Cycling

[TeaPot134]

Hi all. Last week I was having some tank issues, (I was convinced it was leaking, then it wasn't, then it was again) so I went out and bought a new 10 gal for my fantail. Now I'm on about day 4 of cycling the new tank and I'm having some issues that I didn't have with the last one. First off, after browsing this site for cycling info I decided to put part of the sponge from my old filter in my new one, and I used the same gravel and decorations. I'm still doing daily water changes and the params seems absolutely fine - the ammonia and nitrites have read zero every day. The only strange thing is the behavior of my fish. He is bottom sitting more than he used to and swimming erratically every now and then. Physically he appears fine. Is this just normal stress from cycling or am I doing something completely wrong?

Now I just realized the only thing I did change with this new tank is that I set up a mirror on one of the short sides, because I read that keeps single fish from being lonely. He seems to love staring at himself, and sometimes he even scares himself and swims away frantically. Could this be the cause of the stress? Should I take it away for a few days and see if it helps?

Thanks!

[kshepherd87]

I'm by no means an expert but I know changes in ph can cause behaviour changes - do you have ph test drops? I hope your little fantail is ok and someone more knowledgable comes along for you soon.

[number20121]

What size tank was the fish in before? Was he always alone?

I recently got a new fish and at first when she got into the 10 gallon quarantine tank by herself she was sulking for quite a while. Bottom sitting and not caring for anything. I first was all worried, but after a while she started moving around a lot. Maybe it is the same with your fish?

If you wonder about the mirror being the reason, remove it for a day or two and see what happens

[TeaPot134]

What size tank was the fish in before? Was he always alone?

I recently got a new fish and at first when she got into the 10 gallon quarantine tank by herself she was sulking for quite a while. Bottom sitting and not caring for anything. I first was all worried, but after a while she started moving around a lot. Maybe it is the same with your fish?

If you wonder about the mirror being the reason, remove it for a day or two and see what happens

Actually the ph has been slightly higher in this tank (from 6.6 to 7.0). I have no idea why it would be higher, but that might explain his odd behavior.

He's been in a 10 gallon by himself almost his whole life. I had him with another fish who died only a week or two after the new one came along. So he's used to being by himself. I'll give him a few days and see if he perks up. Thanks!

[flutterbudget]

Have you checked the pH of your tap water? If it is changing in the tank after water changes, that can cause stress.

[TeaPot134]

Have you checked the pH of your tap water? If it is changing in the tank after water changes, that can cause stress.

The ph out of my tap has always been low - about 6.0, so I started putting crushed coral in the filter a few months ago. That brought it up to 6.6 and it stayed there until I got this new tank. Should I try taking the coral out? I don't want it to drop dramatically.

[koko]

I would do a small test hun with your PH.

Get a 1 gal jug fill it with tap water and let sit for 24 hours. Test the ph before letting it sit then test after 24 hours and see if it goes up by its self. If not then its something in the tank that is making it go up...

Have you tested the KH in your tap water or tank? if the KH is below 100 ppm then it will make the ph crash if its higher then the kh is good but something is making the ph go up...

let me know so we can figure this out....cause if you change the water to much with a ph problem like this it will cause the fish to get sick

[TeaPot134]

I would do a small test hun with your PH.

Get a 1 gal jug fill it with tap water and let sit for 24 hours. Test the ph before letting it sit then test after 24 hours and see if it goes up by its self. If not then its something in the tank that is making it go up...

Have you tested the KH in your tap water or tank? if the KH is below 100 ppm then it will make the ph crash if its higher then the kh is good but something is making the ph go up...

let me know so we can figure this out....cause if you change the water to much with a ph problem like this it will cause the fish to get sick

Unfortunately it appears that my test kit does not measure KH. (It's about time I invested in a new one anyway) I do have some test strips which I know are not 100% accurate, but according to them the KH is very low both in the tank and in my tap water. I have tried letting water sit out for a few days but it usually does not do anything for the ph. I'm trying it again now, just to be sure.

As I mentioned, I have crushed coral in my filter, which is advice I got on this forum when I was having my original low ph problem over the summer. It raised the ph to 6.6 and I'm pretty sure that saved my little guy's life a few months ago. I just don't understand why it would suddenly be higher in this new tank. This is very frustrating!

As a side note though, he appears to be a little more lively today than yesterday. Maybe he's getting used to the higher ph & new tank? Wishful thinking?

[flutterbudget]

The crushed coral is raising your ph, which is good if it starts out that low from the tap. But the problem is that the water you are putting in the tank during water changes is 6.0 and it doesn't rise until after if gets filtered through the coral. That is probably what is stressing the fish. I don't know a ton about low ph issues because I have high ph, but I think you may have to age your water with the crushed coral before hand so that it is already ph matched when you add it to the tank. Or I think there is a product called "Buff it Up" that Koko has used with success. I'm sire someone will be able to tell you exactly what the best course of action is.

[TeaPot134]

The crushed coral is raising your ph, which is good if it starts out that low from the tap. But the problem is that the water you are putting in the tank during water changes is 6.0 and it doesn't rise until after if gets filtered through the coral. That is probably what is stressing the fish. I don't know a ton about low ph issues because I have high ph, but I think you may have to age your water with the crushed coral before hand so that it is already ph matched when you add it to the tank. Or I think there is a product called "Buff it Up" that Koko has used with success. I'm sire someone will be able to tell you exactly what the best course of action is.

That makes sense. I have a ton of the coral since I was only able to get it in a 15lb bag, so maybe I'll put some in the water for a day or two before I do my water changes. Thanks everyone for your help, I'll let you know how little Neville does with these changes.