Hardy Fish to put into aquarium.

[deadmanwalking]

Hiya everyone! I have been using the Nutrafin Cycle since Boxing Day (the correct levels as shown on the tin) and as of now, my nitrite and nitrate levels are at around 0, I don't have an ammonia tester 'cause apparently I don't need it, my GH is at around 3, my KH is at 3, the pH is at 6.4 and my Cl2 levels are apparently at 1 but I put dechlorinator in on Boxing Day and so that must be a fluke.

Anyway, if I were to put Kissing Gourami (2 of them) into this tank just now, would I be okay in doing this? And further, if not, what would I have to change to be able to add them in today or tomorrow?

Thanks!!!

 

[deadmanwalking]

Also, in case there are other fish which would be preferred to be put in first instead, here is a list of the other fish:

- Red Tailed Black Shark
- Swordtails
- Rainbowfish
- BGKF
- African ButterflyFish
- Angelfish
- Glass Catfish.

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Thanks so much everyone!!!!!

 

[BettaGal]

Hiya everyone! I have been using the Nutrafin Cycle since Boxing Day (the correct levels as shown on the tin) and as of now, my nitrite and nitrate levels are at around 0, I don't have an ammonia tester 'cause apparently I don't need it, my GH is at around 3, my KH is at 3, the pH is at 6.4 and my Cl2 levels are apparently at 1 but I put dechlorinator in on Boxing Day and so that must be a fluke.

Anyway, if I were to put Kissing Gourami (2 of them) into this tank just now, would I be okay in doing this? And further, if not, what would I have to change to be able to add them in today or tomorrow?

Thanks!!!

What size tank are we talking about? Are you measuring out the proper amount of dechlorinator? It might read that way if you didn't add enough. What kind are you using? I'm wondering if it truly is dechlorinator or if its an emergency detox agent that was with the dechlorinator.

You definitely need an ammonia test kit. That is the first part of the cycle. With fish in the tank, it can quickly rise to toxic levels and you can end up with fish death.

It looks like with NO2- and NO3- that your tank isn't cycled yet. Did you add ammonia, are putting food in the tank, or have any fish in at all? The bacteria that starts the cycle eat ammonia, and with no ammonia source, they have no food.

If you have no fish or minimal compatible fish and your tank is big enough, then you could add your kissing gouramis as long as you get an ammonia test kit. Personally, I would say get the ammonia test kit and see where it is. If its high, I would not add them yet. If you added ammonia to the tank, I would definitely not add them yet. It's probably too high in that instance. Your pH is a little low also. I think it's 6.5 that bacteria activity slows down and 6.0 it stops, but I will have to check my numbers on that one. I've seen it suggested to put a small amount of crushed coral in a knee high nylon and put it either in the filter or close to it. You would have to monitor that.

 

[deadmanwalking]

"What size tank are we talking about? Are you measuring out the proper amount of dechlorinator? It might read that way if you didn't add enough. What kind are you using? I'm wondering if it truly is dechlorinator or if its an emergency detox agent that was with the dechlorinator."

The size of tank is 30 gallons. And yeah, it is the "Nutrafin Aqua Plus" that we put in and the first two days we put it in it was still at 0.

"You definitely need an ammonia test kit. That is the first part of the cycle. With fish in the tank, it can quickly rise to toxic levels and you can end up with fish death."

Ah, I see. Thanks for letting me know!

"It looks like with NO2- and NO3- that your tank isn't cycled yet. Did you add ammonia, are putting food in the tank, or have any fish in at all? The bacteria that starts the cycle eat ammonia, and with no ammonia source, they have no food. "

I have been using the Nutrafin Water Conditioner, and that says that if I put that in it starts the cycling, and then after 3 days of using the correct volumes as it shows on the lid I can put a couple of hardy fish in.

"If you have no fish or minimal compatible fish and your tank is big enough, then you could add your kissing gouramis as long as you get an ammonia test kit. Personally, I would say get the ammonia test kit and see where it is. If its high, I would not add them yet. If you added ammonia to the tank, I would definitely not add them yet. It's probably too high in that instance. Your pH is a little low also. I think it's 6.5 that bacteria activity slows down and 6.0 it stops, but I will have to check my numbers on that one. I've seen it suggested to put a small amount of crushed coral in a knee high nylon and put it either in the filter or close to it. You would have to monitor that."

Yeah, I don't have any fish at the moment. And okay, I think i'll get the ammonia test kit then and see, and then add the fish in. And yeah, I think that's what the water is like around here. The water is also really soft. And I actually saw that somewhere too, but it also said that putting a bit of bicarbonate of soda into the tank would help it.

So, really all I want to do now is make sure ammonia levels are low (what sort of numbers would be classed as low?), the pH is up a bit to around 7-7.5, and then i'm fine to add the Gourami's?

Thanks so much for your detailed and extremely useful reply!!

 

[Hholly]

Please research all the fish species you are considering before buying. For instance, black ghost knife grow to 18" and need a 150 gallon tank.

 

[librarygirl]

Without an ammonia source the cycle can't start. You're showing good readings now because there isn't an ammonia source in the tank to start the process. Once you add fish, ammonia is going to rise. Read this link on cycling and figure out which method you'd rather do (fishless or fish-in): Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[deadmanwalking]

Guys, see with regards to the BGK's, I am again unsure as to where this rumour that they grow to 20" has come from. They can grow to 25cm MAX in an aquarium, according to various sources. That's 10 inches.

librarygirl - Hmm, but what about that water conditioner thing? Does that not have ammonia in it or something? I don't know - but that's what the packet said and it basically said "this is what you need for cyclling".

 

[Zimmanski]

Guys, see with regards to the BGK's, I am again unsure as to where this rumour that they grow to 20" has come from. They can grow to 25cm MAX in an aquarium, according to various sources. That's 10 inches.

librarygirl - Hmm, but what about that water conditioner thing? Does that not have ammonia in it or something? I don't know - but that's what the packet said and it basically said "this is what you need for cyclling".

15" is very common for black ghosts if they're given the proper amount of space, and they are more rigid than other fish so the need extra space to turn around in. A 30 gallon is way to small for anything more than a pretty young juvenile. All it takes is a simple YouTube search to find black ghost knife fish that are much bigger than the ten inches you describe.

 

[KBCoggin]

librarygirl - Hmm, but what about that water conditioner thing? Does that not have ammonia in it or something? I don't know - but that's what the packet said and it basically said "this is what you need for cyclling".

No, the conditioner simply makes your tap water safe for the tank by removing hard metals and Chlorine. You need to add an ammonia source. I would suggest either buying a bottle of ammonia, dropping a little food in the tank, or buying 2-3 fish to start. BUT in ALL of these you will need to watch the Ammonia level with a kit, if it gets too high you will either stall the cycle, or kill the fish.

 

[deadmanwalking]

"15" is very common for black ghosts if they're given the proper amount of space, and they are more rigid than other fish so the need extra space to turn around in. A 30 gallon is way to small for anything more than a pretty young juvenile. All it takes is a simple YouTube search to find black ghost knife fish that are much bigger than the ten inches you describe."

Oh, then I do apologise. But either way - I can get a bigger tank when needed so this won't be a huge issue. Don't worry though, I am not one to put fish through any form of inhumane conditions. Thanks for your reply!

"No, the conditioner simply makes your tap water safe for the tank by removing hard metals and Chlorine. You need to add an ammonia source. I would suggest either buying a bottle of ammonia, dropping a little food in the tank, or buying 2-3 fish to start. BUT in ALL of these you will need to watch the Ammonia level with a kit, if it gets too high you will either stall the cycle, or kill the fish."

Right, thanks for letting me know. I'll try and get an Ammonia kit tomorrow.

 

[Zimmanski]

"Oh, then I do apologise. But either way - I can get a bigger tank when needed so this won't be a huge issue. Don't worry though, I am not one to put fish through any form of inhumane conditions. Thanks for your reply!"

Yay! I'm glad your not that kind of person, it makes me sad seeing big fish in tiny spaces, trust me if a BGK could be in a smaller tank I'd have one in my 55 already haha. Just be sure to research everything a great deal, remember that surviving and thriving are two completely different things

 

[BettaGal]

Low ammonia, or better yet tolerable ammonia, is below .25 ppm. If it gets to 1 ppm, it is toxic. The best test kits are liquid test kits. The strips, as I put it when I first learned this, lie to you. I did a 50% water change and the strips said it didn't go down at all.

 

[bud29]

If it gets to 1 ppm, it is toxic.

Ammonia toxicity levels depend on other factors such as pH, there is no set level where ammonia becomes toxic.

 

[BettaGal]

Ammonia toxicity levels depend on other factors such as pH, there is no set level where ammonia becomes toxic.

That's just what I was told. My apologies.

 

[jlk]

Ammonia toxicity levels depend on other factors such as pH, there is no set level where ammonia becomes toxic.

Actually, there are fairly specific numbers in respect to ammonia toxicity, ph and temp but it is more complicated than most beginners that are trying to understand the basics of the nitrogen care to understand. So, it's generally recommended to keep ammonia at or below .25ppm. The api test measures free ammonia & combined ammonium together- it doesn't differentiate between the two. Also realize that while free ammonia has been scientifically documented to have detrimental effects on fish even in amounts as low as .1ppm, ammonium, while not anywhere as toxic, still is not healthy for fish either. So, simply, keep it as low as reasonably possible.

http://dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/AmmoniaTox.html

 

[bud29]

Actually, there are fairly specific numbers in respect to ammonia toxicity, ph and temp but it is more complicated than most beginners that are trying to understand the basics of the nitrogen care to understand. So, it's generally recommended to keep ammonia at or below .25ppm. The api test measures free ammonia & combined ammonium together- it doesn't differentiate between the two. Also realize that while free ammonia has been scientifically documented to have detrimental effects on fish even in amounts as low as .1ppm, ammonium, while not anywhere as toxic, still is not healthy for fish either. So, simply, keep it as low as reasonably possible.

Ammonia Toxicity

Indeed. My point was that there is no set level where ammonia becomes toxic in all tanks of different pH and temperature, so nobody can say something like "ammonia becomes toxic at .4 ppm." That's all I was trying to point out.

 

[Autumnsky]

Changing the pH level is something to wait on. Adding Baking soda or even pH up or down should be avoided if possible. It is something to be done by very experienced fish keepers.

Many fish can adapt to conditions. It is very difficult to keep the levels the same by using chemical additives and in the long run it will harm the fish with the changes going up and down all of the time. Generally our tap water will be the same or similar over time.

It is better to select fish which live well in the type of water we already have available to us from the tap, especially at the beginning of fish keeping.

Also it is important to not add too many fish at a time.

One additional thing is not use tap water to rinse your filter pad, as that will kill the beneficial bacteria (BB) due to the chlorine, you can use old tank water and conditioned/dechlorinated water to rinse. Not change the pad until it is falling apart.

Never use soap to clean water buckets, tanks and things which will go into the tank, and always remember to have clean and rinsed hands, no soap, cologne, hand cream, etc. residue.

Happy fish keeping! Knowing this stuff ahead of time will help avoid soooo many problems and nightmares which can happen.

 

[marsh]

Boxing Day??? Lmao!! Hahahahaha, I'm sorry that's kills me. I put some Ammo-Lock in my filter last Flag Day, and some Root-Tabs in on Mardi-Gras. My fish are very influenced by esoteric forgettable days of the year

 

[Pipedreamer86]

Boxing Day??? Lmao!! Hahahahaha, I'm sorry that's kills me. I put some Ammo-Lock in my filter last Flag Day, and some Root-Tabs in on Mardi-Gras. My fish are very influenced by esoteric forgettable days of the year

Hey flag day is my birthday!!

 

[marsh]

My Canadian mother informed me that in fact-- Boxing Day is a pretty big deal. I rarely made it up north in winter lol. (She's from Ontario)

Flag day is a cool day for BBQs-- and birthday parties I'm on the Gemini cusp- summer baby!

On topic-- Betta fish!! Gotta love em