# New to the Hobby



## albanocm (Dec 14, 2011)

First of off i would like to thank anyone in advance who helps with this issue that I've been having, i really hope i can figure out what is wrong.

Me and my girlfriend recently (about 2 months ago) purchased a 20 Gallon tank from _(insert big pet chain company's name here)_. This isn't my first time having fish and i have been what i would call successful, no problems really. I decided to cycle the tank with fish, i know i know its inhumane and all this other stuff, but before you castrate me for that, let me continue....

After about 3 weeks, the water continued to stay this white cloudy color (bacteria bloom?) and we lost 2 fish. Traumatized by this, my girlfriend insisted we get a larger tank, under the impression that we might be over stocked, and i think we were.

So now we have this 50 gallon for about a week now, and i still have the same problem with the water. I used the substrate from the old tank, which was a weird mixture of sand and gravel, have lots of live plants, and little plastic fixtures for the fish to hide in and what not.

Prior to the tank change, the ammonia and nitrite levels were off the charts, over 8ppm (ammonia) and 5+ ppm (nitrite). I cut down the feeding to almost once every 3-4 days, and did every other day, if not daily water changes and gravel cleanings.

Even now in the new tank ammonia is at 4-5ppm and nitrite is still high. I don't want the fish to die, let alone suffer but i am at al loss of what to do, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

heres a list of my fish:
3 Discus
5 Zebra Danios
2 Platy (Mickey Mouse)
1 Common Pleco ( 2" long at most)
2 Ghost shrimp

The fish get along fine, and no one bother one another. I keep the temp right around 80, pH is around 6.8 - 6.9, and I'm using a Aqueon 55-75 Quite Flow (which I've been using the media from the old tank as to get this one going)


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

With ammonia levels that high (even with water changes and all) it sounds like you have something rotting, somewhere. 

If you haven't had any fish go missing mysteriously, then it's probably dead plant matter. You should remove the fish from the tank to save them the "hand of God" stress during cleaning - put them in a bucket or something with an air stone - and remove all decor from the tank and rinse them really well with hot water. Then use the gravel vac (without suction first) to really stir and move the substrate. I would recommend not running the filter during this, since the sand might get into the filter and ruin it. Remove any nasty stuff that appears with a net, do a water change combined with vacuuming the substrate, wait for the sand to settle, and turn the filter back on. 

Save some of the water you change and rinse out whatever media is in the filter in that water - it will get out the gunk while preserving the bacteria colonies. You might also want to look into a bigger or secondary filter, because if the levels are still high after all that, it could mean that the filter/bacteria can't handle the amount of waste output in the tank.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Oh, and welcome to the wonderful world of Fish Forums and fishkeeping.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

[FONT=&quot]Dear fellow fish keeper,[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the FishForums as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that your good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your *fish*)! 

Perhaps you've already heard of this, but I like to remind all the new members. A new tank needs to be cycled. This is a process of converting harmful ammonia and nitrites into less harmful nitrates. An uncycled tank is the number one killer of aquarium fish, and inadvertently happens to almost every beginner aquarist. Before putting any fish in your aquarium, make sure you read this guide to the Nitrogen Cycle. It is a long read, but by the time you are done with it, you know everything you need to know about the Nitrogen cycle.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]








[/FONT]

*[FONT=&quot]***********Stuff you need for a healthy aquarium************[/FONT]*
[FONT=&quot]1) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]A tank large enough to house your fish. Many people overstock their tanks, and this can be very harmful to the fish. Make sure you get a tank large enough to hold all of your fish comfortably. Do research to see what the minimum size for your aquarium should be, and remember that it is a minimum size. Any more fish and you need a larger aquarium.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]A heater. Most pet fish are tropical fish and need a heater. The only exception in common pet store fish, is the goldfish. The goldfish is a coldwater fish, and does not need a heater. All other fish need a heater to keep healthy (including bettas).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]A filter. While most hobbyists keep a filter in their aquarium, many either keep the wrong size filter, or they don’t use one at all. There are many types of filters, and it’s important to know how much water it can push through it. It is recommended you get a filter that can push 8 to 10 gallons per hour for every gallon of water. If you have a 20 gallon tank, you want a filter that can push 160 to 200 gallons of water per hour. It is also important to remember that all fish need a filter. Even bettas and goldfish.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]An air pump. While a “hang on back” filter can provide enough oxygen to an aquarium at most times, it is still important to have an air pump. An air pump with an air stone connected will ensure that your fish have enough oxygen at all times. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Lights. While this may not seem important, it is very important. Fish need light, just like other animals. They have sleep schedules and they can produce nutrients from light (humans do the same thing). If you don’t want to deal with turning them on and off every day, set them on a timer. [/FONT]

*[FONT=&quot]***********Common aquarium diseases************[/FONT]*
[FONT=&quot]Unfortunately our fish get sick, just like every other animal. It is important that you know when your fish is sick, what kind of treatment to offer your fish, and how to prevent diseases in the future. If you suspect your fish is sick, but don’t know what to do, post a thread in the diseases section of the forums.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Common diseases:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Ich – Looks like salt covering the body of the fish. This is a protozoan disease. Treat with high temperature water (85F for most tropical fish) and aquarium salt.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
Fin Rot – Fin edges start to turn brown and fray. Usually occurs first in the caudal fin (tail), but can affect any fin. It looks like the fin is actually rotting away. This is usually a symptom of poor water conditions or injury. This is a bacterial disease. Treat with a 50% water change, antibiotics and aquarium salt. Melafix, Maracyn TC and Maracyn 2 are common antibacterial medications known to treat fin rot.

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fungus Infection – Looks like cotton on the body. This is a fungal infection. Treat with antifungal medications and aquarium salt. Pimafix is a well-known antifungal treatment. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Dropsy/Bloat – Fish will get very fat, and fins can stick out like a pinecone. Treat with high water temperature (85F for most tropical fish), aquarium salt, and antibiotics. Maracyn TC and Maracyn 2 are common antibacterial medications. [/FONT]


*[FONT=&quot]***********Aquarium Clubs and Societies************[/FONT]*
[FONT=&quot]Something that is actually very important in the fish keeping hobby, are the clubs and societies. There are many of them all over the world. If you are near a major city, you most likely have one nearby. This website keeps a good list of clubs, but there are many that it doesn’t have. Doing a quick Google search or asking about clubs in the Forums should find you a good list of clubs.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://fins.actwin.com/dir/clubs.php[/FONT]

*[FONT=&quot]***********Local Fish Shops************[/FONT]*
[FONT=&quot]Perhaps, just as important as finding a good club to join, is finding a good fish shop. Here is a list of pet stores near you. Also check the yellow pages and visit as many shops in your area, and decide which ones you like the best.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://fins.actwin.com/dir/stores.php [/FONT]

*[FONT=&quot]***********POTM/TOTM************[/FONT]*
[FONT=&quot]We do a “Photo of the Month” and a “Tank of the Month” contest every month. Sometimes there are good prizes to be won. I would like to encourage you to participate in these. It is a good way to show off your fish and aquariums and have fun also.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]POTM - http://www.fishforums.com/forum/potm-photo-month.html[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]TOTM - http://www.fishforums.com/forum/totm-tank-month.html [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Rules for both - http://www.fishforums.com/forum/potm-photo-month/28176-potm-totm-rules-how-submit-picture.html [/FONT]

*[FONT=&quot]***********Chat************[/FONT]*
[FONT=&quot]There are often several users in our chat. Come check out the chat. The link is at the top of site where it says “There are several users in chat now! Don't Be Shy - click here and come on in!” We would love to talk to you![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.fishforums.com/forum/chat.php[/FONT]


*[FONT=&quot]***********Links to awesome fish websites************[/FONT]*
[FONT=&quot]http://www.planetcatfish.com/ - Everything you need to know about catfish[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.ebetta.com/ - A cool betta blog[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.aquabid.com/ - eBay, but for fish[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.liveaquaria.com/ - These guys sell fish, but its more useful for doing preliminary research on fish you want to buy.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fish-supplies/pr/c/3578 - A great place to buy aquarium equipment[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.fishchannel.com/ - Lots of useful information here. They also print most of the fish magazines out there.[/FONT]


*[FONT=&quot]***********Final Notes************[/FONT]*
[FONT=&quot]I hope all of the above information was useful. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed of your progress. There's lots of good folk with good experience here. Welcome to FishForums.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thank you for your indulgence,

bmlbytes
(The unofficial FishForums greeter)[/FONT]


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

Cycling with fish is one thing. Cycling with discus's is just dumb honestly, sorry for saying it like that. But it's my honest opinion. For their price and how needy they are for their water quality, I'll give it to ya, you have more cohones than I can ever have with fish.


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

Agreed with all the above, to make it easy...
1) You'll be lucky if those discus survive this cycling
2) Your tank is still cycling and that white milky looking water is a good sign of it. Let it be, don't change anything. It'll go away after a couple days.
3) Welcome to the forums


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## lmb (Nov 1, 2011)

Good recommendations from the members above.

Personally, I would just take down the tank and restart it if you are having that much of a problem with getting it going.

The best way, in at least my experience when cycling with fish is to use a bacterial additive with them (Such as Tetra SafeStart). That way it cycles the tank much faster than what it would have, plus there aren't near as many water changes involved (In fact there really shouldn't be any) and the bottled bacteria in the filter will keep the environment of the fish liveable until the tank is cycled.

Also, Discus, I don't know why you decided to use them as a cycling fish. For one they are one of the more very sensitive fish and need an established aquarium before the addition of them and with the ways things are looking, I really don't know how they are surviving with the parameters being like that. I've had Discus before and let me tell you, I will never again. The quality stock that I had gotten were just horrible.

Any who, Good Luck


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

from what I hear, discus are tricky to keep. I would have started with guppys cause they're hardy or bettas. +1 w/ blindkiller and snyderguy!


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## Sorafish (Sep 15, 2011)

Agreed with Bettaman. For that size of a tank, throwing in 3-5 female betta, ALONE would have done the trick probably.


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