Newbie Needing Advice!

The following has taken place over a two week period.

My partner and I impulsively bought a 10 Gallon starter aquarium with the idea that in years to come we would eventually upgrade to a larger 55 Gallon. I love pictus cats and the plan was get them eventually. We purchased the tank and a bunch of fish because the lady at petsmart said as long as the temp is good we can add fish *insert now educated eye roll here.* We do as she says and set the thing up. The kits comes with:
10 Gallon tank
Filter
Heater
Thermometer
Tropical pellets
*the kit did not come with water conditioner but the lady said our Betta conditioner would be fine *

We purchased
2 neon tetras
2 ember tetras
1 clown pleco

We introduced the fish as per instructed and all looked well. Then fish started dying. An ember about an hour after introduction and then a neon the next morning. we assumed this was due to stress, those fish were tiny, 3/4" long at most and we had a winter storm going on. Within a week we lost all of the original fish though. At this point I'm panicking. I start googling everything and boy am I surprised.

I took the water to petsmart to be tested. They did every test they could and all look well. I talked to the fish manager who explained it was probably the tank cycling and that's why they died off. I was sceptical of talking to this manager but she assured me this time would be better, she's had tanks for years. So we added more fish. 4 rummy nose tetras, 2 JulI Cory cats, a couple 2" pictus cat (I'm so sorry little fishes) the manager said we'd be fine for now but would need to upgrade in a year or so. Which was the plan but the fish continued to die! *I'm so embarrassed by our poor fish keeping*

I now know major over stocking!

Now that mass amounts of research has been done and a large amount of money spent on a 55 Gallon long monstrosity, we're looking for advice on switching over the three remaining fish we have (the pictus and the last rummy nose). We set the 55 Gallon up, added the water conditioner, transfered over all the live plants from the 10 Gallon, purchased two additional live plants and have been letting it sit for 3 days now (started Sunday morning). Water became cloudy Sunday night/Monday and is now starting to clear up. I understand that is part of the tank cycling? I also understand it can take between days to months for a tank to cycle?

I've done some reading on these wonderful forums which provided a lot of information. I added some flakes to the tank today (Tuesday) and am going out to purchase a home tester kit today to check my levels. I've read that after a couple days you can add a couple Hardy fish and do small water changes every other day to decrease cycle time, is this a good idea? should I wait till this big tank has fully cycled before moving the cats?

I'd also like to know how I can create a current without using a bubbler. Ive read the pictus live in rivers and like a current. My filter provides good water flow but it hangs on the back and does not reach the far end of the tank, so we have a dead zone.

I just want to make sure I'm getting this tank right and not screwing it up. It was really heartbreaking watching all the fish pass on and not fully understanding why.

 

Some people do fish in cycles but it's not the preferred method. Sorry if you already said these, but did you acclimate them to your tank? 15-30 mins in a bag sitting in the tank, 15-30 mins with a little tank water in the bag still sitting in the tank.

And yes a little cloudiness can happen when you cycle. Just make sure you have zero ammonia and nitrites.

Here is what I use in my 55 gallon tank.

Sun Microsystems JVP-101A 6W 800 GPH Wave Maker with Suction Cup (1 Head)

 

We did let the fish acclimate first in their bag for 15-20 min. We did not add water from the tank to the bag. We were told to put the fish in the new tank without any of the old water.

Is that wave maker fully submersible? Does it sit at the top or the bottom of the tank?

 

It is submersible. I've got it at the bottom of my tank behind a rock. It sweeps everything along the back to my filter. I've also got a few slabs of rock leaning on the back of my tank which make caves. The pictus would probably love that! Here's a photo of my pleco hiding by the pump.



I can get a better photo of it later

 

I really wish those fish stores would stop giving out such bad advice but I guess they sell more fish that way

I bought a few fish yesterday....6 neon tetras to go with the 3 I had left from my original purchase 2 years ago and 6 mollies. When I got them home I poured each bag with their water in separate containers. First I checked the PH of each bowl. The neons water was close to the same PH as my tank. The mollies water looks like it had crashed and the PH looked to be 6.0. Had I just acclimated the fish by floating the bag to get it up to temp I am sure I would be losing mollies by this morning. It took me at least 6 hours to slowly bring their PH up to my tank. All fish are alive and well this morning and I really expect them to stay that way for years to come.

If one wants their fish friends to thrive it takes time and sometimes a lot of it in both cycling a tank and introducing the fish to the tank.

Welcome to the wonderful world of fish keeping.

 

Hello! Sorry for your rough start. Many of us have had similar experiences.

I would buy a bottle of TSS+ and use it to jump cycle the 55 gallon with your fish. Make sure to read the bottle carefully or it can void the beneficial bacteria.

Best things to research for a beginner:
Nitrogen cycle and testing
Propper water changes
How to clean your filter
High quality foods
Drip Acclimation

Besides letting the bag sit, I highly suggest drip acclimation. It will slowly add water from your tank into a bucket which will slowly acclimate the fish. Fish can get shocked and die from a change in ph gh and kh (store to your tap).

I highly suggest getting these tools:
ApI master liquid test kit
Seachem prime and stability
Python water changer
5g bucket
Bigger than needed net
Airline tube for drip acclimation
Extra thermometer for water changes
ThePlecoFeeder for feeding veggies with no effort

 

If the tank is new you should expect a milky white cloud that will cover the tank. That means the tank is cycling at this point and it be hard to put fish in there. If you want to put the fish in there you can do that but you'll need to do daily water changes to make sure they ammonia levels stay at 0-0.25 ppm.

Yes it can can take a few days to get a tank cycled but that's only if you have an existing media that you can move from one tank to another. In your case the media from the 10 gallon isn't enough to start a whole 55 gallon due to the volume of the tank. For instance, I have a 90 gallon tank with full of media, but I didn't pull enough media out from it when starting my 55 gallon tank...so I've been siting waiting for it to cycle.

As for getting a wave maker, if that's what you want go ahead and add it to the tank. You'll need to make adjustments on them as sometimes they can blow the substrate everywhere, if you have sand. Perhaps have the wave maker pointing the current towards the other side of the tank so that the wave hits the glass shoots down and makes any dust or poo come up and get sucked up into the HOB.

 

When I was in your shoes two weeks ago, I was told to move my fish from my 5gal to my 20gal ASAP. Neither of my tanks was cycled, so the larger volume gave more leeway in the toxic buildups. They weren't as saturated.

 

When I was in your shoes two weeks ago, I was told to move my fish from my 5gal to my 20gal ASAP. Neither of my tanks was cycled, so the larger volume gave more leeway in the toxic buildups. They weren't as saturated.

This is a very good point!

 

Yes. If the two tanks are not cycled, It's not worth having the fish sit in the 10g. The 10 gallon can be used as a quarantine tank later. If the fish have been in there for more than 7 days id move the filter or the filter media over to the 55g. It may have something but maybe not.
Like stated prior, the larger tank will have more room causing less toxic levels

 

Thanks guys. I just got home from the store with a couple basic test kits. There's an ammonia and Ph reader that sit in the tank and constantly monitor those parameters, as well as a strip test kit for the No levels, chlorine and such.

Everything looks good except for the PH, it's off the charts, and my water is very very hard. I'll be googling how to fix those unless someone has any tips.

This is our current set up. I want a natural looking tank (Buddha was the boyfriends idea). So I've ordered drift wood and hardscape with already planted mosses and ferns for hiding spots. I've also ordered some plant substrate to mix with the pebbles. So until those come in I'm not sure how the pictus would handle an open tank and battle the fluctuations in levels. Ugh. I feel terrible for these fish.

 

What is the pH?

But it looks good! Hopefully it gets all set up and becomes a flourishing community!

 

The PH is reading around 7 which I read the pictus likes.

Just water tested the 10 Gallon and the NO levels are high. NO3 is around 54ppm and the NO2 is 10ppm if I'm reading these correctly.

 

Thanks guys. I just got home from the store with a couple basic test kits. There's an ammonia and Ph reader that sit in the tank and constantly monitor those parameters, as well as a strip test kit for the No levels, chlorine and such.

Everything looks good except for the PH, it's off the charts, and my water is very very hard. I'll be googling how to fix those unless someone has any tips.

This is our current set up. I want a natural looking tank (Buddha was the boyfriends idea). So I've ordered drift wood and hardscape with already planted mosses and ferns for hiding spots. I've also ordered some plant substrate to mix with the pebbles. So until those come in I'm not sure how the pictus would handle an open tank and battle the fluctuations in levels. Ugh. I feel terrible for these fish.

As a precaution, I have no experience with them myself, but I have read time and time again that the in-tank ammonia readers are inaccurate as are the test strips. Forum members that have been around much longer than me all basically say it's the API Master Kit or bust.

 

Unfortunately petsmart doesn't have a master kit like that or I would of purchased it. It was a $150 kit or test strips. I will be going to Amazon to purchase the master kit but I'm getting low on disposable funds. So it may have to wait till next pay day

 

The PH is reading around 7 which I read the pictus likes.

Just water tested the 10 Gallon and the NO levels are high. NO3 is around 54ppm and the NO2 is 10ppm if I'm reading these correctly.

If those are you readings on the 10, I would check the 55. Depending on the results, either:

1) Do a WC to bring the nitrites down in the 10

Or

2) Move the fish to the 55

 

Hello! Sorry for your rough start. Many of us have had similar experiences.

I would buy a bottle of TSS+ and use it to jump cycle the 55 gallon with your fish. Make sure to read the bottle carefully or it can void the beneficial bacteria.

Best things to research for a beginner:
Nitrogen cycle and testing
Propper water changes
How to clean your filter
High quality foods
Drip Acclimation

Besides letting the bag sit, I highly suggest drip acclimation. It will slowly add water from your tank into a bucket which will slowly acclimate the fish. Fish can get shocked and die from a change in ph gh and kh (store to your tap).

I highly suggest getting these tools:
ApI master liquid test kit
Seachem prime and stability
Python water changer
5g bucket
Bigger than needed net
Airline tube for drip acclimation
Extra thermometer for water changes
ThePlecoFeeder for feeding veggies with no effort

Agree - drip acclimation isn't completely necessary for most fish unless they're very sensitive though; you could also float the bag for 15 mins then add half a cup of tank water into the bag every 5 minutes until the volume of water has doubled. Discard half the water in the bag into a bucket/drain and then continue adding half a cup of tank water every 5 minutes until the volume of water in the bag has once again doubled, after which transfer the fish from the bag into the tank without getting water from the bag into the tank. It should take a little less than an hour, more if your parameters are wildly different than the source water.

I prefer the fishless cycle method, but if you already have fish I would keep the fish in the 55 as previous users have said; a larger tank is much more forgiving about water parameters than a small tank. Move everything except the water from the 10 gallon into the 55 gallon, including the filter. You could have some BB already starting to grow and any little bit will help. Do 25% water changes every day and dose the whole tank with Seachem Prime every 24 hours as well, and get a BB supplement such as TSS+ or API QuickStart to speed up the cycling process. Make sure ammonia and nitrites are kept below 1ppm at all times, as Prime will only neutralize up to that concentration. Increase water changes and feed less if they ever go above 1ppm. With 3 small fish in a 55 you shouldn't have this problem though. Good job with the live plants - they come in useful at the end of the cycle by uptaking nitrates from the water (nitrates should be kept under 40 at all times and most people prefer to keep them under 20), but they also use ammonia. You could add a few of them - pictus cats love heavily planted tanks.

Thanks guys. I just got home from the store with a couple basic test kits. There's an ammonia and Ph reader that sit in the tank and constantly monitor those parameters, as well as a strip test kit for the No levels, chlorine and such.

Everything looks good except for the PH, it's off the charts, and my water is very very hard. I'll be googling how to fix those unless someone has any tips.

This is our current set up. I want a natural looking tank (Buddha was the boyfriends idea). So I've ordered drift wood and hardscape with already planted mosses and ferns for hiding spots. I've also ordered some plant substrate to mix with the pebbles. So until those come in I'm not sure how the pictus would handle an open tank and battle the fluctuations in levels. Ugh. I feel terrible for these fish.

I'm a little confused here - here you said pH was off the charts but in your next post it's 7? Could you clarify what you mean? I'd be concerned if your pH is below 6 or above 9 but other than that the fish should be able to adapt. In general, DO NOT use chemicals to alter pH, they often cause wild pH swings which kill your fish. Driftwood and Indian almond leaves will naturally lower pH. If you don't boil/soak the driftwood before putting it in, it (and the leaves) will release tannins into the water. Not harmful at all, but it'll make your water turn a little orangish. A "wrong" but stable pH is much better for fish than a wildly swinging pH, provided they're properly acclimated to it.

 

Agree - drip acclimation isn't completely necessary for most fish unless they're very sensitive though; you could also float the bag for 15 mins then add half a cup of tank water into the bag every 5 minutes until the volume of water has doubled. Discard half the water in the bag into a bucket/drain and then continue adding half a cup of tank water every 5 minutes until the volume of water in the bag has once again doubled, after which transfer the fish from the bag into the tank without getting water from the bag into the tank. It should take a little less than an hour, more if your parameters are wildly different than the source water.

I usually do the add the water into the bag thing, but drip acclimation is more hands free when you're trying to cook or binge watch something on netflix
I do drip acclimation for neon tetras, shrimp and other sensitive fish.

 

Welcome to fish keeping! You've been pretty bombarded with information so far, and I'll try to combine it into a more singular area you can reference. I'll just state the basics, and get you started with hopefully minimal or no losses.

You already have fish, and the 55 will be MUCH more forgiving. I would move the fish there, and begin a fish in cycle.

Fish in cycling can be done one of two ways. Tetra Safe Start Plus (Make sure it's the plus, the normal won't work), or Bacteria Supplements. I'll detail both.

TSS Method
I'll assume you have already conditioned the water. 24 hours after doing nothing to the tank, but adding conditioner, add the full bottle of TSS Plus and your fish into the tank. Wait 2 weeks, test your parameters, and see where you're at. Perform a 50% water change, and start doing research for good maintenance. This should be a fairly safe method in your 55.

Bacteria Supplement
I'll list the products I use, and their respective uses. Feel free to substitute.

Seachem Prime
Conditioner, Slime Coat, Detoxifys up to 1 ppm Ammonia, Nitrites

Seachem Stability
Bacteria Supplement, formulated to work with Prime

You'll need a reliable test kit for this method, as you are the Ammonia and Nitrites controller.

Test your water parameters daily. Add Prime and Stability daily.

If your Ammonia and/or Nitrites equal to 1 ppm. Perform a 50% water change, test again in 24 hours.

If your Ammonia and/or Nitrites equal less than 1 ppm, test again in 24 hours.

You will do this at least a week after your Ammonia and Nitrites are 0. You'll want to do this to ensure your cycle maintains itself.

Acclimating
There's 3 methods people commonly use.

15 minute bag float
Float bag with fish for 15 minutes, net fish from the bag, add fish to the tank. This is probably the most risky acclimating process.

Bag Acclimating
Float bag for 15 minutes with the fish in the bag. Every 4 minutes after, add a half cup of water from your tank. Once bag is full, empty 50% and continue adding until full again. Net fish from bag and add to the tank.

Drip acclimating
Add fish with water it came in, into a bucket. Form a syphon with an airline hose, and slowly drip water from your tank into the bucket. Once the bucket is full, net fish and add to the tank.

I've only covered acclimating and cycling. You can do some research on Quarantine, Maintenance, Filtration requirements, Planting, Lighting, Temperature Requirements, and much more while your tank cycles. You'll want to slowly add fish. Do not buy a lot at once. Adding a lot of added waste and ammonia suddenly could cause a minI cycle, or worse.

As far as water hardness and pH, unless you get sensitive fish that REALLY require certain levels. I wouldn't worry about "fixing" it. Most fish will adjust with little issues. You'll cause more problems by fixing it.

 

I'm a little confused here - here you said pH was off the charts but in your next post it's 7? Could you clarify what you mean? I'd be concerned if your pH is below 6 or above 9 but other than that the fish should be able to adapt. In general, DO NOT use chemicals to alter pH, they often cause wild pH swings which kill your fish. Driftwood and Indian almond leaves will naturally lower pH. If you don't boil/soak the driftwood before putting it in, it (and the leaves) will release tannins into the water. Not harmful at all, but it'll make your water turn a little orangish. A "wrong" but stable pH is much better for fish than a wildly swinging pH, provided they're properly acclimated to it.

It is at 7, which to me looked like off the chart. After doing some more research into Ph (and aquarium levels in general) that is the safe zone. Some of the driftwood that I ordered arrived today which is a huge plus! According to the website and advisors I was told to rinse the wood in hot water and add it to the tank. Is this a good idea or should we wait to add it if we're going to add the fish in sooner rather than later?

You already have fish, and the 55 will be MUCH more forgiving. I would move the fish there, and begin a fish in cycle.

Fish in cycling can be done one of two ways. Tetra Safe Start Plus (Make sure it's the plus, the normal won't work), or Bacteria Supplements. I'll detail both.

TSS Method
I'll assume you have already conditioned the water. 24 hours after doing nothing to the tank, but adding conditioner, add the full bottle of TSS Plus and your fish into the tank. Wait 2 weeks, test your parameters, and see where you're at. Perform a 50% water change, and start doing research for good maintenance. This should be a fairly safe method in your 55.

We will probably do this method so we can get the fish out of the 10 gallon as soon as possible. Do we wait the two weeks before doing any water changes and testing it? This methods would work well because around the 5th ill have the API testing kit and properly test the parameters, especially if those sticks and leave in tester are inaccurate.

Thanks everyone for all your help! all this information is awesome and I'm glad I have a forum to come to and ask these questions.

 

You can test the water, but it will be all over the place while using TSS, you're better off leaving it alone, unless your fish start showing signs of duress. You "shouldn't" lose any more, but they are already in sub optimal water. So you may still lose a couple during the cycling process.

 

I would test the water daily (or at least a few times a week) just so you know where your ammonia/nitrite is at and to do a water change if they get above 1ppm + add Seachem Prime. I don't know about what's recommended for TSS+ and water changes as I've never used it, but IMO I'd rather keep parameters in a range where they can be neutralized by Prime and risk the TSS+ not working as well as it might have otherwise, rather than prioritize TSS+ over the lives of my fish. Also quick note: TSS does have some BB but not as much as TSS+, so I'd get the TSS+ to boost the cycle.

Edit: regarding adding the driftwood, it shouldn't do any harm to add it earlier or later, it's up to you. Rinsing in hot water could get rid of some of the tannins and some small particles that might be on it, so I would do that.

 

TSS+ doesn't work like that. You either leave it alone, or go with the bacterial supplement method. There's no in between with fish in cycles. The moment you do a water change with TSS+, you need to restart it from the beginning

 

As I said, if the ammonia/nitrite get too high for too long for it to be safe for fish I'd do a water change to get it down because I prioritize their immediate lives over trying to get my tank to cycle faster. Especially since Seachem Prime will keep the water safe for them during the longer, no-supplement cycling process as long as ammonia and nitrite are below 1ppm.

 

TSS+ is designed to keep the fish safe during the process. It's no worse than the prolonged exposure from a bacterial supplement

 

Direct quote from the TetraCare Customer Care Team:

"We recommend waiting two weeks before a water change. Of course, if for some reason, the levels go up to a high level again, we would recommend a change at that point, and another dose. Usually, the hobbyist has done something wrong the first time, in such cases."

I'm not saying OP will definitely get a ridiculously high reading of ammonia or nitrite. In fact, this is unlikely considering her current stocking. But testing the water to be sure will never hurt.

OP, I read through the rest of their Q&A here and they advise not using an ammonia detoxifying product such as Prime with TSS+. My mistake. I hold my opinions on everything else though.

 

You’ve gotten great advice, but from too many sources IMO.

To keep it simple; your PH is perfect, don’t mess with it.

Use the TetraSafeStart per directions, spraying it into your filter.

Leave the driftwood alone for now, it’ Lower your PH which is good.

That’s all. Simple. No water changes for 14 days.

I would eventually get a sponge filter and air pump. IMO they stabilize things when you do a filter media change. And after the sponge filter has been in your cycled tank a month, moving it to your 10 will immediately cycle your 10.

When I move a sponge filter to another tank to cycle it, I replace with a new sponge filter. I love those things; add B.B., filteration and oxygen.

 

Thanks again for all the information

Id like the tank to cycle with fish in as safely as possible, with as little casualties as possible. I think because of how new we are to the world of fish keeping we're going to go with the TSS+ and monitor the water. If the levels spike we'll do a water change but try to leave it for as long as possible without exposing the fish to any serious prolonged levels. Hopefully this doesn't cause any long term damage.

We gave the driftwood a good rinse as per instructed by the company and put that in this morning. We will let the tank settle while we're at work during the day, test water, then introduce fish and TSS+. Id like the pictus to only worry about water quality and not where they need to hide.

I was told by all the petsmart reps to get an air pump or bubbler, but I'm not a fan of the look. I've also read that too much water disturbance will out-gas the tank. I do like the idea of the wave maker because of the pictus, and to circulate the water. With the wave maker water would just circulate; bring oxygenated water to the "dead zone" push that water to the filter. The system would come full circle. Correct me if I'm wrong?

As for the ten gallon, I think we are just going to dismantle and tear down. We had no intention of having two tanks, just the one. We may get a couple buddies for the rummy nose but id like to leave this set up for a while, until the levels have settled, the tank is completely cycled and the plants are rooted. Too much death over the last two weeks.

 

Thanks again for all the information

Id like the tank to cycle with fish in as safely as possible, with as little casualties as possible. I think because of how new we are to the world of fish keeping we're going to go with the TSS+ and monitor the water. If the levels spike we'll do a water change but try to leave it for as long as possible without exposing the fish to any serious prolonged levels. Hopefully this doesn't cause any long term damage.

We gave the driftwood a good rinse as per instructed by the company and put that in this morning. We will let the tank settle while we're at work during the day, test water, then introduce fish and TSS+. Id like the pictus to only worry about water quality and not where they need to hide.

I was told by all the petsmart reps to get an air pump or bubbler, but I'm not a fan of the look. I've also read that too much water disturbance will out-gas the tank. I do like the idea of the wave maker because of the pictus, and to circulate the water. With the wave maker water would just circulate; bring oxygenated water to the "dead zone" push that water to the filter. The system would come full circle. Correct me if I'm wrong?

As for the ten gallon, I think we are just going to dismantle and tear down. We had no intention of having two tanks, just the one. We may get a couple buddies for the rummy nose but id like to leave this set up for a while, until the levels have settled, the tank is completely cycled and the plants are rooted. Too much death over the last two weeks.

Doing the Bacterial supplement method isn't as daunting as it seems, it just takes patience, and an attentive fish keeper. It absolutely requires more precise monitoring though. It's also more expensive.

As far as your chosen method, I'm assuming you already treated the water with a conditioner while you're letting it settle. If so, you're good to add the fish and TSS+ when you're ready. Main thing to do before adding the TSS+. Shake it. When you think you've shaken it enough, shake it that much again. If you're good after that, shake it again. Also, make sure you're not using expired product. The bacteria in the bottle are living in an suspended state. Shaking the bottle helps "wake them up" along with separating the clumps they form, allowing them to break free more easily. You will get a small spike of Ammonia initially, this is the product feeding the Nitrifying bacteria itself. After the initial spike it should lower to a much safer level and requires the fish to supplement the feeding afterwards. Just be aware of that. If it remains at high levels for more than a day, I would restart the process.

 

The following has taken place over a two week period.

My partner and I impulsively bought a 10 Gallon starter aquarium with the idea that in years to come we would eventually upgrade to a larger 55 Gallon. I love pictus cats and the plan was get them eventually. We purchased the tank and a bunch of fish because the lady at petsmart said as long as the temp is good we can add fish *insert now educated eye roll here.* We do as she says and set the thing up. The kits comes with:
10 Gallon tank
Filter
Heater
Thermometer
Tropical pellets
*the kit did not come with water conditioner but the lady said our Betta conditioner would be fine *

We purchased
2 neon tetras
2 ember tetras
1 clown pleco

We introduced the fish as per instructed and all looked well. Then fish started dying. An ember about an hour after introduction and then a neon the next morning. we assumed this was due to stress, those fish were tiny, 3/4" long at most and we had a winter storm going on. Within a week we lost all of the original fish though. At this point I'm panicking. I start googling everything and boy am I surprised.

I took the water to petsmart to be tested. They did every test they could and all look well. I talked to the fish manager who explained it was probably the tank cycling and that's why they died off. I was sceptical of talking to this manager but she assured me this time would be better, she's had tanks for years. So we added more fish. 4 rummy nose tetras, 2 JulI Cory cats, a couple 2" pictus cat (I'm so sorry little fishes) the manager said we'd be fine for now but would need to upgrade in a year or so. Which was the plan but the fish continued to die! *I'm so embarrassed by our poor fish keeping*

I now know major over stocking!

Now that mass amounts of research has been done and a large amount of money spent on a 55 Gallon long monstrosity, we're looking for advice on switching over the three remaining fish we have (the pictus and the last rummy nose). We set the 55 Gallon up, added the water conditioner, transfered over all the live plants from the 10 Gallon, purchased two additional live plants and have been letting it sit for 3 days now (started Sunday morning). Water became cloudy Sunday night/Monday and is now starting to clear up. I understand that is part of the tank cycling? I also understand it can take between days to months for a tank to cycle?

I've done some reading on these wonderful forums which provided a lot of information. I added some flakes to the tank today (Tuesday) and am going out to purchase a home tester kit today to check my levels. I've read that after a couple days you can add a couple Hardy fish and do small water changes every other day to decrease cycle time, is this a good idea? should I wait till this big tank has fully cycled before moving the cats?

I'd also like to know how I can create a current without using a bubbler. Ive read the pictus live in rivers and like a current. My filter provides good water flow but it hangs on the back and does not reach the far end of the tank, so we have a dead zone.

I just want to make sure I'm getting this tank right and not screwing it up. It was really heartbreaking watching all the fish pass on and not fully understanding why.

I have done the EXACT same thing you have done...I currently have a 60 gallon tank that is doing well and it is ALL because of this site...the best advice I can give you is Patience and it is hard!!! It took me almost 3 months to cycle my tank but so well worth it...don’t beat yourself up over the the other tank and fish many of us have been there...just sad most pet stores really have no clue about fish...I sure had no clue until I started talking to ppl on this forum. Be patient and ask questions and I promise the ppl on this forum will help you get it all fixed!!

 

Thanks again for all the information

Id like the tank to cycle with fish in as safely as possible, with as little casualties as possible. I think because of how new we are to the world of fish keeping we're going to go with the TSS+ and monitor the water. If the levels spike we'll do a water change but try to leave it for as long as possible without exposing the fish to any serious prolonged levels. Hopefully this doesn't cause any long term damage.

We gave the driftwood a good rinse as per instructed by the company and put that in this morning. We will let the tank settle while we're at work during the day, test water, then introduce fish and TSS+. Id like the pictus to only worry about water quality and not where they need to hide.

I was told by all the petsmart reps to get an air pump or bubbler, but I'm not a fan of the look. I've also read that too much water disturbance will out-gas the tank. I do like the idea of the wave maker because of the pictus, and to circulate the water. With the wave maker water would just circulate; bring oxygenated water to the "dead zone" push that water to the filter. The system would come full circle. Correct me if I'm wrong?

As for the ten gallon, I think we are just going to dismantle and tear down. We had no intention of having two tanks, just the one. We may get a couple buddies for the rummy nose but id like to leave this set up for a while, until the levels have settled, the tank is completely cycled and the plants are rooted. Too much death over the last two weeks.

This all looks good to me. I'd highly recommend keeping the 10 around for quarantine purposes though if you're getting more fish in the future, especially if you're getting them from a chain pet store. Quarantine for 4-5 weeks. You don't want to accidentally introduce diseases into your existing tank. You definitely don't need to keep the 10 running or put anything in there, just pop some extra filter media into your bigger tank and when it's cycled, whenever you need the quarantine you can move the extra, now-seeded media into the quarantine tank for an instant cycle. You can put the 10 away in a closet or a basement or something when you don't need it.

Once quarantine is over, discard the extra media, put the quarantined fish in the bigger tank, take down the quarantine tank and put it away for later, and put some new extra media into the bigger tank for the next time you might need an instant cycle for whatever reason. If you don't ever need the quarantine again, the extra media in the filter isn't going to do any harm.

 

OK, this how the tank is set up now. The fish are in and seem much happier. Especially the rummy nose. Looked like he was going into shock a little but after two or three minutes the colour on his nose came back brighter than ever! We did a form of drip acclimation and they seemed to fair better.

So question about filter media... I'm trying to figure out how I would add extra media to it. We have the marineland power filter penguin 350. The filters are prepackaged. Can we add extra media to it?

Also, any help identifying the plant to the right, the dark green one?

 

There should be a bit of extra space in the filter behind the filter cartridges that come with it. You can put a sponge, some ceramic rings, bioballs, etc. into that space and it shouldn't cause a problem.

I have very limited plant knowledge. I've come across it before online but I'm blanking on what it's called, Accents do you have any idea?

 

Hello! I can't claim to be a plant expert, but it could be planted hornwort. Sorry I can't be of more help, but it seems like everyone has the situation under control.

 

There should be a bit of extra space in the filter behind the filter cartridges that come with it. You can put a sponge, some ceramic rings, bioballs, etc. into that space and it shouldn't cause a problem.

Ah! Thank you very much for clarifying that! There's seems to be slots in this filer for two cartridges, so plenty of room for other media types!

I'm hoping that everything goes good! We'd like to have this tank cycled and all the current fishes healthy and happy by the end of February so we can bring some tank mates in for the lonely little rummy nose.

OK guys. I have the test kit ordered, should arrive tomorrow or Monday. Fish look happy, especially the cats. They love swimming the current created by the filter.

Now I've noticed this white film building up on a piece of driftwood! I have no idea what it is. I am slightly worried. Should I just pull it from the tank?

 

OK guys. I have the test kit ordered, should arrive tomorrow or Monday. Fish look happy, especially the cats. They love swimming the current created by the filter.

Now I've noticed this white film building up on a piece of driftwood! I have no idea what it is. I am slightly worried. Should I just pull it from the tank?

It's natural. It will die off pretty quick. I had some on my wood pieces but if you want it gone you can put the wood in a bucket with a small amount of bleach. Let it sit for a day, then pour in de-chlorinator let it sit for a n hour or two, pour that out and then let the wood soak in water for the rest of the day. And finally let it air/sun dry for a day or two.
Otherwise it may take a few weeks to go away.

 

It's natural. It will die off pretty quick. I had some on my wood pieces but if you want it gone you can put the wood in a bucket with a small amount of bleach. Let it sit for a day, then pour in de-chlorinator let it sit for a n hour or two, pour that out and then let the wood soak in water for the rest of the day. And finally let it air/sun dry for a day or two.
Otherwise it may take a few weeks to go away.

OK. I was a little worried there. Well let it die off then.

 

You can always scrape it off, because if I remember right it can have a foul smell, but it's just "cleaning" the wood. Small insects may have been living there and it's breaking down the organic material. The only things that eat it are shrimp and crabs I believe.