roxanne

i purchased a used 35 gallon with fish pleco and 2 convicts a blue gourami and a silver dollar. i kept the filter media wet and set the tank back up as soon as i got it home.. the gravel was replaced as they had flower bed rock in it the big white ones.. the tank however developed a small leak and thank goodness it was a mirrored back because that is where the water went.. to make long story shorter i purchased a 45 gallon to replace it. has been running for two weeeks now. I have yet to see a spike in nitrites but i am getting a nitrate reading of 20 did i save the tank from a huge new cycling or is it yet still to come? the gourami didn't make it he passed 2 days ago

susitna-flower

Was there any ammonia reading over 0?

Sounds like you may have made it without a mini-cycle....with that crowd you are going to have to do water changes to keep up with those nitrates however.....I would suggest doing 50% change any time it tests as high as 20...it might be a couple times a week.....

I change mine any time it is over 10....seems to keep the stress down in my tanks.

Isn't it the way it goes...you got a used tank, then had to get another one for the fish you inherited.....oh well sounds like fun to me!

roxanne

not sure about the ammonia levels as i seem to have misplaced the test solution for that one i suspect i left it out and my cat punk has knocked it somewhere i have seached and searched to no avail... i do know that my tap water tests zero for nitrites and nitrates and ammonia . judging from the amount of poo i vaccumed up yesterday i would say yes. i was so focused on keeping the fish alive with water changes and adding fresh veggies everyday for the pleco since there was no algae for him to eat mmm zuccini(yuck he can have it). i even added some gravel from my 10 gallon to help with the cycle just to be safe. i have also noticed the two convicts have placed themselves in the corner of the tank and are moving the gravel around actually they are making a pit, they are digging under a large rock i'm really afraid it's gonna fall on one of them. chasing off the other fish that come near are they getting ready to mate? i checked for eggs but saw none my hubby swears they are just making a house lol... i'm like i dunno i don't think fish build houses they make nests for babies....lol

Shawnie

convicts love to have caves or hiding places..they lay eggs in them...they do dig beds to have eggs also....is there a orange color on one of the convicts bellys?? thats how you tell fem from male...

roxanne

do black convicts also have the orange belly?

Shawnie

yes roxanne

roxanne

okay thanks.. i don't see any orange but on the larger of the two belly is greyish while the other's is very black... i've never had convicts before have always just stuck to the smaller tropical fish, with the exception of an oscar we had while while growing up. he was such a neat fish... i must say the convicts are are turning out to be pretty neat too. we have a cave for them but for some reason they prefer that corner next to the heater and that rock... water temp is 78 so i really don't know why but they seem happy so i'll let them be i just hope they don't dig it out to much and that rock falls on one while i'm sleeping.

roxanne

susitna i agree totally ... i generally don't let my nitrates get that high and did a water change right away it .i tested on monday and had very little just a slight change in color and then yesterday was like wow water change.... i'm going to keep a very close eye on it and to make sure the cycle is complete and i will be going out and purchasing more chems for the ammonia test... watch as soon as i buy it the other will surface she'll (punk)come out smacking it around... lol i swear she's jealous i have to lock her up so i can clean the tanks she's like attention pay attention to me!!!! i guess i should tell you all that she was bottle fed as her mom a stray evidently got swept down the sewer trying to get them out of there during those hurricanes 3 years back so to her i'm mom, since she was 4 days old and her sis is the same way with her owner.