actually dead yet but he is laying sideways on the bottom of my tank struggling to get a breath. Honestly what could I be doing wrong. I know the amm should be zero but I just took my primary filter out after it cycled my new filter. All the other fish are fine.

[FordForever]

The fish at petco look SOOO pretty. My fish look like pale skinned rejects. My neons have green shit growing on the top of their body and my platy looks like a red tshirt that had been out in the sun for 3 months. I am beyond frustrated. I do my water changes and test the water. Could the tank be infected?

[bushwhacker]

the fish are always prettier in someone elses tank but it sounds like you got a major problem.. how old is your test kit they do expire and how often do you do water changes

[FordForever]

I confirmed the accuracy of my amm test by testing my drinking water, 0pp and my cycling tank 3ppm...and my fishey tank tests .50. I know my tap water has 1ppm of amm but I already spoke of that in a thread and was informed the nitrocycle will take care of that.

I am going to try to provide all the information I can here.

Tank has been cycled for 8 months

pH 8.3 / amm .50 / nitri 0 / nitra 0 (I dont have a water hardness test)

Temp steady 74 degrees f

Black algae on my rocks and fake plants. Looks like it grows in spots and gets pretty thick and kind of stringy.

Green algae is present but barley visible.

Very very light brown algae forms on tank walls over time.

I did just take the primary filter out after the new filter built a cycle.

My platy has a spot. Right under his top fin on his back. Looks like the line where three scales come together is darker kind of black and the scales only in that location and sticking out farther than the rest.

My neon tetra look like they have green algae growing on the top of their bodies.

My hatched was on his death bed about a week ago but he looks good.

Only thing I notice about my cory is the fin on top of him is sticking straight up. I don't remember seeing it like that before but I could be wrong.

I use water conditioner when I do my WC. I was doing WC's every other week but when I found out my tapwater had amm I decided to start doing it every week.

I feed them freeze dried blood worms and flakes every other day. That is all they have ever been fed. While at petco today I did buy 4oz of frozen brine shrimp.

Thanks for the help everyone.

[abaigael04]

I'm going to take a few new guesses. 1- maybe you are having a mini cycle from taking the old filter off? 2- that you may be overstocked. I can barely keep a 10 gal with good params Nevermind if you are overstocked. JMO. I'm not sure about the neons? Perhaps you could get a phosphate pad for your filter to help with algae? Seems like something weird but I don't know what! Sorry I'm not more useful and good luck. I had problems with my 10 gal so I got a 65 (haha that's the logical thing, right?) at a consignment store... I'm justnow setting up my 10 as a QT.

[FordForever]

I think my 100% unfiltered well water is causing my issues. It is pure 100% from the ground. I have a friend who cycled a tank with a dwarf puffer and no experience. Didn't even know she cycled the tank. Just bought a fish, and a fish tank...and it lived...Honestly wtf...I understand the cycle and test frequently.

[Mvjnz]

Seeing as you have ammonia and no nitrate, it would appear that the filter isn't cycled.

[FordForever]

That could be the problem, but I was told, going by information provided by well credible forum members two weeks was ample enough time to develop the bacteria needed. I left the old filter in for three weeks.

Also, I don't mind the algae at all I just thought it may help diagnose a problem. I just want to give my fish the best possible home ...right now I am a miserable failure.

[Gayle]

I have zero experience with this, but isn't it possible that the ground water may contain some sort of contaminants? IDK Chemicals, bacteria? I would assume it would almost have to. I would maybe try to change the water with tap water, see if getting the well water out may help. But again I have zero experience with well water.

[FordForever]

I assume the same and do not trust these miracle bottles of water conditioners. The people who make the water conditioners assume few things and expect nothing more than to make money. Most people do live on filtered city water.

I would actually feel a little comfort if someone who does maintain successful tanks on 100% unfiltered ground water would come forward and say so. Imagine digging a three feet hole in the ground and filling your fishtank with the first muddy liquid mess you come to. That is what I have to work with.

I need well water conditioner, not "TAP WATER CONDITIONER". I have no chlorine, I have dirty nasty well water. It comes out of the ground with 1ppm of amm.

My first tank I would drive into town and fill jugs to get nice water. I never lost a fish. Ever since switching to my water I have lost two zebras, my gourami (which broke my heart) two tetras and one hatchet. I am afraid to switch back to that water because the difference in that water and my well water is over 2 pH, yes two full pH.

I have no problem switching back, but how do I do it without harming my fish?