halfguard

my bottom feeder of my 10 gal tank has been hanging around the top of the tank for about a day and 1/2 now. should i be concerned?

Lucy

It would be of concern, yes.
What kind of bottom feeder is it?
Is your tank cycled? What are the readings?
What size is the tank?

Beeker

Hi halfguard! Welcome to FishLore!

What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings? What type of test do you use: liquid test or test strips, and what brand? What fish, and how many do you have in your tank? How long has your tank been running and how long have you had this fish that is acting strange? How is his color and appetite?

Dozey

Welcome Halfguard,

I can think of another question. Have you added another fish recently that has chased him away from the bottom? Also, filling in your tank information would help members help you.

halfguard

thanx for all the replies...ive only had the tank for about 4 days.....i have 2 gourami, 3 platys, and the bottom feeder is a plecostomus (sp) ive been using test strips and my water seems to be fine. he will not eat at all, and did not from day 1. i dont think he looks that good......its a 10 gall all in one aqueon tank....the strips are from petco......

Dozey

If you have only had the tank for a few days then it is highly unlikely that your tank has not been cycled. And yes that would certainly explain why he doesn't look to well.

Test strips are not the best way to go but since that's what you have we will start with those.

What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate reading? In all likely hood you should be rushing to your LFS (local fish store) to perchase a product called "Prime".

Beeker

Not good.
Your tank is not cycled and your pleco will most likely not be able to make it through the cycle, since they are very sensitive to water quality.

Sorry to say, but there is more bad news. Your tank is severely overstocked. You will have to take the Pleco back. No Pleco can survive very long in a 10 gallon tank. They get too big for that small of a tank and even if they are of the smaller species, they carry too much of a bioload. Even having the 2 gouramis in there is too much for that size tank. Also, test strips are very inaccurate and unreliable. You should use a liquid test kit. The one that most of us use is this one:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...rmastertestkit

Add:
Yes, Prime is very good. It can be difficult to find, but it is the best way to avoid having any of your fish die.
Is it possible for you to get a bigger tank? Maybe a 20 gal?

halfguard

wow, this is very upsetting. i was told by the people at petco that this was a good amount of fish and i could even get more in the future. its to late to get a 20 gall tank. if i cant find prime, what are some similar products??

ok, i see that prime is a water cond. i have one......i have tetra aqua aquasafe.

what can i do......

Sophism

It might be too late, most likely he is going to the top of the tank trying to get oxygen. Start doing 50% water changes immediatly and everyday. Return the pleco and Gouramis if possible. Common pleco's get up to a foot in length.

Beeker

I'm sorry that you are off to a difficult start.
It is good that you came here to look for advice. A very important tip that almost everybody here will tell you is: Do NOT take advice from the people at the store. They only want to sell. They sold you fish that were not compatible with the set up you have knowing that you would be a flood of money. As they expected, you ran into problems so you went back to the store looking for help and spent a lot of money. That is how it works.
If you want fish, or any pet, start learning about it first. Learn about the different species. Different fish have different needs, habits, temperaments, and personalities. See what will be compatible. Learn how much space they need and if they need hiding places or not. Then prepare their home for them.
It is so important to learn about the nitrogen cycle. Not knowing about it, as you have experienced, could mean death for your fish and a lot of heartache, time, and money spent by you. The tank should be cycled before you add fish. It is the safest and most humane way to prepare a home for fish. Once your tank is up and running, you need to do at least weekly water changes (about 30% of the water in the tank).
You are on the right track. To stay on it, if you have any questions, ask this forum. These people know what they are talking about and have no ulterior, money making motives. Don't be fooled into trusting somebody at the store.
Read up on the Nitrogen Cycle here:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
Fish grow fast, and when they even begin to feel the least bit crowded, they get cranky, even goldies do. You can research different species here:
http://www.fishlore.com/freshwaterfish.htm

That and some other profile pages build my dreams.

halfguard

i waited 2 days before i put the fish in, is this correct...also, what fish would you recoment for a 10 gall tank....also thank you so much for your help......

Sophism

no that is not correct, a tank can take about a month to cycle depending on the method used.

Beeker

We are happy to help.

The salespeople left out a lot of information.
The wait before putting new fish in your tank is supposed to be a quarantine period, but that is supposed to be in a quarantine tank. The quarantine period is supposed to be about a week, sometimes two depending on the species. But before buying any fish at all, you need to cycle your tank which can take a month or more depending on the size of the tank.
Definitely take the Pleco back. What kind of Gouramis do you have?
Here is a link you can use to see what kind of fish you like and learn about their needs:
http://www.fishlore.com/freshwaterfish.htm
This link doesn't have the pictures until you click on the name, but they do have a lot of great information:
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profile.html

Important: BEFORE ADDING FISH Get a liquid test kit and finish cycling your tank.

Dozey

Nice post Beeker... very well said.

Halfguard, no waiting two days does not even begin to get your tank ready. Generally a tank will take a month or more before it is ready for fish.

Given that you have already have fish my best advice is to return them all right now to Petco, avoid slapping the sales person it will only get you into trouble. The store should give you a credit that you can use in the future when your tank is ready.

Read the directions that Beeker gave you about cycling your tank. Ask as many questions as required while cycling your tank about both the cycle process and what fish would best suit your tank.

If petco refuses to take the fish back buy "Prime". This will help keep some of your fish alive while your tank cycles. And then make plans to give the fish you have away to a good home.

Plecolover12

I was going to get a plecostomus in my ten gallon but I was told the same thing. You can get some platys, or guppies, or a ghost shrimp.

halfguard

the gouramis are blue. so you are saying that i have to wait 1 month before i put fish in.i added the water cond when the tank was full, then waited 2 days.....

Beeker

No. We are saying to wait until your tank is cycled before buying more fish. Then, when you do get fish, just acclimate them for about an hour and then add them to the tank.

How about taking the Pleco and the 3 Platys back and getting 4 Otos instead? But don't get them until after your tank is cycled.

Are your Gouramis a male and a female?

Dozey

You have to wait 1 month is not quite what we said. We advised you that you will have to wait until your tank is cycled befor you can add fish. This generally takes around a month. Your tank is small so it may cycle slightly quicker.

halfguard

isnt prime just a water conditioner?

Dozey

Prime will deal with the ammonia in your tank. It will not remove the ammonia but rather it will make the ammonia safe for your fish (for 24 hours) while still providing the ammonia to the bacterial colony to feed on.

OH yeah, and it is also a water conditioner.

Beeker

Yes, but unlike most other water conditioners that only remove chlorine and chloramine, Prime, in addition to chlorine and chloramine, also removes ammonia, detoxifies NitrItes and NitrAtes, and provides slime coat for the fish.

halfguard

ok, my bottomfeeder passed. im upset and frustrated..........i did a 50% water change and tomorow i will try to return the gouramis. do you guys think i will be good with my 3 platys until i go throught the cycle?

Beeker

I'm so sorry to hear you lost him.
Your platys will be okay as long as you keep up with the daily waterchanges and add Prime.

halfguard

daily water changes? how much waterand how often do i need to add the prime? just with the water changes?

soldieroffortune1974

With the fish in the aquarium,they produce wastes.These wastes break down and form ammonia.The cycling process establishes nitrifying bacteria that breaks down the ammonia into nitrites.Another set of bacteria develops and breaks the nitrites down into nitrates.

The ammonia and nitrites are highly toxic to the fish in many ways. Changing the water 50% daily removes 50% of the ammonia,and nitrites keeping the fish healthy. Adding Prime water conditioner neutralises the remaining ammonia,making it safe for the fish,while enabling the bacteria to continue growing their colony.

You want to change 50% of the water EVERY DAY.Refill the aquarium with water treated with the Prime water conditioner.You do this until your test kit shows 00 ammonia 00 nitrites and some nitrates,usually 5-20ppm.At this point your aquarium will be cycled and you can discontinue the daily water changes and set up a weekly water change of 20% or every other week of 50% with gravel/sand vacuuming.

Beeker

Daily 50% waterchanges and add the prime when you add the new water. Prime is strong stuff, so you won't need much. Just follow the directions on the bottle.

Lucy

Hi halfguard
I'm really sorry you lost your pleco .
Many memeber have been where you are and it is frustrating that fish stores don't explain the cycling process.

I had a really hard time understanding cycling too. I read and re-read the link Beeker provided you and asked tons of questions before it sunk in.

Perhaps this will help:

The goal of cycling your tank is to establish enough benefical bacteria that will 'eat' the ammonia.

First your ammonia (from fish waste and left over food) will rise.

In a few weeks you'll see the nitrite levels rise and the ammonia levels start to drop.

After a few more weeks you'll see the nitrate levels rise and the nitrite levels drop.

Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to your fish.

So until your cycle is complete, you need to keep the levels down with daily water changes and use Prime as your water conditioner.

When you having readings of 0 on both ammonia and nitrites with some nitrates showing, your cycle is done.

Be patient, as mentioned in other posts this process can take up to a month.

We want you to enjoy your tank and have healthy fish, so please ask any questions you need to.

Good luck

Drew 43920

An air diffuser might help.

halfguard

ok, i returned the 2 gouramis and i got the prime.......

Beeker

ok
So all that's left in the tank is the platys?