Keeping nitrates from exceeding 20ppm is fine for most fish. Plants such as anacharis can also help you keep nitrates down. I've ordered fish online many times. Check Severum Mama and HN1's stock list in the classified section of this forum. I've also ordered from franksaquarium.com and bobstropicalplants.com, as well as several aquabid listings. If you aren't familiar with aquabid, it's the ebay of aquatic pets, and is quite awesome!
Im in urgent need of wisdom, please educate me?
- Thread starter Jimboslice765
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Jimboslice765
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2011
- Messages
- 16
Good morning folks...
My 70 gallon is doin great thanks to the info given to me from you guys, my 30 has inhabitants but the nitrites are goin any where fast, plants are doing well, fish are too but I would really like to get this stat down...also how many is a good number for the school fish 2,3,4???
My 70 gallon is doin great thanks to the info given to me from you guys, my 30 has inhabitants but the nitrites are goin any where fast, plants are doing well, fish are too but I would really like to get this stat down...also how many is a good number for the school fish 2,3,4???
IvanMike
Aquarium Advice Freak
easiest thing to do to get rid of nitrAtes is to do water changes - plants will help, but water changes are it.
When you think school/shoal - be honest, do you think 2-4 fish?.............
6 is a good start, it all depends on tank size. Much better to get many of one schooling species rather than a few of this and a few of that.
When you think school/shoal - be honest, do you think 2-4 fish?.............
6 is a good start, it all depends on tank size. Much better to get many of one schooling species rather than a few of this and a few of that.
Jimboslice765
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2011
- Messages
- 16
Im in trouble again , I think my house is ****ed for my fish, I do water changes twice a week in the 30 gallon aquarium, as well as my big one the large tank is fine... The small one on the other hand fish were doing well until yesterday lost an algae eater then this morning my wife informed me 3 more died , im getting discouraged the population was 3 different species of tetras, a clown loach, dwarf gourami, leopard algae eater,and a silver dollar that is being a jerk so if he wasnt amongst the dead ill bag him up and take him back, this tank is for my daugther I want to put prettys in it but not if I cant keep them alive. Water specs ammonia 0ppm, nitrites 1ppm, nitrates 5to10ppm oranges on test are very close.PLEASE HELP ps should the light stay on continuously wife turns off to enable easier sleep?? Im lost again
IvanMike
Aquarium Advice Freak
Nitrites should be ZERO, not 1. I think you're not giving it time to cycle. That and a bacterial colony will adjust over time when the fish load goes up or down (as more or less food dictates how many bacteria there can be). Declaring a tank "cycled" and then tossing in the maximum number of fish it can handle all at once can result in temporary ammonia and nitrite spikes which can kill fish.
Also be aware that silver dollars like to be in schools of 6 or more (just like other tetras), and get really really big. Not the best fish for a 30.
I would stop buying fish for the moment, and figure out just what you want to put in this tank - then ask here about things like compatibility issues, how many individuals of different species make them comfortable, and adult size of the fish in question. In general, a 30 makes a good tank for a few different species of smaller pretty fish. Rather than getting 3 of this and 2 of that, often the fish will be happier (and the tank will look better) with larger schools of each species. I've kept tanks like that with a few dwarf gouramis or peaceful dwarf cichlids, a whole bunch of one kind of small tetra (like all neons or all brass tetras, or black neons, or cardinals), and a small group of smaller cory cats - just 3 species in the whole aquarium, but larger groups.
and no, the light doesn't need to be on 24/7 - this won't make the fish comfortable and will promote algae growth. I usually go with 10-12 hours a day.
Also be aware that silver dollars like to be in schools of 6 or more (just like other tetras), and get really really big. Not the best fish for a 30.
I would stop buying fish for the moment, and figure out just what you want to put in this tank - then ask here about things like compatibility issues, how many individuals of different species make them comfortable, and adult size of the fish in question. In general, a 30 makes a good tank for a few different species of smaller pretty fish. Rather than getting 3 of this and 2 of that, often the fish will be happier (and the tank will look better) with larger schools of each species. I've kept tanks like that with a few dwarf gouramis or peaceful dwarf cichlids, a whole bunch of one kind of small tetra (like all neons or all brass tetras, or black neons, or cardinals), and a small group of smaller cory cats - just 3 species in the whole aquarium, but larger groups.
and no, the light doesn't need to be on 24/7 - this won't make the fish comfortable and will promote algae growth. I usually go with 10-12 hours a day.
Jimboslice765
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2011
- Messages
- 16
Still in need of help thanks for the pointers, but something new has occured I noticed a white film on the silver dollar its acting sickly and its large enough for me to see. secondly is there anything else to help with nitrites ? for now im goin to relocate the remaining fish into a larger tank.. Thank you for all your help
IvanMike
Aquarium Advice Freak
nitrites go away with time. They are removed/eaten by a different genus of bacteria than ammonia is, so it's typical for a tank to undergo an ammonia spike, followed by a nitrite spike, followed by a slow increase in nitrates which get managed by water changes. I'm a little surprised that you're having this much trouble as (IIRC) you did get a chunk of active filter media from somewhere - hopefully you drove that stuff right home and got it in a filter within an hour.
The silver dollar could have any one of a number of infections probably brought on by exposure to nitrites (which reduce immunity). The best course of action IMO is to do lots of large scale water changes -I've often brought sick fish back from the brink with this, and in the case of detectable ammonia or nitrites, this is doubly important.
The silver dollar could have any one of a number of infections probably brought on by exposure to nitrites (which reduce immunity). The best course of action IMO is to do lots of large scale water changes -I've often brought sick fish back from the brink with this, and in the case of detectable ammonia or nitrites, this is doubly important.
Similar threads
