Huge emergency! New Setup Overstocked and not Cycled

[boadams87]

It is 78*

Since the oscar and pleco are the biggest bio load, id put them in the 55. And do 50% wc or more daily. They'll be fine don't worry

 

[boadams87]

Ha! Im not surprised! It seemed too good to be true! I got it for a great price! I actually have been doing some ebaying and found a powerhead... Idk if that will be good for me or not! Im full of questions, just need to get thru this cycle first!

All that does is stir the water up. You can get airstones to do that and they are cheaper. Do you have any aeration going on?

 

[boadams87]

You can find alot of great stuff on craigslist too.

 

[Jess1ca]

Since the oscar and pleco are the biggest bio load, id put them in the 55. And do 50% wc or more daily. They'll be fine don't worry

Ok, They will go in today! I appreciate all your insite! So you think just add a second filter of the same sort? I dont have the airator (sp?) In the 55 yet but there is one in the 20.

 

[Jess1ca]

Also, my husband bought a piece of wood from somewhere, brand is All Living Things. He has soaked it for 3 days and has finally sunk. Should I add that? My only concern is that it was from the reptile section. I could add a picture if that would help...

 

[fishyperson3010]

This company supply active alive filters that already contain bb


http://www.angelsplus.com/FiltersSponge.htm

 

[boadams87]

Ok, They will go in today! I appreciate all your insite! So you think just add a second filter of the same sort? I dont have the airator (sp?) In the 55 yet but there is one in the 20.

Yes 2 hob(hang on back) should do ok. Since u don't have an aerator just dint fill
Water all way to top so it can splash creating oxygen in the water.

 

[Jess1ca]

This company supply active alive filters


Sponge Filters for aquariums[/QUO
will just one of these be sufficient?

 

[Jess1ca]

This company supply active alive filters


Sponge Filters for aquariums

Will just one of these be sufficient?

 

[boadams87]

Also, my husband bought a piece of wood from somewhere, brand is All Living Things. He has soaked it for 3 days and has finally sunk. Should I add that? My only concern is that it was from the reptile section. I could add a picture if that would help...

I just read a thread about that very kind. They said its not made for an aquarium and will rotten in the water and make a mess.

 

[Jess1ca]

Yes 2 hob(hang on back) should do ok. Since u don't have an aerator just dint fill
Water all way to top so it can splash creating oxygen in the water.

Perfect! Ok,I need to start a list lol!

 

[skywhitney]

I wouldn't bother with ammo lock. The bb need the amm to grow. It only binds it for 24-48 hrs anyway.

I believe that the Prime also binds ammo for 24-48 hrs too (please correct me if I am wrong). The articles that have been provided are awesome resources so read through them a few times if need be. Just keep up with your water changes and if you're worried about it do the water changes daily regardless. Don't be afraid to ask if you have any questions, we've all made plenty of mistakes and have learned a lot from them.

 

[Jess1ca]

I just read a thread about that very kind. They said its not made for an aquarium and will rotten in the water and make a mess.

Oh that is unfortunate Such a pretty piece of wood, plus I thought it would be great for the pleco, some of the stuff I read said that tannins were good for them.

 

[boadams87]

Perfect! Ok,I need to start a list lol!

Its a learning experience I promise you that.

 

[Jess1ca]

Its a learning experience I promise you that.

I know that's right!

 

[boadams87]

I believe that the Prime also binds ammo for 24-48 hrs too (please correct me if I am wrong). The articles that have been provided are awesome resources so read through them a few times if need be. Just keep up with your water changes and if you're worried about it do the water changes daily regardless. Don't be afraid to ask if you have any questions, we've all made plenty of mistakes and have learned a lot from them.

It does!

 

[skywhitney]

Oh that is unfortunate Such a pretty piece of wood, plus I thought it would be great for the pleco, some of the stuff I read said that tannins were good for them.

a lot of the pleco species need dw in their diet for digestive reasons. I'm not sure if it's the tannins as much as the actual wood thats good for them.

 

[Alyxx]

Although it started your fishkeeping on a bit of a hectic note, what a wonderful gift! Just remember to breathe, and do partial water changes as often as you can manage until that test kit gets here. And keep up the research! One thing you are going to have to deal with is your stocking. You have a mix of African and south/central American cichlids, which doesn't work so well in the long run. They need different food and water requirements as you have probably discovered. For now I would recommend putting the Oscar and Pleco in the 55 until you can get the cycle under control, then move the other south Americans in with them until you can rehome either the Americans or the Africans. In the long run, the Oscar is going to need a larger tank, and shouldn't really have too many tankmates. The 55 could be a good African tank though. The good news is that people love both of them, so given some time you should be able to rehome the ones you need to rehome. Or, you could start off Multiple Tank Syndrome early and set up nice big tanks for both and then have the 20 free for a community tank, haha! Thanks for joining us here, and welcome to fishkeeping! I promise, it gets easier once your tank is cycled and your fish get settled in!

 

[Jess1ca]

So, I just ordered an active filter, Im guessing I just attach that to an airstone? That should jumpstart the cycle, eh? Kinda wish I didnt just pay $25 on some Bio Spira before I came to the forum lol!

 

[Jess1ca]

Although it started your fishkeeping on a bit of a hectic note, what a wonderful gift! Just remember to breathe, and do partial water changes as often as you can manage until that test kit gets here. And keep up the research! One thing you are going to have to deal with is your stocking. You have a mix of African and south/central American cichlids, which doesn't work so well in the long run. They need different food and water requirements as you have probably discovered. For now I would recommend putting the Oscar and Pleco in the 55 until you can get the cycle under control, then move the other south Americans in with them until you can rehome either the Americans or the Africans. In the long run, the Oscar is going to need a larger tank, and shouldn't really have too many tankmates. The 55 could be a good African tank though. The good news is that people love both of them, so given some time you should be able to rehome the ones you need to rehome. Or, you could start off Multiple Tank Syndrome early and set up nice big tanks for both and then have the 20 free for a community tank, haha! Thanks for joining us here, and welcome to fishkeeping! I promise, it gets easier once your tank is cycled and your fish get settled in!

Oh nooo, Which are which? I have to tell ya, that Kenyi has a bad attitude already... He has already claimed a house as his and NO ONE gets close to it!