susitna-flower

I would continue doing 50% changes every day that the ammonia or nitrite get up over where they are today. Depending on how much you feed, or how many fish you have in the tank it might be every day. Look at tan.b 's profile and look at her posts. She was having the same problem, it took several weeks, but eventually her tank was fully cycled, and it is fine now. This is all a learning process for everyone. I am happy your levels came down with the change. Keep up the good work.

Fish in the Frozen North 8)

gilly2402

lost one of my danios today the rest are fine and lively so dont think it was anything ive done lvls are ok just a bit strange thats all no signs of attack or disease so really puzzled could just have been one of thouse things but still very sad will do test later today when home from work

gilly2402

up to date test and i may have a problem* amm=0 ph=6.4? nitrite =1 nitrate= 10 my ph has dropped from 7.6 which is wat i was averaging to 6.4 maybe this the reason i lost a danio i dont know help please*

susitna-flower

gilly2402

thanks for info april, i havent done anything different to wat i normally do,nothing has been added eg driftwood,plants or ornaments etc im cleaning tank filter once a week , glass every couple of days and water changes every 2-3 days or when needed and using same test kit ive always done .......oh wait a minute i brought a different brand of de-chlorinator from pet shop in my village which is a blue colour maybe this was key i just cant understand it but i suppose its all part of the learning curve.i read the article on old tank syndrome very useful information thanks for help

gilly2402

just noticed im a jnr member ...wow wat have i done to deserve that lol

susitna-flower

gilly2402

morning april, i tested ph in water from tap it was 7.4 same as yours which is ok still trying to figure out y ph dropped gonna do test on tank today will post results later coz i got to see my nephew before he goes to iraq (staying safe i pray)

gilly2402

morning all im happy i think my tank is finally getting there here are my levels for todays test amm=0 nitrite =0.25 ph=7.6( cant understand why there was a fluctuation) nitrate 5.0what does everyone think? how am i doing should there be more things for me to do. i may leave tank for a couple of days now to see what changes. brought some frozen daphne yesterday fish love it,hope it will bring a varied diet for the fish...... thanks to all are helping me especially APRIL shes a class act with tank problems THANKS APRIL

susitna-flower

gilly2402

i hope he stays safe too i seen him today and his posting has change from iraq to afghanistan so pray he stays safe aswell will do 10% water change tommorrow and will post results then thanks april

tan.b

hi there! sounds like all is going well at last. cycling does seem like an uphill struggle, but with plenty of water changes ( i remember it well!) it will work out. just one thing to mention which i dont think has been mentioned yet is when your tank is cycled (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and below 20 for nitrate) dont rush out and fill your tank with fish. when you add fish you increase ammonia production, so there is lag time before the bacteria mulitply to keep up. so just buy a few at a time and wait at least a week and if water tests say that your tank is still zero for the ammonia and nitrite before adding more. everything i'm afraid takes time. nightmare for me cos i'm soooooo impatient!!!
have a look on the freshwater for beginners board...theres loads of info on there. any questions, please do ask us. we'll always try to help and do share your stories, we're always glad of a read!!!
GOOD LUCK!!!! tan

gilly2402

thanks for support tan much appreciated i am really impatient myself but im biting my lip so i wont be getting any more fish at moment but i have been thinkingof getting a couple of ghost shrimp, wat do you think? i have a plecky but not for long when that grows i will take to a friends with a 250 gallon tank i also have 2 albino loaches so im thinking whether or not i need the shrimp at all... any advice most welcome

tan.b

No prob! although the plec and the loaches wil eat the algae, they're not so good at left-overs. the shrimps however are great for leftovers. they will pick up any bits of leftover food (flakes/algae wafers) so there's no surplus food stagnating in your tank. i'd recommend them to anyone. they are peaceful and i'l be getting some more soon. one point to remember though is they dont go well with copper, so if you use any medications containing copper, you'll have to move the shrimps out or the poorly fish you are treating out (which is recommended anyway, so you only treat the ill fish rather than all of them!) they seem pretty hardy too. however they do shed their skin once in a while, so dont be alarmed if you see that!! mine did it for the 1sttaime a few weeks ago and i thoughtit was a dead shrimp (even though i was warned about shedding!!). it had the legs and everything. it looked like 2 halves of a shrimp just floating about!! they do like hiding too! in my 15 gal they hide in the anubia plant and in the 28 gal they hide in the castle. they can burrow apparently in fine gravel, but mine havent as yet!
here's some more info:
http://www.fishlore.com/profile-ghostshrimp.htm
hope this helps
any questions, let us know. by the way...glad to hear you have plans for your plec! enjoy him while you can. if you dont move him when he gets big they become stunted and can die as their organs grow, but their body doesnt. not pleasant . 250gal seems like an ocean!! wish i had one that big!
Tan

gilly2402

thanks for comments tan appreciate it ... one thing i havent got sand or tiny gravel i got gravel thats about the size of a pea, will this make a difference to them ?..... now all i got to do then is find a shop that sells ghost shrimps .....many thanks again

tan.b

no prob! my 15 gal has pea gravel which they dont burrow in. my 28 gal has fine gravel and they bother with that. those 2 were in the other tank with big gravel and they couldnt if they tried. i think as long as they have places to hide and shelter they'll be fine. when they shed their exoskel they're a little vulnerable so some caves/plants etc should be fine. they are quite shy, but come out when lights go out and clear up any leftover food. ask at your lfs, they may get some in if you ask. i always ask if they dont have it. i figured if enough people ask for something they'll consider stocking it!! good luck!! - tan

gilly2402

thanks for comments tan ... im still considering it but will phone a few fish suppliers first to see wat stocks (if any )of them thay have
thanks again...gilly

tan.b

no prob! good luck