Hello all! Im new to aquarium forum and and thought this would be a great place to hopefully get some advice. I used to keep both fresh and salt tanks about 10 years ago but fell out of practice and now I have a bit of a problem. A friend recently gave me his 55 gal. tank, which I set up freshwater with the intention of stocking N.W. Cichlids. I installed a Penguin 200 filter (rated to 50 gals), and a power head. I purchased some fine gravel and sand as substrate (no UG filter), filled it and let it cycle for a couple weeks. I added a few tetras and started feeding and a couple weeks later added a second Penguin 200 and doubled up on media in both. I bought a master test kit and found the ammonia to be slightly elevated, and the nitrate and nitrite to be in check.
After a couple more weeks, once the ammonia dropped, I started to add some Sevrums and Festivums, and the attrition started. Had a few losses but water quality was great and the fish looked wonderful. I stocked a few more fish to complete the schools. In all I had approximately 18 fish (about 24 inches worth). I started to treat the water with API Stress-Zyme, API Amazon Extract and API Stress Coat, on a weekly basis. A week later is when the problems started. I had increased feeding to compensate for the larger number of fish but think I may have overdone it. Suddenly, within 24 hours, the water became cloudy and I lost half a dozen fish, all tetras.
I had anticipated a spike but my efforts to deal with the situation have been unsuccessful. I purchased some Ammo-Lock and treated the tank for a week, this detoxified the ammonia but did not remove it. I was performing p.w.c. every other day and the tests I performed indicated an ammonia content of 8+ ppm Ammonia and 5+ ppm Nitrite. I purchased some Prime and treated the tank. The fish's coloring is slightly muted but activity and appetite remain high.
I recently added Ammo-Zorb, Bio-Zorb and Nitra-Zorb as filter media and maintain 1 carbon filter. In the last 24 hours, after treating the water in emergency mode with Prime, my Ammonia levels dropped to 4ppm but my Nitrites remain 5+ppm and my Nitrates are >5ppm. I added a Nitrite reducer by Seaquel and am anxious for tomorrows results. In addition I added the appropriate dose of aquarium salt and intend to perform p.w.c. on a daily basis.
If anyone can recommend additional treatments or methods I would sincerely appreciate it, and to all of you who have powered through this long post I sincerely appreciate it!

JSL

Welcome to the site, first off!

Let me ask a question.....why all the liquid chemicals? Any you forgot, lol? Not to mention all of the chemical filtration you have been using. Don't mean to be mean, but I have never seen someone use every single thing that could possibly be used in a tank.

IMO, you need to do a massive water change and add dechlor ONLY to get all of that crap out of your tank. Remove all the Zorbs. You need filter media for your beneficial bacteria to attach to - without that you have nothing. They do not attach as wel to all the chemical pellets.

Water changes is what you do to take care of ammonia. Adding fresh water is a 100% better than adding a chemical. Some of that stuff will deplete oxygen in the water....adding all together, who knows. I think some of your fish may have suffocated as well.

Thanks for the reply! I was trying to replicate water conditions in S.A., and thought the water treatments would help me and the fish. I did a 50% water change a week ago and have performed 25% changes on a daily basis for 3 days. The penguin 200's have bio wheels on each unit. I intend to use them until the tank levels out. This is the only thing I can think of to remove Nitrites and Ammonia. I understand that my tap water has a base amount of each but if I add a de-chlorinator only don't I risk adding nitrates and ammonia?

Water changes remove ammonia and nitrites. The chemicals will lock up the ammonia and also lock up oxygen....keep going this way and you will loose all your fish.

What I would do....a 50% water change everyday until both ammonia and nitrite was at 1ppm or below.

What are you using to test with? You have tested your tap?

50 % change with dechlor only, daily,until levels fall? No additional treatments to remove ammonia? Thanks again!

Right.....need to get it all under control.

P.S. APY liquid test kit. I heard dry tabs are better?

I have aqua-
safe and stress coat, should I add either to the new water?

Just Aqua safe is fine or you can use Prime.

API is a very well used liquid test kit,most people here use them.If you are referring to test strips,then no they are not accurate at all,steer very clear of those.

Good luck,if you follow Bens advice,your tank will be stable in no time!

Oh and welcome to the forum!

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