Buying Fish in Order.

[Fathomed]

Say, would it matter really what order you buy your fish in? Maybe some territorial fish might spaz at newcomers, so buy the territorial guys last. Just a thought and need some opinions on that subject.

I also want to know if fish sleep. Before I go to bed I feed my Zebra Danios and they're dashing around like crazy. When I wake up, they're still dashing around like crazy. I know the Zebras are engergetic but I haven't seen my Betta or my friend's Cichlid sleep either. Hmm...

Oh yeah, and I would also like to know what happens to fish poop. I never really see it floating around unless I actually see my fish pooping. I think maybe they fall under the gravel or something. Does it pile up and how do I even clean that stuff? I do plan on getting a Rainbow shark and a buddy told me they sometimes eat the waste of other fish.

Another thing, but not so much on my mind. I added a lot of conditioner to my water for the cycling stuff. Then when I do water changes, should I continue to add the conditioner stuff? It says a cap-full which is like 3 teaspoons per 10 gallons of water should be added. I have a 30g and I only change about 5 gals. I was thinking of just changing out regular tap water if the tank is already cycled.

Thanks.

 

[rich311k]

It is a good idea to add the more territorial fish to the tank last. You will eliminate problems that way.

My daylight fish are very calm and quite motionless when the lights are off.

Poop goes into the gravel and decomposes. That is where the ammonia comes from. You get rid of it my vacuuming it with a siphon when you change water. No fish will eat it.

No need to do anything but dechlorinate the replacement water and match the temperature. I would up that to at least ten gallons at change time.

 

[dskidmore]

I'd like to add an alternative to siphoning the gravel is to keep plants. The plants will eat the poop, you then though have a new chore of pruning the plants.

 

[AndrewH]

My Red Tailed Shark eats waste.. it's not a pretty to watch lol. Rainbows and Red Tails are exactly the same,with rainbows all the fins are colored with RTS just the tail is colored.

 

[Fathomed]

wow awesome answers, thanks guys. That cleared things up

 

[rich311k]

Rainbows and red tails are not the same fish, they are related species. They do not eat fish waste. You may think they are mouthing it but they are not consuming it.

 

[AndrewH]

My RTS will consume it's own waste.. as soon as it see's it, it consumes it completely it doesn't spit it out. I've had him for about a month now and has been doing it since day one. I know there are no freshwater fish that will consume waste but this one does. Not trying to say that any others would it's just a strange habit.

 

[Fathomed]

Hm, well I have a bottle of some wierd liquid that says it breaks down fish waste and if worst comes worst, I'll stir up the rocks and let the filter suck it in.

One other question I just thought up. Do SAE mix well with Rainbow Sharks? I have 2 Balas with my Rainbow but I'm giving them away once they hit 6". However, I want more of the Cypriniade fish family in my tank. So, just wondering.

 

[Fathomed]

Also, how do I change my pH levels?

 

[Sum22]

You shouldn't try to change pH. Fish prefer a stable pH. Most are raised in tanks, so they do not have an issue adapting to a higher pH than what the "perfect" pH supposedly is. Just leave the pH at what comes out of the tap and they should be fine.

Buying a cheap gravel vac is better than adding chemicals to your tank to try and "break down" fish waste. Filters can only do so much and a lot of what you stir up will end up settling back into your gravel.

 

[Fathomed]

oh yeah? I've spent a lot already and I can't afford a gravel vac. Although when time comes I'll probably consider it.

 

[AlissasDad]

You can get a basic gravel vac for $7.

 

[Fathomed]

Oh, I don't really look at gravel vacs at the lfs, well I guess I can get one after an hour of work. =)

 

[saffikeagan]

or a piece of tubing works just as well though you have to be careful not to suck up the gravel itself.

 

[dskidmore]

Hm, well I have a bottle of some wierd liquid that says it breaks down fish waste and if worst comes worst, I'll stir up the rocks and let the filter suck it in.

That would be asking or an ammonia spike. Waste rots into ammonia over time naturally. Your existing nitrifying bacteria will turn that into nitrate over time. A chemical that speeds up that process wouldn't do good things to your water quality. You'd have an ammonia spike the nitrifying bacteria couldn't keep up with, then an ammonia famine that would kill off your nitrifying bacteria, making the next ammonia spike even harder to keep up with. Even just stirring things up will change the rate at which waste breaks down, as oxygen levels vary at different depths in the gravel. By stirring up the junk you can cause an ammonia spike when waste not previously exposed to oxygen enters your oxygenated water. The filter isn't going to get everything you stir up, and you'd still be stuck with getting it out of the filter before it rotted.

Best to just remove it. You have to do water changes anyway to remove the nitrate that is the end product of the nitrogen cycle, may as well vacuum the gravel while you're at it. Then rinse your filter media in the removed water and put it back in your filter. This way you remove the trapped food/waste particles, without removing much of the friendly bacteria. You can save money on filter cartridges this way and it's good for your tank.

Remember, everything that goes into the tank must be removed. If you feed the fish, or fertilize the plants, you have to do water changes. Period.

 

[AlissasDad]

or a piece of tubing works just as well though you have to be careful not to suck up the gravel itself.

If you don't have a reduction from a larger tube to a smaller tube (~70% reduction) it's very difficult to pinpoint a flow rate that sucks up the crud but doesn't pull the gravel all the way.

You can make your own vac with a trip to Home Depot or your local hardware store to get some thick-wall large hose, thick-wall smaller hose and fittings to join the two, but it'll cost about the same as a vac from LFS.

If you're gonna make your own, you might as well go all the way and make a Python-like vac.
DIY Tool to Drain, Fill and Clean Gravel (Similar to Python) (DIY AQUARIUM TOOLS PROJECTS)