TrayLyn71

I just purchased a 45 gallon aquarium. Unfortunately, I followed the advice of the PetSmart employee who said it was ok to set-up my aquarium, add Stress Coat, wait an hour and add fish. I then started surfing the web to find out more information and belatedly found out about the cycle process and that only a small amount of fish are too be added after waiting 24-48 hours.

So, now I'm wondering what do I do now to help the fish I have added get through the cycling process. Any guidance provided would be GREATLY appreciated.

Here's my info:

45 gallon tank (36"L x 12"W x 24"D)
set-up 12/30/08
Aqua Clear Filter 50(200)
heater
decorated w/ fake plants & decorations
1 piece of driftwood w/ live plant attached (from existing tank @ PetSmart so I am assuming it was properly cured)

Fish:
4 - Zebra Danios
1 - neon tetra
1 - Black Molly
1 - Platy
1 - small Common Pleco
1 - Gray Cory Catfish
3 - Peppered Cory Catfish

Attached Images

IMG_0018.jpg (469.1 KB, 38 views)

Jess

Welcome to Fishlore. Lots of information here.
They really misled you. You could take them back and wait for your fishless cycle to happen. If you don't. You will have to change your water about 50% each day until you get cycled and this could take weeks. Otherwise your fish will suffer, you will lose them and boy they are expensive on top of it all. Sorry about the misinformation. If you want advice on stocking after you have cycled please write back with questions, for instance your Neon Tetra is a schooling fish and would really want to be in a group of at least 5. Everyone is happy to give advice.

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!jess gave you great advice...id just like to add that getting some prime water conditioner or stress coat + if you decide to keep the fish, needs to be added with your daily water changes to keep the ammonia non toxic for 24 hours until your next change..or if you have a friend that has an established tank, you can cut off some of their filter media to seed your tank....gotta love fish stores trying to make a buck!! alot of us have been there tho...goodluck!

Nick G

Welcome to fishlore. Sorry to hear about the advise you received from the petstore. If you can't return the fish then do just as Jess and Shawnie suggested. 50% daily water change and add prime water conditioner to the new water you add. On the bright side, if you can't return the fish they're all pretty hardy species, apart from the neon. So if you keep up the maintenence on a daily basis theres a good chance they'll survive. Good Luck!

TrayLyn71

Thanks for the advice. I'm really glad I stumbled upon this great site.

I called PetSmart to see if they would take back any or all of the fish I purchased, but the manager said that they don't accept returns of live fish. Their return policy on fish is that they will exchange fish if they die within 14 days of purchase for new ones of the same type.

So, I'm hoping that I can keep the ones I have alive through the cycling process. I will do daily 50% water changes as suggested, but I have a couple of questions.

1) How long do I need to do 50% water changes? Every day for the duration of the cycle process or do I taper off to every other day, then every three days, etc. until I get to once a week?

2) How long does the cycle process take? I've read from different sources that it takes anywhere from 30 - 45 days to 4 - 6 weeks. Which is it? Does it depend on the size of the aquarium &/or the # of fish?

3) For water changes, do I just siphon out the water from the top/middle of the tank or do I need to vacuum the gravel & siphon the water from the bottom?

4) I purchased the Python No Spill Clean & Fill. Is that okay to use?
5) What amount of Stress Coat+ should I use for the water changes? Just for the amount of the new water added or enough for the entire 45 gallons?

6) What and how much should I feed the existing fish right now and through the cycling process? I have tropical flakes, freeze-dried blood worms & algae wafers on hand right now. I fed them some tropical flakes sparingly yesterday and threw in one algae wafer last night which was gone this morning.

Also, for the neon tetra. Jess mentioned that it is a schooling fish. Will he be okay by himself for awhile or should I get one or two more neon tetras to give him some company? If so, when? I don't want him to be anti-social or depressed because he is all by himself right now. If I wait until the cycle process is finished and then add some more Neon Tetras, will they all accept one another at that point?

Lastly, I noticed that my Platy is rubbing himself on the plants on occasion. I've read that this may be an indication of ICH. I don't see any white spots on him or any of the other fish. I have some Ich tablets, should I add them?

For the most part all of the fish seem to be acting normal for their type. The danios are swimming in the upper portion of the tank, the pleco is attached to something or other sucking away, the platy & black molly are swimming around fine and the catfish alternate between laying at the bottom of the tank to swimming around the bottom trying to find food to swimming at the middle of the tank and back down. Are there any specific signs I should watch out for during the cycling process to make sure they are doing okay?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing by them.

Is there anything else I should know or being doing in the interim?

Thanks again for all the help and advice.

Shawnie

1. every day until a completed cycle
2. its anyones guess ..my 75 gal took 9 weeks
3.I would do a gravel vac like once a week other wise do daily just water
4.python will be your best friend!! I have to use a bucket as my faucet wont hold a python..its a back breaker LOL
5. add the amount of stress coat + for your tank size...
6.feeding what they can eat in about 1 min is good and the one wafer id go to maybe 1 or 2 times aweek so he will do his job at algae....you can actually feed ever other day to help keep the ammonia down..rubbing could be from ammonia or a bunch of other things...if its ich, you will see white salt spots and turning up temps to 83 for two weeks should help that..warmer temps also help the cycle along but is more stressful to fish as there is less oxygen in warmer water..so a bubble wand works wonders for that....doing the daily changes with your stress coat is the only way to go for now unless you can find some established media or tetra safestart..which will knock off a few weeks for you..goodluck agian

Nick G

Okay- You'll need to do 50% water changes daily. This will slow the cycle but if you don't do it the fish will die of ammonia poisoning. Try and get a API master test kit to check your water parameters. After a few weeks you'll see the ammonia and nitrite levels drop to zero and the nitrate levels at 5-10. Once this happens you can reduce the water changes to once a week, but still keep checking the parameters. How long the cycle takes differs from tank to tank but with fish it'll probably take at least 6 weeks. Don't vacumn the gravel when the tank is cycling as beneficial bacteria will be building up there. Just siphon the water from the middle of the tank. And add prime water conditioner to the tap water you replace it with. Just feed the fish normally 2-3 times a day. As for the Neon, I hate to be pessimistic but I doubt he'll survive anyway so I wouldn't get anymore until the tanks cycled. Neons are really sensitive to water fluctuations. But you never know, he might make it! As for the ich tablets, I wouldn't add them unless you're sure the fish have ich. Remember this is just my opinion though, and there's no guarentee it'll work. Hope it helps though! Good Luck!

CoreyCat

welcome to fishlore
its cruel to have only 1 tetra, molly, or platy. the rule is at least 5...

TrayLyn71

Okay, I did the 50% water change. Most of the fish are acting normal, from what I can tell. I'm a little worried about one of the Cory Cats. He just hangs out at the bottom. He swims a little bit, but he is not scavaging around like the others. I noticed the Neon rub himself on one of the plants, but I don't see any white spots on him. Any ideas on the cory & neon and should I be doing anythig further to help them?

I feel terrible that the Neon is all by himself now that I know he is a schooling fish. However, I haven't read anywhere that Mollies and Platies are schooling fish too. From what I've read, they are fine on their own unless you want to breed them, then I read you need to double up the female to male ratio.

Is this not correct? Do I need to get schools of Mollies & Platies as well?

Nick G

You're right, Mollies and Platys don't school. They should be fine as they are. Corys generally either scavenge or do exactly what you described,so I wouldn't worry too much there. 2 of mine are lying on the gravel doing nothing as we speak! I'd still say leave the Neon and see how he does. If he survives the cycle then get him some friends!

TrayLyn71

Great - thanks Nick!

During the cycling period, as I'm testing the water, at what levels should I be looking for in Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates? I know Ammonia will spike at first, then go to zero when Nitrites spikes, then Nitrites will go to zero and Nitrate s/b between 5 -10, right? So, as I'm doing daily water changes and testing the water, are there levels of Ammonia & Nitrite that I should be concerned about?

Nick G

No not really. You can get some really alarming results if you test during the cycle. Just keep doing the daily 50% water changes and test weekly. Once you're getting constant readings of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 5-10 nitrates you'll be cycled.

TrayLyn71

I have Stress Coat+ that I am putting in the water when changing the water. Should I use Prime water conditioner instead or is Stress Coat+ sufficient?

Nick G

If you can get prime use it. If not just stick with the stress coat. How're the fish doing?

TrayLyn71

So far, so good.

Quick question on feeding - I've read that during cycling you should feed sparingly as more food = more fish poo = more ammonia. I have tropical flakes, freeze dried blood worms and algae wafers. I've just been doing small pinches of flakes twice a day, making sure it is all eaten in 3-5 minutes, which it is. The Black Molly & the Danios suck it all up pretty fast at the water level. The Tetra and Platy get a few bits that float down to mid-level, but I don't see a whole lot getting down to the lower level for the Cory Cats and the Pleco, although they seem to be sucking away on something. I don't know if it is actual food though or if they are just sucking in vain.

Should I just continue with the flakes 2 times a day as I have been doing? Should I vary their diet at this point with some blood worms? If so, how often? Should I sink an algae wafer or two for the cories & pleco? If so, how many & how often?

Nick G

I'd do exactly as you are, and maybe drop a couple of algae wafers every 2-3 days. The Corys and Pleco will find food, don't worry. Maybe a feed of bloodworm now and again too.

Lucy

Just to clarify, Stress Coat+ claims to detox the ammonia like Prime does.
Regular Stress Coat just a water conditioner....a good one, but doesn't claim to detox the ammonia.


TrayLyn71, it looks like you've gotten some good advise, so I just want to add......Welcome to Fish Lore

agabr123

Prime will be extremely helpful to this process. If you're doing water changes daily, add the amount of prime that the whole tank would take, at least while the ammonia is still spiked. That will detoxify it for twenty four hours (until your next water change) and keep your fish much healthier while you're trying to get through the cycle.

Jess

Hi TrayLyn71, about your neon, I'd wait and see how he does before you add more. They really want an established tank. So hold on and see how it goes.
The Python is also my best friend too. You couldn't have picked a better water changing system to start. If your question about adding conditioner or prime wasn't completely answered. You put in only the amount of "conditioner or Prime" in your tank you took out. So if you're taking out roughly 20 gal. You treat for the 20 gal. you're replacing.
You're getting excellent advice from everyone. : )
Keep us posted on your fight with the ammonia war. Ha! the good guy always wins!

midnightwolf

hello and welcome to fishlore, I see your getting some great info so i onley want to add that i hope your fish make it through the cycle and that im sorry about the advice you receaved at the petstore(they dont know what their talking about) anyway i hope everything goes well

TrayLyn71

Well, I'm doing the 50% water changes and have not lost any fish yet (fingers crossed). I am, however, worried about a couple.

1) One of my Cory Catfish is not swimming around as much as the others. S/he tends to sit at the bottom and only stirs during feeding times. The other three are pretty active and when they do rest on the bottom they are close together, whereas the other one is off by her/himself.

2) My Platy keeps rubbing the side of his head (gills?) against a plant. I don't see any white spots or anything else physically wrong with him.

Should I be worried about these two and/or do anything for them?

Nick G

Try not to worry. Unless you see something physically wrong with them don't do anything. All fish act differently, they might still be getting used to there new home.

Jess

Excellent that you haven't lost anyone.

fishyuser63

At my local fish store they have live bacteria that you can buy in a bottle. From what I understand, this will instantly cycle your tank. I think it costs around $15.00 though. You may want to look into it....and welcome to fishlore

TrayLyn71

Thanks for the tip - I"ll call a couple of places tomorrow to see if it is available here.

Nick G

No it won't. There is NO product availible to instantly cycle your tank. Products that claim to do this contain bacteria that aren't self sustaining. They cycle the tank for a day or so until the bacteria dies, and then you're straight back to square one.

docjr03

Traylyn, welcome to fishlore! I followed the instructions that came with my tank and am doing a "fish cycle," too. So, if it helps, I feel your guilt as well. If it makes you feel any better, my two neons are doing fine so far as I am able to keep my ammonia below 0.5ppm. Also, you might want to add an airstone or two; it adds more O2 to the water, and my fish seem to be more active. Good Luck!

Dozey

Welcome to FishLore.

I just wanted to add that your common pleco will need a larger tank. The common pleco can reach 18” in length and produce a huge amount of waste. Generally 75+ gallon tanks are suggested for common plecos.

TrayLyn71

At the fish store, they told me this pleco was the small variety and wouldn't get over 5-6".

How can I tell for sure?

Nick G

Can you post a pic of it?