New Aquarium for christmas... few troubles <--- Huge Newb

[Aardvark]

Hey guys,

Found this website last night, I'm a complete newbie and I've already done allot of things I really should'nt have. I had no idea about cycling, and thus, have not done it. Typically i filled my tank with decorations and fish... I did not quarantine any of the fish, and I probably over stocked it as well. I did use water conditioner and let the water temp get to a proper level though. I put the fish bags into the water to let the temp even up then let the fish out into the tank. All was going well for the first week untill my pleco (which i know i should'nt have bought cuz of it's size) came down with the ich. It has died along with two neons and my red eye tetra, Two guppies and three dwarf frogs seem alright right now.

So, I took all the water, decor, and gravel out and washed them in tap water. Refilled it, took the filter media out, and put in some ich clear. Then I found this website and realized that I missed several key steps... now I'm wiser for the next time but the thing is, I can't use the filter media with the ich medicine, and my tank is going to go through it's cycle soon with fish in it. I'm assuming my best course of action is to do PWC daily untill the ich is gone then replace the filter media.... Is this the best thing, any other suggestions?



oh yeh, it's a 10 gallon tank, with air stone, heater and a trickle filter (<-- I think thats what it's called, pulls water from it's tube then trickles it back in by overflowing the canister with the media in it)

 

[fish 'n' fries]

If your filter has foam, you can use that with medications...just leave the charcoal out as it will remove them.

Sounds like you've done some reading now on cycling. You'll need to do frequent water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrites down. Also, clean water will help fight ich.

Often people will recommend increasing temperature to treat ich...but I wouldn't do that as the tank's going to cycle...higher temperatures increase the toxic ammonia.

Good luck!

 

[Aardvark]

My filter is a BIO-BAG, so everything all in one with the carbon so I think I'll keep it out for a while at least. One question i do have is, when doing a fishless cycle, is it still neccessary to add water condioner? Also, when doing PWC for the next while, do I still add conditioner to the new water, if so, enough for the whole tank, or just the amount of water I'm adding....

Thanks for the input

BTW - I have 2 guppies, 3 dwarf frogs, and 1 Khuli Loach in there, all seem to be doing fine. I've been told to only use half of the medication for scale-less creatures like my frogs so that's what I have been doing

 

[LandGhoti]

I just finished a fishless cycle last weekend and didn't put any water conditioner in (cycle took about 3 weeks but I did use my old filter). I believe after about a day, the chlorine in new water detoxifies so if you're cycling without fish, it's a non-issue.

I think if there are fish, you should add conditioner whenever you do a PWC. I always have, just enough for how much new water I was putting in. Takes care of the chlorine right away.

Other people with more experience will chime in, I'm sure. You are in good hands here.

 

[theotheragentm]

You want to get a test kit as soon as you can to make sure water conditions are where they should be for your fish. I recommend this one based on my experience and other user's reviews. This will let you know where your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are in your tank. While it's good that your fish seem to be doing fine, you should do large percentage water changes for the time being as you may not be able to test the water level.

I'm not a fan of medicating fish. If you do a search in the sick fish forums, you can probably find a few people recommending higher temperatures and some aquarium salt as a remedy for a lot of the fish diseases and illness.

I've learned from messing things up that fish illness can often times be prevented by keeping clean, stable water conditions for the fish to live. It's not always going to prevent illness from occurring but the test kit is a good start for that.

Welcome to the world of aquaria. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask questions. We were all once messing up some tank at some point.

 

[tropicalfish]

You need to run a cycle...
I can guess that your filter is most likely a Whisper filter.. and if it came in a kit, most likely a Whisper 10.

You will want to run a fish less cycle. the beginning steps are simple... just fill up your tank and turn the filter and heater on. If you want to, add the airpump for good looks.
When I ran my cycle on my first tank, I did not use a test kit, and I still don't, because I don't have one.. (I am planning to get one, even though fish are always fine (I think!!))

The next steps are the hardest...
You will need to wait at least one week for the water to "cycle". If you want, you can put some water treatment in there to be sure that and chlorine/chloramines have disappeared.
You will need to add some fish food or 100% liquid ammonia to help with the cycle. I added fish food.

 

[fishygurl]

Cycling Usually takes more than a week....You should read the articles on cycling in the article section of this site.....There is a fishless cycling article under saltwater, but it works the same for freshwater....

Good luck

 

[Aardvark]

I have read the articles on a fishless cycle, and if my fish do not survive the ich then I will be doing that with the frozen shrimp method. There's fish in the tank right now so I can't do it

 

[rich311k]

If it is ich, salt like grains on the fish, then raise your temperature to over 86f. 88 should be good to allow for fluctuations. Forget about the meds they don't work as well as treating with heat. Since you don't have a test kit as yet, I think you should be changing 50% of your water every other day. Since the tank is small it should not be that big a deal. Be sure to dechlor and match temp.

 

[fish 'n' fries]

I've never used those filters...the only problem I foresee is that usually your filter is one place that bacteria colonize...it may draw out your cycle.

Don't worry, you can cycle with fish (your going to have to). To do it, you just need to keep doing water changes, maybe even daily... A test kit certainly can be helpful just to let you know if you are in the danger zone with either ammonia or nitrites. Definitely keep using the dechlor while you have fish...you only need to add for what you're putting in. You can easily do 50% PWC at a time and even repeat a few hours later if you need to.

 

[Aardvark]

Alright, did the first PWC today, 50% added the conditioner and half a tablet of ich clear, temp has been raised to 27 degress C. Wasn't hard at all, plus i snapped a couple of pics for u guys.


The overall view

Sorry for the blur, but I removed one of the white 25W bulbs and replaced it with a 10W Red bulb for at night

Johnny Depp belongs everywhere... apparently even in aquariums...

Here's a dwarf frog, u can see another one if u look closely

Here he is again stretchin a little (Are the spots normal?)

And the only good pic i could get of one of the guppies, those little suckers are FAST!

The Khuli loach didn't feel like commin out for the camera so that'll have to wait

 

[Aardvark]

Bought a water test kit today, accually the store was out of full kits so I bought individual PH, Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite testing kits. Tested before and after doing a 50% PWC

Before:

PH - 7.5
Ammonia - 2mg/L (I'm correct that this is dangerously high?)
Nitrates - Less than 5mg/L
Nitrites - .1 mg/L

After:

PH - 7.2
Ammonia - .6mg/L
Nitrates - Less that 5mg/L
Nitires - .1mg/L


How is this looking for being on the third day of a cycle with fish?

 

[fish 'n' fries]

Not too bad. I'd water change enough (not more than 50% at a time though) to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.5 (especially as you have the temperature up...ammonia is in its more toxic form at higher temperatures). Good luck.

 

[cabezon]

I like your set up. That's great, a little Davey jones locker deal. keep up the PWC and I hope that the fish make it through OK.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, is to keep the feedings small. You dont want leftover food causing more ammonia.

 

[tropicalfish]

now, you will want to replace your incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lights so you don't melt away your hood with the heat.