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JoeD

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Messages
85
Location
Southern California
Hello all! My name is Joe, I live in SoCal, and am completly new to having an aquarium.

Got a 20gal Tropical Tank 2 weeks ago. Been doing ton of research and am completely baffled by the endless contradictions! "Feed once a day" "Feed 2-3 times a day" "Feed every three days" Ahhhhh!! It never ends!!!

I just want a healthy, happy eco system.

Hoping this site will be helpful.

Thanks:8O:
 
Welcome! There is an amazing collection of knowledge and experience here. I am sure you can find some good advice on just about anything in the hobby. Best of luck!
 
Thank you for the replies! I'm Not sure if this is the right place for my questions, but 2 days ago one of my 3 platties, the smallest one was hiding out one morning and didn't look well overall, come to find out the mickey mouse platy was harassing the lil guy. Today he died. I was told these are docile fish, also understanding I'm sure all fish have their own personalities. Now one of my Zebra Danios isn't looking too good. Slow moving compared to the other two. Water tested fine. So not sure what it could be...
 
When you say the water tested fine, what were the parameters?

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH
Temp

Did you cycle the tank prior to adding fish? Have you been performing any partial water changes (PWCs)?
 
Not sure one the exact parameters, I took the water to Petsmart and had it tested for free. I just got back today for a second test and they said the water quality is very good as well as the ammonnia.

Yes the tank is 2 weeks old, I cycled the water for about 50+ hours. Also the PS employee was super helpful and even showed me how to identify m/f's, as it turn out I had 3 Female platties. It's not looking good for one of my Zebras.
 
Doing a proper water cycle takes weeks if not a month or two you shoul do some research on the fishless cycle and the bacteria colonies that you need to establish before you start adding fish!! If you don't have high ammonia and nitrite levels now you probably will soon!!
 
First off I would recommend picking up a test kit. It is a crucial component to responsible fish keeping. The free testing at petsmart uses test strips, which are woefully inaccurate, especially in the low range... and they don't test for ammonia. That is the crucial test at this stage of your tank. You want liquid titration tests. The API freshwater master test kit is a great kit that includes everything you need.

Running water in the tank for 50+ hours is not cycling the water. There must be a source of ammonia for the beneficial bacteria to grow... you need the bacteria to complete your nitrogen cycle.

I would wager the reason your fish are not looking so good is the buildup of toxic ammonia in your uncycled tank.


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ady-have-fish-what-now-116287.html#post983258

Read the above thread. It offers some good advice on the road ahead.
 
Wow. They did do an Ammonia test and it was good. The first time it was a little high a recommended an Ammonia remover.
I was informed to wait at least 24hs before introducing fish and not to add more than 3 fish to start and it would take about a month for the tank to build up one all of the good bacteria. Also that schooling fish count as one??? I will def get a proper test kit ASAP!
Thanks for the link, I did read it and will a few more times.
I want to do what is best for a happy, healthy fish tank. Iggnorant yes, lazy no!

Thanks again for all of the valuable input!!!!!
 
No problem Joe. It is a common mistake for those new to the hobby. Did they do a liquid test for ammonia or did they use an ammonia test strip? Either way, the only "good" amount of ammonia is 0. If it is over 0.25ppm, it becomes toxic to fish. It is amazing how fast it can build up in an uncycled tank... but remember we are talking about parts per million, very small quantities. The test kit is necessary so you can keep the ammonia (and later nitrite) at safe, manageable levels until your biofilter is established.
 
No problem Joe. It is a common mistake for those new to the hobby. Did they do a liquid test for ammonia or did they use an ammonia test strip? Either way, the only "good" amount of ammonia is 0. If it is over 0.25ppm, it becomes toxic to fish. It is amazing how fast it can build up in an uncycled tank... but remember we are talking about parts per million, very small quantities. The test kit is necessary so you can keep the ammonia (and later nitrite) at safe, manageable levels until your biofilter is established.

Yes it was the strip kind. Any recommendation on where to buy one of those kits? I want to get that ASAP. Also what about those bacteria starter packs?
 
The bacteria starter packs... I would avoid them. They are hit or miss at best. Any product with live bacteria has a high chance of not being stored properly (i.e. temps to high or low) which would then kill off any living bacteria.

Nitrifying bacteria are aerobic anyways... so they aren't going to live for long in a sealed bottle.

Petsmart or Petco carry the API freshwater master kit. It is also widely available online.

Unfortunately, the LFS, and especially the big chain stores, are not the greatest places to get advice. They perpetuate a lot of myths and untruths... we see it all the time. The advice here is generally pretty dang good, and comes from people with a lot of personal experience. Many of the employees at these stores have likely never started a tank of their own, and don't have an understanding of the nitrogen cycle, which is about the most important biological thing happening in an aquarium. Rather than go with what works, they tend to recommend chemical treatments (like the ammonia remover stuff they sold you). The only chemical ever needed for healthy tank is a good dechlorinator, like prime. Anything else is basically a band aid fix. Problems need to have their root caused addressed, rather than a chemical solution.
 
As for your specific situation, even before you get the test kit, I would perform a 50% PWC on your tank tonight. This will at least cut the ammonia in half and should help your fish.

I would follow it up with another 50% PWC in the morning.
 
And use prime like fort said I have used about every water treatment product out there and that stuff is amazing
 
Hey, Did a 20% PWC, wasn't sure if I should I leave the fish in the tank during a PWC????????
Tested my levels today.
pH Over 8.0
High pH 8.0
Ammonia 0.3
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 2.5
 
yes, you want to leave the fish in during a PWC.

Test again tomorrow and if the ammonia goes up at all, do a 50% PWC.
 
Thanks Fort. I will do! Lost a few, but the the rest seem happy! Sucks due to my misinformation... Should I get that pH Up or Down Stuff, or just continue with the PWC's as needed?
 
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