i have a 30 gallon freshwater tank with penquin 150 filter,artificial plants 3 week ago i started up i added water conditioner,bacteria waited 48 hours checked levels ph 7.2,chlorine 0,nitrite 0,ammonia 0 added 2 goldfish last week ph dropped to 6.4 and water was stinky i done a 10% water change and filter change added ph regulator because my ph had dropped which i read is not good my levels for the past few days before my one fish died were ph 6.4,chlorine 0,
nitrite .1,ammonia 1-2. 4 days ago i found 1 fish dead the other struggling saved the one fish by adding water conditioner i did not check my levels after i found the fish dead just on impulse added water conditioner before checking. yesterday i found my other fish dead i checked my levels and they were ph 6.4, chlorine 0, nitrite .25, ammonia .25 my question is will i have to start my cycle all over or can i build on this cycle i have already started and i heard goldfish are not good "starter fish" what should i do and what kind of fish should i cycle with any help would be appreciated
If this were mine I would start it over, using a better choice of fish for cycling. Drain the tank, rinse and wipe it out a bit, and refill it.
Be careful not to overdose water conditioner. This will cause a lot of pH problems that are difficult to fix. Also, be careful not to overfeed, especially during cycling. Anything that the fish doesn't consume within 1 - 2 minutes will pollute the water, and do so quickly. This is generally where the foul smells come from. Change the filter media, fresh carbon will help to clear smells from the water, but it has to be fresh, it can only hold so much waste.
Is there a heater in the tank? What do you have at the bottom for substrate? Are there live plants or decorations in the tank? The more info you provide the faster we can help you.
Good starter fish are going to be hard to advise at this moment, until I know what it is you desire to keep after cycling. I can usually find a safe fish to cycle with that will still work into your community later.
Are there specific fish you like? Let the newly set up tank run for a few days (3 - 5 days is best) without fish in it. During that time check out what fish are available to you and what you like, then we can help you select a safe fish to cycle with from your list, or suggest something that will work within your list.
Hope this helps!
my water is heated between 76-78 degrees, i have rocks for flooring
i have artificial ornament hollow log with artificial flowers and 2 artificial plants i was thinking of using mollies and zebra danios one of each and later adding 2 tiger barbs for a total of 4 fish.
hi
the only advise i can add here would be to forget the Tiger barbs,
because they are best in a large group 8+.
keeps down agression,and stops outside of the
group nipping.
sorry.
Honestly at this point id start over and do a fishless cycle. I had good luck so far on my 110 gal cycling it using fish flakes. I dont remember the dosing off the top of my head, unfortunately.
I agree, skip the tiger barbs if you want danios and/or mollys. I would say pick one group or the other... the zebra danio and molly would mean a peaceful tank and the tiger barbs would mean an aggressive tank. 2 tiger barbs would cycle the tank just as easily as would the zebra danio and molly. Personally, I wouldn't put 1 zebra with 1 molly, either. Zebras can be a bit nippy, especially when alone or in a very small group. 2 zebra danios, 2 mollys, either would work, and once cycled you could add others to your group. If working with 2 mollys, I would work with 2 females. Thus later, if you wish to do more with the mollys, you'd already have 2 females waiting for a male and your ratio would be healthy at the same time.
The choice is entirely yours, but remember to stick to the "group" you stat with... aggressive or peaceful.
Good Luck!
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