AQUARIUM log of a newbie... with questions of course

[Fishyfanatic]

I clicked on your gallery and it appears that you have some South American Cichlids in the tank. I stronly recommend that you do NOT do this. The diet of the two are different and the water requirements are on opposite ends of the scale. Specifically picture number 100_3407.jpg. There is another fish in there that I can not tell what it is. It is the gray fish. It looks like a female peacock, but the black markings do not. Also, the face is not as pointed. Do you have a picture of it from the side?

So basically you have:
1 Kenyi
1 Yellow Lab
1 Socolofi
1 Socolofi Albino
1 South American (I'm not good on IDing S.A. Cichlids so I can't help with this one but it reminds me of a Aequidens Portalegrensis)
1 Gray fish (still to be ID'd)

 

[bapski]

huh? im pretty sure i do not have fish of the same specie.. also i am pretty sure all are african cichlids based on the fact that these fish were labeled as such at petsmart..

i now have an idea on how to get pictures of my fish with all of them at the same place. ill wait till i feed them and take a picture...

 

[bapski]

checked my water chemistry again:

HIGH pH: 7.8
AMMONIA: 1.0
NITRITE: 0
NITRATE: 0

should i be alarmed? HIGH pH for african cichlids should be at 8.2! also im thinking my ammonia level is expected as i have a new tank and the biological filter has not really kicked in... again i know how you guys feel about chemicals but do i need to use those stuff that SPEED UP the activation of my biological filter?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

PetsMart is known at not labeling their fish correctly. The fish that I noted does not look like an African.

Your pH is perfect, don't mess with it.

The Ammonia is high, you need to do a 50% water change ASAP. Africans are messy and you are going to be in for a long cycle. The only chemical that helps speed up the cycle is Bio-Spira. If you can find it, defiantely get it. Products such as Cycle do not work as claimed.

 

[bapski]

cant find bio-spira at petsmart site.. how's PROAQUATIC BACTERIA STARTER? or AQUATIC CULTURE TREATMENT or STRESS ZYME? better yet can you check out PETSMART.COM and see if there is any that you can recommend..

good thing im off work today. i can do the 50% change.. heck i need to change the water on my computer rig too!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I do not recommend anything besides Bio Spira. I don't recall PetsMart or PetCo carrying it. You need to find a mom and pop type store. Actually, those stores are normally better at labeling their fish and carrying products such as Bio Spira. Labeling Africans is hard because there are so many scientific names for the same fish. Not all mom and pop stores are great at that kind of stuff, but they are normally better than chain stores. Chain stores just plop misc fish into the Assorted African tank. Most are cross breeds, but some are pure.

 

[bapski]

how soon can i test for ammonia again? changing water as of this writing

 

[rich311k]

A half-hour, hour after you are done.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd wait about an hour. That way the water has time to circulate around the tank.

 

[bapski]

cant find any bio-spira
any ideas where i can get it locally?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Call your lfs. And not PetsMart.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Also, where are you located?

 

[bapski]

michigan

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Have you tried asking on your local board? You can also use the online yellow pages and search for stores. Then just start calling.

 

[bapski]

bingo! found a couple of local stores that carry it.. will have to go out and get one..

one store only has the 1 ounce packet and is at 11.99.. i need two (1 ounce = 30 gallons) is the pricing just about right? reason am asking is to make sure im getting the right stuff..

other store has 2 sizes of it.. did not say specifically but one was priced at 12+ and the other size at 24+.. is this just about right?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

That price sounds right.

Make sure it is chilled. If it is not kept cold, the bacteria dies.

 

[bapski]

son-of-a gun. guess id have to get it today then put it in.. initially planned to get it tomorrow from work after picking up the kids... oh well..

re-checked water chemistries..

HIGH pH: 7.8
AMMONIA:0.25

i know i have astigmatism.. but certainly i hope i am not color blind or else you guys have to suggest other means for me to read water values.. lol/..

thanks for the heads-up on the water change.. would not have suspected anything since my fish seems to look fine.. swimming around and happy (?)

thanks again..

 

[rich311k]

That is a much better ammonia number you can wait until tomorrow to go buy the bio-spira.

 

[bapski]

i just put in the bio-spira..

i do have a question about it though.. is it supposed to control the ammonia level only?

i was hoping id get something to "KICK-START" the biological filter in my tank.

also looking at marineland.com it is suggesting to put bio-spira every water change... is this the case? . . . kinda expensive to do dont you think.. just spent $25 for two 1 ounce packets... .

 

[rich311k]

It is supposed to completely cycle the tank. If it works you only need to use it once.