All advice so gratefully received!

[GuPpYnEwBiE82]

I think 1 pellet is going to be too much for a few guppies to eat in 1 go. I like those pellets that can stick to the glass because its fun to watch the fish pick at them over an hour or so, but i use them in bigger tanks with upto 100 fish, and 3 pellets gets eaten. I wouldnt use a stick on the glass pellet in my small guppy tank because its too much food. A fishes stomach is the size of its eye to give you an idea of how much food they csn eat in 1 sitting. Is a pellet bigger than 8 guppy eyes?

Maybe stick one on the side of the tank twice a week and remove it after 10 or 15 minutes so there isnt excess food left lying on the bottom.

I dont give my guppies any specialised vegetable food because they pick at algae all through the day until they get fed in the evening. I figure they get enough vegetable in their diet from that.

I have seen them munching on the floor/rocks, so I'll do twice a week then. The flakes are arriving tomorrow

I have a few questions about the new tank if you don't mind?

1. The smaller tank heater fitted behind the filter, no leads in the water. This bigger heater is submersible and freaks me out a little, just sticks to the side? I will send a photo to check if positioned correctly...

2. I am away with work for 2 nights and my Mum feeds my animals, but I am worried about the levels spiking and not being here to do water changes every day. I have been doing an almost 50% water change in the smaller tank for the last 3 days now, and the levels are coming down but still not amazing as you predicted. Ammonia on the colour chart was between 0.5 and 1 and nitrite colour was 1. Will they be better transferred into the bigger tank before I am away Fri and Sat night or better in the smaller tank? I thought the bigger but obviously that tank will be very newly set up...

3. When I left my initial tank for the almost 2 weeks before adding fish there was a bacterial bloom that lasted a few days, making the water cloudy. This happened about a week after I set it up, although I will say I did no water changes after setting it up or before adding the fish (ignorance, as with a lot of the other things I have done wrong!) If that happens again, does it harm the fish? What process should I follow?

4. I have Seachem Prime ready to go, and it says 5mL per 200 L. Can I overdose them on this?? I got the 60 litre tank and would like to add water tonight to start the process of giving them a bigger, better home.

Thank you

https://www.kapwing.com/w/LPlvYwJCkz

 

[Aiken Drum]

1. That looks ok. There is usually a line on the heater that must be below the water line.

2. I would move the fish to the bigger tank. More water = more dilution = safer conditions. If you arent home to do a water change for a couple of days, then do a big water change before you go and dont feed the fish while you are away. Fish go weeks without food in the wild, a couple of days wont hurt them. No food will prevent water quality going too much off, and you dont risk someone overfeeding.

3. Bacterial blooms are normal in newly established tanks, they usually go away as the tank establishes, and as long as they dont go on for too long wont harm the fish.

4. You can overdose on Prime, i think seachem say its safe for a 5x overdose. If you are monitoring your water quality and changing water as needed then there is no need for an overdose, but using half a capful for your 60 litre tank for ease of measurement isnt going to hurt anything. This stuff is way more effective than the dosage suggests, so underdosing a little isnt likely to be an issue either. Get a 5ml syringe from the pharmacy if you want to measure out your water conditioner more accurately and avoid wastage.

 

[GuPpYnEwBiE82]

Thank you!

The water is in the new tank, the Prime is added and the heater/filters are on! My Tetra Safestart is arriving tomorrow, will it be ok to add it then?

I've also been a little confused by advice on adding the water conditioner - some have said add in the water first, then dose for the whole tank (so I would add half a capful after adding in untreated water) and others have said treat before adding! I have been using jugs of water and using small amounts of tap safe in them just to be safe, but I have also let the water sit out for 24 hours to warm to room temp and allow chlorine to evaporate too.

It's the same with the beneficial bacteria, it says to use after all routine maintenance and at least once weekly, so if I am doing daily water changes, does it need adding every time??

I'll do exactly that with the little fellas, add them to the new tank once it is all set up and I won't feed them while I'm away and will do a (50%?) water change Friday before I go.

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions, it's just nice to have some proper knowledge and know I am hopefully starting to do this correctly.

 

[Aiken Drum]

When you do a water change, remove the water, add enough water conditioner to treat all the water into the tank, then refill the tank. It really doesnt matter if you add it after the new water, but my opinion is its better to do it before so the new water is treated as it goes in the tank, rather than having chlorinated water in the tank until you then treat it.

You dont need to let water sit if you are using a water conditioner. Just mix hot and cold water from the tap to the temperature of your tank water and tip it in the tank with the water conditioner. Water conditioner works instantly on contact. Also chlorine treatment is becoming less common, with chloramine becoming more common, and chloramine doesnt evaporate.

Once your tank has cycled, continuing to add more of these beneficial bacteria products is pointless. Your tank is cycled, adding more isnt going to make it more cycled. The manufacturers instructions may advise you to do this, but all they doing is trying to get you to buy more of their product. They "might" help speed up your cycling process, but they wont instantly cycle a tank like they say they do, and continuing to dose then forever more is a complete waste of money. Dose it according to the instructions before you add your fish, if there is any left then use it up by redosing after a water change. Once whatever you bought is gone, dont waste more money by buying more. It either worked or it didnt.

 

[GuPpYnEwBiE82]

Fab. I put the Seachem in last night, and I am just waiting on the Safestart you suggested.

Do you use bags to move fish to a new tank, like I did from the shop? To allow them to adjust to water temps etc?

My new heater seems to be a bit of a beast too, it is 100W but they didn't have anything between 50 and 100 - it said it is suitable for 0-75 litre tanks. I have turned it down to 23 as with the outside temp (no heating but not cold) and the heater it went up to 30! At least I know it's working!

Thanks for advising re water change too, sounds like the best way to do it definitely as it's in there ready.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Read this.

https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/heater-issues-381763.html

You dont need to transfer fish into a bag and then from the bag into your new tank. If the water conditions are similar on both your old and new tanks you can just net the fish straight from the old tank and into the new.

The water conditions in your new tank will just be whatever the water conditions of your tap water are. If you recently did a water change in your old tank, the water conditions of both wont be too much different. Just make sure the temperature is somewhere close to each other.

 

[GuPpYnEwBiE82]

Amazing, thank you. I've got them to within 1 degree of each other now!

Once I've added the Safestart will they be good to transfer?

 

[GuPpYnEwBiE82]

They are in!

I am keeping a close eye on them, but they look like they love the increased space! �� it's so lovely to see!

Thank you for all your advice ��