Get me on the right track please!

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Mrosato

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
3
Location
Illinois
Ok, I have a 29 gallon tank, I listened to the people at Petsmart and am doing a fish in cycle. Now have a part time job keeping my tank safe for my peacock cichlids.

I have in the tank now;

1 bristle nose placo
2 mason peacocks
2 red shoulder peacock
1 Lexingtonii

I will be moving these fish to a 45 gallon display tank as soon as to is assembled and cycled this September. I realize now after stocking the tank that it is to small and should never do a fish in cycle. Also I now know the the Lexingtonii could grow to 10" and could end up killing the others.

All this said I would like, first not to be ridiculed, but helped keep these fish healthy and happy.

Now I have been cycling for 2-3 weeks, daily water changes of 25-30% and adding prime in the recommended amounts with each change. I have had a steady ammonia reading from my API freshwater master test kit of .5ppm. I pulled back on water changes to every other day and I remove 6 gallons of 29.

Today's readings were:
AM .5ppm
NI 1ppm
pH 7.8
NA 10ppm

My first question is should I keep this corse of action in regards to water changes?

Two, will I be able to keep my Lexingtonii in the 45 gallon tank when I move them, or find him a new home?

Please get me squared away!
 
I might be wrong, but I think that all your fish except your pleco belong in a 55-75 gallon minimum. I recommend 1-2 50% water changes daily.
 
I also think you may be needing a much larger tank than a 45g.

I also agree that you need to be doing 50% PWCs daily to get those numbers under control. Six gallons every couple of days will not make a dent in the toxins building up in the water. Test daily, or twice a day, and do an appropriately sized PWC to get ammonia and nitrite below the 0.50 level (preferably lower).
 
Thanks for the responses!

The tank size you are recommending is 55 to 75 gal, is that for all of these fish or just for the lexintonii? I realize he will get big and I will reluctantly sell him, but what about the peacocks? Will they be ok in the 45 gallon?
 
Mrosato said:
By the way, pre water change readings
0 ammonia maybe.25 ppm
NitrIte 2ppm

Ammonia level is safe enough for now. Once established it should stay at zero.

You need to get that nitrite down. A 50% PWC followed by a 75% (about an hour later) will get you down to 0.25ppm, given your source water has zero.
 
Thanks for the responses!

The tank size you are recommending is 55 to 75 gal, is that for all of these fish or just for the lexintonii? I realize he will get big and I will reluctantly sell him, but what about the peacocks? Will they be ok in the 45 gallon?

The 55-75 recommendation was for all the fish except the pleco. You might be able to make the peacocks work in the 45 but it would be much better for them to be in a bigger tank.
 
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