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I have set up a new tank...150 gl with 2 fluval 404 filters. I took on my neighbor's fish ((2)3"in jack dempsey's, (2)1 1/2" black convicts, and (1)2" african sicklet) just to cycle the tank. it's been running for almost 1 month..all the fish seemed to be fine. Against better judgement, I couldn't resist adding a 6-7" irridescent shark (i think that's what he called him). I noticed, a few days after I brought him home, that he had some jagged fins (top and bottom) and one of his side fins seemed to be showing a 'bone' at the tip. His eyes seemed a little 'cloudy', too. The fins seem to have gotten worse, and now the sicklet's eyes seem to have these whiteish rings around them.
Any ideas on what's going on?

Usually symptoms like that are caused by high ammonia, but it sounds like it has a bacterial infection on top of it. Change some of the water and make sure you've dosed enough water conditioner so it can't be chemical burning. And try an antibiotic for the bacterial problems...

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It does sound like fin rot....you've got alot of bad things going on in that tank. One of which is the irridescent sharks. They get 3-4' and are active swimmers. I'd highly reccomend taking them back to the store.

As for the fin rot...there are two types, bacterial and fungal. With the fact that the tanks cycling it's possible that it's being caused by the cycle. Do you have ammonia, nitrIte and NitrAte numbers for us?

If you're fairly certian that it's fin rot, you should treat ASAP as some can be rather fast moving. In the past I've used Jungle Labs Fungus Clear Tank Buddies, for fin rot. It treats both bacterial and fungal infections, but since it does treat bacterial problems, you'll want to keep a close eye on the ammonia and be prepared to take action in case of mini cycle.

HTH a bit.

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I would take all of the fish back. http://www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/search.asp?term=fishless+cycle

ok. my ammonia is normal..0. my nitrite's are ski high. my nitrate tester is missing. i've removed the shark to a separate tank. get this...my little molly (who was already there before the other fish, and no one bothered) was dead this morning..with little yellowish cottony stuff on him.
if i get rid of all these fish..do i have to totally drain the tank again and start over?
what now?

After taking the fish back, just finish the cycle with clear, detergentless ammonia. Crazy stuff happens to fish during cycling, and most of it is not good...sounds like that is the cause of problems in your tank. Pick yourself up another nitrate test kit, and once cycle is complete and you've done a water change to bring the nitrates down to acceptable levels, start stocking.

With the fish getting sick, and still during initial cylce..do i need to cycle for a longer period of time? it's been almost 3 weeks, now. just another week? should i change out the media in my filters?
also, i haven't heard of the detergentless amonia stuff..what am I using this for?

Click the link on the first post I made. Don't change out the media in your filters. Detergentless ammonia is just plain old ammonia , as in store bought, as in comes in a jug at the grocery or department store in the cleaner section, as in the waste product from a fish that actually is responsible for the cycling of a tank. Clear ( no dyes ) ammonia with no detergents ( stuff that makes bubbles) can be used in place of fish (INSTEAD OF FISH) to provide the ammonia for cyling a tank. ( click link on my first post).

[span class="edited"][Edited by jake 2004-07-26 22:37][/span]

OK Jake..I obviously don't have to ask you to talk to me like I'm stupid, cuz you already are..but that's ok, cuz compared to others, when it comes to the fish, I am..having said that, can you break it down for me, step by step? I love doing this, I just need help in getting it right...

I started my tank, with the fish, on about 11 July.
How much longer until cycling is complete? How will I know?

2 fish are dead..the shark is gone.
Do I get rid of the fish now? Will they become sick like the others? Do I medicate? Am I supposed to do the ammonia thing with the fish in it? Won't that kill them?

My ammonia levels are still at '0' and my nitrites are still sky high...
Do I just let it fix itself naturally?

Thanks for being patient with a newbie to the hobby.
fishfan13

Hang in there Fish Fan. My tank took WEEKS to cycle, even after adding liquid Cycle to speed it up. I did not lose any fish during that period, but the water never looked right. One thing someone told me on here that really seemed to help was that I should not clean it for a couple of weeks (I was cleaning once a week). After that, everything fell into place. Stick with it!! You will not be sorry

I hear ya Mary, and thank you.
I just need to know how to handle my current situation. I'm concerned about the future of my tank and fish, considering some were sick and died.
What to do now? My main concern is that my fish will keep dying since the others were sick. Do I have to do anything to 'clean' out the disease?

[span class="edited"][Edited by fishfan13 2004-07-27 21:24][/span]

I would suggest that you learn about the fish that you are mixing in the tank together. Was your "little molly" in this same tank with cichlids? Your problem may be compatibility. Some cichlids are less agressive, but my convict beats everyone else up in my tank. There may be a boxing match in your tank every night when the lights go out, and therefore you wake up with dead fish.