# help!!



## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

first of all im new to all this stuff







i have high nitrate level, i think i used the same tester as my fish store and the test color is red (1.6) and it is supposed to be yellow what is wrong and how do i fix it







also i put a common plecostimos in 2 weeks ago and was found (swimmin with the fishes) this morning 
could it be the water that killed him sorry not nitrate but nitrite levels are high. sorry for any confusion.


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## rufus (Jan 6, 2004)

Sounds like you never cycled your tank. Do a water change. Plecos need something to eater they eat algae and other sediment, if you dont feed them or have a food source, they die. The nitrites probably didnt help.


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## cooldudectd (Mar 4, 2004)

Not to try and sound like a smart ass, but a little research goes a long way.

This website id Packed to the gills (







) with information about starting a new tank.

Good luck in the future.


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## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

i did cycle my tank before any fish added as per this website and water was good 
i have also done two water changes per week of 25% of the tank, when i do my changes i use normal tap water and put a treatment in it and let it set for 24h. am i doing thi right? i also add chemicals every week as per my fish store. nitrifyers?
and waste control product.

if someone could start from the begining i would appreciate it i dont think the guy at the fish store knows what he is talking about because i have done everthing he told me and my water is all screwed up

also i did feed my pleco alge tabs as well tank is clean on the inside from him


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## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

please help!!!


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## rufus (Jan 6, 2004)

No offense but let it go man, you have bumped two threads that state the exact same thing. You will get some help from other members in due time, but dont get irrate about it.


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## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

not irrate just concerned that ive been given wrong info by pet store and am killin my fish, another thing im new in hear and to computers and dont know how all this work sorry for being a pain in the ass again concerned not irrate


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

rufus said:


> No offense but let it go man, you have bumped two threads that state the exact same thing. You will get some help from other members in due time, but dont get irrate about it.


 give the guy a break...firstly he is newbie so isnt used to the workings of this site yet, and seocndly he is only worried about the health of his fish, Im sure if yours were dropping like flies you would want an answer fiarly fast!

If you dont have anything worth saying in a thread dont derail it by posting shite!


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## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

thanx craig







how (now that i know) would i delete a post set up by me or do i just leave it


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

rbdemon said:


> thanx craig
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 you cant really, but you can either leave a messege in here for a moderator to close it, or PM a moderator. You could also probably report the post using the report button and ask, but not certain on that one!


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## DonD (Mar 11, 2004)

OK, first, lets get some info here. What size is the tank? how long has it been set up? What fish are in it and what size are they? What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings in ppm?
That will give us a better idea of how to attack the problem.


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## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

30g, 6 rbp's 2" (moving to a 200g) they have been in there 2 1/2 months 
ammonia .5 (normal on my test kit)
nitrite 1.6 
nitrate ( still waiting for my test kit)

i live in a small town were it takes forever to get anything my kits been on order for 1 month now.

also i'v stopped using any added chemicals haw long should it take for my nitrites to lower


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## DonD (Mar 11, 2004)

Well, the tank is not cycled yet. ANY readings you get for ammonia or nitrite from a home test kit are NOT good and can not be considered normal.
You have six piranha in a relatively small tank. Even though the piranha are still small themselves, they require either live foods or frozen versions of the live stuff. At that size, I would imagine they eat blackworms or the like and guppies. That will put a load on an uncycled tank that is way too high.
Your best bet is to control ammonia and nitrite levels with water changes every other day if not every day. This will keep the levels down low enough so as not to affect the fish too badly. And contrary to what you may hear, water changes will NOT, I repeat NOT adversely affect the cycle.


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## acehigh (Mar 5, 2004)

Keep going with the water changes and monitor the levels. You could also look at using something like Stress Zyme. This contains bacteria which helps the cycle process start quicker.


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## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

sorry ammonia levals were not at .5 but at 0. (was reading wrong test kit)
could my nitrite levals go up by puting in feeders as i put a post in on the feeding and nutrition forum about feeders

i put 11 feeders in one day and they ate them in 24h and bellies dodnt bulge at all, i was told (and now know better) that to judge how much to feed them was to watch there bellies bulge then stop feeing. anyway after the 11 feeders i gave them a small piece of beef heart and there bellies bulged i didnt feed them for 2 days and put 10 more feeders in and again gone within 24h and no belly bulge. could putting in so many fish caused high levals of nitrite.

been changing water 25% every day for last 3 days how long till nitrite goes down


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