Newbie, With Questions, Please help

[Fishy1954]

I have been lurking on your site for a couple of days and decided to join, since y'all seem to be experts, I am far from it.
I have set up a 45 gallon tank, with a dual filtering Whisper filter. I have about 2-3 inches of gravel and some fake plants and a epoxy coated cave. Nothing real fancy. I put in about 7 small platies and tetras, and 2 good size algae eaters, and started trying to cycle the tank about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I have been adding Stress Zyme according to the directions, and have been doing 25% pwc about every other night. Since I started, I have lost about 5 fish. I bought a good test kit with the vials. What I had last night was:

Ammonia 1ppm
Nitites .25 ppm
Nitrates 0 ppm
Ph 7.5

Here are my questions:

1. How much longer can I expect this cycling to continue, and should I put more fish in? I am down to 3 fish and the 2 algae eaters left.

2. My Whisper filter has 2 channels each with a filter bag full of charcoal and each with this sort of sponge deal for growing bacteria on. How do I clean the filter bags? And how often? Do I ever clean the sponge deals?

3. I noticed last night that the water I was changing had a green tint. Is this algae? I do not see any algae built up anywheres in the tank, and I belive the algae eaters are doing their jobs. Should I put some algae killer chemical in while the water is cycling?

4. What are the ideal test numbers for Nitrates? Right now they are at 0ppm, but could that be because the cycling is not done? What should the reading be once the cycling is done?

5. How much sunlight is bad? My tank is set up next to a small window in my living room, with the shades always pulled down and closed, but a little light does come through the blades of the shades, as they are only thin plastic.

6. What do you think of using products that claims to make tank water clearer?

7. I also have a small 10 gallon tank with a few fish in it that has been sparkling clean for a long time, so I guess it has gone thru the cycle process a long time ago. This tank has a 1 channel with just the bag with charcoal in it and no sponge. Would it help if I took this filter bag out of the small tank and submersed it in the big tank for a few days?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[SCFatz]

1.About another month.No new fish..trust me.

2.If you see the flow constricted,then just swish em around in a bucket of old water during a water change.Do not replace them.

3.No do not add algea killer...if it persists there are ways to deal with it.

4.O-20 is a good place to be...yes...In the absence of live plants you nitrates will always climb.Thats the reason for weekly water changes.A lot of people target 20 as the max,but slightly higher will not kill fish.

5.Could be the reason for the greenish tank...quite probably is...Do what you can to keep the tank away from direct sunlight.

6.Don't use em..get advice instead.Its cheaper and you'll learn more..plus you are just wasting money...its about problem solving,not symptom fixing.

7.yes it would...it would help quite a bit actually

 

[rich311k]

1. You hae a ways to go 2-4 weeks, you dont have any nitrates yet you are just starting the nitrite phase.

2. Do not touch the filters untill the cycle is done. After that you can rinse out the sponges in old tank water and reuse until they fall apart.

3. Sounds like the start of green water. You may want reduce your lighting period, it happens when there is free ammonia in the tank.

4. I like to keep my nitrates under 20 ppm in unplanted tanks.

5. You dont want any sunlight it may be helping to cause the GW.

6. They are garbage don use them.

7. It sure would. You could move a handfull of gravel as well.

8. Do not add any more fish until the cycle is done.

9. Most importantly, Welcome to AA!!!!!

 

[SCFatz]

Also try to keep the ammonia around .5 ppm.

This will be easier if you are very careful not to over feed.No more then once a day and only what can be consumed in just a few minutes (3)...use a clock if you must....but you'll get better at with time.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

1. Do not add any more fish until the tank has cycled. It typically takes between 6 to 8 weeks when using fish. Sometimes longer.
2. Do not clean the sponge unless it becomes clogged. Swish the media bag and sponge in used tank water when it needs cleaning. Do not just toss the media bag. The manufacturer says to change it every 4 to 6 weeks, but it's just a waste of money. Plus, you are just throwing away the bacteria when you do that.
3. Yes, this is suspended algae. It is relatively common. How often are you feeding? What kind of algae eaters do you have? No, do not add chemicals to the tank that claim to eliminate algae. There are simple fixes for it that do not add chemicals to the tank. The less the better
4. When the cycle has complete it should be anywhere between 10 to 20. I like to keep it below 20 because it is easier to maintain at a lower number. Some people are comfortable with keeping it around 40 but that is too high IMO.
5. Try to avoid any direct sunlight in the tank. It could be the cause of the excess suspended algae in the water. Try to cover it as much as possible.
6. I think they are a waste of money. They do not fix the problem, only mask it. You need to find the root of the problem or it will just keep coming back. I fell for the Clarity product several years ago. After coming to AA I found out the problem was the lack of water changes and over feeding. Almost overnight it was fixed.
7. You could run the filter from the 10 gal on the new tank. Do you plan on putting the fish from the 10 gal into the larger tank? I would not just swap out the bag. Then the 10 gal would not have the proper bacteria to keep it cycled.

HTH

And Welcome to AA Fishy1954! It's great to have you here.

**edit** Just saw that I reiterated what everyone else said. lol That's what I get for taking my time when responding.

 

[SCFatz]

Ok..you guys are trying to make me look bad now...

Yes I know I forgot but dam...lol.
I know what to do...I'll fix it now.....and yes I have some shame for having to do it this late in the thread.

Welcome to AA Fishy1954!!You have found the spot!

There...fixed it

 

[Fishy1954]

3. Yes, this is suspended algae. It is relatively common. How often are you feeding? What kind of algae eaters do you have? No, do not add chemicals to the tank that claim to eliminate algae. There are simple fixes for it that do not add chemicals to the tank. The less the betterquote]

Can you give me an idea for a simple fix for this. I do not want it to get worse before the cycling is done.

Once the cycling is done, will the new bacteria help keep this suspended algae in check??

Y'all are great. Thanks again

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It's a pretty simple fix. Suspended algae can be caused by over feeding, lack of water changes, direct sunlight (which is probably the cause), indirect sunlight, etc. Cut back on the feeding amounts and completely block out the sunlight from the window. How often are you feeding? What kind of algae eaters do you have?

The new bacteria will not keep the suspended algae in check if there is still direct sunlight, over feeding, or lack of water changes.

 

[rich311k]

Just as an addition the ammonia in the water plus sunlight is probably a big factor in the green water. How long do you have the tank lights on for each day?

 

[Fishy1954]

It's a pretty simple fix. Suspended algae can be caused by over feeding, lack of water changes, direct sunlight (which is probably the cause), indirect sunlight, etc. Cut back on the feeding amounts and completely block out the sunlight from the window. How often are you feeding? What kind of algae eaters do you have?

The new bacteria will not keep the suspended algae in check if there is still direct sunlight, over feeding, or lack of water changes.

Brings me to another question. I am feeding flake food, how do I know how much to feed them? And how often?

If and when my tank finishes cycling, how often and how much water should I change?

Y'all are great. Thanks

 

[rich311k]

I feed a little bit everyday. Just enough that it is gone in a minute tops. For water changes 25 - 50% every two weeks should be adequate depending on you fish load. You can go by your nitrate levels and change water to keep them under 20 ppm. I do 50% once a week because I feel fish do better with lots of water changes.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Feeding once a day is aqequate. Fish food containers say to feed multiple times a day but once is enough. And only feed what they can eat in about a minute. They may always appear hungry, but that is just natural instinct.

I do water changes once a week of about 50%. It keeps the Nitrates low and the fish love it.

 

[Fishy1954]

You have all been great.

One more question: Should I vac my gravel while I am in the cycle process, or will this disturb the bacteria growth??

Thanks again

 

[rich311k]

Just vacuum up the debris don't do a real gravel until the cycle is down.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Exactly as Rich stated. You still haven't answered the question though, what kind of algae eaters do you have?

 

[Fishy1954]

Exactly as Rich stated. You still haven't answered the question though, what kind of algae eaters do you have?

Not sure. I bought them a long time ago for my 10 gallon tank. They were about 1'' long back then. Now they are over 2 inches. They attach themselves sometimes to the glass of the aquarium or the decorations.