# Need urgent help



## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

hi every1 my parents set up my old 5gal tank for my nieces birthday. The tank ran for a week with water and filter media from my guppy tank. I know thats not enought time for the tank to cycle but the were determent to put the fish in for her birthday. I told not to put too many fish it at once but he bought a betta and 6 small neon tetras. The betta died the next morning. But the neons were fine. I told him to wait before he adds more fish but his very stubern he went out and bought 9guppies. I've been trying to save these fish from his incompatance but 3 guppies have died and a 4th one looked sick tonight, i shined a light in the fißg tank and saw that he was covered in white spots. I'm sure that he will be dead in the morning. Please help me save the remaining fish. The neons are still doing fine. I do water changes twice a day how else can i help them? I was thinking to put the guppies in my tank till that one is properly cycled but now that i saw the white spots im affraid of getting my fish sick asswell. What shold i do please help me


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

You have what is called ich, since your tank was not cycled, it stressed the fish out, thus causing an outbreak. You can do one of two things:
1.(What I would do) put Aquarium salt in the tank and bump the temp up to about 84. Keep the tank covered/dark. Be sure not to put the salt directly into the tank. Take some treated water and let the salts dissolve in it before pouring the water in.
2. You can buy some medication for Ich. There are a lot of different brands/types. I have had good luck using Jungle Brand Ich cure before.

As far as the cycling goes, keep doing water changes. You're likely having an ammonia spike, causing The fish to die.

I personally don't like using chemicals unless I feel like I have to. Keep us posted, and I hope things get better.


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## hanky (Jan 18, 2012)

theres also too many fish in the 5 gallon tank, as long as you heavilly over stock you will have a sick tank. you want your niece to learn the right way and not keep killing fish. get him to learn what hes doing or let you be in charge, i know easier said then done, lol


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

I also want to note that the betta that died overnight wouldnt have died from the tank not being cycled...not if it was one of the first fish in the tank. The ammonia wouldnt have rose quite that fast. What method of acclimation is used for new fish? I suggest using drip acclimation to cut down on initial losses due to shock from change of water hardness, pH, temperature, etc.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

The tank's not cycled, it's overcrowded and the fish came in sick from the store. The Betta, as an airbreather evolved in swamps can handle bad conditions better than most fish. If it died, it came home on its last 'legs'. 

I would use just the meds from the store (ASAP!), but I would raise the heat. Still, that's enough tank for three guppies, and as long as they put more, it will keep crashing.


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

I put ick medicine in the tank last night but still found 4 fish belly up this morning. I'm taking drastic measures to try and save these beautifull fish. I gave them an epsonsalt bath with water from my 29gal guppy tank and put them in my big tank. Hopefully they will get better now. I will keep them in my tank till the 5gal is fully cycled. How long will it take for this tank to finish its cycle? It has water and filter media from my big tank.


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

Oky i will do that.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

You now have ich in both tanks, and with the epsom salt bath, have probably stressed the fish more. When you're fighting a parasite, change is bad. You have to aim for stability to give the fish time to recover, and to give the meds time. 
You'll know for next time...


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

oky so adding salt to the tank would be a bad idea? I read that the salt treatment works the best?


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## Crazy (Mar 1, 2012)

Salt can be used safely if the fish is from a salty region. Amazonian fish for instance do not do well with salt as they have evolved away from it for thousands of years, where as South American Cichlids are frequently in contact with salt water. It all boils down to researching your fish and where they are from so you can better care for them and it makes the hobby much more interesting.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Actually, most South American cichlids in the hobby are Amazonian, and don't like salt either. I think you meant to type "Central" American, where the contact is more with minerals in the water than just salt, but salt is part of the picture.
I think you're best to use the pet shop medication and keep it simple. Adding salt is a complication. I think you have overstocked your tank though, and bought already sick fish.


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## Crazy (Mar 1, 2012)

Gary you are absolutely correct I did mean Central and typed SA out of habit! Good catch and thanks again.


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

well i have guppies, danios, harlequrn rasboras, flying fox, and neon tetra in the tank now. Would it be safe to add salt? and can i use non idoated sea salt or should i rather buy aquarium salt?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I would not treat both tanks - yet. Treating fish that don't need to be is stressful. Just watch in your other tank and act accordingly. I have had a tank with over 100 fish and have one fish get ich and no other infected. So, I am only saying that just because a fish has been exposed to ich - which happens in nearly every tank - doesn't mean they will contract the disease. You also do not need an 84 temp just to speed up the ich cycle. Ich cycle is 4 days for temps above somewhere around 60F. Around 85 the protozoa stop producing and somewhere around 87-88 they begin to die.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Lieslq said:


> well i have guppies, danios, harlequrn rasboras, flying fox, and neon tetra in the tank now. Would it be safe to add salt? and can i use non idoated sea salt or should i rather buy aquarium salt?


This is your 29g, right?


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

Yes its my 29gal tank


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

found two more dead guppies this mornig and two dead neons only 3 guppies and one neon left of the 5 gal tank all my fish seem to being fine in the 29gal tank. i raised there temp to 86 but now my poore baby angel isnt looking well she is in her own tank but the same day we bought the betta fish i bought 6 harlequin rasborra and 4 of them died that same day i thought i didnt aclimatize them well enough or that the angel might have killed them so i moved them to the 29gal tank the last one of them died yesterday. My angel was doing just fine but this morning she didnt want to eat and her top fin seems clamped to her body i keep her temp at 86 but raised to 89 this morning when i saw her looking ill and did a 25% water change and added a couple of drops of heal all that i got from the pet store what else can i do to help her i realy dont want her to die. any advice will be appreciated.*sad


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