Unfortunately a month and a half ago the fish store convinced me to go with a 10 gallon start up tank. Big mistake.

I picked up a 40 gallon tank kit over the weekend and plan to take down the 10 and setup the 40. They can't be run concurrently as they go in the same location in my office.

When setting up the 10 I was given bad advice by the fish store and I added fish in the first week. The tank never cycled. After a period of weeks and checking the water often (API Master), using Seachem prime while doing near daily partial water changes. The Ammonia is between .25 and 0 (water from the tap here is .25). PH is on the high side, Nitrates are 0 and once were up to .5 and nitrites are also 0.

The problem is last week a newer fish came down with Ich. I separated that fish and the one I purchased with it into a separate container and used tablets to treat them an the fish tank.

The 2 fish died after a period of days. I continued to treat the main tank but could tell the tablets were making it uncomfortable on the remaining fish.

A couple more died and after a week I have ceased the treatment.

During the treatment I followed the steps exactly with water changes prior to adding more tablets. Remove the filter media to avoid killing the bacteria, etc. It was kept moist in a ziplock bag. I returned this to the 10 gal tank a day after the tablet treatment stopped.

Now I have a dilemma. I have to start moving on setting up the new tank sometime this week simply due to room constraints.

Do I move the gravel/filter media into the new tank due to the possibility it is contaminated or do I simply pitch it all and start fresh with a fish cycle?

Is there a benefit to using Tetra Safe Start (or something similar) to speed things along and make it comfortable for the fish?

The fish I have is several Danio fish.

If the tank never cycled, I'd just go ahead and start afresh. Do plenty of research on the nitrogen cycle before starting, and arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can.

Oh, and here's a tip for treating ich: the most successful treatment I've used so far, and the one that is the easiest on the fish, is to just turn the temperature up VERY SLOWLY to 86-88 degrees and add aquarium salt. Clears it up relatively quickly. I've also heard very good things about Quick Cure. Also, separating fish with ich is usually a lost cause. Isolation is the thing to do with many diseases, but ich is something that once it has infected one fish, odds are the entire tank has it. Separating fish that do have ich is just going to stress them more.

I've never used Safe Start before. I did use Stress Zyme, but I'm not really sure if it helped. There's really no quick and easy way to jump-start a cycle except for getting gravel or filter media from an already-cycled tank.

Good luck!

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Creatures great and small, I love 'em all! But mainly the fish.

I also think you should dump the 10 gallon tank and start over. The danios are tough and you could use them to cycle the 40 as long as you are diligent about water changes. People on this site are into "fishless cycling"--I've no experience with this and you still have to deal with the surviving danios. My understanding is that ich is pretty much ubiquitous and can turn up in any tank so if they show signs of it in the new tank you'd just treat it.
I too had the same sort of advice and started adding fish to my 20 too early but the trick is to resist adding more to the original bunch until the tank is fully cycled and then to add new arrivals gradually. BTW, if you're into plants, they can help immensely, especially fast growing ones like wisteria.
Just my $.02 and worth all of that.

Russell made an excellent point! Live plants, especially stem plants like wisteria, will help with cycling.

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Creatures great and small, I love 'em all! But mainly the fish.

Start again. Do any of the fish you have left show signs of Ick? If they do, I wouldn't be putting them in the new tank until it's cured or you'll just infect the new tank.

Since the 40g is replacing the 10g I'm guessing the Danios you have left are going to be your cycling fish. Keep an eye on ammonia and nitrites if either reach .25-.50ppm then you need to do a 25% WC. If they reach .50ppm and higher, then you need to do a 50% WC.

NitrAtes are normal in an established tank. As long as they are under 40ppm - preferably under 30ppm - you are fine. They get taken out when you do a water change each week.

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hey guys !
Isn't the ick always there ? but it only shows up when the fish are stressed out too much.
Just something i remember reading some time ago ....

Thanks for the advice. yes, I keep watch on the chemistry of the water and perform a partial water change anytime the ammonia rises above .25. The water change is proportional to drop it down to a minimum of .25 or lower.

The Danios have no sign of ich.

My plan is to setup the new tank next weekend and if everything looks clear transfer over some of the gravel and filter media. If there is any sign or concern I will start fresh.

I have a chance to possibly obtain some gravel from a long established fresh water tank but I'll ask that question in a separate question.

Personally, I think re-doing for ich is a little overkill. I guess it would be different if in the course of either medicated or natural treatment you found that maybe it was one of the tougher forms of ich and it was not able to go away. Ich is too easily treated. If people did that for something as simple as ich, there would be a lot of tank tear-downs going on out there.

Just move everything from the 10g. I wouldn't even wash anything. If you have no fish, crank the temp up for a week or so before getting fish. If the fish have a strong immune system, if there is ich still in your tank, it won't affect them.

Ich is in your tank right now....everybody's.

Ich is always present in a tank? Weird! Didn't know that!!! So.... if I'm using heat to kill the Ich..... then how can it always be present in the tank?

Wonder why my Corys lost their barbels and now have Ich?? Substrate is fine, I clean it, water changes every week, ammonia and nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate 25-30ppm... weird. Never getting Corys again, lol. Nothing but trouble since I got them! XD

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981