Newbie in need of help! New tank, need advice

[Bcusick]

50% water change every day for 8 weeks?

 

[Nimo]

With fish in yes possiby. The health of the fish will depend on it.

 

[Bcusick]

Well if it's has to be done it has to be done. It is my Own fault. I should have tested the water before adding fish to see if it had cycled. I just hope they're gonna be okay

 

[Nimo]

Best adivce I can think of to give is before you listen to anything from the local fish store ask questions here first. Most employees there only know they are looking at fish they know nothing or very little about them. I have not yet meet a store employee that knows how to properly cycle a tank. They know just enough to sell you a bunch of stuff to make the store money. For those who are new to the hobby its easy to get sucked in and think they know more than they do.
I myself listened to the fish store when I first started. They sold me a bunch of unnecessary crap and also talked me into crashing my tank before it even got going good. Then I found this forum thank goodness for my fish and me. Lots and lots of help here from people who know mostly from experiance.

 

[Tracy Bird]

As previously mentioned daily water changes AND daily water tests so you can monitor your cycle.

Something that could really help you is to locate some seeded filter material. Filter media which already contain nitryfing bacteria will greatly speed up your cycle.

By adding seeded material you jump start the cycle and provide immediate beneficial bacteria to the tank.

Are you near any fish club's where you could ask members if they have any extra seeded material?

Angels Plus sells seeded sponge filters: http://www.angelsplus.com/FiltersSpongeActive.htm

If you cant find anything locally Angels Plus would be an excellent source and you will definitely see positive results with their seeded sponges.

Research Angels Plus it will be worth it if you cant find anything locally.

I dont have any exeperience with the bio in a bottle products.

Stay with your water changes and stay committed to turning this into a success - it will be worth all the efforts in the end and you will find great satisfaction when you have successfully cycled your tank!

 

[Bcusick]

Thanks for the encouragement guys!

 

[ManicPenguin]

Bcusick,

My understanding is that a fish-in cycle goes quicker...I would be surprised if it took 8 weeks.

See if you can get a handfull of substrate or an old filter from a friend or LFS and put that in the tank/filter...that should help speed things along.

 

[Nimo]

My first tank was a fish in cycle took almost exactly 8 weeks to the day.
Seeded filter media can help but you have to be extremely careful about where you get it from LFS is not the best place. There turn over rate in sales fish in fish out. If there has been any desease in there tanks you will put it in yours.
A friend with a healthy system is the best bet for seeded media.
Just dont get discuraged. The cycle is the hardest part of starting in this hobby. Once you get thru it its alot more fun.

 

[ManicPenguin]

Good point Nimo....though my LFS uses UV sterilizers on every tank...never seen such clean tanks before.

 

[Nimo]

Good point Nimo....though my LFS uses UV sterilizers on every tank...never seen such clean tanks before.

Unfortunatly where I am the fresh water suppliers particularly have alot of death in their tanks. Dont know if its stress or illness. There is always alot of dead fish in their tanks. Around here its a good idea to QT all fish before putting them in your main tank.

 

[Bcusick]

I don't know anybody with a tank and I don't want to risk getting it from the shop after you saying that so I'm just gonna wait it out.

I'm pleased to report that ALL my fish are looking really well today. Not sulking at the bottom like they were. Your advice seems to be paying off. Also the ammonia seems to be down a little so that's good. I'm gonna keep up with the daily water changes until the cycle finishes then move to twice weekly water changes for a few weeks then to weekly as to not shock the tank too much by stopping suddenly.

Thanks for your advice guys!

 

[Bcusick]

Hey guys. I've just had a thought. When I set my tank up I had a little desktop aquarium that I'd bought not realising how small it was. Put water in it and left it there forgetting about it. I've just tested the water in it and the levels are as such.

Ph - 6.4
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm.

The water is clean and not murky. Is this water 'cycled' and if I pour this water into my tank would it kick start the cycle? There's only about a litre of it

What do you think?

 

[Nimo]

Hey guys. I've just had a thought. When I set my tank up I had a little desktop aquarium that I'd bought not realising how small it was. Put water in it and left it there forgetting about it. I've just tested the water in it and the levels are as such.

Ph - 6.4
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm.

The water is clean and not murky. Is this water 'cycled' and if I pour this water into my tank would it kick start the cycle? There's only about a litre of it

What do you think?

If it never had fish or any thing else in it sadly it is not cycled. You have to add either food fish or ammonia to start a cycle.
One of the big failures with fish store advice. They tell people to set the tank up let it run for a few days and its cycled and thats just not the case. The benificial bacteria you need is built up thru the nitrofication process. It starts as ammonia the ammonia is converted to nitrites and then the nitrites are converted into nitrates. With out waste in the tank there is no conversion so it will not cycle without the introduction of an ammonia sorce.
Also the Ph is way too low for fish

 

[Bcusick]

Okay thanks. Good to know.

It's pretty shocking to be honest that the people in the pet shop don't tell you these fish.

They just say let the tank sit for a few days before you add your fish no mention of cycling or anything

 

[Delapool]

"I have been doing 30% water changes every day for 3 days, using API stress coat plus to make the tap water safe. But it doesn't seem to have helped much"

Just a note in case. I have the API stress coat say it removes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. I use it with API ammo lock which also detoxifies ammonia. I'm not sure api stress coat handles ammonia - if anyone may know? I'm just reading off the bottles.

 

[Nimo]

"I have been doing 30% water changes every day for 3 days, using API stress coat plus to make the tap water safe. But it doesn't seem to have helped much"

Just a note in case. I have the API stress coat say it removes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. I use it with API ammo lock which also detoxifies ammonia. I'm not sure api stress coat handles ammonia - if anyone may know? I'm just reading off the bottles.

The API stress coat plus is what I started off with and useing the Ammo loc. The Ammo loc will give you false readings on ammonia because it doesnt kill the ammonia it detoxifies it. The stress coat plus is a decent dechlorinator but the problem with it is you still have to use other products along with it to detox the water such as the ammo loc.
I highly recommend useing Prime its basicly an all in one bottle. Cost about the same maybe a little more than the API but you only need the one bottle it detoxifys pretty much everything with out giving you false test readings. You also dont have to use as much of it for each water change so it lasts alot longer.
What you are doing is what you need to do. Water changes and more water changes.
Dont get discuraged you cant make a cycle happen over night as much as we would all love that. Patience and dedication to your fishy friends is what it takes.




Use up the chemicals you have so its not wasted money but when you go to get more look for prime it will save you bunches of money in the long run.

 

[Delapool]

The API stress coat plus is what I started off with and useing the Ammo loc. The Ammo loc will give you false readings on ammonia because it doesnt kill the ammonia it detoxifies it. The stress coat plus is a decent dechlorinator but the problem with it is you still have to use other products along with it to detox the water such as the ammo loc.
I highly recommend useing Prime its basicly an all in one bottle. Cost about the same maybe a little more than the API but you only need the one bottle it detoxifys pretty much everything with out giving you false test readings. You also dont have to use as much of it for each water change so it lasts alot longer.
What you are doing is what you need to do. Water changes and more water changes.
Dont get discuraged you cant make a cycle happen over night as much as we would all love that. Patience and dedication to your fishy friends is what it takes.

Use up the chemicals you have so its not wasted money but when you go to get more look for prime it will save you bunches of money in the long run.

Thanks for the info. Yes, from what I've read prime is what I want next. I was also thinking that if it can detoxify nitrite and nitrate it would be useful for a sick fish tank where the bb may get destroyed or not be at right levels? Say for medicines that go for three days, etc.

 

[Nimo]

Thanks for the info. Yes, from what I've read prime is what I want next. I was also thinking that if it can detoxify nitrite and nitrate it would be useful for a sick fish tank where the bb may get destroyed or not be at right levels? Say for medicines that go for three days, etc.

Exactly. Prime is the best over all in my opinion.

 

[Bcusick]

GUYS HELP!

I thought everything was fine then I came home from work today and my Siamese fighting fish is on deaths door. It's fins have shrivelled up it's turned from blue to pale grey. It's not moving I couldn't see it and I found it under the plastic skull. I've quarantined it in a bucket (clean) I'm panicking the shops are closed I can't buy any medicine until morning and without help I don't think he'll last the night!

What do I do guys?!

 

[Nimo]

Test your water. The ammonia has probly spiked higher than it was. I am sorry to say you are probly gonna loose that fish but dont pannic too mich because there are still others that need to get thru this cycle.