New Guy from NY

[Lynx99]

Theres only 1 problem with "leave the tank alone unless fish are dying" and that is, fish were allowed suffer and die. While deaths in this hobby are gonna occur, we should at least do our utmost to prevent them.

The ONLY way to prevent them is to test water daily and if the ammonia or nitrite are above 0.25 to do a large water change/add prime to detoxify.

If the nitrite level is through the roof, it will kill them.

 

[MikeyThumbs]

Thanks guys, I agree with you 100% and its been KILLING me to just leave the tank and not even test the water (but I knew that was the only way that I would be able to avoid performing WCs so often)

I am definitely going to do a WC as soon as I get home from work today.. I just hope its not too late for the little Gup..

 

[Rodeo one]

Theres only 1 problem with "leave the tank alone unless fish are dying" and that is, fish were allowed suffer and die. While deaths in this hobby are gonna occur, we should at least do our utmost to prevent them.

The ONLY way to prevent them is to test water daily and if the ammonia or nitrite are above 0.25 to do a large water change/add prime to detoxify.

If the nitrite level is through the roof, it will kill them.

WC , WC, WC.......test daily .

 

[Lynx99]

Thanks guys, I agree with you 100% and its been KILLING me to just leave the tank and not even test the water (but I knew that was the only way that I would be able to avoid performing WCs so often)

I am definitely going to do a WC as soon as I get home from work today.. I just hope its not too late for the little Gup..

With a fish in cycle you just can't avoid the WC. I know it's a pain, but those guys are your responsibility now and ya gotta do what ya gotta do to give them the best chance of survival. Don't feel guilty either, everyones on a learning curve and just learn from the fish who have died n move on. Hope the other guy makes it too!

 

[bshenanagins]

With a fish in cycle you just can't avoid the WC. I know it's a pain, but those guys are your responsibility now and ya gotta do what ya gotta do to give them the best chance of survival. Don't feel guilty either, everyones on a learning curve and just learn from the fish who have died n move on. Hope the other guy makes it too!

Do yourself a huge favor and only seek counsel from AA, too much bad or improper advice being distributed from LFS. Despite their good intentions, your aquarium and fish will suffer as a result. Keep up with WC's until your levels are 0 and nitrate is between 10-20

 

[Lynx99]

I agree. The advice some LFS give out is just plain wrong, and dangerous to fish.

 

[MikeyThumbs]

I was very skeptical of what the LFS was telling me to begin with, and the fact that I witnessed my guppy getting sick just put me over the edge..

I will surely be avoiding the LFS for any advice from here out... Way I see it is that they are in business to sell fish, so why not tell people something that would have them keep coming in and purchasing more fish??

Last night when I got home from work, the little gup was still hanging in there, but seemed that the ACs were starting to get vicious and pick at him. I performed a quick WC of the tank, removed the guppy and placed it in an old 1 gal. fish bowl to keep away from the cichlids, is it alright to have the guppy in the bowl with no filter though??

Anyways as I said, the guppy was still alive, but since I put him in the bowl he is still swimming around on its side, almost upside down and staying at the surface. I don't think he will make it much longer, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of him while its still alive. Poor lil' guy...

 

[Lynx99]

The guppy is not gonna do well in that 1gal bowl any chance you can give him back to the lfs?

 

[MikeyThumbs]

I didn't think he would, the bowl was just to get him away from the ACs as quickly as possible and this was all I had handy... I am thinking of getting a small maybe 2.5 or 5 gallon tank and setting it up, would be good to have as a quarantine anyways I guess..

If the lil guy is looking better when I get home from work today, I will run out and grab the new tank right away.. I honestly don't think he will make it though.. the ACs nearly nipped off one of his side fins completely and I think that might be why he is floating around the surface on his side...

 

[Lynx99]

Yeah it might be the reason alright. Hope he makes it! *crosses fingers*

 

[Beefsteaks]

I found that seachem prime is a good one for sorting ammonia nitrites an nitrates I had same problem with my Malawis when first got them and I lost some fish but I change a third of my water every Sunday an use seachem an Waterlife bacterlife with every change and I have a tank full of yellow lab babies an all other fish doing well

 

[MikeyThumbs]

Well, unfortunately the guppy didn't make it. I came home from work on Friday and he wasn't moving very much. He hadn't eaten in 3 days and was still floating around on his side/back.. I felt horrible, but figure he was better off out of his misery.

Performed a wc on friday night for the ACs, changed out 3 gallons back to back (6 total) and got the nitrites back down. By sunday they were high again so I did another 3 gal WC.

Friday when i got home, also noticed the smallest of the ACs had a whitish looking sore on its side behind the fin. I think because the water was so built up with toxins at that point (from not changing the water as per the LFS) that the weakest of the fish caught some type of "rot"? By Sunday this spot was just about gone.

Feels like this tank is taking FOREVER to cycle ...

 

[Autumnsky]

When your levels are high consider 75% pwc. The point is to get the levels so they aren't toxic. Even 2 - 75% back to back pwc.

10G is for sure too small. Aggression will increase when they are stressed in a too small tank.

I didn't notice if you have been suggested to add an additional filter pad into the filter behind the first. This will give you double the BB surface area.

Don't over feed, feed lightly.

I would suggest some small pellet Hikari cichlid food.

 

[MikeyThumbs]

Thanks for the advice autumn! I was nervous to do more than a 50% change..
As far as feeding, I do feed them very lightly once a day and they go CRAZY and all flakes are gone within seconds, they don't even have a chance to sink. These fish are SAVAGES at feeding time!!

Definitely didn't know about the double filter pad, I don't think 2 filters would fit in there but I will give it a shot.

Thanks again..

 

[Lynx99]

If you can manage a large water change do it. The main body of bacteria you want builds up in the pads, the sponges, the gravel and the surfaces so perform pwcs to keep the water non toxic to the fish. Your aim is to keep nh4/nh3 and no2 at 0.25 with fish in and eventually these will drop to 0 as your nitrates rise.