smithmom2002

I need help! I am new to "fishtanking" -- My husband and I have had them over the years, but its been a LONG time, and in the old days it was just a Kaman Alligator (by himself obviously) and some piranhas (YEARS ago)...

We just got a 45 gal upright from one of his customers, with a 12" Pleco (Charlie)...I waited 2 days, everything looked good....then I added 2 Green Spotted Puffers (mistake right there...one died within a few hours and the other one 2 days ago)...oh the tank has been set up for 13 days. We now have several feeder guppies, one fancy guppy, 1 fantail goldfish and 2 flame gouramis, and 2 ghost shrimp. All was great, but a few days ago the water got really cloudy....greenish, but its not algae on the sides...can't see through it. Except for the darned puffers, which are gone now, everyone is doing great in the tank! I use tropical flakes and granules (that aren't supposed to make it cloudy) and have been supplementing Charlie (pleco) with a couple algae wafers every other day.

Right now I just did a 50% water change - I'm in the process of refilling it and wondered if I could just use hose water, if i use the conditioner?? I have a Top Fin 60 filter, which my husband just insisted we turn off for a couple days... is this right? I have Top Fin Water Conditioner....(there is also a bubble wand in the tank for air bubbles).

I'm sorry to sound so amatuerish....I really want this to work and have been following this website for help on all issues...but this one has really got me baffled!! I want to add a molly and a bali shark and a couple other types of gourami's - but won't until this water is clear.

Can you recommend what additives are vital to have on hand? Money's tight, so i have to wait for Wed to get the water test kits, and then i will be able to watch it very close - but have no idea what additives i need to have on hand??

THANK YOU ALL!! I love this site!!! I put it on my FB profile!

Kathy

Lucy

Hi welcome to Fish Lore

Glad you finally joined!
One of the first things you should get is a good test kit. The API master kit is highly recommended...very reliable. Avoid the strips, they can be inaccurate and more costly in the long run.

It looks like you've got some incompatible fish as well as the wrong size tank.
Charlie is going to grow huge, he's also a big waste producer he needs a min. tank size of 55g's
Pleco
Green Spotted Puffers are a brackish fish Green Spotted Puffer
Goldfish prefer cooler water than your tropicals Goldfish

When you add water back into your tank make sure it's about the same temp. as your tank water or you could shock the fish.
You should use a good water conditioner than dechlorinates and detox's heavy metals and gets rid of chloramine.
Since we don't know you're readings, it would be good to use Prime, as that'll detox any ammonia for 24 hrs.

Don't turn off the filter. It provides aeration to your tank as well as.. Filtering your water.
The beneficial bacteria growing there could die off if the filter is off too long.

At this point, I wouldn't recommend adding any fish until you know exactly what your readings are for ammonia nitrite and nitrate.
The green water could be an algea bloom. Often times it's as simple as decreasing the amount of time the lights are on.

Whew, did I cover all most everything? Sorry the post is so long
Good luck and ask any questions you need.

smithmom2002

forgot to mention - right now i am filling it up with fridge water (filtered through the dispenser)....very slow going...when we first set up the tank, it took us 4 hours of going back and forth...and we warm some of it up on the stove so its not too cold...its worked, we have the perfect temp in the tank, no heater needed yet....since we don't have a/c and it is hot out now.

smithmom2002

Thank you Lucy!!! I was afraid of that with the puffers...the fish store (a very good one - been there for YEARS...) had them in with gouramis, so i just assumed they were freshwater. live and learn...very sorry two cute little GSP's had to lose their lives (but the one would have died anyways - i had my suspicions when they scooped him up but didn't say anything cuz my daughter picked him out).
I will transfer the goldfish back into his little bowl - he was perfectly happy there...till i can go get a little 1 gal for him with filter.

The lady that gave us the tank said it was a 55 gal - but when i did the calculations (online) it said it was 45?? we are currenlty on the look-out for a free, or really cheap 100 gal + long tank to put Charlie in....he is already huge - i've never seen a 12" pleco before..they are sooo cool! he seems happy though - this is bigger than the 30 gal the lady had him in for 9 years! holy cow!

I will go out first thing wed and get that test kit. Have you tied the "live" testers that you can suction cup to the side of the tank to get immediate/contstant readings of ammonia and nitrates? just wondering if they really work

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE INFO!!! (how'd you do your signature, that's cool)

mathas

Since Lucy hit most of the high points, I'll go a bit further on the green water front.

Green water is a somewhat common problem, often found in waters with elevated ammonia levels. With a 12" pleco and a goldfish in one tank with a somewhat-undersized filter, I can see that being a likely possibility. Possible cures can be found in this thread: Green Water

smithmom2002

what size filter should i have? this has two sections to it? i thought it was pretty big? but what do i know? obviously not enough i'm finding...
thank you all!

Lucy

Your welcome The sig is from an on line sig generator..I'm not that talented lol

Sad about the GSP, we hear that a lot, really.

Your goldie is going to need at least 20g to himself. Read the link to their profile. They can grow really big. A 1g isn't suitable for him. In too small a tank their growth can be stunted. Their outsides can't grow, but their insides do.
They also produce a lot of waste, more than a 1g can handle.

Plecos are cool fish, very prehistoric looking! In the proper size tank I've seen them a couple feet long! They're eyes are so freaky. lol

I don't have experience with the instant reading things, maybe someone else can give some info about them.

Keep your eye on Craig's List and sign up for Freecycle.org in your area, you can usually pick up a bargain.

smithmom2002

thank you again! You guys are the best! New fish friends that help out a newbie in a flash!! (and don't judge said "newbie") haha

Yes -pleco's are very prehistoric looking - my 2 yr old calls him her dinosaur fish.

ok then i will look for a 20g tank for mister goldfish - i certainly don't his insides outgrowing his outside! ew! I can always throw in a couple pretty tetras with him to liven it up.

mathas

A common guideline for the type of filter you have (a HOB/hang-on-back filter) is a 10x turnover rate... meaning for a 45 gallon tank, you would want to filter around 450gph. The filter you currently have is 300gph. This a rule of thumb, and not a set requirement, though.

A larger filter that holds more media becomes even more important with fish that produce a lot of waste, such as plecos and goldfish.

smithmom2002

Thank you Mathas - I've added that info to my growing list of "need to get on wednesday" things.

i looked at the pictures of your Cory's - they are gorgeous. I love the sand....is that easy to care for? We have gray/black/white gravel right now and i really don't like it....

matt6765

You dont have to care for sand

smithmom2002

LOL - i didn't mean "care" for it - that sounded dumb huh? (dumber than i already feel at this)...but with the gravel, i know we have to vacuum it to clean it out really well, do you have to do that with sand?

matt6765

Hmm..... I dont use sand but I think you do

Lucy

It didn't sound dumb at all.
I don't have sand, so I can't advise but in this section of the forum there's plenty of threads from choosing to cleaning it.
Freshwater Substrates - Gravel, Sand