-pinky-

Well, after yesterdays trauma (my tank was overstocked and my fish were acting wierd....see "new neons acting wierd" post)....i think things are finally perking up!...

The neons and Glowlights (especially neons), are darting around the middle area of the tank aswell as the bottom, and when i fed them, they all came up to the top for food. But i have some questions...

1) do fish sleep?, because after a long period of darkness, when i turn the lights on, all the fish are resting on the gravel. Soon they start investigating, and swimming around the tank.

2) The water in the tank water is moving from side to side to side, as if someone has just gently shaken the tank. The fish don't seem to mind, but some of the lighter plants are shaking in the current. Also, when the fish go really near the top, they move from side to side with the water. What do you think is causing this, and can i fix it?

x Please answer both if you can, thanks. x

Shawnie

1. yes they do sleep..and sometimes on their sides...
2. a heavy current is probably causeing the water to move..is the tank filled up to the top to stop some of the water outtake from hitting the surface from a far distance?

-pinky-

No, its not filled up to the top, because its one of those BiOrb thingies, and your not supposed too. BiOrbs are pretty restricted in what you can do with them, but they look cool, and i only had a small corner of my bedroom to put the tank in!

-pinky-

More questions....

1) One of my neons is missing half his dorsal fin, but there is no sign of infection. He swims almost as well as the others, and he doesn't get picked on. Will this fin grow back or will it be torn for good?

2) What are the signs of ammonia burns? Because i was impatient with the nitrogen cycle thingy, and i want to make sure the fish aren't getting affected by this.

Shawnie

1. yes it will with clean water and some stress coat ..get some vita chem and garlic guard if you can find it

2. you have ammonia in the tank? did you know about the cycle before you bought your fish?? if so and your tank isnt cycled, and the issues you had are going to return..you need DAILY water changes with some prime are needed to save the fishies until it is..which takes weeks unless you get some tetra safestart...ammonia burns look like regular burns or big white patches fromt he skin falling off..I hope you dont have that issue

-pinky-

No, i don't know if theres any ammonia, i'm still waiting for the test kit i oredered, i just wanted to watch out for ammonia burns incase there was ammonia...

the fish don't show any signs of ammonia burns, and they feed properly. They also swim around alot, so i don't think theres any ammonia in there...like i said, i'm still awaiting the test kit!

bluealuefish

If your tank isn't cycled then there will be ammonia being produced by your fish. Since your tank is small, I recommend doing daily 25% water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrites down (both are bad for your fish).

yes fish do sleep, my neons are always at the bottom of my tank before the light turns on, they lose their red color too!

Shawnie

was the tank cycled?

-pinky-

thats alright then. ya know when i do the water changes. How long do i leave the tap water with the water conditioner to work its magic?!

Yep, by 1 week, and i know thats not long enough because people told me after i put the fish in, but my test kit is coming soon, and i'm trying to do daily water changes...

I just need someone to answer my question above

Lucy

The water condition works instantly.

It takes longer than 1 week to cycle a tank unless you used Tetra SafeStart or seeded it with filter media from an established tank.

Here's an explanation of the cycling process:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Edit: Oops misread your post. You're tank is still cycling then?

Shawnie

bettaluver you knew from your other thread that adding more fish in an uncycled tank wasnt good so now as lucy has said in both threads, daily water changes with prime is needed...the conditioner and water are added together and work immediately

Lucy

I did? Ha, At least I'm consistant.

Shawnie

so is bettaluver!!!

-pinky-

Yer, i knew that, i just needed to know how long i had to leave the water conditioner in the tap water before i add it to the tank =]