Sweet smell of success ... almost!

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I think I'll substitute a little Veuve Cliquot for the sparkling cider ... this celebration is worth the expensive stuff.  I like your idea of taking the endangered fish to the store and finding them a new home instead of letting nature resolve the problem for me.  Funny thing, when I first set up the tank, I put 6 raspboras and 4 white clouds in the tank.  The remaining white cloud is one of the original fish ... the only one to have survived all the death and destruction wreaked from this tank.  I have half a mind to set up a 10-gallon tank elsewhere in the house, move the white cloud into it and add some friends to keep the white cloud company.  We'll see.

Thanks again ... I'll stay in touch and let you know how the new community is doing.  I've already recommended you to a couple friends that have questions from time to time.  I know they'll appreciate your approach to a healthy tank.

- Ken.


Chris -

Ok, ok, I'll hold off on more fish for now.  In the past, I think we've been too quick to add more fish, and that has been as large a part of our problem as anything.  Tank refresher ... 90 gallons, under-gravel filter w/2 power heads, Rena canister filter, and a recently-disconnected Magnum 350 that we had been occasionally running with diatom to polish the water.  We took it off the same day we Python'ed under the large rocks and around the plants.  No reason except that the lines were getting really gunky and spitting junk into the tank after we turned it off during water changes.  Is this normal?  If I can figure out how to control it I may put this filter back on, but it seems a bit like overkill.

Fish-wise, there are currently 3 gourami, 1 gold white cloud, and 1 blood parrot cichlid (I know it isn't a "real" fish, but I like them).  I'm thinking about getting 3 more blood parrots (total of 4), 4 fire-mouth cichlids, and 2-4 convict cichlids.  At full adult size, this would be roughly 60-65 inches of fish.  I realize that I am probably dooming my gourami and white cloud, but they have been through a lot, and I'm ready to put the community fish behind me.

At your advice, I'll wait until the nitrites are at zero and the nitrates are off a bit.  I assume this will take a few more weeks?!?

Going forward, perhaps you can recommend a schedule for maintenance?  My current thought is as follows:

Weekly:  
Change out 20-25% of the water, Python the surface of the gravel
(Should I also consider using something like Melafix to ward off problems?  I've had this recommended by pet shops and am wary.)

Monthly:
Python more aggresively, clean out the gravel down deep ?!?!?
Swap out the carbon in the top area of the Rena canister (currently using a mixture of black and white Black Diamond activated carbon.)
Anything else I'm not thinking of?  How often should I swap out the other media in the Rena canister?  I assume that is the primary breeding ground for the bacteria, so I want to leave it alone as much as possible.

Thanks again for all your advice over the past few months.  You saved a tank that was well on it's way to being landfill.  

Your devote fan -
Ken.


Chris -

After "vacuuming under the furniture", two more 30% water changes, and a few days of using Stability, our ammonia problem is gone.  This morning the water tested at zero ppm for ammonia for the first time in months.  I don't think it will surprise you to hear that the Nitrite and Nitrate levels are off the charts though.  pH is still at 7.2 and holding.  

Is it normal that the Nitrite and Nitrate levels would be this high?  According to the Stability instructions, I should continue to use the product for three more days (a total of seven) and then once every week for a month, then once every month for maintenance.  I'm not sure which of the remedies to attribute our ammonia success to, but how to handle the Nitrite and Nitrate levels?  

I am thinking I'd like to start adding fish ... the few remaining survivors could use some company.  In the past we have added a bunch all at once.  I know about the 1" per 1 gallon rule, but how many inches of fish can I add at a time?

Your sage advice, please ....
Ken.
Answer -
Hi Ken;

Hurray!!!!

The nitrites will drop as time passes and the nitrates will drop as you make regular once a week or two week 25% water changes. So don't add new fish yet! Wait until the nitrites are zero and stay there for a few days. The Stability is fine to use. Even if it turns out not to be doing anything, it certainly isn't going to hurt. (Except your wallet of course.)Long term use isn't necessary. Just get them through the crisis and don't worry about it anymore.

What kind of fish do you have now and how many?
I don't remember the exact tank size, how many gallons?

Let me know and I can recommend some population numbers for you.  

Followups Welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Come on over and join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/questionsanswers/a/naavigateforum.htm

My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!          
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Awwww, thanks Ken! It has been a pleasure helping you.

I think the filtration is fine without the magnum. Save it for polishing. I love those magnums. Great machines. You could take all the media out and rinse it and hook it up to a bucket with a mild bleach/water solution. Maybe a teaspoon of bleach in a 3 gallon bucket. This will clean all the ugly gunk out of the hoses. Let it run like that for a few minutes and then rinse, rinse, rinse. You can even let the hoses drain and leave the drained canister laying out to dry for a few days. This should eliminate all the bleach. To be sure, you can run it on a clean bucket of water with a good squirt of water conditioner if you want. Bleach is the same as the chlorine used in our municipal water systems. Water conditioner removes it. You just have to use more than usual. If you don't like the bleach idea, you could also get a long wire and tie a tiny rag to the end of it. Run it through the hoses like you would a musical instrument. Either way will get the job done.

I like the combo of fish you have in mind. Just add only one or two a week once it is ready for new ones. Since you will be spending some money at the fish store, you might take the white cloud and gouramis with you when you get ready for more. Just tell them you can't buy any more until you can find homes for them and you have a 90 gallon just yearnin' for some more expensive fish. That should do it!

I wouldn't use melafix or anything else anymore except water conditioner. It would just waste your money. The tank is on it's way to becoming healthy and shouldn't need anything extra.

Getting ready to break out that sparkling cider!.....

Chris  

Answer
New tank for the leftover fish? Great idea! I'm always looking for an excuse for a new tank!

Thanks again for your support and recommendations to others. I really appreciate that very much.

~toasting continued success~

God Bless You;
Chris