Common Newbie Pitfalls

[azul]

Originally Posted by waynephinney

- Don't leave the lid open if you have ferrets and a stand they are capable of climbing nearby. They will try to go for a swim.

Or CATS!!!!

Your post made me chuckle and remember when my now cat, then kitten, tried to take a swim in my 10 gal aquarium just after college. He would lay on top of the hood, and bat at the fish, then one day the hood and lid couldn't hold his weight...... He fell in, making a huge mess. Angel fish were like...What was that?????

Which is why, I now only have fish at the office and not at home.....

[Pranicmegan]

I have found the advice on this site to be invaluable. It has saved me from losing any more fish!!
I would sum up for other Newbies (or Noobs like me) in this way :

There should NEVER be a reading for Ammonia or NitrItes ... if you get a reading on your test kit, DO a partial water change. The higher the reading the higher the % water change you should do.

I have struggled through my tanks cycles as I stocked them before I knew about it. However I HAVE NOT LOST A FISH during this process due to the advice on this forum.

I test DAILY. And do partial water changes DAILY. When I found out about 'the cycle' I tested my African tank only to discover a NitrIte reading of 4!!!!! I had only just moved the tank into position 3 days before thus they got a 90% water change then. So that reading of 4 built up in ONLY 3 days. (Hence the need to test DAILY!)
That day I did TWO partial water changes (35%), and since then I have been doing 35% partial water changes EVERY day (after testing).

In just 4 days that NitrIte level has lowered to UNDER .5 (more like .1 or .2)) and the NitrAte level has built up to 5ppm.

I think all that work is paying off!!!! I'm hoping that these readings indicate the cycle is nearing it's first end.

What I've learned MOST from this, is that testing your water is ESSENTIAL. (I never knew that! Before I thought if it LOOKED clear it was good. Oh dear.)
Ammonia should be 0.
NitrItes should be 0.
NitrAtes should be registering but under 40ppm.

It is when those nitrAtes appear and those NitrItes disappear that you know that the cycle is almost done.

I found all this to be so confusing when I first started. I am getting the hang of it now (I think) (I hope).

I used to agonise over why my fish died .... now I feel like I am 'in control' .... no more 'unexplained' fish deaths!!

I LOVE THIS FORUM!!!

[Pranicmegan]

Oh! And the other piece of invaluable advice I read somewhere ..... which I am using with great results ....
Is that the instructions on the can of fish food LIES!!!!
You DO NOT need to feed them all they can eat in 5 minutes. That is WAY TOO MUCH. When I followed these instructions my fish all got fat and the water quality was shot.

I read somewhere that for African Cichlids you should feed them only what they can eat in 20-30 seconds. And you should feed this small amount regularly rather than a larger amount once a day.

Since I have been doing this, limiting the food to what they can eat in 30 seconds, I have not had fat fish, or bloat, and the water parameters are improving greatly.

I feel that 5 minutes of feeding is TOO MUCH, especially for ppl like me who kill their fish with love by OVER feeding. Since I went to this method of feeding (and presoaking their food) I no longer have fat, bloated bellies, and unhealthy fish.

I use this method on BOTH my stocked tanks, both the African tank and the South American tank.
(Sheesh I researched enough to work out what fish for what tank, but did I continue on and find out about 'the cycle' ... sigh).

Between working on my 'cycle' AND this method of feeding I have found my fishy problems to have subsided

[jim692]

I wish to share some handy tips (just from my set-up, reading, threads at AA) I wish I knew when we started my son's tank.


When in doubt ask! Realize that what you don't know can kill your fish and ruin your enjoyment of the tank. (#1 of all time) There are lots of knowledgeable people here willing to help.

Have a plan. research and figure out what type of tank you want ( fresh, salt, planted, etc.) and what you want in it before you start. Then you can match the tank, equipment, and fish to your needs.

Get the largest tank reasonable for your budget and space. Bigger tanks are more forgiving to beginners and will keep you from running out of space too fast.

Learn about the nitrogen cycle. It controls the tank.

Go slow with changes to your tank. Haste = tragedy in most cases.

Remember, good water quality = happy fish ; poor water quality = dead fish. (#2 all time)

Avoid all soap. Fish clean and people clean are totally different

Don't add things other than water conditioner to your water or tank without good solid advice. You may do more harm than good.

Cycle your tank fish less. It is better in so many ways. (#3 all time)

Know what is going on with the water in your tank. Temperature, pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate should all be watched until the tank is fully established.

Test the water daily(at least when starting up) with a good kit like an API master test kit and write down the results so you can compare if a problem arises. (#4 all time)

If you do cycle with fish, (not recommended) Keep ammonia, and nitrite below .50 ppm while cycling (they should drop to 0.0ppm when cycling completes). Keep Nitrates below 20 - 40 ppm always. (use water changes to lower all)

Water changes are good! If your water changes are more than a 5 gal. bucket (50% of 10 gal tank) get a Python. You won't believe the difference. You will also not dread larger water changes.

Don't over feed the fish. See water quality above.

Cycling takes weeks, not days, be patient.

Don't rinse the filter under the tap in the sink. Chlorine will kill the good bacteria. Use warm dechlorinated water or tank water to rinse your filter.

Don't change too much filter media at a time. Good bacteria live there.

Add fish slowly. let your tank adjust.

Quarantine new fish after start up. Don't let a new sick fish contaminate the whole tank.

There are many more I am sure but these come to mind at present.

[shanklyred]

Hi, i've just got my first aquarium, it was a friend who gave it to me through his loss of interest. it already had fish in it. i moved it myself and set it up again, waited for the water to heat to 75, then put the fish in. he told me to wait 1 week before i get more fish. i bought ten neons a red fin shark and a plec, to go with 2 clown loaches 2 black skirt tetras 2 flame tetras and a glowlight. the glow light and 5 neons have died. there seems to be a film on the top of the water. i know i need to do a cycle, but how do i do it with the fish i have? i only have 1 tank.???????

[JWALK2828]

Originally Posted by bosk1

If you know there is absolutely no way you will ever want a pleco, do not, under any circumstances ever even think about broaching the subject with jchillin.

what's wrong with a pleco?

[MarkhamDave]

I certainly agree with not putting too much credance in LFS advice. They are often wrong and never in doubt. I spent thousands in one store only to discover that the salesman had never actually owned or cared for a tank.

Read, do research, join a group like this, get involved in a local aquarium club (always nice to handle a "dumb" question with a local call) and plan the aquarium maintenance and fish load.

[authorize]

Hello all. I'm new to this hobby. I've been on here for about 2 days, digging for info before I act. I only have a 10G tank, which I found out, is quite useless. I might go for a 30G rectangular tank that I found on Craigslist. I haven't purchased anything yet, since I want to know what to do and what not to do. Some things that I learned here are:

1) Crayfish and regular fish in the same tank = disaster.

2) Must cycle a tank. What does that mean/do anyways?

3) Certain fishes can't go with others, while others can. I'll look more into that when I get the tank up and running.

4) Cramming more than 1 fish into a 10G tank = stressed fishes. Which lead me to getting the 30G.

What else do I need to do/get? I kind of want to do some research before I spend any money. Thanks for everyone's help

[MarkhamDave]

You haven't stated what you plan for your tank.If you want marine (salt) then you need to take some extra precautions.
Cycleing refers to the process of allowing good bacteria to become established in your tank. In a salt environment, if you have some Live Rock", it has enough live growth that you won't need to risk a fish. If you set it up with theright environment of chemicals (see much research) you can watch the chemcal changes in your aquarium go from being high in Ammonia, to being high in Nitrate to Nitrite which is finally safe for fish as long as it is below 20-30 PPM.
Use Google, use this site or anything else for research. You will save a lot of time, frustration and money by reading and learning before diving in. This pastime is much more compicated than you may realize.
And ask questions on this site.

[veggievettech]

Laugh at the lady at Petsmart when she tells you to add fish after the tank has been "running" for 3 days.
Have much patience... I'm in my 8th week of cycling with fish (thanks to the lady at Petsmart)
Make friends with someone who has an established tank so you can "borrow" some of their bacteria and make your cycle go faster!