[neiltripathi]

hey guys so I am in a pickle, my roomates cichlid tank broke and we had to take all his 22 african cichlids out 4-7 inchs each, we had to put them in my brand new 55 gal cichlid tank thats only been made 4 days ago and has 15 1-2 inch in it. So now we are at 37, we know its dangerously over stocked and because its not cycled its a huge shock to the fish, is there anything we can do for the next 24-48 hours to keep its from totally crashing? Until we can make our way to a LFS to donate them to a good home. Its still murky because the cycle isnt complete so a huge ammonia or nitrate spike is my worry.

 

[DJRansome]

Since it is new you can do 100% water changes if you have to. What are your test results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate now?

 

[neiltripathi]

we actually dont have a test kit, all the LFS were closed by the time the accident happened, we will go tomorrow

 

[DutchAJ]

Can you put their filter on your tank too? I'm assuming their tank was established?

 

[neiltripathi]

the filter and the tank was actually on the fritz thats why we where moving things around until everything went too ****.... i have a 75 gal filter on my 55 tho

 

[Iggy Newcastle]

At this point it may be a lost cause, but transfer all media from the established filter that the larger fish had. Buy a bottle of Seachem Prime and a test kit that has test tubes and liquid droppers- not strips. There are products that can aid in cycling. I cannot advise on this confidently, but there are a zillion posts on here with successes and failures. Use the search function.

 

[neiltripathi]

oh man this is a bummer

 

[Iggy Newcastle]

The product StartSmart Complete is what has been reported, as of late, to actually aid in cycling. Dr. Tim's One & Only Nitrifying Bacteria has worked in the past for myself, but I have heard that the company has changed hands and so did the product. Either option will need to be ordered. If you have Amazon Prime you can get something by Wednesday.

Until then, test your water and perform partial water changes. Prime is your friend here, as it will detoxify ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. More than a normal dosage for high toxins- consult Seachem's website/support for recommended dosage.

 

[Old Newbie]

The product StartSmart Complete is what has been reported, as of late, to actually aid in cycling. Dr. Tim's One & Only Nitrifying Bacteria has worked in the past for myself, but I have heard that the company has changed hands and so did the product. Either option will need to be ordered. If you have Amazon Prime you can get something by Wednesday.

Until then, test your water and perform partial water changes. Prime is your friend here, as it will detoxify ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. More than a normal dosage for high toxins- consult Seachem's website/support for recommended dosage.

Seachem recommends up to 5 times the normal dosage for high ammonia/nitrite/nitrate...