Hello Again!!

Question
QUESTION: Hi Lynda, it's me again lol.  The tanks have changed a bit since last time.  The 10gal is now home to a gorgeous red finned/greenish blue bodied betta and his snail buddy, and they both seem to be doing quite well.  The 55gal still has the mollies and the danios, they're all doing pretty good (not a whole lot of babies yet, one baby has lived from day one and is getting pretty big!!) and there's now 2 panda cory's, 2 albino cory's, 3 snails, and an albino bristlenose pleco in there lol.  I have set that as the max for that tank lol....but here's my question.  When doing water changes, I took your advice, used water that's the same temp as the tank water, and use Kordon's water conditioner.  I've got one of those SeaChem Ammonia Alert monitor's in the big tank, and still check the levels once a week with the Mardel Test Strips.  The Ammonia Alert is finally telling me that the ammonia level is now safe (it was a little high for a bit, but finally broke down I thought) yet the Mardel Test Strips are telling me that both my nitrites and nitrates are extremely high....so I'm confused lol.  I don't know which to believe, the test strips are also saying my levels are wacky in the small tank....but all the fish seem to be thriving.  They get their flake in the morning, an algae tab or two here and there (the mollies and the cory's absolutely love those!!) and peas once to twice a week.  I'm wondering if I should just leave the tank be, if I should get some things to add to the water as I change it again....lol I'm lost again and need some guidance.  Like I said, when testing the water in the big tank, the strips are telling me the nitrites and nitrates are off the chart high, hardness is "normal" for our water, ph is right in the middle of the color spectrum....

Ok, so I think I'm to the point of rambling now lol.  I just don't want anything to happen to the little gals and guys, definitely don't want them to suffer....and I know I've still got a ton to learn lol (so eventually I'll stop having these freak out moments, right??)

Again, thanks for being so understanding with me....I've been passing on some of the knowledge I've gained from you to a few friends (they know I'm the animal lady....and I keep telling them I'm learning like they are about fish lol) but my fiance's mom did come over the other night to feed the fish peas....she had to see it with her own two eyes, and feel the nibbles on her finger lol.

ANSWER: Hi Holly,
I was wondering how you were doing, was thinking about you this week.  lol
Ammonia turns to nitrites, and then nitrates. You didn't let your tank cycle enough, and added fish too quickly before it cycled causing the nitrites to go up.  You will have to make water changes everyday of 40% to get the nitrites down.  Your tank is still cycling.  I know it's a pain, but high nitrites is really not good for your fish.   When adding fish, you add two, and wait a week, check your water again to make sure your have no ammonia, or nitrites in it before adding another fish.  This must be done slowly.  If safe you add two other fish, wait a week, and check again.  If your ammonia is safe, but your nitrites are high, you don't add any fish until the nitrites are safe.  Now you are back to square one.  You have to start over.   Nitrites are very bad for fish, even deadly.  I am bringing you bad news.  Maybe your pet store could house some of your fish to give you a chance.  The more they can house, the better.  You must let your water cycle.  Also, when cleaning your sponge, always rinse it in the water you have removed from your tank.  The reason being that the sponge is full of good bacteria, and rinsing it in cold, or hot water would kill the good bacteria in your sponge.  A sponge is good for a long long time.  Never change it until it is old and falling apart.  Don't clean your filter material until the nitrites are down to zero.  
Mollys do eat their babies, so maybe you didn't notice, and they had a snack.  They are not as bad as guppies, but they do eat their babies if they have a chance to.  This is why you have to have lots of plants so that the babies can hide.  If they had babies once, they should have them every month.  I'm thinking that they are either hiding and you don't see them or they were eaten by the mollies and danios.  One little fellow made it!  So cute!  
I wish there was another solution, but there isn't.  I'm sure your Pet store will understand, and try to help you with your fish.  It is so important to let a tank cycle.  I know that we all want to add  fish sooner, but then it's not good, and if the nitrites stay high, the fish will get sick, and die.   It's a long process that we must follow.  Once the tank has cycled, then we have it made, and everything falls into place.
   Also take some of your water, and have it tested at the pet store.   If this does not work, and the nitrites stay high, then you will have to remove your fish.  Nitrites damage the nervous system, liver, spleen, and kidneys of fish.  It is poison.  You may not notice this until it is too late, and fish come gasping for air.  I hope this does not happen, and that they will all pull through.
Keep me posted please on how they are coping, and if the nitrites are going down.
Lynda



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

QUESTION: Ok....I was worried that's what it really was.  I thought things were almost in the clear, but I was wrong....lol.  I'll get ahold of the pet store, and ask him if he can help me out....I'm sure he won't mind, he's a really super nice guy.  I had figured the babies that were being born were all named snack food lol....as I've only seen the one.  But I've got a lot of mat plants for them to hide in, and so I'm thinking the orange babies are all hiding out in the orange mat plants where they blend in.

I feel horrible....I thought things were going well, and things were in the clear for a while.  I jumped the gun.  I'm going to call the pet store and see what he says....and keep my fingers crossed.  If something catastrophic were to happen with them all....might be time to hang up my aquarium dream for a while lol....thanks again Lynda, hopefully I can figure all this out and save the fish.

ANSWER: Never give up!  We all make mistakes, and we learn from them.  There is so much to think of when we start an aquarium.  Your tank will cycle, it just takes time.  Do your water changes every day until the nitrites are safe.  Nitrates are not as harmful as Nitrites, so don't worry about the nitrates, just the nitrites.  Get that down to zero, and you will be okay.
I'm happy to know that the pet store manager is a nice guy.  They usually are, and he will be happy to help you.
Let me know what happens.
Lynda

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

QUESTION: Hey Lynda.  Well I talked to him, and he's at capacity (found out I'm not the only one with this issue right now lol) so......I'm keeping my fingers crossed my poor fish kids make it lol.  I'm going to do water changes every day....I'm just wondering what's an appropriate percent to change every day.  I don't want to do too much at once, and I don't want to not change enough....lol.  I'm stubborn, so I know in the end I won't give up, I just hate knowing they're suffering while I try to learn what it's all about.  I hope hope hope they survive....at least most of them.  Now, I'm wondering....I know the orange female is pregnant, and I saw the gravid spot on one of the silver females....now when they're pregnant, do they breathe a little faster due to not having the normal amount of space in their bodies, due to the babies??  They're the only two who are breathing a bit faster than normal, all the others seem to be breathing normally....and I was wondering if the girls are just space compromised in their bodies, or if it's just the effects of the water issues.  They don't look to be gasping, and breathing super fast (like the fellow with dropsy looked) so I don't know....lol.

I'm glad you're patient and knowledgeable, because I feel like my questions will be never ending lol.  Sometimes I get sad when the allocated amount of questions are up lol!!  The pet store owner told me he'd let me know if he gets some free space to take some of them temporarily....so I've got my fingers crossed that either I can get the water under enough control to save them, or he gets some space.

Ugh....lol.  I feel absolutely terrible, and I hope they're not suffering....

Answer
Hi Holly,
I know that feeling as I remember the mistakes I made when starting out which were much worse than yours.  I knew nothing about ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates or fish for that matter.  I will always remember the day I bought my first tank which was a 5 gallon tank.  I bought the tank along with 4 angel fish, 2 bettas, 4 tigers, and one pleco.  Came home, filled the tank and added the fish.  Watch them all night, and had a horrible feeling inside that something wasn't right, so went out the next day, and bought a ten gallon...when I told the pet store manager what I had in my tank, he almost fainted.  I ran home, got the fish out, and brought them all back to the pet store.  How they survived, I do not know!  (Feel Better Now?)  lol
After that I went from 10-20-35-50-66-250 gallon tanks, and then had my breeding tanks which were 30 -50 gallon tanks.  I bought books on fish, read lots, made lots of mistakes too, but learned, and still learning.  I am a real fish nut.  I should have known because when I was a kid, I would spend my summers with a net in my hand catching minnows, and trying to breed them..lol

Your mollies are feeling the effects of the nitrites.  Do 40% water changes every day, until you get the nitrites out.  This will help them.  I know it seems like alot of water to change, but there is no other way right now.  I hope the pet store finds place soon.
Is you 10 gallon tank in better shape?  If it is, you could add two little corys, and do a water change in that one, wait a week, and add two more if your water in the 10 gallon is okay.  The pleco could go in too, a week after that.  You have to be patient, and don't get discouraged, they might all survive hopefully.  Some fish are tough little guys. The water changes will help them lots.  
If you buy a used sponge, it might help too.  Used sponges are full of good bacteria.  
Keep giving me follow ups, I want to know how they are doing, and if your water is getting better.
Lynda