Don't give up. Your probably experiencing new tank syndrome. You bought the test kit, what are your water parameter readings? While the tank is cycleing you will see a rise in ammonia and nitrite to dangerous levels. This is normal and why only a few hardy fish are recommended. In a few weeks the ammo should peak than drop to zero, the nitrite following. This is good as your water will ever be. Don't do major water changes as the tank cycles it might slow it down. Also look carefully at the fish, make sure they dont have ick [small white spots]. Keep in mind the fish may die cycling the tank. What type of filter do you have?

What did the tst kits read? Platies and other live bearers are notorious ich magnets. I would wait a few weeks let everything settle, and measure you water. I would also keep a journal of what the water read (ammonia, nitrate, and nitrate) and temperature and pH. Also, do not buy from big box stores that sells fish from tanks that share a central filrtation system. If one fish has an infection, the whole stock is infected. Platies are definetely easy to keep, but do not handle stress well.
What size is the tank, what kind of decorations do you have? What kind of filtration do you have. How long has the tank been running?

Yes, I'm sure the tank has new tank syndrome. I really thought it'd be better by now. I have tested the water. Everything is safe except the nitrite, it's still in the danger zone. Well I guess the ammonia is still high too. It's in the stress zone. I just have the filter that came with the tank starter kit. I haven't changed it, maybe I should do that. I've read to just rinse it out in tank water when you do a water change. Is that correct? I was hesitant to do that since it's my understanding that is where the good bacteria should be growing. I've done big water changes every other day trying to get the nitrite & ammonia down. On one website I'll read one thing, another website the exact opposite. Do water changes, don't do them. I'm really frustrated at this point.

bradarmi it's a 10 gal., running since a week after Christmas. We have two fake plants and three decorations. (castle ruins, big rock looking thing with hole through middle, no fishing sign, 2 bags gravel and some marble things the kids liked, all stuff from the fish store) I don't know about the filtration, it's what came with the starter tank.

I have one platy left. It just sits on the bottom. I'm sure it will be dead soon. My kids are going to be disappointed again! We've already been through two rainbow sharks and five or more barbs deaths. So what do I do now? What do I do when/if the platy dies?

Don't vaccuum the tank right now. Just change part of the water, be sure it's the proper temp and dechlorinate for the amount removed. Doing that will dilute the nitrites and ammonia to a level that is tolerable for the fish. If he does die just feed the tank a tiny amount of food every day or two and keep testing until all traces of nitrite/ammonia are gone before you add more fish. You would be amazed how fast a water change can revive a fish if that's the problem

Lisa

Hi
One suggestion I would make is your water source?? Have you run a test on it straight from the tap?? Many communities are adding ammonium nitrate to boost chlorine effectiveness. Ammonia and Nitrite should always check zero
if not the tank has definitely not cycled.
Definitely don't do water changes until you know the condition of the change water. You may be boosting doses rather than lowering it!! Surely your LFS would tell you this if the city is doing it??
Another thing to check would be the difference between your water and the shops??.. Where do they get their water??
Are the kids feeding the fish ?? Sure they aren't adding too much??
I remember my daughter adding dish soap to a tank to help me keep it clean For some odd reason the fish kept croaking lol Hope this helps. gary

If your nitrite and ammonia is very high thats actually good news. Your nearing the end of the cycle. I think the ammo will drop to zero then shortly after the nitrite. Don't do anything except small water changes. The high ammo and nitrite are food for the colonizing bacteria. Now just wait for ammo and nitrite to drop to zero. Don't touch the filter unless its clogged. Since your readings are high you may not have to add more fish. I would throw in 2 zebra danios to be sure. Your almost home you'll being enjoying the hobby soon. As a general rule use caution when adding new fish. Check the reputation of the store if possible. Ask an employee to explain the cycleing process, if it sounds like bull go someware else. One tip is when you buy fish go twice. Find one you like in the store , wait a week, go back and buy it, if it's eating and looks ok [no white spots, shaking or scratching againts rocks, etc].

Well one platy is still alive. I just tested the water and here's a guess of the readings.

nitrate is the best it's ever been at about 20 - 40, it says safe under both of those
nitrite is still high and hard to tell exactly but it's in the danger zone.
hardness - 0
chlorine 0
alkalinity - 300 high
pH between 7.8 and 8.4 - alkaline

I asked the guy at Petco about the pH and he told me not to worry about it. That doesn't seem right but Petco is all we got. There is a fish store in another town but it's even farther away. I went there once and asked a lot of questions. She would have sold me any fish they had and I only have a 10 gal. So I don't really think it's much better than Petco. The last two times I've been there I've made sure talk to the same guy who is very knowledgeable. He's given me all good advice so far. I'll stay away from the others that helped me overstock my uncycled tank.

Any more thoughts, suggestions?

Thank you so much for your help.

You didn't say the ammo reading. Ammo and nitrite are the keys to the cycle. You really shouldn't have any nitrate at this point because it a byproduct of a cycled tank. I agree with Petco the ph is what it is. Check your tap water it should be the same as in your tank. If the tank ph is a lot lower a water change is needed as the water has lost its buffering capacity. This only occurs after a long time. Don't feel bad we all went through this. My 240gal saltwater tank took around 14 weeks to cycle [maybe longer]. This time next year we'll be discussing your new 55 gallon reef tank.

I'm shocked, Jenna (yes that's the platy's name) is still alive today.

I meant to list the ammo it was .5, my test strip call that 'stress'. It's one notch up from 0 that's good, right?

Not sure if I should do a water change. The last one was Sunday, before the other platy died.

If Jenna looks ok and not too stressed don't do a water change. If not change maybe 1 gal. I forget the actual readings for the ammo and nitrite, but if the ammo's falling that a good sign. It has to go to zero and nitrite to zero before its complete. As I recall it happens fast when it starts to drop [day or 2?]. Make sure your not adding any meds or water conditioners to the tank [just a declorinator for new water, or let sit 24 hours], it's hard to tell if they will affect the cycle process. Is your filter internal [air driven or power head] with wool or sponge or a hang on the edge of tank kind? Usually with the combo sets they give you the cheapest accessories to keep the price down. Not a problem now but if you have a lot of fish it will be.

The platy was swimming around last night and today it was just sitting on the bottom. I tested the water again last night and it looks a tad better. There are still traces of the nitrate, nitrite and ammo. I don't have any meds or water conditioner so I'm not adding anything.

The filter I have is the kind that hangs over the back of the tank. I'm sure it's the very cheapest made. Can you recommend a few to me? I don't know anything about them.

I'm seeing some stuff that looks like it's growing on one of the fake plants and also the big rock thing in there. I'm wondering if it's time to get an algea eater. The guy at Petco recommended that I not get a pleco for my small tank. He recommended 2 olocinclus catfish and 2-3 bronze cories. He was the one that recommended I get platies. Is this good advice?

It's actually easier to pull the plants and rinse the alge off. Try not to use chemical cleaners as that might affect the water. Olocinclus catfish and cories aren't really alge eaters. Cories are great at eating food that reaches the bottom though. Most stay small enough for a 10 gal. There very social so 2 would be nice. I'm not sure if the make them for a 10 gal but a hang on filter with a bio-wheel should out preform a normal filter. The theroy is that bacteria develops on the bio-wheel so when you change the filter element you don't lose all the good bacteria. My smallest tank is over 100 gallons so i'm not to famaliar with the smaller filters. The German made ones seem to be the highest quality [Eheim, Hagen]. If it's not in a bedroom noise isen't a factor. I spend a lot of time in pet shops, I'll ask for suggestions.

10 Gallon tank? I wouldn't toss the outside filter. It's cycling through the filter medium and just needs time to get there. There are also box filters that use activated carbon and "filter floss", as well as sponge filters. It doesn't hurt to use more than one type. One may be good for removing physical matter and the other better for bio-chemical.

Otocyclus cats relish algae. Algae eaters tend to be belligerent. Plecostomus is another good one.

Chainstore personnel and their knowledge of tropical fish tend to be hit or miss. Personally, I would find a "mom and pop" place that specializes in tropical fish, where the owner is a true hobbyist. They would dispense the best advice.

Don't add any fish until your tank has completely cycled! Ammonia 0 and NitrItes 0. NitrAtes will always be present, and should be kept at no higher than 20 for optimal fish health. Water changes help, unless your tap water contains nitrAtes then you'll only be adding more than removing. If that's the case, using filtered RO (reverse osmosis) water will be better.

As for algae eaters, otocinclus would be the best bet for a ten gallon, BUT....otos can be very delicate until they become well adjusted to your tank. Right now would not be the best time to get any. All other algae eaters (chinese, siamese and plecos, except the dwarfs) will get too big for your tank, and when they mature will eventually have no interest in eating algae anyway, and the chinese and siamese ones become more aggressive as they mature, especially the chinese. If otos run out of algae, they can starve to death. For your size tank, I would highly recommend just giving the tank and ornaments a good old-fashioned hand cleaning. I have otos in my tank, but I have live plants, very hard to clean those by hand, thats why I have the otos.

Having an aquarium for the first time can be frustrating to the new aquarist when things seem to go wrong, but you are not the only one who has been through it. The best advice I can give you is to read as much as possible about aquarium up-keeping. To be honest, the smaller the tank, the more difficult it can be to keep, mostly because it is easy to over stock with fish and the water conditions can go bad much more quickly. I have an el cheapo tank from wally world that contains my betta, the only fish in there, and have the cheap filter it came with. It's been running a year and seems to be good enough. Just keep the filter you have on the tank and after it has cycled, then you can change filters if you wish. It is becoming a breeding ground for your beneficial bacteria that is needed for the cycling of your tank. Don't vacuum and just do small water changes to keep the nitrIte levels from becoming too high for your fish. Some nitrite is needed for the cycle to complete. Hope any of this was helpful.

Karen

Midwest,
I had new tank problems and back then 30 years ago the pet store let me believe that it was my fault.

Anyway, somewhere along the way I started using Novaqua and have had no diseases or stressed new guys. I have had fish live > 10 years. I have a 30 gal tank.

Best of luck, it is really frustrating in the beginning.