New tank syndrome?

Question

I think my tank is going through it. I've had it up and running for two months, making normal water changes, and all of a sudden, everything is going crazy!

My water is hard. I don't know what that affects, but it is hard. How do I fix it?

and my Alkalinity is REALLY low. like, 40KH. I don't know what alkalinity does, but I know it should be between 120 and 180. Not 40. Is there any water treatment I could get that could fix it? I only have 18 dollars right now, but if I wait until friday, I'll have more.

Also, the oxygen in my tank is low. My fish were up at the tank gasping for air yesterday, so I lowered the water level a little (so the filter splashes more and adds more water) but they were still gasping for air this morning. I lowered it some more, and now they're not gasping, but I'm worried that the current in the tank might be too strong, especially with all my other issues.

Also, I'm going on "Retreat" for two and a half days. I leave tomorrow, but can't do any water changes while I'm gone, and I don't trust my famiy to do it for me. I'll give them one tonight, and mabey one in the morning if it's still having issues, but I can't do another one until friday afternoon. Do you think my fish will be okay?

I also have brown algae. I did some research on it, and it says it's common in new tanks. Is that true? I never had it before a week ago. I don't have a ton, but it really is ugly. Does it affect my fish?

Answer 1

Your 2 1/2 day retreat should not be a problem,stop feeding,do several small water changes to lower the ammonia,and don't worry about feeding while you are away.
Clean water is much more important than food.(Think how adding more pollutants to an already polluted environment would affect your appetite.)
The implications of high pH are not necessarily all bad. On the negative side the Nitrites will remain in a toxic form more readily in a high pH. This requires more frequent small water changes.(which actually isn't bad once you establish a routine).
KH is a measure of "buffering capacity", the chemistry that keeps your pH stable. Again,if you do frequent small water changes low KH is not a problem.
Your water change schedule should be at least twice a week, no more than 15 to 20% changes at a time,and siphon out as much of the "stuff" in the gravel as possible. Also, pre-treat (de-chlorinate) the water that you use to replace the old water and match the tank temperature as closely as possible.
After you have corrected the Ammonia problem,resume feeding,but only once a day,and only a very small amount of food.
Money is not the problem, your tank will be fine if you can get the water cleaned up. Just go slowly and carefully.
The gasping is not because of reduced Oxygen,it's because of Ammonia burns on the fishes gills,which reduce the ability to take oxygen out of the water.

Answer 2

If you feel the fish are not getting enough oxygen and don't want to keep the water low because of noise or problems with the current, the easiest solution is to just add an airstone to increase water flow and surface disturbance. Also be sure you haven't overstocked the tank - overstocked tanks are harder to keep clean and healthy then understocked ones, especially in newer tanks.

Don't worry about the hard water - my water has always been hard and fairly alkaline yet I've never run into problems with it - this is rarely the reason for trouble.

Alkalinity affects the buffering capacity of the water. The only reason you would need to interfere and change it is if you are having trouble keeping the PH stable - if you find it jumping around. If you are, some pure baking soda is a simple solution to raise it - it's cheap and harmless to fish and works, though it will raise the ph to about 8.3 or so (but not past it). To find out how much you would need, fill a measured container with aquarium water and experiment with it, not with the tank, until you know how much you need, letting the water sit and aerate between additions to ensure accurate results. Again, only do this if you are having a problem with stability, otherwise complicating things will only increase the chances of issues.

It's true that the brown algae is normal, so don't worry about it - just scrape it off as you can and as your tank settles you'll find it decrease and stop eventually. For the 2 days, just do a water change, feed them normal amounts (make sure you aren't overfeeding) and leave. The fish don't need to eat for this time and as long as you've solved the oxygen issue they won't need the water change. Don't even bother trying to change your alkalinity until you get back - you'll want to be present to monitor things.

Answer 3

You might want to read this article, which can help explain things to you in more detail then what I can type here. It will address your concerns about the PH and hard water issues: http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html, and here is another where I saw info on alkalinity: http://www.freshwater-aquarium-fish.com/water_chemistry.htm.
Maybe between these 2 sites it will give you enough info to go on to hold you off until you get back. You may find out you don't even need to worry about it as much as you are.
As far as gasping for air, it sounds like it could be an ammonia spike, or some other toxin (did you do a water change recently and not add a dechlorinator?) Are the fish sick....i.e. do you see any signs of ich on them or anything (ich looks like specks of salt)? Have you tested for ammonia and the nitrite and nitrate levels?
I would, in the meantime, do a water change, just in case anything has spiked that you don't know of. I would do at least 30%, then make sure you use a dechlorinator when you put the water back in, and of course, try to make sure it's around the same temp. as the water you took out.
An airstone would be good if you have one, if not, they don't make THAT big of a difference that you need to panic about it.
Maybe by doing this, then reading the links I gave you, you can stabilize the tank enough to hold you off until you get back from your trip. I hope this can help you in some way. Good luck!!! ;o)

Answer 4

could be a number of components why. No, that's not a pretend syndrome, there is a lot of persons in this web site on my own which could attest to that. How long has the tank been set up for? an customary cycle takes approximately 6-12 weeks to end. The "previous filter out", substitute into it working on a tank after which you transferred it to the recent tank? if so, then the bacteria that substitute into on the filter out is kick beginning on the recent tank so it is going to no longer be bothered by a sparkling cycle technique, or if it does, that's going to be very minor. what's the ph point? while ph falls under 7.0, ammonia that's the main poisonous of the three significant components of a nitrogen cycle, is switched over to ammonium and it won't impression the fish. applying tank water from yet another tank would not help any. The valuable bacteria isn't contained interior the water, that's regularly interior the filter out media and a lesser volume interior the gravel/decorations.

Answer 5

I have a 47 gal column tank and had a terrible time getting it to settle. Ammonia was my worst problem. Can't tell you how many great fish I killed. It seemed that my bio-filter could not get established. I bought a very small air pump with a couple of feet of tube and a stone for the end. I was going to use it to put in a bucket of water so I could put my fish in it for a total tank cleaning and water change. I weighted the air stone with a couple of small brass fishing weights and dropped it in the tank. I let it run from morning to evening and shut it off at night. It was like magic. My ammonia cleared up, my water cleared up, my fish had better color.I figure it could have to do with poor circulation at the bottom of the tall tank. Whatever it did, it seems that my bio-filter finally established itself and everything is on track. Cost of the pump and such at a big pet store, about $9.

You should also try water changes about every other day, every day if fish are really stressing. Change about 20-25% of the water. Make sure to add your chems to it for proper ph, salinity and some stress coat. Do you have the additive to help establish the bio-filter? The bio-filter is actually healthy bacteria that grows in your tanks filter system. They consume the ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. Takes a month or two to establish. Good luck.

Answer 6

it sounds like it is going thru normal changes, the gasping thing is that there is high ammonia, do a small water change, maybe 1/4 of the water and be sure not to overfeed. get an otocinclus to eat the algae and things may be better when you return