Fish Lore Tropical Fish and Aquarium Forum - Freshwater Beginners

success!

roseofsharon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:20:00 GMT

We have succeeded and Falstaff is enjoying his new, freshly cycled home!
Thank you all for your help.:;f

Water changes

weljer61 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:06 GMT

Im about 9 days into my nitrogen cycle, the ammonia and nitrites have leveled off and I have a nitrate reading a around 5. I have been putting fish food in every 12 hours and am noticing alot of fish food on the bottom that is starting to get hairy. Is this normal? Should I get a gravel vaccum? When should I start doing water changes? Do you think it is ok to start adding fish.

I do have 3 ghost shrimp in there that have done perfectly fine throughout the cycle.

Question: what levels do you want????

Betafish305ca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:43:53 GMT

:;scuba
:;nin2

So I've had my fish tank for a little over half a year now, and I'm still confused about what readings I'm looking for.... None of my fish have died (well not from the water.... thank you cats) but what are good readings?

My test kit doens't have a reading for ammonia yet, but I'm looking into that. I do know that; ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrates... and when it changes, the previous show go down.

But what should the readings be????

My latest test results are:
Nitrite <NO2-> : 0.5
Nitrate <NO3-> : 100

So what does this mean? When NO3- gets high, does that mean water change??? Or is that good? Cause when you cycle a tank and you get Nitrate levels, and no nitrite and ammonia levels.... thats when you add fish, so ya.....

help please

thx every1
:D

Help: New balloon ram died

Cableguy9872 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:02:29 GMT

I have had my tank up for 3 months now, it cycled a while ago with 2 zebra danios and 2 black skirt tetras. I was told about 1 1/2 months ago it was ok to add more fish, i decided neon tetras, i got 4 of them acclimated them put them in my tank, and with in a week they were all dead. I let my tank recover(for 1 month) added a rubberlip pleco into my tank, and he is doing fine. After another 2 weeks, i got 2 balloon rams(2 days ago) and today, 1 of the 2 has died, the other one is still sitting on the bottom of my tank(resting on the rocks) breathing fairly fast(i dunno if this is normal for them) They both showed great color(LOTS more than when in transit from the store). I fed them Brine shirmp today(they ate a little bit, what made it to the bottom of the tank) I am concerned for my other ram, is this normal behavior for them almost 3 days of being in the tank?(it took my pleco a week before he is out and eating the algea off my tank)

My water levels are as follows:(with API FRESHWATER MASTERKIT)
Ammonia-.5ppm
NitrIte-0ppm
NitrAte-10ppm
Temp 81 degrees
pH 8.2

Tap water-
Ammonia-.5ppm
NitrIte-0ppm
NitrAte-0ppm
PH 8.2

I also have the seachem ammonia alert, and that shows .02ppm of ammonia

my water conditioner is Prime, I have added some Stability when introducing new fish, did not use it to cycle my tank.

My other fish all seem to be doing fine, when my light is off the zebras are always swimming about, and when its on, they are more lathargic relaxed.

Could this be caused by stress from one of the black skirts? He has always been the mean one in my tank, he chases every other fish around(except my pleco) and when I added these rams, he chased them right away, then let them be. I did notice the next day, my smaller tetra has part of his dorsal fin missing(like someone took a bite out of it) and hes the nice one, he has been the one that just sits with my other fish when i have introduced them(almost like a pet does if something is wrong)

Please give me any ideas as to why I still have ammonia in my tank(or could it be a false reading caused by prime?) I have also tried the Aquaclear ammonia remover(that didn't do anything)

Any ideas as to why there is ammonia in my tank and/or why my balloon ram died and should i be worried about my other guy?

Thank!

30 Gallon Tank: Rams!

anunez91 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:57:37 GMT

Ok, so ive recently decided for my (currently empty) 30 gallon tank, that i want two rams to be the focus, with that i plan on having about six corys (not sure on specific ones yet) but i also want mid level schooling fish, ive been told tetras are to timid for rams, and someone suggested semi-aggressive fish, would tiger barbs work? i need some suggestions people? 2 rams, 6 corys and 6 or 8 *insert compatible schooling fish here*

thanks

Changing filters

RonDutt — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:59:44 GMT

Curious, how does one go about changing the filter? Mine (EX45) is showing as almost time to change (the white strip is almost completely black). Replacing the filter outright would remove quite a bit of bacteria from the ecosystem, but theres no room in the filter to stick in two filters. Do I just leave the old filter in the tank (floating) or...?

2.5G + ADF + ghost shrimp?

kanyanlim — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:49:11 GMT

hellooo! i was wondering in a 2.5G tank, can a African Dwarf Frog get along with a ghost shrimp?? i don't want to go and buy one or the other and then find one missing the next morning =p all suggestions appreciated^^

How do you transfer filter media for help with cycle?

curiousfish — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:31:43 GMT

Hi, I have been reading this forum for several weeks now and I decided I should probably join. :P I have a 75 gallon tank at home and want to set up a 10 gallon in my dorm room at school. I am running into problems with the cycling thing though. I only have about 2 1/2 weeks between break this week and the end of the semester break. I don't think I will have enough time to cycle the tank between the times I will be gone (and not able to feed it amonia), but I am not sure I can wait till January to cycle my tank. Will it speed up the process if I bring the filter media from my tank at home? It has been set up for three years now. Also, if I bring the filter media, do I just need to keep it wet or keep it warm as well? It is a 12 hour drive and I am not sure how to transport it.
Thanks for the info.

nitrite level

phil saint — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:12:26 GMT

For the last three days iv been gettin a nitrite reading of 0.25ppm my ammonia is 0ppm and nitrate is 5ppm im doing daily water changes to bring the nitrite down. dose anyone have any ideas why only the nitrite has gone up ???

all info about my tank/fish is on my profile, i feed every 2 days all food eaten within 2-3 mins and all fish seem uneffected by the rise in nitrite.

thanks in advance....phil.

cycled tank!!

Jesskb — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:35:26 GMT

Well guys, my 10g tank finally cycled a couple days ago, so I will be able to purchase two Dwarf puffers on Sunday as long as my plants come through the mail between now and then :) I have this ugly aquarium decoration from my old tank that I used to help seed my new one, now that the new tank is cycled can i get rid of this eyesore? Or should I wait a while?

Thanks in advance,
Jess

Good or bad idea?

click — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:49 GMT

So I have my 29g sitting atop a metal stand on a carpeted floor. From the beginning I did not like the shaking of the water every time someone passes by and I realized I was stupid not to take it back to the store when I had my first doubt. Now I'm thinking more and more to buy a wooden stand and give the tank more stability. But I already have fish and plants in.

Question is, how much water you think I have to take out to be able to move the tank from one stand to another and how will that affect my fish and plants? I am thinking it would be very hard to catch all of my little fish since they are v fast and I'm still a beginner in the net handling.

So should I do it or not?

suddenly scared of light

kernal357 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:15:57 GMT

Hoping someone can shed some light on this issue. I have had a 29 gal tank set up since the beginning on august. The water parameters are as follows: ammonia 0/nitrite 0/nitrate 10(6 from tap)/pH 7.6/GH 11/KH 5. 3 blackskirt tetras were added 2nd week of september, after initial fishless cycle. since they were the first addition there was no quarientine. shortely after interduction noticed ICH. innitially treated with maracide per instructions, treatment was inneffective and was directed by mardel to use coppersafe. Changed 50% water as instructed and began coppersafe. Ich cleared up in 5 days, maintained 1.5-2 PPM for total 21 days before discontinuing treatment of new water used for partial water changes. 35%-40% water changes are performed weekly. All 3 fish recovered well, regained appatite, and seemed to be dooing well, one took about a week longer then the others to regain energy and appatite. All was well for a couple weeks when 5 nights ago all 3 were swimming under the 36 watts of actinic blue/10000K light that has been on a 12 hour cycle since the tank was first set up, before I had any fish. I was sitting on my couch enjoying my fish, and eating a snack, I looked up at the tank between bites of pie and noticed that the fish were suddenly huddled
strangely close to the bottom against the front glass looking very stressed. I stood up to take a better look and they started darting all over the tank, and eventually all took cover in a ditch behind a dense clump of plastic plants. They were completely shocked, twitching and on highg alert. a few minutes later the lights were due to shut off, and afterwords the fish relaxed and resumed normal activity. the next morning they were fine before the tank lights went on. no flashing, no twitching, fins erect, playful with each other, no spots or anything abnormal. Then the lights went on and they freeked out, same as the night before. I tried to leave them alone thinking they would relax after a while, when i returned they were acting the same as when I left 5 hours before. I shut off the light and within 10 minutes they were fine. Now it has been 5 days and they are still completely shocked by any amount of light besides ambient room lighting. the room is well lit by the time the tank light goes on in the morning, I have tried a different light above the tank(mutch dimmer) with the same results. I tried to partially shade the tank with some opaque material under the light, same results. but while the tank light is off they seem very happy. My ph is a little high but it has been stable since setup. I would like to resume stockng, but not until i understand whats up with these guys. seems strange that they would change behavior so abruptly? ayone have any ideas. btw there are rocks, and plants to hide in.

40 Gallon Tank: Wonder how I'm doing

nickymaran25 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:29:18 GMT

I have a 40 gallon tank. I set it up; 1 pound substrate per gallon, air pump connected to a bubble bar and one small bubble stone. The filter is actually recommened for up to a 75 gallon tank, 200 watt heater, lighted hood, some plastic plants, and two decoration thingys for hiding (when I get fish that actually hide). I filled the tank and dechlorinated it. Then I put in the heater and let it do its business and basically let the tank sit with the filter going for about 4 days before doing anything else with it. Got a submersible test kit, ph 7 and obviously no ammonia yet. I read over and over on the internet about cycling and fish vs fishless cycling. Came to the conclusion that the "natural" or fish cycling would be best. Purchased 5 Giant Danios and have them in the tank for about 4 days now. Did not feed them the first day that they were in the tank. Now have been feeding them very lightly (freeze dried blood worms, and flakes) I noticed last night and checked again this morning, and the ammonia levels have slightly increased. The color code is at caution. After reading about the cycle, I am under the impression that the ammonia levels are expected to rise and once everything gets going then ammonia eating bacteria come into effect and break it down. I'm just wondering how I'm doing on this so far. Also, I have put in the activated carbon pads when I put the fish in - is this okay?

What to do in a power outage?

Incubifly — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:16:21 GMT

I was just pondering this lately: What do I do in case of a power outage?

I have a 12 gallon tropical fish tank sitting at around 79 degrees and I live in a fairly cold & windy area in Washington State. Power outages here are a regular thing. We can have as many outages from 4-6 times a year on average because the area is heavily wooded and windy, spelling for disaster.

Needless to say I didn't think of this when purchasing my tank 3 months ago. We have had one power outage so far for about 2 hours, but the fish were fine. I am not worried about the short outages, but I am worried about the outages that can last for many hours, or even days such as the windstorm of 07' which left us without power for 10 days in below freezing weather.

I live in an apartment, so a generator is not an option. Is there anything I can do? Battery powered heaters by chance? Any tips and/or tricks you guys know for keeping a tank somewhat heated?

I have grown attached to my fish already, and I'd hate to see them die when all I can do is watch. Thanks!

Question: New Filter

Lexar169 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:25:59 GMT

OK, i was thinking about something. :;smack (oh no) If i added a new filter to an already cycled tank alongside the coexisting one (if i wanted to upgrade the older one) and had them both running for awhile so that the new one could build the necessary bacteria before removing the old one. Would that work?

could i have overstock my 15 gallon tank???

speed0factory — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:37:42 GMT

:;a1i have a 15 gallon tank with 4 Bandit Cory, 6 Neon Tetras, 4 Red Eye Tetras, 1 Otocinclus Catfish, 2 red zebras, and i think 10+ ghost shrimps. Some java moss on a drift wood, and some other plant (which i do not know that name:'().

please help with the name of the plants, thank you so much.

Here are some of the Pictures i took, please give some comment. thank you.

Need help with tank

bandgeek — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:19:32 GMT

Ok, I'm not really a beginner, but I haven't had a tank in about 10 years so I'm considering myself one. Never had many problems with fish dying back then. Here's a discription of my current tank...

#1. I have a hand-me-down 55 gallon fish tank from a relative. It came with a magnum 350 and an under gravel filter. I have both filters running. The under gravel filter is powered by two Aquaclear 50 powerheads. Prior to him giving it to me, it housed some huge eel like creature (freshwater)

#2 I originally set the tank up about 3 years ago. All but 2 fish died in a very short time. I can't remember everything I had but the two that survived were a pleco and a java loach (I believe). I remember most of them having what appeared to be fin rot. I did regular tests and water changes and it seemed as if everything was ok with the water quality.

#3 I was so ticked after the problems with the fish tank that I just started to ignore it. After all, it just had the two fish in it. I occasionally fed them and occasionally topped off the water and the two did great! Lots of room for the two to play in 55 gallons :-) Neither have grown very much. Probably due to not feeding them very often.

#4 I now have moved the fish tank to a better spot so I CAN'T ignore it and have been slowly introducing new fish to it. I kept as much water as I could in it while moving it so I didn't have to start from scratch with the cycling process. I have been doing 20% water changes weekly and always adding the chlorine remover to the water before adding it to the tank.

#5. The tank has about 4 inches of gravel in it. Some places are deeper.

#6. I originally had tiger barbs in it for the first two weeks of the new setup and then went to the store and get some African Cichlids. The Cichlids were rather small and the guy at the LFS said that they should be fine with a school of tiger barbs. (Don't know if that's true)

#7 So far in the last week, I've had two fish die. One tiger barb and one cichlid. No signs of fin rot or any other problems. Fins looked good. Both fish hung out near the bottom until they died. Their color was good. I did notice that the cichlid was breathing kinda heavy. Looked like he needed a burping.

#8 My parameters are:
(Mardel Master Test Strips)
Temp 78
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 0
Hardness 120
alkalinity 120
Ammonia 0
PH 7.2

#9 I have the light on a timer. It's on for about 10 hours a day.

#10 I have 1 pleco, 1 java loach, 7 tiger barbs (was 8), 3 cichlids (was 4), rainbow shark, and a small yoyo loach.

Questions:
1. I've heard that under gravel filters are a thing of the past. Should I remove it?
2. Is there too much gravel over the under gravel filter?
3. How important is it to raise the PH for cichlids? Are my parameters ok?
4. How much should I be feeding them. I usually feed them twice a day.
5. The guy at the store said I should skip one day of feeding to help keep the tank clean. Is this advisable with such hungry fish?

Ok, thanks. I think that's it :)

Dying fish... any help would be great

Plecosaurous — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:57:28 GMT

Hey everybody
Today in my tank I noticed one of my black neon tetras acting quite strange. He was repeatedly swimming in circles, and twitching occasionally. Upon seeing his twitch, I immediatly placed him in a QT where he has only gotten worse. He is now doing loop-de-loops when not drifting either upside down or vertical. His black is totally faded and he appears to have one speckle on the top of his head. Similar looking to a grain of salt. Could be ich, but I would expect to see more than one "grain of salt." I checked my water parameters, they are all fine, ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 5, ph is 7.4. Any ideas?

Question: Hurtful plant

Fishnugget43 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:52:56 GMT

I have a plant that looks kinda spiny it feels soft to my touch but i don't want any of the lil buggers fins getting caught on it. Should i replace it just in case?

Help: Bad little Guppy!!

Fishnugget43 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:18:38 GMT

Hello all,

As some of you know i just got a 16 gallon tank and put 3 guppies and two platys in it. Everything started out ok and the guppies were all swimming around and the platys were hiding now one of the guppies has started nipping at the other fish. Although the platys are coming out a little bit more, one of the guppies is hiding behind my filter and will not come out except to grab a mouth full or two of food and then goes back to hiding.

Any advice on what I should do please?
Thanks.

Question: Lemon Tetra Problem!

masonryx — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:13:37 GMT

Greetings all,
2 days ago one of my X-ray fish died with unknown causes, he didn't look sick or was floating to the top. He was sort of a loner hanging out by himself. Then was found floating dead the next morning. The only thing I noticed about my water was my Nitrate was around 50. Nitrites was 0. Now I'm noticing my Lemon Tetras not eating as they were. They seem uninterested in food. I'm beginning to suspect Ammonia, but I can't confirm because I don't have an Ammonia tester yet. Anyone think High Ammonia is causing my 2 tetras not to eat? I've done a 50% water change twice since 2 days ago. Thanks.

Question: What's inside my Filter?

masonryx — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:37:49 GMT

Greetings all this might sound like a dumb question but I need clarification. I have an Penguin Bio Wheel 100, with the square foam filter pads installed in it. I shined my flash light inside of my filter and noticed these brown looking seaweed looking tentacle like stuff, which I'm assuming is beneficial bacteria? Anyway it looks cool. Also on top of my filters media cartridge are these white spots in clumps not much but a few. Was wondering what this was, my instincts tell me its mold but I'm not sure if that's possible?

Help with my tank

zlooshah — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:13:47 GMT

Hi
This is Shyd i m new to the Aqua i have 2 tanks 1 of 10 gallons (Mollies + Platys and two big Panda Gold fish) the first question mollies always pinching the gold fish i dont know y? Second question is i dont have any meter of pH level not Nitrogen Tester no Alkline tester simple is there is no tester available only available tester is thermometer how do i check my water condition and how to change. My mollies are extra angry alway fighting with eachother and specially to goldfish how to take care of bully fish except giving them or changing them.

My second tank is 5 gallon in which i kept baby mollies and guppies fry. now i have added few guppies female but they are hard on them even killing them how to tackle them.

I will be very thankful for your help.

Reguards

Strange Pleco Behavior

Plecosaurous — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:07:01 GMT

So beginning three days ago, whenever I feed my fish flakes, my Pleco swims up to the surface, swims upside down, so that his mouth is at the surface, and gobbles down a lot of fish flakes. Anyone else have a similar experience with their pleco?? He is large, about 10 inches, and I give him an algae wafer every night, or every other night, depending on if I sleep at my girlfriends or now. So I dont think that it is hungry, perhaps it has just gotten to enjoy the flake food?

10 Gallon Tank: Saved by Quarantine Tank

michaelb323 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:16:30 GMT

I promise to keep this story short, this should serve as a great warning to noobies as to why we use quarantine tanks, abbreviated as QT.

I estimate that I have about $60 worth of livestock in my 55 gallon tropical tank. After my initial seeding of the tank with livestock I decided to start scouring craigslist for a 10 gallon setup for quarantining new fish arriving. I was starting to buy fish and plants in bulk from Petco and some regional Distributors, some of the stuff I was getting cheap was of questionable origin.

After a few days, BOOM! I see a complete 10 gallon setup for $15 on craigslist. Tank is brand new, kid it was bought for didn't want it. I set my new prize up beside my computer desk figuring I could watch the fish the entire time I am working. When I made my first trip to the petstore to grab fish, I tossed them into my QT. Two weeks disease free and my new fish got added to the main tank, since water from the 55 gallon tank is being used to fill the QT, there is no need to acclimate fish, just toss them right in giving them the least stress. In addition, I figured that 10 gallons would be easy to disinfect should I get a disease in the tank, this LED me to using a sand substrate since I could easily throw it away.

Last week I transferred the latest batch to the main tank and came home with about $10 worth of new fish that were "Guaranteed disease free 100%"
I did my duty and dumped the new stock into the QT. Within the first two days it was clear that all the fish were going to most likely die to a parasite. Within the first week all the fish had died violent, writhing deaths. Simple solution for me, I dumped half a gallon of bleach into the tank and left it running over the next day. Next I used an old gravelvac to empty it, carried it outside and dumped everything out, and washed it with bleach and water.

All I had to do was bring the new tank back inside, add fresh sand, rinse the HOB filter with bleach, replace filters, and add water. In the end the breakdown/setup took about an hour. I added some filter media from the 55 gallon tank and was back in business. In the end I saved myself quite a bit of money, and that means more money to spend on expanding. In addition to that, the peace of mind knowing that I have in no way introduced any pathogens to my perfect tank is an awesome feeling.

Well, anyway, I just thought this thread could serve as a reminder as to how valuable a cheap QT can be.

-Happyfeet

New Tank Plans

WolfPack21 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:46:05 GMT

Hi Everyone, I am going to get my 55 gallon this December now and I have a few questions. I am not sure if it is safe to put a 55 gallon on the second story of my house? I have my 30 gallon in my room and I would like to sell my 10 gallon and get the 55 off of Craigslist.com to put in my room (Great deals!) Any thoughts?

10 Gallon Tank: Ammonia Issues..help

aceigga03 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:36:42 GMT

So i have a 3 week old tank and 4 tiger barbs in it...I did a master test last night and the Ammonium was about 4ish...i immediately used ammo lock and then did a 15% water change this morning....I checked it tonight at 8 pm and its still at about 2 now......HELP!!! im nervous that im going to wake up and the all gonna be dead...Ill admit that was def over feeding the first 2 weeks...

Cory feeding question

breese31 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:16:44 GMT

How many wafers would 2 albinos, 2 peppered, 1 green cory catifsh, and 1 pleco need?

Crossing Fingers!

titusxander — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:05:07 GMT

Okay so i just transferred 3 of my 2 month old guppy fry out of my 10 gallon fry tank and into my 20 gallon community tank. in the 20 gallon there's only 6 neon tetras, 2 panda cories, 3 melini cories (my birthday present, Nov. 13th :;z ), and a inca snail. i made sure the temperature matched and that the pH was really close. now all i can do is wait..... :;juggle

Help: Unexpected Fish Death

masonryx — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:05:31 GMT

To all fellow members,
One of my X-ray fish was found floating upside down and this kind of caught me unexpected. I have a 10 Gallon tank with 4 fishes, 3 now. Poor guy has been removed and I quickly did a water test. My Nitrate levels appeared to be somewhat high and over 20ppm but not at the highest danger level. Nitrite was zero. Everything else seemed normal, but my GH levels were at a high level as well, which usually is for but not this much. Could the high Nitrate levels have caused my fish to die? Or was my fish stressed from being chased a lot by the other X-ray fish I have? He was acting weird past couple weeks hiding, and staying in one spot of my tank instead of swimming. Last question I think I might have been overstocked or running close to it. I had 2 X-ray fish, 2 Lemon Tetras, and a small Pleco, with 4 ghost shrimp. Thanks all for your time.

Question: high iron is water out of tap

audithom — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:02:12 GMT

Hey all its been a while since i posted.. I just recently bought a new house so I am starting the moving process. I got my water tested the other day and my iron in the water is really high. Lets say that iron will start to leave stains at .3ppm.. mine is .78. My question is will that have an effect on my fish at all? Cause i can wait till I get my water system that I know I will need to move them. Thanks for all the help.

Ive been nawty and need some advice

Diggly — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:04:53 GMT

Right,

I now consider my 125g fully stocked, it was more or less fully stocked before I added my Apistogramma cacatuiodes-super red which are dwarf cichlids but I couldnt resist the m and f pair in the shop.

then the male molly I have on his own took a fancy to the m cichlid and I was worried about him harrasing him to death so bough 4 f mollys (I will be moving fish about dont worry)

Now here is where the problem comes, one of the f mollys I noticed straight away that something isnt right. She was swimming in circles in the bag before I added any tank water and one of her eyes is completed black and cloudy. On doing research I believe she has an internal fungal infection. For now I have seperated her into a tank alone while I help her recover but is there hope? she looks like she is in pain and I want to do everything I can to help her so I would appreciate any advice.

The fish I have in there will take care of any molly fry so I am not worried about that :).

water change/3 gallon betta tank/after SafeStart cycle

roseofsharon — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:28:11 GMT

Please forgive me for starting a new thread. I tried to find answers to my questions by searching the forum, but I need things very carefully explained to me...and I didn't find the answer to my very simple question.

Here goes: Assuming my 3 gallon tank cycles sucessfully what do I do then? Do I change the water and/or vacuum the gravel? If I do change the water, what percent and how often thereafter?

If for some reason the cycle wasn't successful, then what do I do?

The tank had been set up a couple of days with water, a mini heater and a filter to make sure everything was working. When the directions say add the SafeStart WITH the fish, does that mean immediatley, immediatley? Fishie was hard to catch that night (he was in his one gallon home and for some reason gave me a really hard time) so it took me about an hour to get him calmed down, captured and moved to his new home.

The water clouded up for a few minutes and then cleared up. Fish is doing fine, he is eating, pooping, and is active. He moved in the night of Vetran's Day, and it is now the night of November 14th so it is the 3rd full day of cycling. So far so good.

Thank you!

Anyone have an Ario Volcano Kit?

Plecosaurous — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:21:47 GMT

Does anybody have either the volcano or geyser kit in their tank? I saw one for sale at my LFS and was curious as to how it looks in peoples tanks. If you have one, can you let me know how you like it, and perhaps post a pic or two of it in your tank?

Major pH plummet?

JaneAustenAddict — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:12:23 GMT

I lost one of my molly fish during the night and so I got down to business this morning testing my water.

I tested the ammonia twice and both times it was 0, so I know he did not pass away due to an ammonia spike.

The nitrite level is 0.25. It is not ideal, but I am not sure if it was high enough to cause his death.

Nitrate is at 10ppm. It is not significantly high and so I assume this did not cause his death either.

I figured out the problem and I am completely floored. The pH is at either 6.0 or less! The card with the colors on it only goes down to 6.0. I don't understand how this could have happened. I tested it 2 days ago and it was at 7.6.

Does anyone have a suggestion to raise the pH? I was planning to do a water change today, but now I am just so confused I don't know what to do!

Fish Acclimation Tip

mr.fishy — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:28:01 GMT

Hey I figured I would share my acclimation process with the forum to help people with their new fish.

It's pretty much the floating bag method but a little better. Insted of using the bag I use the plastic fish holding containers that the store puts your fish in after they catch it. This works best with smaller fish since big fish probably wouldn't fit well in the container.

This way your fish has more room than a bag and it can get more air than being in the bag. Especially if your fish is being acclimated for and hour or more.

As soon as I get home I pour the fish and it's water in the platic holding container then put it in the tank and it hooks onto the side of the tank. It may float up a little bit depending on how much water is in it.

This way your fish is surrounded by your tanks water and will get use to the temperature of your tank. Then over the next hour I add a little bit of tank water every 5 to 10 minutes using a little cup. This is nice because you don't have to keep opening and closing a bag just pour it right in the container.

After about an hour you take out the container and get the fish out with your net or pour out the water and fish into the net over a bucket which is what I do. Then I drop the fish in my tank and it's ready to go. Make sure not to dump the store water in your tank.

Here is the plastic fish holder i use for acclimation. I was not able to find the container in stores so I ordered it online. :;banaman

Check it out---> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=15485

Question: Water Conditioners and stocking...

MamaFish — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:45:15 GMT

Thanks for all the help getting started cycling fishless:;thx

I finally found pure ammonia at ACE (I got that bit of info on the forums too ;D) and we have the process started...

In the meantime, I have two other questions-

1. Is there that much of a difference between the different water conditioners for getting rid of chlorine etc.? There are over 20 different ones at LFS with prices that range widely. Some claim to be for specific fish (Bettas, goldfish etc) and others for anything tropical. Does it matter which one I use?

2. Our tank is only a 6 gallon, so there has been much debate about what to put in it. The kids wanted Danios, but we decided (on advice from here) that the tank wasn't really big enough. We've considered neon tetras, but I've read they aren't that good in new tanks, so we decided against that too. We have kind of settled on getting a betta, but I know the kids would love more than one fish. Could we put in a cory as well? And if so, which would you add first?

Help Me Please

gcdj — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:29:25 GMT

ok i am having huge problem with onee of my tanks
thia one is 30 gallons .... the filters and structures in the tank are from an established tank (been running for a year ... i have had this up and running about 2 almost 3 months everything has been fine ... it only has about 6 smaller fish .... it has a few live plants. I addedsome java moss that i got on ebay about 5 days ago it came in a plastic bag and was damp i attached it to a piece of driftwood ...about 2 days later i did a 35 percent water change using the de chlorinate and ammonia lock ... i have 2 filter cartridges one was months old and one i added a month ago to try to ge bacteriagrowing on the new filter .... when i did the water change tholder cartridgegot rinsedin the sink ( i didn't do it my wife was tryingto help) a day in a half later i noticed the water getting milky (bacteria bloom i guess) (the ammonia was very high 2 ppm i used some ammonia lock and some api stuff that adds bacteria to your water. it is continuing to get milkier and the ammonia is at a deadlt level now ( about 6ppm i did a 50 percent water change on it yesterday however it keeps getting worse ...before i knew anything about tanks i use to rinse the filter off in tap water and i NEVER had this happen . you cannot even see the back of the tank now and it is reaching 8ppm. i can onl think perhaps the "java moss" is causing this terrible reaction ... my fish are stressed and probably about to die. could the plant have mildewed on the journey here and is causing the ammonia... the moss doesnt look dead but my fish will be soon ... i can not imagine that the rinsing on one of the 2 filters could cause this and i donot know how to fix this. in the morning i am going to pull the moss out ... up to this point the tank has been beautiful... but even wheni do 50 percent water changes it keeps on getting worse .... HELP... BTW i have stopped feeding the fish as well ...could it be my moss

Carbon media in filter

elvis — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:23:57 GMT

hey guys,
me again, most of you will know i have 55g tank well and truly running cycled and all, stocked etc etc

i have put a few logs on there and the water has turned a very light tea color which i did expect, im aware that it will go in the near future...

My question is, i have a few small sacks on carbon handy,(the original ones the filter came with when i bought it) i was thinking of puttingthem back in the filter to clear out that tea color, should i even bother?? plus since its a new tank, will putting carbon back in the filter mess anything up, as far as bateria wise or getting the water to clean, because its a new tank??:confused::confused::;dk:;dk

cheers in advance :;thx:;thx

Am I getting myself in over my head?

Elvishswimmer — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:51:38 GMT

Its me again.

As my tank is finishing cycling, I have been looking around for goldfish. Its been hard to find some nice quality goldfish in the area, in tanks that aren't filled with disease.

I've been looking at an online breeder and found one that I have liked and picked out 3 goldfish that I would like to order when my tank finishes cycling.

The thing is this. I've never kept fish before! I really like these fish that I'm going to order, but I'm afraid that I will be spending all this money on shipping these fish, only for me to be not experienced enough and they die. Which will make me sad for losing pretty fish and for losing all the money.

My mom suggested maybe 'practicing 'with cheaper fish from a pet store, but that would mean that I would have to keep those fish, and then I would never get the goldfish I want.

So I'm asking you Fishlorians! I've studied and studied and read and read and tried to learn all that I can know. But fish keeping isn't all reading, part of it is doing, and the doing part is something that... well I've never done before.
Will my knowledge of what I have right now help me? I've probably read every beginner guide on the site, and read every new beginner post to try to glom all the info.

Will I be able to keep these pretty fancy goldfish that I want to order safe and happy?? Or should I just resign myself to more beginner fish?

Help: When can I Add more fish?

aceigga03 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:29:52 GMT

I have a 10 gallon tank with 4 tiger barbs in it....I used StressZyme to cycle the tank and they seem to be doing great...i did a water test and it read Safe Nitrate and Nitrite,PH was fine, as well as alklinity...ive had it for about 2 weeks and want to know when i can add more fish...HELP PLEASE :)))

10 Gallon Tank: Too much Foam!!!!!!

Martialartsman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:55:52 GMT

I just got a ten gallon tank with a undergravel filter, when I first installed it there was a steady stream of bubles, now the bubbles don't pop normally. As I keep the Under gravel filter on foam starts to pile up and I don't know why?!?!? Am I doing somthing wrong?

need some help

weljer61 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:49:13 GMT

Hello all

I am new to this hobby but am very eager to learn. I have a new 38 gallon freshwater tank with gravel substrate, a few living plants, 2 large stones and intend to add some driftwood once I can get it to sink. It has a mechanical filter which flows into the water and a light. I have read and think I understand the nitrogen cycle. It has been set up for 3 days now.

The local pet stores in the area have conflicting ideas on when to introduce fish. Some saying it is ready now. I do not have a complete kit yet but know that the Ph is around 7.4.

There are 3 shrimp in it right now that is all. I want to add some fish but dont want them to die. Once I know the tank has been cycled and good to go I would like to introduce angel fish (I love the way they look, move, and watch when I walk by in the stores).

What is a good colorful hardy fish I can introduce now that will eventually mesh with an Angel fish down the road?

Also for down the road can a red tail shark go with Angel fish?

Im so excited for this to get rolling, its something I have wanted for a long time.

Thank you in advance

Moving

Diggly — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:55:30 GMT

I am due to move next weekend and wanted to know the best way to move a 20g tank with 3 bettas, My main concern is the ph difference in the water (if any) causing a shock but then I could be worrying about nothing!

30 Gallon Tank: true newb

threeballl — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:10:29 GMT

Hi all,
I am a true newb and have been reading a lot of forums and details about different fish needs. My question is simple, water hardness, my home has a water softener in it. Is this the same as when reference is made to soft or hard water? If so is there any way to make the water hard if I decide to go with that type fish and are there test kits for that as well. Going today to buy the rest of my supplies and I have not included any fish or plants in my tank yet. I bought a used 30 gal that I have filled and have been running an Eheim Power filter with 2 carbon filters and 1 bio filter now for a couple of days. Any advice would be very appreciated.

Thx all

Help: Big Nitrite Problem!!!!!!!!

chriswpoole — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:36:24 GMT

i have a 72Gal bowfront tank that has been running for about 4 months. it is set up with a Fluval 405 with prefilter media in the bottom basket, carbon in the 2nd basket, peat media in the 3rd basket and bio in the 4th basket. my Ph is 6.8, temp 76*, ammonia is 0.0, but my nitrites are off the charts 4.0+.im am currently doing 25% water changes every 2 days sometimes 50-75% if needed but they going back up, the tank set up as a natural tank and is currently stocked with 6, 2.5in bluegill(also called sunfish in some areas), and a 4.5in bullheaded catfish, all seem to be in good health, and are very active no signs of stress or nitrite posining, also they are on a natural diet( nightcrawlers, mealworms, ect). now when i added the fish the nitrogen cycle was completed and only added one fish every 3 days, i used Seachem Stability to cycle the tank and it worked great took about 2 weeks in a fishless cycle. now after the cycle what could be causing my Nitrites to be so high but not the ammonia?

Help: Me Right Now! Please!

NewJDempsey — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:50:09 GMT

So I just came home to find cobweb like white stringy stuff in my tank and my water is very cloudy. what is it? My fish seems ok. A little shocked that I just changed a bunch of his water but i freaked out. Help! I don't want Gustave to die.:'(

75 Gallon Tank: Changing SW to Freshwater

bflobobo — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:50:58 GMT

Many questions. I have Magnum with biowheel, protein skimmer, Ultraviolet Sterilizer, HOT Magnum, Compact fluorescents, and lots of sand. Which can I use for the new setup. Can I wash the sand(dried out) and re-use as a substrate? I would like to put in live plants. Thanks in advance for your help

Reducing agression

Plecosaurous — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:01:19 GMT

I currently have 2 male swordtails in my tank, and one is becoming more and more aggressive. Even pushing my new Dwarf Gourami around. To reduce his aggression should I purchase females to keep him company? I have read they are a schooling fish, and if so what is a good number of swords to have, and what is the ratio between males to females that I should keep?
Thanks!
Kevin

How Do I: Discus water flow rate?

Gebhardt — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:09:34 GMT

Hi

In a discus tank with a sump how do one calculate water flow rate?
Tank 680lit and sump 95lit.

Thanks