What am I doing wrong?

[quasar]

Hey everyone!

So in November I bought a new 125g aquarium. I let it start cycling for about a week and basically used a full 2L bottle of Seachem stability. At the time I had 2 SunSun 304b canister filters. I introduced my 7" gulper cat, a baby giant gourami, and 6 goldfish into the tank. Then I added 4 apple snails. In December I ditched one of the sunsuns for an FX6. The tank is still not cycled, which I understand, but the water still gets very cloudy and my water chem is bad. Just this morning I checked the chem, ph was 7 and ammonia of 6-8ppm. Didn't even bother with nitrate and nitrite testing as I panicked and did a 60% WC. Now I understand that companies grossly over estimate their filters power, but i figured an fx6+sun sun 304b would be enough overkill in my tank (with the stock I currently have) to keep the water crystal clear.

I'm definitely not blaming the filters, its obviously something I did wrong. How can I fix this?

Apart from the filters I have a fluval q2 air pump running, and a Hydor Koralia 1500 air pump. None of the fish or snails have died kr are being lethargic. The only thing is my gulper is doing one of his hunger strikes.

Thanks for any help!

 

[FreshyFresh]

Unless you're starting off with filtration media, or a bunch of substrate and hardscape from a healthy, established tank, you are starting from scratch with a nitrogen cycle. Trying to do it with large bio load fish like this is going to require daily water changes. You should never get a read for ammonia if you have fish in the tank. If you do, you should keep doing water changes until you don't show it. Fish-in should be a silent cycle. You should see no ammonia and nitrite and 4-6 weeks down the road, nitrate should start creeping up.

 

[quasar]

O I forgot to mention, the media in the FX6 is stock. I left it as it came in the box.

 

[Lilyann]

Your tank is not yet cycled and you have a large bio-load for a tank that hasn't yet established its biofilter. Pretty simple.
I dont think water changes are being done often enough if you are seeing such high ammonia levels.
Fish-in cycles are difficult- they require (at your bio-load, especially) almost daily water changes.

Edit: By the way, fish dont go on hunger strikes. It is their nature to eat when healthy and not eat when stressed or ill. When fish stop eating, they are telling you something is wrong.

 

[quasar]

Your tank is not yet cycled and you have a large bio-load for a tank that hasn't yet established its biofilter. Pretty simple.
I dont think water changes are being done often enough if you are seeing such high ammonia levels.
Fish-in cycles are difficult- they require (at your bio-load, especially) almost daily water changes.

So I should basically be doing daily WCs?

Also, I don't mean to argue but the fish are relatively small. Im not saying I have a monster tank, but i didn't think a 7" Gulper and a 6" gourami would be that bad on the bio load in a 125g. Would removing the 6 comets be a good idea?

 

[Lilyann]

Considering comet goldfish can reach 1 foot long and are not even remotely adequate for a 125 gallon aquarium- Id say, yes, remove the 6 comet goldfish.
Do water changes as often as needed to keep your ammonia and nitrite levels undetectable. However frequent this is can only be determined by water tests.

 

[punman]

Do you have a friend/acquaintance fish keeper in the neighbourhood who could lend you some established media (a sponge for example)?

I have been back into tropical fish for the last 15 years and have only cycled a tank once. When I want to set up a new tank or have torn down an old one for a while, I fill the new tank with 80%-85% fresh water, treat for chlorine, add heater and the empty filter and run a few hours to make sure temperature is where it needs to be.

Then I add a sponge from my established tank (or two if it is a bigger tank) and Bio-Max from my established tank and immediately add the new fish and top off with some old tank water. I have done this with sensitive Tanganyika fish, even wild caughts and never lost a fish. I am careful not to feed too much the first week nor add too many fish that week.

I have set up tanks at work a 15 min. drive away using the same method; bringing media from home, keeping media submerged in tank water in a bucket, and doing the transfer as soon as I arrive at work. I am not sure how long media can retain beneficial bacteria without circulation and how much temperature change the media can handle, so I try to be quick with this scenario and not press my luck.

 

[quasar]

Do you have a friend/acquaintance fish keeper in the neighbourhood who could lend you some established media (a sponge for example)?

I have been back into tropical fish for the last 15 years and have only cycled a tank once. When I want to set up a new tank or have torn down an old one for a while, I fill the new tank with 80%-85% fresh water, treat for chlorine, add heater and the empty filter and run a few hours to make sure temperature is where it needs to be.

Then I add a sponge from my established tank (or two if it is a bigger tank) and Bio-Max from my established tank and immediately add the new fish and top off with some old tank water. I have done this with sensitive Tanganyika fish, even wild caughts and never lost a fish. I am careful not to feed too much the first week nor add too many fish that week.

I have set up tanks at work a 15 min. drive away using the same method; bringing media from home, keeping media submerged in tank water in a bucket, and doing the transfer as soon as I arrive at work. I am not sure how long media can retain beneficial bacteria without circulation and how much temperature change the media can handle, so I try to be quick with this scenario and not press my luck.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone in my area, moved here a month before I got the tank.

 

[skjl47]

Now I understand that companies grossly over estimate their filters power, but i figured an fx6+sun sun 304b would be enough overkill in my tank (with the stock I currently have) to keep the water crystal clear. H
Hello; I fear early on you were a victim of a common thinking that somehow really good filters will take care all things having to do with water, especially water chemistry and water clarity.
Filters do two, possibly three things. One is basic mechanical filtration and your filters should do this just fine.

A second thing now days is having space for what we call bio-media. This bio-media is pretty much some solid surface with lots of surface are. The beneficial bacteria (bb) will colonize these surfaces (Also most any other surface in a tank with some water flow.) Seems you have not given the bb enough time to populate fully enough to take in all the available ammonia and nitrites.

A third thing is some filters can be adjusted to provide some surface agitation which has a benefit or two.

I'm definitely not blaming the filters, its obviously something I did wrong. How can I fix this?

Hello; this is the right question and I like that you are looking for proper answers.

Trying to do it with large bio load fish like this is going to require daily water changes.

Fish-in cycles are difficult- they require (at your bio-load, especially) almost daily water changes

Hello these are good suggestions for things to start right away.

You can also cut back on the feeding a lot. Only one time a day and skipping say three days a week with no feeding at all.

Find some live plants such as any of the non-rooted plants to put in the tank. You will need light on 12 to 14 hours a day.

Get some snails.

My first WAG (wild a _ _ guess) is the cloudy water in a bacterial bloom. Reduced feeding may help but it will take a few (some) days regardless.


Hello; Aquarium cycling links


http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/nitrogen_cycle.html


http://www.bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html

 

[quasar]

Hello; this is the right question and I like that you are looking for proper answers.




Hello these are good suggestions for things to start right away.

You can also cut back on the feeding a lot. Only one time a day and skipping say three days a week with no feeding at all.

Find some live plants such as any of the non-rooted plants to put in the tank. You will need light on 12 to 14 hours a day.

Get some snails.

My first WAG (wild a _ _ guess) is the cloudy water in a bacterial bloom. Reduced feeding may help but it will take a few (some) days regardless.


Hello; Aquarium cycling links


http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/nitrogen_cycle.html


http://www.bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html

So a follow up question, I kept the tank bare bottom. Is this part of the issue, and if so will the tank still be able to creat BB with a gravel/sand bottom?