BulldogWrestler

So I FINALLY got my new tank up and running and decided to go the Tetra Safestart route as I've been reading some promising things.

Here's the steps:

30 Gallon tall tank with Eclipse 2 Hood on it and an upgraded lighting fixture system. I have a Top Fin 150 watt heater in there, and have it set for 78 (although it heats the tank closer to 80). The filter on the Eclipse hood is a Marineland Bio Wheel filter.

I set the tank up, filled it up, put in some Tetra Aqua Safe to dechlorinate the water. Tank is set up with a sandy substrate bottom (rinsed a billion times and it still clouded up), and has fake plants throughout, a couple ornaments, and a piece of driftwood (thoroughly boiled).

After setting the tank up, I let it run with the thermometer and the filter on for 24+ hours or so.

I then got some Tetra Safe Start and read that I should fully stock the tank before doing so.

Stocklist:

1 Angelfish
6 Glass Fish
2 Glass Red Bellied Tetras (there were 2 left so I nabbed them to give a good home to and have them school with the glass fish)
4 kuhli loaches
2 ghost shrimp (1 medium/small size, and 1 really small - more on this later)

1 Bristlenose Pleco (not added initially)

So I added all of the fish in the top, after acclimating them to the water after I added Safestart. (As in, I poured the entire bottle of Safestart into the tank, and put the bags in so the temperatures attempted to even out. Then I cut a hole at the top of the bag, squeezed most of the water from the bag out into the sink and then poured the rest in with the fish).

I didn't feed the fish for the first 24 hours (actually probably closer to 18 or so due to timing). Fed the fish flaked food, and felt that I pinched a bit too much off (as some fell to the bottom) so I didn't drop in any shrimp pellets for the loaches. I figured the food on the bottom would suffice for them.

Came back from work the next day and the tank is slightly cloudy. I decided, even though Tetra Safestart says not to (and all the people say not to), to test the water and get an idea of the parameters. Test results:

0-.25 ammonia
0 nitrite
0 nitrate

A bit bummed, but I do remember test results varying, etc.

In any case, it's only been 2 days, so maybe the "wait for a week before testing" is because of this.

Well, this morning my pleco arrived (despite me instructing the person I bought it from to hold sending it until Monday of next week. So I put the Pleco into the tank (after acclimation) and he immediately attached himself to the filter. The tank is a bit more cloudy now, and I haven't tested the water.

You can't see from one end to the other if you look at the tank lengthwise, but you can if you look through the width - if that makes sense. The cloudiness has me concerned.

Also, my kuhli loaches have disappeared. I see a couple of them swim around randomly, but nowhere to be found when I left for work this morning. Also, there is the shell of what appears to be the smaller ghost shrimp's head. The big one was still running around. Also, some flakes are still on the ground and little pieces of driftwood are all over the sand (Darn loaches made a mess I bet).

So my concerns are this:

- Cloudiness in the tank and a small ammonia reading.
- Death of the small ghost shrimp (tank related? hungry loach related? Angelfish maybe?)
- Loaches nowhere to be seen.
- Possible bioload ramifications of the new pleco addition.

Any advice?

I'll get my wife to take pics today and post some up. From what the guy at the LFS says, the cloudiness is supposed to happen with the Safestart and although he has heard mixed reviews, apparantly the readings aren't supposed to jive immediately and it shouldn't be tested for a week.

So yeah. Lemme know what you guys think.

BulldogWrestler

Sorry Lucy. Didn't realize that was considered a curse word. I apologize.

agabr123

I wouldn't worry about the cloudiness just yet, it's probably just a bacterial bloom. as far as the ramifications of adding the pleco, I also wouldn't worry about it too much, since it sounds like you added him very early on as well. I'd be willing to bet that one of the loaches or the angel ate your ghost shrimp. Don't worry too much about the results yet, give it a full week and then see where you are. With tetra safe start you still have to go through the cycle, it's just supposed to somehow reduce the toxicity of the ammonia and nitrite by 10-14x and get you through the cycle in 7-10 days.

As far as the kuhlis go, I wouldn't worry too much about them hiding yet. they're still getting adjusted to their surroundings, and will probably come out a lot more over the next few weeks.

BulldogWrestler

Turns out the other ghost shrimp was just hiding. He's bigger now, so I assume he's molting. And the pleco poops. A LOT.

Besides almost electrocuting my fish and burning my condo down (minor details lol) I think everything is going. Came home today and the water was a lot more clear, so I graveled the bottom and did a small water change. No readings yet, I'll wait a bit.

agabr123

Lol, yeah generally when they are molting they'll go into hiding (to avoid getting eaten). How much of a water change did you do? You should hold off on any more water changes until the end of the 7-10 days when you test again.

BulldogWrestler

Water change was about a 10-15% change, and I did that to clean up the enormous amounts of on the floor from the first feeding.