# What the hell is in my tank?



## Yarbles! (Oct 23, 2004)

Been setting up my new 80gal. Bought it used, so who knows what it came with.

Cleaned it up good, (with water, no chemicals) and I've been patiently setting it up throughout the week.

Put in 25 lbs of rinsed gravel Friday, 25 lbs on Saturday.

Filtration is DIY undergravel, reverse flow, two powerheads running backwards.

I have seeded this tank with dirty gravel and sponge water from my healthy tanks.

pH about 6.8, temp low to mid 70's.

Put in one 2" oscar, a feeder gold, and a white cloud mountain minnow this afternoon. Not much of a load on 80 gallons!
But then I noticed the tank was cloudy and the goldfish was at the top breathing heavy. Tested temp, okay. Tested ph, okay. Tested Ammonia...
I'm using the TetratestLaborett - the multi test kit and followed the instructions. I am supposed to be looking for various shades of bluish green to determing my ammonia after waiting 20 minutes but I instantly came up with a totally different color -PURPLE









What the Hell???It looks like F'ing cranberry juice!!!
I've waited 10 minutes and the color is still the same, I double checked and I used all the right vials and followed the instrucitons. What the hell is in my tank?

I threw in some Amquel and I'm gonna test again. I'll post the results.

Please help!


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## Yarbles! (Oct 23, 2004)

Okay, I'm an ass








But let it be known the first place I turned was P-Fury.
Tested again, and this time it's showing up a dim yellow. I'm sure I didn't use the wrong reagent. Dim Yellow suggest low ammonia which is what I should expect at this point.
Still the water is cloudy, cloudier than it was before I added the fish and the tank smells funny - can't describe the smell. 
Hope the fish make it through the night. And glad I haven't added any p's yet!
I'll keep an eye on this tank and let y'all know if I learn anything.


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## Yarbles! (Oct 23, 2004)

I just don't get this, I'm watching these fish die before my eyes...
It's gotta be something in the water, but I cleaned the hell out of everything (no detergents)before I set this up. 
On secvond try ammonia is okay, and it's too early I think to expect a spike in nitrite or nitrate. 
I've never done much to aerate my tanks, and my fish have done fine, but that's about all I m left with, so I just added an airstone & pump.
Anyone ever try KetaPang Vital? I have been keeping fish for 20 yrs, no problem, figured I'd throw a shot of this into the tank just for shits and giggles. Put some in with my oldes red bellies and they're acting more skittish than usual. I'm flushing that thank with a meridian automatic water changer. 
This sucks







I don't usually rant but I don't know what the hell is going on here!


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## eL ChiNo LoCo (Apr 16, 2004)

Ahh, if its not too late try to put your oscar somewhere else! You can keep the goldfish in there. The reason is that your cycle is not complete yet! Takes about 2 weeks with BioSpira (to sort of weed out spikes and all that).


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## Yarbles! (Oct 23, 2004)

eL ChiNo LoCo said:


> Ahh, if its not too late try to put your oscar somewhere else! You can keep the goldfish in there. The reason is that your cycle is not complete yet! Takes about 2 weeks with BioSpira (to sort of weed out spikes and all that).
> [snapback]932568[/snapback]​


el chino loco, you nailed it








Too late for my oscar, he died, gills flared.
I am deeply humbled.








I work for a wholesaler and take care of fish 40 hrs a week. I thought I had it down. I figured that low of a load on an 80 gallon, the chemistry would be okay, ifigured I was okay seeding the tank, but I was quite wrong.








Did a 5 gallon water change, added an airstone, but not enough, wish I'd just thrown him into another tank. 
I just retested ammonia - okay
Ph - okay
Nitrates - nice 'n low
Nitrite...way high!
I'm really bummed, it's little conselation that the oscar was doomed to be piranha food anyway, it was a mutant reject with a screwed up mouth that had a hard time eating (so I got it for free), but oscars just have too much personality and I hate to see one go, especially like that. Poor fello, deserved a lot better than that.








I guess it's back to the basics, I need to test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
I have little doubt now as to what happened. It's not some crazy chemical in my tank, it's me the owner, who failed to follow the basics.
Hope what I learned here will help the fish in my care in the future. Predation doesn't bother me too much but I hate to see any fish die from neglect.
Appreciate the feedback, but I think this topic is resolved.








I'm a dumbass for forgetting the basics.


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## marco (Jan 2, 2003)

imo, you should have some additional filteration. atleast a powerfilter or canister.


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

yeah. something that would be turbulant enough to constantly create turbulance at the surface so as to aerate the water nice and good.

you're in the 2nd stage of the cycle with the high nitrites. make sure you keep a constant ammonia load on the tank, or else the cycle will start over. also, if you're cycling with just a couple goldfish, be careful at first how many more fish you put in. too much of a load all at once will trigger a recycle.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

im sorry for your loss man.

i had to do an express tank set up a month ago. it was just a 10 gallon. but i had 3 days total to set it up and cycle it.

i basically filled it 80% with mature tank water from another tank. and used a nicely seeded filter sponge. i couldnt believe it, but 2 days later, the nitrate or nitrite or whatever spike had come and gone. and i was good to go. i couldnt believe it. i tested it the mornign after i set it up. and it had high high nitrites. then the next day. i checked it and everything was crystal clear. that was my personal record. but a much much smaller tank.


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