Question about my parrot fish! (Pic)

Jon88

Cycle has changed there formula from what it use to be. No live plants and the nitrate is still zero tested again.

Other fish in tank:

2 Bala Sharks
1 Pink Convict
1 Bristlenose pleco
1 Clown loach
2 Neon tetras
3 Zebra Danios

All other fish are fine, eating and swimming well.

jeaninel

Cycle is not a water conditioner. It is a bacterial supplement used to help cycle tanks. The chlorine in your tap water killed your beneficial bacteria. That would explain why you have no nitrates. It's probably also affecting your fish. Make sure you use a water conditioner to remove chlorine/chloramines and heavy metals. Prime, Tetra AquaSafe, NovAqua, Amquel are some. There are many others.

Pasfur

This is just to strange. First, i'm very curious about your test kit for Nitrate. If you understand the nitrogen cycle, you understand that ammonia is broken down into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate. Nitrate accumulates and is reduced by water changes. (100ppm Nitrate becomes 90ppm after a 10% water change, assuming the source water has 0% nitrate) You see why it is not possible for Nitrate to be zero.

Are you using a Nitra Zorb packet or some other chemical resin? If not, then zero nitrates, as mentioned by jeaninel, is a sign that the ammonia or nitrite is not being processed. Yet the fish are alive. Something is not adding up here.

Also, why on earth did you pick this crazy mix of fish? They simply do not go together. Give it a very short time and you will have fish eaten or serious aggression leading to disease.

Jon88

So should I stop using "Cycle" and pick up some "Aqua Safe" or "prime"? and put the recommend dose in immediately? I went out today and bought some better brand of food.

As crazy as it sound all the fish I have listed have been living together for about 5 years now with no problems haha.

Jon88

Edit: he is also more white today than his usual orange color.

stephanieleah

Absolutely! Cycle can be used along with the water conditioner, but make sure the water conditioner detoxes chorine and chloramine minimally, and if your tap has ammonia in it (mine does) then ammonia too. Add it to your tank per the recommended dose and add it to any water you add during subsequent water changes.

And as far as Cycle and it's ability to serve it's purpose (not water conditioning, but to help cycle your tank which you will now have to re-do--I have not found it very effective. I'd suggest, since your cycling process will now have to start over completely, using a live bacteria like Safe Start and check water daily and do water changes whenever an ammonia reading or anything like that shows up). You probably already know all of this but just in case...

good luck!

Jon88

***Update***

So I put the aqua safe in the tank and he still did not get better, seemed to be getting worse. So I went out and got a 10gal tank with a filter and heater. I filled it with water from the old tank, took the carbon out of the filter and put him in there with the medication for "hole in the head" I believe it is by "API" He has gone thru his first dose and I am scheduled to put the second dose in tomorrow at 6pm. He seems to have gotten his orange color back, but he still really is int eating and he is hanging out at the top of the tank with half his body out of the water. If you go by the tank thou he start to swim around some. Is there anything else I should do? Anyone have any ideas on this?

Jill0

Can you take some filter media from the existing tank? Otherwise I think the tank he is in would be uncycled and the ammonia, etc., may make him worse. (the water from the existing tank doesn't contain the beneficial bacteria)

Jon88

So I talked to a fish person at the petstore about this whole situation and she said the reason half his body is out of the water is because this diease is affecting his nerves and he's prob not going to make it. He hasent eating in about 2-3 days, does this sound right? I'm going to do the second dose of medication today.

stephanieleah

Update on your parrot, please? How' he doing?