We need advice!

[longliveglam]

We just came home with four fish. We wanted 11, but apparently we should only start with four (not really sure why. It's a 20 gallon tank and all of our choices are of the small variety).

We have one red cobra guppy, two harlequin raspbora(s), and one cherry barb. When we first went to the store the man told us that we should replace 20 percent of the water every three weeks. Today we took home a sheet from this store and it says to do the same every week. We visited a few sites and a lot say every two weeks. It varies between 10, 15 and 20 percent and we're not sure what to do. Everything is different! DX

Thanks for the help!

 

[bs6749]

If this is a new tank you should change out 5 gallons of water in that tank every week. Those fish are small but your tank hasn't cycled yet. Ammonia will build up and will be converted to nitraites by one bacteria. Then, another bacteria takes the nitrites and converts them into nitrates. Live plants use nitrates to grow so it's recommended that you keep some in your tank. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all toxic to fish in certain amounts. The most toxic is ammonia and the least toxic is nitrate. It take about 4-6 weeks for your tank to "cycle" as it's called. There are certain thing that you can do to help keep your fish safe such as large and frequent water changes. I recommend 5 gallons 2 times a week. You can add Seachem's Prime which is a dechlorinator and also neutralizes ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates so that they aren't harmful to fish but may still be used by the bacteria that consume them. I'd get a bottle of Prime, it is about $10 and will last you years.

Once your tank is cycled then you will want to change out 5 gallons of water 1 time every week or two. Welcome to the forum!

 

[Menagerie]

WELCOME TO AA
Luckily, they didn't sell you all 11 fish right away! Your tank will cycle slowly and with the low bioload, your fish will probably make it. You should get a Master Test kit to check for ammonia and nitrite, as well as nitrates. Test strips are not as accurate as liquid tests. You can read about cycling your tank in the articles section and read other member's posts about cycling to better understand what will happen to your new tank and new finned friends
During the time the tank cycles, you can decide exactly what fish you want. You have one live bearer and two species that are happiest in schools of 5+.

 

[Lager]

Right now water changes depend on the ammonia and nitrite levels in your tank. They will say when and how much water to change. When your tank is done cycling your nitrate levels are a good indicator of when to change water. Over 20ppm do a water change. If you don't want to bother with all the nitrate testing 25% a week is safe and probably will be more than adequate.

 

[Alaris]

I would first suggest that you return the fish and do a fishless cycle (check the link in my sig). If you choose to keep the fish, then you should expect to do about 50% water changes every day. Get the API Master test kit as suggested and test for ammonia and nitrItes everyday. If either of them read 0.50ppm or above, then you will need to do a 50% change.

Also, do you have a dechlorinator? I recommend Prime

 

[bs6749]

Or do like I said and add Prime and you won't have to worry about the harmful effects of the ammonia, nitrites, nitrates which will still be used by bacteria in the tank. API test kits will still recognize these neutralized compounds even though they are most likely in a harmless form. Plus, that way saves a trip to the fish store and I doubt that the $8 in fish would be worth her time and gas money to return them.

 

[Alaris]

Or do like I said and add Prime and you won't have to worry about the harmful effects of the ammonia, nitrites, nitrates which will still be used by bacteria in the tank. API test kits will still recognize these neutralized compounds even though they are most likely in a harmless form. Plus, that way saves a trip to the fish store and I doubt that the $8 in fish would be worth her time and gas money to return them.

So you recommend adding Prime to the tank to control the ammonia and nitrItes in the tank? How much would you dose, and for how often? Everyday? Enough to convert all of the ammonia and nitrIte in the the tank?

And it's not the $8 I was concerned about. It's the LIVES.

 

[longliveglam]

Thank you for all of the advice, though I must admit it's often very confusing. :x If it helps any, the fish belong to my friend and I and we're both seventeen, so we do have adult assistance on this.

I will read all of this to my best friend's parent (i live with my best friend five days a week and we both go to my house on weekends, so they will be fed by her parents then) and we will collectively try to make sense of it.

Just a side question, though, Menagerie said "You have one live bearer and two species that are happiest in schools of 5+." What exactly is a live bearer and which ones are the ones happiest in larger schools?

Thank you all, we really appreciate it! ;w; I'm excited to pick up the rest of the 11. Then the family can be together, heehe.

 

[Lager]

The guppy is the live bearer, the rasboras and barbs both like to live in schools. With a few female guppies you could have a tankful in no time.

 

[bs6749]

A livebearer is a fish that gives birth to free swimming young, which are miniature versions of the parents. The guppy is the livebearer.

Prime should be added initially and the numbers of each the ammonia, nitrites, nitrates noted. If there is an increase in any of those numbers from one day to the next add a dose of Prime after doing a water change.

 

[Lager]

So what would be the difference from just doing water changes based on ppm readings of ammonia and nitrites? You still recommend the water change.

 

[bs6749]

Still do water changes to keep the levels of ammonia, etc. down. Test kits can only read a certain range and keeping them low will help the test be more accurate and will show slight increases in levels versus high levels of neutralized compounds being present.

 

[RJRofFL]

Hello Longliveglam.

Congratulations on your new aquarium. You sound like very smart and mature teenagers, so forgive me for sounding like a parent. But, I am one of those boring dads.

When you take on fishkeeping, you also take on a responsibility of caring for them. Since you cannot "see" in water what they are experiencing, you do need a test kit. Liquid is best, but if the budget doesn't allow, strips are better than nothing.

The LFS recommendations are just a guide. If you test the water daily, let your readings govern the amount and frequency of water changes.

So far you're on the right path and came to the right place to get good advice.

Good luck and I'll spare you the "when I was your age" speech.

Bob

 

[longliveglam]

Urgent, please respond.

One of our four, Odin, died today. He is the one with a double (they schooled together) and did not seem to have anything wrong with him.

We have just done a water change. WE NEED TO KNOW how much "multi-purpose bio support" to add. It says on our guide sheet that we add a double dosage during the first four changes, which apparently means 8 teaspoons. That seems like SO MUCH and we don't want to harm them with an over dosage.

PLEASE help us. Forgive me for typing...informally or annoyingly or anything like that, but we really don't want to see our last three babies die.

Thank you. I will be checking consistently over the next few minutes (we need to do this now).

 

[bluerose]

what is this 'multi-purpose bio support'? some sort of cycling helper/agent?

all you should really need to be adding is a dechlorinator to your PWCs...

 

[Sombunya]

Just to repeat. The test kit, about $25, is the best investment you can make if you want a healthy, disease-free tank. Really. Get the A.P.I. pro kit.

Alaris is right on about water changes. When my 20 gallon was cycling I was doing a 25% water change every day, de-chlorinating the water, of course. 25% of a 20 gallon is easy: a 5 gallon bucket.

 

[longliveglam]

It's "big Al's multi-purpose bio support", as seen here. http://akamai.edeal.com/images/catalog3684/folder24579/img3038592thmb.jpg

Not that the image will help unless you're familiar, but that's the brand.

Odin's twin is hovering around his reflection and trying to school with himself. It's very sad.

 

[Alaris]

"Cycle" products and "bacteria support" products are generally bogus. Stop putting chemicals in your tank.

What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte)? If ammonia or nitrIte are at .50ppm or higher, then do a 50% water change. You MUST test your water it's the only way you're going to know what to do to help your fish.

Get a dechlorinator: Prime will lock up harmful ammonia and nitrItes. This is what you should be using.

Get a test kit. The one Som mentioned (API FW Master Test kit) is good. Don't buy test strips.

 

[longliveglam]

They're bogus? But don't they help reduce ammonia? We're worried that's what killed Odin.

An update, though. We just got six more fish and tested for ammonia and nitrIte) and the tank is apparently perfectly fine. We're not sure what's going to happen now, but all we can do is hope. @___@

 

[bluerose]

Who tested the water and with what method? Did YOU test the water with a reagent kit (NOT strips)?

PWC's reduce ammonia and nitrate. A cycled tank with proper bacteria reduces ammonia and nitrate. I don't think your tank is cycled... and you added more fish. Probably not a good idea and you should seriously consider taking them back or risk losing them.

Get a test kit. Test for ammonia and nitrites DAILY. If either are over .5ppm do a 50% water change. This may mean DAILY. Get a big bucket and a gravel vac (works as a water siphon to minimize mess) and roll up your sleeves... fishkeeping is not just watching fish swim in a tank.