Pinkcadillac

Ok so im about a week and a half into my first biological cycle in my new 55 gallon fresh water tank. Now i knew i had to cycle but was unfamiliar with the different methods (particularly fishless methods) of doing this. So on the advice of my LFS i purchased 17 platys. Now after a week and a half im down to 9 fish, and its really quite depressing. I had no idea cycling with fish would more or less be sacrificing them. So my question is this, is there anything i can do to speed along this cycling process after i have fish in the tank? I looking for any option that can spare the rest of these poor little guys. Any advice for me? Thanks in advance.

Tommy Gun

Welcome to the forum Pincadillac!

Wow, 17 platies huh? Although I feel it is always bad advice, your LFS suggesting 17 fish would fall into my definition of overkill and then some.

A good place to start might be to check out some of the information contained in FTF's Articles section; which you can access by using that link, the link located in the upper left hand corner of this, or any, forum page, by using the link located in my signature below, or by clicking HERE, which will take you directly to the article on cycling, which includes information on fish less cycling as well.

It might also help if you could share the results from your most recent set(s) of water testing. This way we could help you understand what they mean and how to help your fish deal with any less-than-ideal water quality problems. It might also help if you could share your current maintenance routine (i.e. frequency/amount of water changes, feeding schedule/amounts, etc...)

Personally, I might try returning these fish to the store and move towards a fish less cycling method since this would help ensure that the platies do not suffer or die from your current situation. Otherwise, depending on what your water tests are telling you, you might look into adding a bacterial product like Bio-Spira so you can hopefully increase the size of your beneficial bacteria colony faster. In fact, you may also be able to purchase some sand or substrate directly from your LFS, place it in your tank (perhaps in a filter bag or clean, unscented nylon stocking so you can take it out later on if it doesn't match) since this would also help bring beneficial bacteria to your tank. Of course, you can use any substrate and/or filter media from an already established (i.e. cycled) aquarium if you have one or have a friend who has one.

Knowing more about your tank and your water test results will help us give you more accurate info and/or ideas which pertain more closely to your unique situation.

Pinkcadillac

Thanks for your response tommy gun. I did look at the articles section but didnt see anything about altering the way i was cycling (going from fish to a fishless method) which is why i posted the question here.

I had my water tested yesterday and they basically said it was still reading the same as tap water (which makes sense for only being a 1.5 weeks into my cycle), and unfortunatley i didnt record or ask what exactly my amonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels were. I did purchase some bio spira and added it to my tank ealier today to hopefully add some bacteria that will help to move the cycle along.

Here is the kicker however, after seeing some funny behavior from my fish i did a bit of research and it appears i have an ICH problem. I used a product containing machalite greens to fight this issue and hopefully save the current infected fish but here is my question. I am going to need to remove these meds from my system after the treatment is complete and they recommend a water change but not what % to change. How can i remove these MEDs from my water without having to start all over again with my cycle? Is adding these MEDs to my system going to completely mess up my current cycle? Will this machalite green have any negative effects on my live plants? And finally do i need to do anything to help the blue liquid disperse into the tank evenly? I had to turn my filter off to prevent it from filtering out the MEDs. Thanks in advance for any help.

Pinkcadillac

Quick update, ive lost another 6 fish as of last night, so im down to 3 total. Now instead of treating my whole 55 gallon i was thinking i could move those 3 fish to a smaller 10 gallon with water from the 55 gallon and treat them there. Id use less MEDs, and i believe i read that ICH will die within 48 hours if it doesnt have a host (fish) to latch onto. Ill give it longer than 48 hours obviously to be safe but is that info true? And if it is what is the best way to filter the MEDs currently in my 55 gallon without ruining my current cycle that has been giving issues for the past 2 weeks? Thanks and hopefully ill get some responses today, I feel i should get other opinions besides that of my LFS and i dont really have anyone else to ask.