new tank help help

[wallie03]

HI all
ok so i bought a 55 gal tank that was ounce mine sold it 2 years ago and the guy i sold it to was moving and sold it back to me for 100 bucks.... anyway im having some seriouse problums i think the tank is crashing i changed out around 20 gal the peramiters are ammonia.25 nitrate 10, nitrite 0, and ph is 8.2, salinity is 1.022 the tank has been up and runnin for the last 2 hours and i have lost 2 fish a yellow tang that i no is to big for this size tank and was planning on trading at the pet store and a Four Stripe Damselfish . and now one of the clowns is acting funny swimming side ways and gasping. any ideas please help

 

[eric b 125]

the problem is that you havent let the tank cycle. what equipment are you running on the tank? i've never put any fish through the nitrogen cycle, so i dont really know what they go through, but gasping for air doesnt fit the bill in my head. you ought to take the fish and any other livestock out of the tank and let it properly cycle. once that is done, and you add fish again, if they are breathing heavy, you should rethink your powerhead placement.

 

[wallie03]

the tank has been established for almost 3 years, i did move it and only changed around 20 gal i have moved this tank twice the exact same way i did today with no prob. for filtration im running two BIO-Wheel 350 and a skimmer

 

[wallie03]

anyone else

 

[lovethemfish]

I would guess while moving the tank you stirred up the sand bed or something of that nature. It is the amonia that is killing your fish, they are very sensitive to it. I dont know that there is much that you can do since your tank sounds like it is going though a mini cycle. Bring the fish to your lfs before they die.

 

[scsinet]

Yeah, I agree that the ammonia is your issue.
You may have moved the tank before with good results, but something about the moving process this time caused a problem. There may have been pockets of ammonia laden water in the sandbed or something else, as I doubt a tank full of fish can raise ammonia to 0.25 in two hours - it should take longer than that.
Regardless, one the fish start to show signs of ammonia burn, it may well be too late for them. Take them to an LFS, to someone else with an established QT system, or someplace else ammonia free until the tank cycles through.