Frustrated Newer tank owner!

Question

my tank   QUESTION: Hello! I've had my tank set up since the end of Feb. I've had all kinds of problems since I started...
I started with a 5 gallon, had 3 platies, 2 angels, 1 pleco. I knw it was way too much for that size tank so I now have a 29 gal, which I moved them all into. So far all but my platies out of the original few have died. I thought my platies were prego bc of the size of the one and thought she had the 'spot' she should've had, but apparently she's not as its been all this time and still no babies. I don't know if she should look so fat? And one of my mickey mouse is a deep orange and her scales started to look spread apart, like she was stretching, so I assumed she was prego as well, but again no babies. I've also noticed she has a white spot on her side as well where her scales have "stretched". Any suggestions on this?? The angels I had (one was black the other black and white striped) were white when they died! I didn't even realize it was the same fish! What caused this to happen??
At the moment I have 2 tiger barbs, 2 angels, 3 (my original 3) platies, 1 pleco, and 1 agazzi (sorry if I spelled it wrong). I got the angels and barbs last wk wed. And my tank is now looking pretty cloudy. I checked the ammonia (which I was having major issues with, it was 8.0 or almost seemed like it could've been higher if the chart had a darker green, so I used the stability to help but now have issues with there being brownish film like substance on everything even after changing the water and taking the fake plants out and washing them off) but it is at .25, (I use API, ammonia NH3/NH4 test kit), and nitrate 20, nitrite 0, hardness 150 (very hard), alkalinity 120-180 (the color is in between)and pH 7.8 and for this I use the Jungle 5 tests in one strip quick dip. I don't know how accurate this is. If you have suggestions as to a better test kit please tell me. I have a filter and heater that came with the tank kit. I would like to set up an air pump but was worried that the pump I had was pushing the air out to fast/hard. I haven't been able to find an adjustable air pump but if you think it's ok than I'll go back to the one I had.
I do water changes any time I see the tank starting to look dirty or cloudy. I try to only do the usually recommended 25% water change but usually end up doing 50% so I can get as much 'crap' out as possible. I feed the fish TetraMin flakes and Tetra freeze dried blood worms 2x daily.
So I guess my general question (aside from all the others with in my info!) is what else can/should I do to help my tank? The 5 gallon never had any problems like this even when I had 6 fish (which I know is WAY too many) in it. Before my tank cleared up last time, the problem I had was that it seemed to have particles floating around. The way I think it looked was like a salt water tank. How it seems to have things floating around. I hope that helps you to visualize what I mean. I used the stability, it got very cloudy, I waited a day or two without adding any more chemicals or changing the water hoping that it was the 'good' bacteria at work, and it did clear up. But that's when I noticed all the brownish stuff all over everything. So I did my water change, cleaned the plants the best I could and it was fine.
Now my water is starting to look cloudy again. I got the 2 angels, and 2 tiger barbs last wed. so I'm not sure if its because I have more fish? It just seems my filter would work better, since that only makes a total of 9 fish in my 29 gal. Correct me if I'm wrong.
So any suggestions, advice, info would be so appreciated you couldn't imagine! The answers I've gotten was 'New tank syndrome' but have not gotten any kind of answer about the white spots on my fish. I was told it was the skin cells dieing, but why? What do I need to do to help? I have not seen any new spots and she doesn't seem stressed.
I will try to upload a video or pic, but am not sure how I know how to do so, so if when you read this and there isn't one I apologize. But I want to thank you ahead of time for taking the time to read and answer all that I have written, Thank you very much.

ANSWER: Patty,

 Lets tackle the cloudy water first with a couple of questions. When you set up the tank, did you cycle it? When you moved everything over to the 29 gallon, did you also move the filter? If so, then that is one of the problems. The filter is not the right size. If it is a new filter, it might not be working right. Always make sure the filter is a little larger than the tank to make sure it can filter the waste. Also, when adding new fish to the tank, make sure you quarantine them for 2 weeks first in your hospital tank. That way if they are sick, you don't contaminate the other fish. When there is an issue with the water it is never a good idea to add any chemicals to the water. If the ammonia is high the best, fastest and safest way to get it down is by daily water changes of 25% until the water is back to normal. Adding the chemicals can harm the fish. Anytime we add fish to the tank, we make our filter work harder. Never add more than 2 fish at a time. Give the filter 2 weeks before you add any more. I noticed no gravel in the tank, or at least I don't see any. This is where all the beneficial bacteria stays and if you don't have any then the tank is off. As for the white spots it could be Ich. Just keep an eye on that fish and if you see any more white spots remove her to the hospital tank and treat for Ich. You can add an air pump to the tank. Just get an control valve so that you can control the airflow into the tank. As for the brown stuff, it sounds like algae. Keep the light off for a couple of days to curb the growth a little. Only leave the tank light on for 8 hours. Any longer and the algae starts in. I hope I have answered the questions and if not, feel free to ask more.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


platy   QUESTION: Hi again! I'm sorry to ask more, but with your answer came new questions for me! First to answer your questions, I'm not sure what you mean by 'cycling' it. I had it set up for a few days before I added fish. I don't know if this counts but that's all I did. I didn't move the filter from the 5 to the 29. They were both kits, #everything included minus the fish and decorations# like the filter and heater. I bought an air pump for it but it didn't have a control valve on it so I took it back and am currently searching other stores to find one that does. It seemed like it was too much air too fast. And finally, no I have not quarantined the fish before putting them in as I only knew to 'float' them for a while to get them used to the water temp first.
Now, my tank had the cloudy problem before, and when I asked at the pet store the owner suggested I use the stability to add 'good' bacteria. I did so for a few days but the water got much worse so I quit using it and with in a couple more days it cleared totally up and looked great. He told me at the time not to do water changes because it was taking this 'good' bacteria out. This was about 3 weeks ago that it finally settled and I was getting good readings on my test kits. That's when I decided to add the barbs and angels. That was on the 11th. With in a few days the tank started clouding up again. One of #the smaller of the 2# angels died last night. Everyone else seems ok. I noticed today when I was scooping the little angels that there is now a green algae to add to the mess.
I changed it last week when I left you my first question and am planning on doing so again in the a.m. My current readings are: Nitrate: 20, Nitrite:0, Hardness: 300, Alkalinity: 120, pH: 7.8, Ammonia: .25. Again, I don't know how accurate these test are. It's hard to call the colors on the test strip #which test everything but the ammonia#because sometimes the colors seem to be non existent on the color chart!! I have a couple of questions about the testing, aside from what you think of the accuracy of the tests. These probably sound dumb to someone as experienced as yourself, but here goes... Should I wash the test tube after I test the water for the ammonia? When the colors come up on the test strip and they don't match the chart which way should I go with that? Should I just get new test kits?!
Now, I will be changing the tank tomorrow but you said no chemicals. I agree because I'm always worried that they'll hurt more than help, but what about tap water conditioner? It says 1 drop for 1 gallon. I've yet to use it because it seems like it's very concentrated since the other ones I looked at said to add 1 wasn't per gallon for example so I thought it may be too strong? And when I change the tank should I take the whole filer right out and wash it? I thought I wasn't' supposed to mess with it except to change the blue filter, but when I turn everything back on after changing the tank, and pour a little water in it so it can get running, it seems like it's pushing out all kinds of crap and doesn't stop #pushing out dirty water# for what seems like hours.
And last, I don't know too much, but I do know what the ick and fungus look like, and what my platy has on her doesn't look like either that i know of. It looks like her scales have stretched out. I hope you don't think I'm trying to be condescending like I know it all because I obviously don't or wouldn't be here, I just wanted to get the best possible answer from you and try to give you the best information to make your helping me easier. I'm going to try to upload a small clip of my tank rather than a picture and hopefully this will help?
Again, I thank you so much for your time and hope that you aren't frustrated with my questions, and find what I did ask and say to help you help me. I hope to hear from you soon and that you don't mind if I add you to my 'fish tank emergency contacts' on my e-mail! Lol!
Until next time.. Anxiously awaiting your answers!
p.s I think the white spot looks worse on my platy now, I hope you can see it well enough to see what I mean when I say it doesn't look to me like ick, and what you think about the water. It almost looks like clouds of smoke rolling through the water.

Answer
Patty,

Cycling the tank is a very important step in fish keeping. You set the tank up with everything you will be putting in except the fish. This includes the gavel, filter, heater, and decorations. You then turn everything on and let the tank fun for 2 to 3 weeks without fish. During the first week or so you will have a bacteria bloom. This is where you will see the cloudy water. This bacteria is the bad stuff. About a week later you will have the second bacteria bloom. This is the good stuff that is needed to keep the fish healthy. After the send bloom, you test your water daily. If you have any ammonia or nitrite readings you do not add fish. If after 4 days in a row your readings are all at zero it is then safe to add fish. Air pumps do not come with control valves. These you have to buy separate. You hook the air tube to the air pump. You then add the control valve and then another piece of air tube. At the end of the second tube is where you attach the air stone. Then you can use the control valve to control the air flow through the air stone. It is a good idea to always quarantine new fish for two weeks before adding them to the main tank. This is help prevent any sick new fish from contaminating the rest of the group. Adding any chemical to the tank should only be done if there is nothing left to do. Unfortunately, most big chain pet stores do not know much about the fish they sell. It is very important to do weekly water changes of 25%. This helps keep the water quality in good condition. Since you have not done a water change in three weeks I would do a larger change of about 50% now and then continue to do 25% water changes after. Your ammonia is pretty high. It should read at zero at all times. The test strips are not accurate at all and that is why the colors are not matching up. The liquid test kits, like the one ammonia one you are using, are the best. Always rinse the test tubes out after each use. Always use a water conditioner. They are all safe to use. Just follow the directions on the bottle. Using more than needed or less than needed can cause harm to the fish. As for the filter once a month I would rinse everything off. When you are doing a water change, you can use this water to rinse the filter pad and any other media that is in it. What's happening is when you shut off the filter, all the stuff that is in it is settling at the bottom. If you only clean off the blue filter, the other stuff will stay inside. When you turn it back on the force of the air and water will bring all the bad stuff back into the tank.
Now for the Platy. When you are looking down on her from the top of the tank, are her scales poking out and making her look like a pine cone? She looks a bit bloated as well. What I would do is fast her for 2 days and on the third day feed her a cooked shelled pea, then fast again for 2 days. With you mentioning the scales stretched out, I am concerned she might have dropsy. This is an almost 100% fatal disease caused by bad water quality. I do not think you are being condescending at all just a worried fish keeper, and I am not frustrated at all. The water looks a little cloudy and that could be that the filter is not working properly. I hope that I have helped you out and if you have any more questions feel free to email me at jaymie_johnson1970@yahoo.com