tko187

hi guys just an update for you all, i stopped the water changes when i seen the nitrie and ammonia at 0, is this okay because i added meds for ICH which is a 6 day on off course so i didnt want to dilute the meds too much, not sure i am doing this right cos i checked the levels again today and nitrie was back up to 0.25 so i decided i was gonna scrap the meds and just stick with the water changes.
Is this the right thing to do, i was under the impression that once the levels were in check i could relax and just do water changes once evry couple of weeks with minimal tests??
When can i chill out and know this is done properly? Also the clown loaches will be going back and also the betta and i will be adding a lot more easier and hardier fish who like to swim all over the tank, have also changed the tank a lot creating some caves and added a lot more plants including ricia and java moss and other grassy stuff i dont know the name of. I will post pics soon for your comments and any ideas. Thanks c you soon......

Lucy

Are you sure your nitrItes are up and not your nirtAtes?
That is odd, I'm pretty sure the meds wouldn't cause that to happen.
Any time you see a rise in ammonia or nitrites, definitely do a water change.
I would keep testing daily until your parameter's level out for a while.
Then you can go to weekly tests and water changes to keep the nitrates down.

As for the ich, increasing your temp for a good 2 weeks should remedy that.

I'm really glad to hear your returning the betta and loaches. Your tank will be easier to maintain once it's not over stocked.

tko187

yup lucy sure its my nitrites back up to 0.25 but i think thats because as soon as i got a 0 on my nitrite i figured it was done, was it ?? I never changed water for three days so it hasnt really went that high, ill check again tomorrow as i have just done a water change. I have also decided to give the meds a miss and just do without. Hopefully should resolve, so im giving back my loaches and my betta, when i turned my hall light off today, it was seeing a reflection of itself and really flaring up, fins went high and blew its gills out, looked crazee, my kids were goin mad lol. Any advice on what i should change the stock to.

Alessa

maybe some livebearers like platies? they are very hardy, peaceful and active.... I love mine and i am about to get him a buddy or two!

lalynya

My vote allways goes with longfin white cloud minnows..they are fn to watch and pretty hardy

Blub

As for stocking:

You have several unsuitable fish in there. Namely the Balas, Pleco and Clowns. The clowns grow to 30cm long, and are active... The really need a tank of around 100gal +. Same goes for Balas - although they get a bit bigger and I advise a bigger minimum tank size... Common pleco is the same situation (except not social) - 100 gal minimum. So, take them back to the LFS, don't worry, there are some similar and more suitable alternatives. So, to replace those, try: Bristlenose plecos (Or any other Dwarf pleco... www.PlanetCatfish.com is good to check out), YoYo and Zebra loaches are good alternatives for clowns (www.Loaches.com) and as for the Balas, Rainbow sharks will be a nice alternative.

Also, schoolers like Danios and Neons tend to find Bettas fins an irresistable target. CHOMP! I loomks good one day, but the next you have a neatly 'de-finned' betta. Get him a seperate 5gal tank or tank him back to the LFS to prevent him meeting an early grave...

So, you would have:

5 Zebra danios
10 Neons
3 YoYo/Zebra loaches
1 BN Pleco
1 Rainbow shark
1 Cory (If you decide to get your betta a new home instead of taking him back - I say get a 10gal, adding this cory, then giving the cory a friend as they are social)

55" of fish in a 48gal tank. That sounds about stocked!

PS. I have the Rio 180 as well! The lighting for it is 2 3OW T8 bulbs - so you can add that to your aquarium info.

tko187

hi thanks guys, my betta, my shark and my lloaches are going back (one is probably looking like dying) from ich or fungal. I will be restocking with a few more orys and maybe some more danios as they ae pretty much bulletproof. They really explore the whole tank. Anyways i checked my nitrites and they seem like they are 0 but slight a purplish colour so inbetween purple and blue, the test kit says blue is 0 but i cant decide if it is or not. It is a very clear colour bluish with a slight tint of purple. Shall i post a pic.

Alessa

if you want... i have gotten that too... it pretty much means that you've got a slight hint of nitrites but very, very small...

tko187

Thanks Alessa, so should i worry about it, or just leave it as it is, ive been trying everyday with partial water changes and it hasnt really budged, so today i added more live bacteria. Also have got a new tank for my Betta, shall post pics later!! The shop told me that bettas dont really require a heater in the summer, only in the winter, is this true??

Lucy

Hey great to to hear you decided to get the betta into a tank by himself. They do require a warm consistant temperature, so yeah get him a heater.
What size tank did you get him?

Alessa

well, you added more bacteria and as long as it stays like that (and goes down) and doesnt get like really above that color... it shall be fine. Just keep testing until it stabilizes... how are your nitrates?

also if you've decided to give back the big fishies it should disapear completely...

Blub

Great to hear you are giving those fis ha chance. But, you really need to get that pleco out of there as well for the sake of his well being... If you don't want the stocking suggestion I gave you before, then upping the danio and cory schools would be an excelent move. Say, 6 corys, 10 Neons and 10 Danios. That would be a really awesome fish stock. Also, look out for leopard danios, they will readily school with Zebras.

lalynya

I think the horse we have been beating on is dead...lol

Lucy

The betta has a new tank.

tzqng8

Woot!

tko187

Hi thanks guys , another problem today, nitrites are fine now they are at 0, my nitrates are between 5-10 but my ammonia has went up to 0.25?? Why would this happen and should i put them ammo chips in again or just do a water change again? And yup the horse is dead, im tryin guys cmon you gotta give me that!! I got another 4 Danios at hatchethavens advice, the leopard ones and a couple more corys as my other one died too.

Lucy

I know you're trying tko, but you need to be patient.

The increase in ammonia is probably from adding too many new fish at once. When the time is right, only add 1 or 2 at a time.
It's always a good idea to quarantine new fish for a couple of weeks so they don't carry anything bad into your tank.
Are you still dealing with the ick? If so, you've now exposed your new fish to this parasite.
Seriously, until you're tank's parameters are stable for a while I wouldn't have added anything else, if anything since I think you were also dealing with an overstocked tank to begin with.

What exactly is in your tank now?

tko187

In my tank now i have :
9 zebra danios
10 cardinal tetras ( i thought they were neons)
2 corys
1 pleco

Im just not sure why the ammonia has come back as i havent stopped doing water changes. Someone on another forum i decided to go on has told me that my tank isnt cycled......is this true, i dont think so, i think all the test rading have been fine and Nitrites came back down to 0 aswell, just the amm was slightly high at 0.25. Shall i do water changes?

I know i shouldnt have bought more fish, the ich is fine none of my fish have apart for a afew spots on one of my cardinals.

Any help would be good !

Lucy

Honestly, I think adding the fish increased you ammonia, just keep up with the water changes and keep the temperature up for the ick, you should be ok.

Nice stock. 43"not including the pleco, if it's a common, he can get up to 18", he would need to go.

Blub

Getting that pleco out of there will really help with ammonia. They constantly excrete ammonia through their gills - and plecos are big waste producers! I think adding the fish upped your ammonia.