one more question though, i want to start up 1 gallon jars to raise some fry in. (3 of my guppies are pregnant, and i dont want them giving birth in this tank!) i shouldn't be using my current water until it cycles correct? and if i fill these 1 gallon jars with tap water and add the chlorine remover (obviously), what else will i have to do before i can add fish? i'm planning to manually filter the water myself with a DIY filter i made tonight and a turkey baister
If you don't want to listen to us, fine. The advice you received on here has been solid, and you DID stock too many new fish at once. "Overstocked" really doesn't have as much to do with the space in the tank but the capacity of the biological filter. Yes it is unhealthy and unfair to put a fish that is too big in a small tank, or a bunch of big fish in a small tank, however the fish can SURVIVE if the biological filter is able to sustain and process the waist that is being produced. That is why it is reccomended to only add ONE or TWO fish per WEEK to give the bacterial colony time to catch up.
The bacteria you stirred up when vacuuming the gunk out of the gravel probably was all GOOD bacteria. Seriously, the dirt and silt probably didn't hurt anything unless there was some sort of pathogen in there.
Anyway, You have been given EXCELLENT advice here and I think you should take some time to read some of the articles on this site to educate yourself about the nitrogen cycle, diseases, stocking guidlines et c. That way you are not relying on "The guy at the petstore". No matter how knowledgeable they seem, they are not always right.
Yeah, I'm doing the same thing (starting up a breeder tank for guppies)
After research, I have concluded that the best way to go is with a 20 gallon tank, complete with heater, filter, etc. I plan to breed as many as humanly possible, as fast as possible, for feeders for my 150gallon tank fish.
Anything less than a 10 gallon with a true filter/aerator would just be a good way to collect dead fish. IMO
meBNme said:Ok Bro. reality check here....
LFS employees, ESPECIALLY the big store versions, will say all sorts of inaccurate, or downright wrong things.
Yesterday, I had one at petsmart tell me I could keep a clown knife fish in a ten gallon tank. Dude, a clown knife gets to over 30 inches.
When they say its overstocked, they don't mean that you cant cram em in there or they will all die, they mean that because of the bio load, and habits of certain fish, that you have too small of a space for the fish to grow to their full potential, and they will produce to much waste for a tank that size to cycle, causing spikes in harmful substances like ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.
Want proof that the LFS is giving inaccurate info?
Think about it, there are HUNDREDS of different "bottom feeders" out there.
Some wont get over an inch or so, and others will get to over 4 feet long!
Thats like going to a computer store, and saying "I want a computer"
"Oh yeah? you want a pocket PC, a gaming PC, a laptop, a server, a 500 terabite corporate giant or a stinkin calculator wristwatch? They are all "computers".
The brown sludge you are vacuuming up is not "bacteria" its waste. As in poop, rotting food, etc
Same with the crud you can see in the filter cartidges.
The bulk of the bacteria, (which you DO want) is not in the water, but in the solid substances like the cartridges, gravel etc.
The cloudy crud, is just crap...... litterally.
Another thing.
These fish are "Tropical" fish right?
Tropical fish are found in tropical waters which are much warmer than 72 degrees.
You really need that heater in there and looking for 78 to 82 degree water.
The reason your roommate's fish are probably not dying is because of the water volume, or he has a low bioload. 55 gallons of water is a lot easier to maintain than 20g, believe it or not - the smaller the water volume, the less room for error in water chemistry.
+1 Listen to this no 2 tanks cycle the same.