Common Newbie Pitfalls

[mustangmp96]

While using a python to fill my new tank a couple days ago, I stopped the flow of water into the tank by closing the gravel tube valve. However, I didn't shut the water off at the faucet. Needless to say, about 5 minutes later, as I was setting some plants in the gravel, I heard an explosion behind me and knew what had happened immediately! Water everywhere and I had to finish filling with a bucket!

 

[tropical-fish]

when you have a problem it's important to ask the right people and confirm the answer before taking action.

this is a little gem i found on yahoo answers when searching to find out why the water in my new tank has turned yellow.

QUOTE - "I have 2 reasons. 1-You might be feeding your fish to much,cut down on the amount you are giving him/her.
2-You might simply have bought a faulty fish [WITH BAD POO.]
If you discover your fishes poo is a colour other than white or brown KILL IT by putting the fish in a bag with water.then place it in the freezer this way it will die without pain".

lucky for my fish i found this forum. i learned that the real reason the water turned yellow is the wood that i put into the tank.

 

[BeavisMom62]

biggest mistake i made with my small tank was changing the filter during the cycling process. this was a bad idea and made the cycling take 2x as long! oh and never use the test strips and invest in a good test kit hope that helps someone!

What I did was even worse! I didn't know anything ABOUT cycling but when I set up my first tank and even read the instructions on the box of filter media, it said to completely change out the media about every 3-4 weeks but in between to rinse it out. Well, we all know you don't ever change out the media, they just want you to keep buying more and more. So, not only did I change out the media as instructed, I also used to rinse out the media AND the filter in TAP water! DOH! And I wondered why my fish died.

 

[Homedog98]

Don't impulse buy, don't listen to the LFS, you DO need water conditioner, and you don't solve every problem with a chemical.

 

[BeavisMom62]

Isn't that the truth Lauren? No chemicals. Water change, water change, water change! (although its not helping in my case. If anyone has any ideas about why ammonia won't go down even with water changes, please see my thread in Freshwater titled "can't get my ammo down!". Thanks)

 

[psychofish]

Listening to the LFS guy without a second opinion online. He told me guppies and betta fish go well together. They don't.

 

[Homedog98]

when you have a problem it's important to ask the right people and confirm the answer before taking action.

this is a little gem i found on yahoo answers when searching to find out why the water in my new tank has turned yellow.

QUOTE - "I have 2 reasons. 1-You might be feeding your fish to much,cut down on the amount you are giving him/her.
2-You might simply have bought a faulty fish [WITH BAD POO.]
If you discover your fishes poo is a colour other than white or brown KILL IT by putting the fish in a bag with water.then place it in the freezer this way it will die without pain".

lucky for my fish i found this forum. i learned that the real reason the water turned yellow is the wood that i put into the tank.

No way. That's horrible!

 

[huma-huma]

1.try and remove emotions from your buying experience. The only thing emotions ever do for us in the fish store is make us buy stuff we don't truly want or need...

2. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS treat your tank as a community...don't buy a fish just because you like him. You gotta make sure he will fit in well with your current fish.( sadly I made this mistake by putting 2 tiger barbs in my 20g with 3 angels...not good)

 

[00youknowit00]

Listening to your LFS about ANYTHING.

1) "Oh these are the best way to go, just suction cup them to the inside of the tank and they'll constantly monitor your pH and ammonia levels." Needless to say I wasted 10 bucks.

2)"Just bring in a water sample and we'll test it. If anythings wrong we can get [sell] you what you need to fix it" No, bad LFS. NO CHEMICALS TO FIX THINGS. (Besides conditioner of course) PWC's!

3)"Oh yes, a 20 gallon tank is plenty for that fish" Umm, no ma'am it's not. It needs 50 gallons at least, thank you very much.

4)"Let it run for 24-48 hours before putting fish in. After that it's all enjoying the fish, works done" It doesn't work like that.. AT ALL.

5)"You know, it's not That crucial to test your water unless everything keeps dying." ??????


And yes, every single one of those was said to me, and I believed it all till I found AA, which have saved my fish, and me. I'm sure there's more those are just the ones that stand out.

Lesson: Ask before buying, and don't buy uninformed. Being informed does NOT mean asking someone at your LFS, even when they say they're the "Aquatics Expert". Which is who told me all of that stuff.

 

[Clynnking]

My ammonia level is at 0.25 and my ph is at 7.6. Your comment was not to buy ph down products. I have a freshwater tank and have added recommended salt. How can I get the ph down? I am considering buying bottled water for my tank cleanings rather than our country water that has iron in it. Our house has a filter for the iron but some still gets through. The water is hard. Will buying bottled or distilled for replacing water changes help the ph?

 

[Homedog98]

My ammonia level is at 0.25 and my ph is at 7.6. Your comment was not to buy ph down products. I have a freshwater tank and have added recommended salt. How can I get the ph down? I am considering buying bottled water for my tank cleanings rather than our country water that has iron in it. Our house has a filter for the iron but some still gets through. The water is hard. Will buying bottled or distilled for replacing water changes help the ph?

7.6 is a perfect Ph! Lots of fish, even the most sensitive ones, can adapt to almost any Ph. I say, don't do anything!

 

[demonicbrittany]

dont let the staff in the pet store fool you into thinking a 1 gallon tank for a betta is a good idea and easy to maintain. its not a good gift for a small child. try explaining why her fish has to go to the doctor all the time(death). its way too small for any fish. testing is not a option in such a small tank. the levels are very differant from 1 hour to the next let alone every few days. it will make you crazy. I am learning in the case of fish. bigger is better when it come to aquariums. so much easier to maintain when your dealing with more water

 

[GoldenPlecTony]

I have made a fair few mistakes in my first 4 weeks of a tank owner!

I can vouch for the one about the pet store employee advice! They told us do a 3 day fishless cycle before you add fish! We havnt had a clear day in 4 weeks! cleaning the filter and doing partial water changes every day including reduced food. I have been given some sound advice to start from scratch. Will this entail emptying the tank and waiting 30 days before I reintroduce my fish? (still with the problem of not having an established tank for my fish to live while I get the other tank prepared)

 

[GoldenPlecTony]

Listening to your LFS about ANYTHING.

1) "Oh these are the best way to go, just suction cup them to the inside of the tank and they'll constantly monitor your pH and ammonia levels." Needless to say I wasted 10 bucks.

2)"Just bring in a water sample and we'll test it. If anythings wrong we can get [sell] you what you need to fix it" No, bad LFS. NO CHEMICALS TO FIX THINGS. (Besides conditioner of course) PWC's!

3)"Oh yes, a 20 gallon tank is plenty for that fish" Umm, no ma'am it's not. It needs 50 gallons at least, thank you very much.

4)"Let it run for 24-48 hours before putting fish in. After that it's all enjoying the fish, works done" It doesn't work like that.. AT ALL.

5)"You know, it's not That crucial to test your water unless everything keeps dying." ??????


And yes, every single one of those was said to me, and I believed it all till I found AA, which have saved my fish, and me. I'm sure there's more those are just the ones that stand out.

Lesson: Ask before buying, and don't buy uninformed. Being informed does NOT mean asking someone at your LFS, even when they say they're the "Aquatics Expert". Which is who told me all of that stuff.

Hello
How did you solve the problem of adding the fish after 48 hours? I have made the same mistake and cannot stop the tank clouding and smelling. I have been advised I have too many fish in the tank also, but we need a short term fix till we can get the money together to get a 100L tank

 

[jetajockey]

Unfortunately a heavily stocked cycling tank is very difficult to manage. If you cant rehome several of the fish then you are stuck doing frequent water changes.

 

[AllieKeneston]

quick questions- my tanks foggy. pic-

should i do pwc?

and why do my black mollies either stay by the heater, or at the surface up top?

 

[iheartmyed9]

I got them same pebbles, mine got that way from the dirty gravel, i changed my water twice now about 50% each time in the last couple days and its clear as **** now

 

[aa108]

Hello
How did you solve the problem of adding the fish after 48 hours? I have made the same mistake and cannot stop the tank clouding and smelling. I have been advised I have too many fish in the tank also, but we need a short term fix till we can get the money together to get a 100L tank

You need to double check my answers with an expert but I think that you can just get Tetra Safe start which can cycle your tank in a few days. then when you get the 100L tank, you can just move the filter and the decorations for a fast cycle on that tank.

 

[Clynnking]

I agree with all of you regarding pitfalls. Research Research Research! Even before you buy a tank-research. What kind of fish do you want? Are they compatible? Will they outgrow my tank? What water parameters do they like? ie;ph, hardness, temp. Learn about the cycling process and learn patience. Mistakes will be made but don't give up! Last bit of advice: Don't be afraid to inquire on this site-lots of experience found here!!

 

[cebo]

I'm mostly new (having been away from aquariums for 20+ years) but I can say for sure, DO YOUR RESEARCH first!!! Learn about new techniques, new equipment, FILTERS, pumps, tanks, heaters, power-heads and so on. There's a ton of good info on the internet that will help you with this hobby. I've learned a lot just doing research for the past 3 month. I set up a new 60g tanks and have been doing a fishless cycle now for 30 days. I've got good info and feedback from the forum on fishless cycling to help me along the way (thanks eco23!).
Secondly, be sure of what you want as far as fish go, different fish require different environments and water conditions. You need to know this or you'll end up killing a lot of fish needlessly. In the distant past, I have had several "community" tanks and had to learn what fish were compatible. Nothing's different today! My example is African cichlids. I know nothing compared to what others know. Thank Goodness for forums! They are a valuable resource. Now I can say with confidence that the fish I buy will be put into a tank that has been prepared for mbuna African cichlids and they will be happy there and the species will be compatible with each other.