Help!

A few hours ago I went to my LSF to get some tropical fish for my new
aquarium (which is apparently still cycling). My home test kit showed
elevated levels of ammonia, so I took a water sample for testing at the LSF.
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia. Also, my water was
yellow and smelled bad. I panicked and did a 100% water change for my new
fish, even though the danio's I had for cycling were fine.

Now with the new water, I have 0 ppm ammonia, but my nitrite rose to .1 ppm
(it was previously 0). Needless to say, my fish are gasping for air and
laying motionless on the gravel (sometimes).

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!


Current tank parameters:
pH: 6.8
dH/kH: ?
temp: 26C/79F (eventually, the heater is still working)
ammonia: 0 ppm
nitrite: .1 ppm
nitrate: ? (none, I guess... i don't have a tester for this)

I have 2 guppies, 3 neon tetras (starters) and 1 "anubias nana" plant.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

Do a few water changes. Do not feed them. Wait till morning and buy Hagen
Cycle or any bacteria-in-a-bottle to help speed cycling.

Good luck! Everybody makes mistakes, don't be 'turned-off' with the hobby.

Steve


"Dino" wrote in message
...
Help!

A few hours ago I went to my LSF to get some tropical fish for my new
aquarium (which is apparently still cycling). My home test kit showed
elevated levels of ammonia, so I took a water sample for testing at the
LSF.
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia. Also, my water was
yellow and smelled bad. I panicked and did a 100% water change for my new
fish, even though the danio's I had for cycling were fine.

Now with the new water, I have 0 ppm ammonia, but my nitrite rose to .1
ppm
(it was previously 0). Needless to say, my fish are gasping for air and
laying motionless on the gravel (sometimes).

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!


Current tank parameters:
pH: 6.8
dH/kH: ?
temp: 26C/79F (eventually, the heater is still working)
ammonia: 0 ppm
nitrite: .1 ppm
nitrate: ? (none, I guess... i don't have a tester for this)

I have 2 guppies, 3 neon tetras (starters) and 1 "anubias nana" plant.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

If I add some "Bacter Plus" (similar to "Cycle") to the water now, will this
interfere with the cycling process?



"SteveG" wrote in message
...
Do a few water changes. Do not feed them. Wait till morning and buy
Hagen
Cycle or any bacteria-in-a-bottle to help speed cycling.

Good luck! Everybody makes mistakes, don't be 'turned-off' with the
hobby.

Steve


"Dino" wrote in message
...
Help!

A few hours ago I went to my LSF to get some tropical fish for my new
aquarium (which is apparently still cycling). My home test kit showed
elevated levels of ammonia, so I took a water sample for testing at the
LSF.
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia. Also, my water
was
yellow and smelled bad. I panicked and did a 100% water change for my
new
fish, even though the danio's I had for cycling were fine.

Now with the new water, I have 0 ppm ammonia, but my nitrite rose to .1
ppm
(it was previously 0). Needless to say, my fish are gasping for air and
laying motionless on the gravel (sometimes).

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!


Current tank parameters:
pH: 6.8
dH/kH: ?
temp: 26C/79F (eventually, the heater is still working)
ammonia: 0 ppm
nitrite: .1 ppm
nitrate: ? (none, I guess... i don't have a tester for this)

I have 2 guppies, 3 neon tetras (starters) and 1 "anubias nana" plant.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

No

"Dino" wrote in message
...
If I add some "Bacter Plus" (similar to "Cycle") to the water now, will
this
interfere with the cycling process?



"SteveG" wrote in message
...
Do a few water changes. Do not feed them. Wait till morning and buy
Hagen
Cycle or any bacteria-in-a-bottle to help speed cycling.

Good luck! Everybody makes mistakes, don't be 'turned-off' with the
hobby.

Steve


"Dino" wrote in message
...
Help!

A few hours ago I went to my LSF to get some tropical fish for my new
aquarium (which is apparently still cycling). My home test kit showed
elevated levels of ammonia, so I took a water sample for testing at
the
LSF.
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia. Also, my water
was
yellow and smelled bad. I panicked and did a 100% water change for my
new
fish, even though the danio's I had for cycling were fine.

Now with the new water, I have 0 ppm ammonia, but my nitrite rose to
..1
ppm
(it was previously 0). Needless to say, my fish are gasping for air
and
laying motionless on the gravel (sometimes).

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!


Current tank parameters:
pH: 6.8
dH/kH: ?
temp: 26C/79F (eventually, the heater is still working)
ammonia: 0 ppm
nitrite: .1 ppm
nitrate: ? (none, I guess... i don't have a tester for this)

I have 2 guppies, 3 neon tetras (starters) and 1 "anubias nana" plant.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

Thanks for the help!


"SteveG" wrote in message
...
No

"Dino" wrote in message
...
If I add some "Bacter Plus" (similar to "Cycle") to the water now, will
this
interfere with the cycling process?



"SteveG" wrote in message
...
Do a few water changes. Do not feed them. Wait till morning and buy
Hagen
Cycle or any bacteria-in-a-bottle to help speed cycling.

Good luck! Everybody makes mistakes, don't be 'turned-off' with the
hobby.

Steve


"Dino" wrote in message
...
Help!

A few hours ago I went to my LSF to get some tropical fish for my
new
aquarium (which is apparently still cycling). My home test kit
showed
elevated levels of ammonia, so I took a water sample for testing at
the
LSF.
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia. Also, my
water
was
yellow and smelled bad. I panicked and did a 100% water change for
my
new
fish, even though the danio's I had for cycling were fine.

Now with the new water, I have 0 ppm ammonia, but my nitrite rose to
.1
ppm
(it was previously 0). Needless to say, my fish are gasping for air
and
laying motionless on the gravel (sometimes).

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!


Current tank parameters:
pH: 6.8
dH/kH: ?
temp: 26C/79F (eventually, the heater is still working)
ammonia: 0 ppm
nitrite: .1 ppm
nitrate: ? (none, I guess... i don't have a tester for this)

I have 2 guppies, 3 neon tetras (starters) and 1 "anubias nana"
plant.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

In article , Dino wrote:
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia.
....
my nitrite rose to .1 ppm

While it's never a really bad idea to do a water change just to be
conservative.... .6ppm ammonia is nothing. .1ppm Nitrite is less than
nothing. Both may exceed the 3-5ppm range while cycling and everything
will still be ok.

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!

I've had nitrite spikes off the scale for multiple days during initial
cycling (that's at least 6ppm). I just did my weekly water changes and
everyone was fine.


--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.

Unfortunately, I already lost my neon tetras Good thing they are cheap!
I found two dead this morning, and the last one died several hours ago.
He was breathing frantically, and finally died under a piece of driftwood.
I think my heater could be to blame for this also, because it malfunctioned
and by the time I noticed, the temperature was up in the mid-80's (and the
heater wouldn't shut off, even though it was set to a little under 79).

The guppies seem fine, except that they are gasping for air. They are very
active now and swim around for a few seconds before resurfacing.

According to my test kit, the nitrites are a little over .2 ppm now, and
rising.
I hope this ends soon.. for my guppies' sake (they're gorgeous fish).
I added some bottled bacteria as was suggested by SteveG, and am holding off
on a water change for now so I can get accurate readings.

Thanks for the words of hope!


"Ross Vandegrift" wrote in message
m...
In article , Dino wrote:
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia.
...
my nitrite rose to .1 ppm

While it's never a really bad idea to do a water change just to be
conservative.... .6ppm ammonia is nothing. .1ppm Nitrite is less than
nothing. Both may exceed the 3-5ppm range while cycling and everything
will still be ok.

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!

I've had nitrite spikes off the scale for multiple days during initial
cycling (that's at least 6ppm). I just did my weekly water changes and
everyone was fine.


--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water
Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water
Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots
them.

..2ppm nitrite is nothing while cycling. while cycling I don't do any water
changes!

add a bit of salt (5ml per 5gal), it supposedly helps with nitrite
poisoning. Maybe circulate the water at the surface more with the use of
spray bars/airstones!
"Dino" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, I already lost my neon tetras Good thing they are
cheap!
I found two dead this morning, and the last one died several hours ago.
He was breathing frantically, and finally died under a piece of driftwood.
I think my heater could be to blame for this also, because it
malfunctioned
and by the time I noticed, the temperature was up in the mid-80's (and the
heater wouldn't shut off, even though it was set to a little under 79).

The guppies seem fine, except that they are gasping for air. They are
very
active now and swim around for a few seconds before resurfacing.

According to my test kit, the nitrites are a little over .2 ppm now, and
rising.
I hope this ends soon.. for my guppies' sake (they're gorgeous fish).
I added some bottled bacteria as was suggested by SteveG, and am holding
off
on a water change for now so I can get accurate readings.

Thanks for the words of hope!


"Ross Vandegrift" wrote in message
m...
In article , Dino wrote:
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia.
...
my nitrite rose to .1 ppm

While it's never a really bad idea to do a water change just to be
conservative.... .6ppm ammonia is nothing. .1ppm Nitrite is less than
nothing. Both may exceed the 3-5ppm range while cycling and everything
will still be ok.

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!

I've had nitrite spikes off the scale for multiple days during initial
cycling (that's at least 6ppm). I just did my weekly water changes and
everyone was fine.


--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water
Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water
Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots
them.

Get the temperature down, this could account for why the fish are gasping!
hotter water means less oxygen!

Stu
"Dino" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, I already lost my neon tetras Good thing they are
cheap!
I found two dead this morning, and the last one died several hours ago.
He was breathing frantically, and finally died under a piece of driftwood.
I think my heater could be to blame for this also, because it
malfunctioned
and by the time I noticed, the temperature was up in the mid-80's (and the
heater wouldn't shut off, even though it was set to a little under 79).

The guppies seem fine, except that they are gasping for air. They are
very
active now and swim around for a few seconds before resurfacing.

According to my test kit, the nitrites are a little over .2 ppm now, and
rising.
I hope this ends soon.. for my guppies' sake (they're gorgeous fish).
I added some bottled bacteria as was suggested by SteveG, and am holding
off
on a water change for now so I can get accurate readings.

Thanks for the words of hope!


"Ross Vandegrift" wrote in message
m...
In article , Dino wrote:
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia.
...
my nitrite rose to .1 ppm

While it's never a really bad idea to do a water change just to be
conservative.... .6ppm ammonia is nothing. .1ppm Nitrite is less than
nothing. Both may exceed the 3-5ppm range while cycling and everything
will still be ok.

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!

I've had nitrite spikes off the scale for multiple days during initial
cycling (that's at least 6ppm). I just did my weekly water changes and
everyone was fine.


--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water
Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water
Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots
them.

Thanks for the info, Stuart!

Stuart Mueller wrote:

.2ppm nitrite is nothing while cycling. while cycling I don't do any water
changes!

add a bit of salt (5ml per 5gal), it supposedly helps with nitrite
poisoning. Maybe circulate the water at the surface more with the use of
spray bars/airstones!
"Dino" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, I already lost my neon tetras Good thing they are
cheap!
I found two dead this morning, and the last one died several hours ago.
He was breathing frantically, and finally died under a piece of
driftwood. I think my heater could be to blame for this also, because it
malfunctioned
and by the time I noticed, the temperature was up in the mid-80's (and
the heater wouldn't shut off, even though it was set to a little under
79).

The guppies seem fine, except that they are gasping for air. They are
very
active now and swim around for a few seconds before resurfacing.

According to my test kit, the nitrites are a little over .2 ppm now, and
rising.
I hope this ends soon.. for my guppies' sake (they're gorgeous fish).
I added some bottled bacteria as was suggested by SteveG, and am holding
off
on a water change for now so I can get accurate readings.

Thanks for the words of hope!


"Ross Vandegrift" wrote in message
m...
In article , Dino wrote:
They confirmed it was somewhere around .6 ppm ammonia.
...
my nitrite rose to .1 ppm

While it's never a really bad idea to do a water change just to be
conservative.... .6ppm ammonia is nothing. .1ppm Nitrite is less than
nothing. Both may exceed the 3-5ppm range while cycling and everything
will still be ok.

What can I do to help them get through the nitrite spike?
I don't want them to die by morning!

I've had nitrite spikes off the scale for multiple days during initial
cycling (that's at least 6ppm). I just did my weekly water changes and
everyone was fine.


--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water
Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water
Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water
Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He
shoots
them.

"Dino" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, I already lost my neon tetras Good thing they are cheap!
I found two dead this morning, and the last one died several hours ago.
He was breathing frantically, and finally died under a piece of driftwood.
I think my heater could be to blame for this also, because it malfunctioned
and by the time I noticed, the temperature was up in the mid-80's (and the
heater wouldn't shut off, even though it was set to a little under 79).



Hi Dino,

Your Neon Tetras would not mind the temperature in mid-80's. The reason they
died is most likely the big 100% water change.

Good luck,
--
Marvin
hlavac (at) rogers (dot) com

Thanks, Marvin. I did some more reading on these fish, and it turns out
they are alot more sensitive to water conditions than I had thought. The
guppies are still alive though, so I guess they are much easier to keep.

They're still gasping though, and the air pump doesn't seem to help much.
They do swim around longer though before resurfacing. When they are at the
surface, they stay there for a good while before coming down again.
Anyone else have a siliar experience with an Eclipse tank system, or any
others?

Anyway, for those who may be following this thread, here's the latest on my
water condition:
ammonia: 0-0.1 ppm
nitrite: .2 ppm (stable for almost 2 days now)
temp: 77F
dH/kH/nitrates: ?

The water is still clear with a very slight white haze (almost invisible).
The chemicals I have used so far a
* Kordon AmQuel & NovAqua
* Aquatronics BacterPlus
* Nutrafin Plant-Gro



Marvin Hlavac wrote:


"Dino" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, I already lost my neon tetras Good thing they are
cheap! I found two dead this morning, and the last one died several hours
ago. He was breathing frantically, and finally died under a piece of
driftwood. I think my heater could be to blame for this also, because it
malfunctioned and by the time I noticed, the temperature was up in the
mid-80's (and the heater wouldn't shut off, even though it was set to a
little under 79).



Hi Dino,

Your Neon Tetras would not mind the temperature in mid-80's. The reason
they died is most likely the big 100% water change.

Good luck,
--
Marvin
hlavac (at) rogers (dot) com

Neons are beautiful little guys that don't tolerate life in a cycling tank.
As you've probably read. People have counseled me in the past to wait
concervatively well past past the end of the cycle, 2-3 months.

The guppy behavior is puzzling. They aren't ideal starter fish but you
should have at least some level of success with the values you're seeing.


"dino" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Marvin. I did some more reading on these fish, and it turns out
they are alot more sensitive to water conditions than I had thought. The
guppies are still alive though, so I guess they are much easier to keep.

They're still gasping though, and the air pump doesn't seem to help much.
They do swim around longer though before resurfacing. When they are at
the
surface, they stay there for a good while before coming down again.
Anyone else have a siliar experience with an Eclipse tank system, or any
others?

Anyway, for those who may be following this thread, here's the latest on
my
water condition:
ammonia: 0-0.1 ppm
nitrite: .2 ppm (stable for almost 2 days now)
temp: 77F
dH/kH/nitrates: ?

The water is still clear with a very slight white haze (almost invisible).
The chemicals I have used so far a
* Kordon AmQuel & NovAqua
* Aquatronics BacterPlus
* Nutrafin Plant-Gro



Marvin Hlavac wrote:


"Dino" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, I already lost my neon tetras Good thing they are
cheap! I found two dead this morning, and the last one died several
hours
ago. He was breathing frantically, and finally died under a piece of
driftwood. I think my heater could be to blame for this also, because
it
malfunctioned and by the time I noticed, the temperature was up in the
mid-80's (and the heater wouldn't shut off, even though it was set to a
little under 79).



Hi Dino,

Your Neon Tetras would not mind the temperature in mid-80's. The reason
they died is most likely the big 100% water change.

Good luck,
--
Marvin
hlavac (at) rogers (dot) com

It's gotten a little better since I added AmQuel and replaced the heater
(all about 3-4 hours ago).


Tim B wrote:

Neons are beautiful little guys that don't tolerate life in a cycling
tank.
As you've probably read. People have counseled me in the past to wait
concervatively well past past the end of the cycle, 2-3 months.

The guppy behavior is puzzling. They aren't ideal starter fish but you
should have at least some level of success with the values you're seeing.


"dino" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Marvin. I did some more reading on these fish, and it turns out
they are alot more sensitive to water conditions than I had thought. The
guppies are still alive though, so I guess they are much easier to keep.

They're still gasping though, and the air pump doesn't seem to help much.
They do swim around longer though before resurfacing. When they are at
the
surface, they stay there for a good while before coming down again.
Anyone else have a siliar experience with an Eclipse tank system, or any
others?

Anyway, for those who may be following this thread, here's the latest on
my
water condition:
ammonia: 0-0.1 ppm
nitrite: .2 ppm (stable for almost 2 days now)
temp: 77F
dH/kH/nitrates: ?

The water is still clear with a very slight white haze (almost
invisible). The chemicals I have used so far a
* Kordon AmQuel & NovAqua
* Aquatronics BacterPlus
* Nutrafin Plant-Gro



Marvin Hlavac wrote:


"Dino" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, I already lost my neon tetras Good thing they are
cheap! I found two dead this morning, and the last one died several
hours
ago. He was breathing frantically, and finally died under a piece of
driftwood. I think my heater could be to blame for this also, because
it
malfunctioned and by the time I noticed, the temperature was up in the
mid-80's (and the heater wouldn't shut off, even though it was set to
a little under 79).



Hi Dino,

Your Neon Tetras would not mind the temperature in mid-80's. The reason
they died is most likely the big 100% water change.

Good luck,
--
Marvin
hlavac (at) rogers (dot) com