Another noob here.

[Flotsam]

I'm new to the forum, and I really wish I'd found this place sooner, because I've already learned enough to know that I should have done things differently than I have so far. But here I am, better late than never.

I was given a tank recently, about 53 gallons from what I can tell. Like many noobs I plunged right in, and have already made some mistakes, though I'm not sure yet how bad they really are.

Last Saturday I setup the tank. I filled it with gravel, water (adding Wardly 3 in 1), and got the filter running. The filter is an old Whisper 4, but I was told by the previous owner that it did fine in the tank for him, and was all he needed. I've since then been told I should have something that does 500 gallons per minute as opposed to the 400 gpm this old Whisper does.

Sunday I spoke to the people in my local fish store, and they told me I should be able to add fish the following day. So Monday I bought two green Swordtails, a Bala Shark, and a Iridescent Shark. The following day I bought two Balloon Mollyies, and two Cory Cats.

At that point in time I had no idea what I was doing, actually I still don't know what I'm doing. LOL But I now believe I shouldn't have gotten fish so soon, and should have done a fishless cycle. But it's too late for that now.

This is already getting long, sorry about that.

Well, a day or so after I got the Ballon Mollies into the tank I suspected one was pregnant, did some reading up on it, and somehow actually realized I was right. I noticed what looked to be a hole near her anal fin, and immediately put her into a breeder net, the next morning I awoke to about 20 or so little babies. So now I feel like a worried parent, especially since realizing I've probably already made lots of mistakes.

Yesterday I took a water sample to the fish store and was told my ammonia level was very high. They told me to do partial water changes of 10-25% each day for the next week, and at each water change add "Prime" water treatment, using a dosage that would treat the entire tank, not just the amount of water I was adding. I've done three 10% changes since then, each time adding the prescribed amount of Prime.

Last night I found this forum, and read that I shouldn't change my filter (yeah, I had done it the night before, I had no clue, thought it was the right thing to do), so I put the old one back in. Could that have caused my ammonia level to go high?

Tomorrow I'm going to buy a test kit, and not be cheap by depending on the free tests provided by the lfs (look I'm already using acronyms )

I guess at this point I'm just worried. I'm worried that I've gotten some bad advice at the lfs a few times. I know I depended on their advice instead of doing my own research, and now I want to make sure I'm able to do what I can to keep these fish alive. My Iridescent Shark is acting weird, sluggish. One of the Mollies was acting a bit odd earlier tonite. I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid now or if they really are acting odd to be honest.

It's funny, ever since those little Molly fry arrived I've felt like a parent, and I really worry about them. When I told the people at the lfs about having them in the breeder net they suggested I just release them into the tank, and I just couldn't do it, they were so tiny, and I knew they'd either get sucked up by the filter, or eaten. I did release two, and haven't seen them since, the rest are still in the breeder net.

I guess it's too late to make this a short story, but I'll go ahead and get to the point instead of rambling on even more. LOL Does anybody have any advice? Like what to do with my Molly fry, and what to do overall about my ammonia level...and how bad the advice I've gotten so far has been?

I really loved the experience of having the babies, and would love to set up a smaller tank at some point to be able to keep any future fry my Mollies may have, as I was told that is certainly possible. I was thinking of trying to find a ten gallon and doing a proper fishless cycle. Bad idea? Good idea?

Anyway, thanks for reading my ramble, sorry this post is so jumbled, it's late, and I'm a worried fish parent hoping to get some good advice.

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

Welcome to AA!

1st thing you should do is get a test kit, the API freshwater master test kit is a good one for the money, stay away from the strips.

Your tank has not yet cycled, so to keep your fish alive you are going to need to be diligent for the next month, maybe 2.

Test your water daily, and do water changes as needed.

Try to keep the ammonia level below .5ppm and nitrites below .5 also. What is your current ammonia level?

At this point in time since you dont have a test kit, you should plan on doing 50% water changes. You should do one ASAP, then every day after till you get your test kit or have your water tested. This is the only thing going to keep you fish alive. Then do WC's as needed to keep the levels low.

 

[Purrbox]

The way that your fish are currently acting is a sure sign that your Ammonia levels are still much too high. Definatley do a large water chage (at least 50%) to get them down. If you haven't invested in a Python for water changes, you may want to as you are going to need to do lost of large water changes over the next weeks to get everyone (hopefully) through the cycle.

 

[Flotsam]

I bought the API test kit today. Currently my ammonia level is somewhere between a 1.0 and a 2.0 from what I can tell. How bad is that?

I've done almost a 50% water change today, will do more tomorrow. This is probably a dumb question, but do these water changes effect my cycle?

I'd had my water tested a few days previous to the test that showed such high levels, would changing the filter have caused this to happen? Or is it something else?

I really appreciate your replies, it means a lot to me.


Me

 

[Sum22]

As fish waste and food build up and start to decompose, more ammonia is going to build up in your tank. Once the ammonia starts going down, you'll see lots of nitrite.

Was the LFS using test strips? They are inaccurate, so it is possible your ammonia was higher than what their tests were showing as well.

If you retest and the level is still over 1ppm, you may need to do a larger water change to get it below .50ppm. At that level, your fish should be able to tolerate the ammonia better.

As for your cycle, it is going to cycle regardless of the water changes. The only difference is that it might take longer. Leave the filter alone, you can rinse it in the tank water you remove, not under a faucet since the chlorine in the water will kill of the good bacteria that is going to live in the filter. Not much bacteria lives in the water. All you are doing is dilluting the byproducts that the bacteria produce when they start to eat up the ammonia and nitrites, which will help reduce the stress on your fish.

 

[Sum22]

OH and since you have a lot of money and personal attachment invested in your fish, you might call some fish stores to see if they carry bio-spira. It is bacteria. If you add that to your tank, your cycle is going to finish within a few days.

 

[Menagerie]

WELCOME
Aside from BioSpira, if you know anyone who has a disease free tank, you can get some "gunk" from their filter and put it in yours. I always seed new tanks off old, established ones.

 

[Sahabo]

Welcome! Glad you joined the site Many people (myself included) started out exactly as you did, listened to the dorks at fish stores, found this site and went "doh!" The good thing is that you are responsibly trying to remedy the situation and your fish are still alive.

Definitely get som BioSpira if you can find it or stuff from a cycled tank otherwise such as filter media, gravel, etc. If none of these are an option, then good ol' patience will be your best friend as your cycle the tank with fish Good luck!

 

[Alaris]

Mollies give birth often. If ever a female molly is near a male, she'll be pregnant. Females can also store sperm for a long time. You will have TONS of fry. While your instinct may be to save them and raise them, you will have too many to know what to do with. Mollies are also a messy fish and will soon overload your bioload if you keep all of the fry. The grown-up fish will take care of the fry from overpopulating your tank.

My recommendation: save a few b/c it's fun to watch them grow up, but let your big fish control the population.

 

[newfound77951]

Welcome to AA!

It seems like you're now on the right track, and are genuinely concerned for your fishies, which is great. Your livebearers will produce tons and tons of babies and I would also suggest not trying to keep all of them. You might be able to give a few away or give some back to the pet store, but livebearers are like the fishy version of rabbits or mice....you get the picture.

Your 400 gph filter is probably OK. I certainly wouldn't ditch it for a 500 gph filter of the same style. If you really wanted to upgrade down the line I'd go for a canister type filter. If/when you do upgrade, run the new filter and the old filter on the tank for a month, this will seed the new filter and prevent a cycle from happening all over again when you remove the old filter.

FYI, the Bala shark and iridescent shark get REALLY big. Bigger than what should be in a 55 gallon tank. I think you're learning now that the LFS can give bad advice....they all sell these fish and other (clown loaches come to mind) without telling people that these cute little fish get enormous. The Bala at least would also appreciate some friends, but now you've got a school of huge fish and need an even bigger tank.