new 40g breeder

[alexou812]

just set it all up a few days ago.. fish arent all eating yet and my levels are almost constantly fluctuating... so im wondering that since i just set it up, should i be doing daily water changes?

 

[jlk]

Do you have a liquid test kit such as an API fw kit? If not, please invest in one so you can monitor what is happening in your tank as it cycles. Anytime your ammonia or nitrite levels rise to .25ppm (or higher), you need to do pwcs with a good water conditioner & temperature matched water. You need to keep these levels as low as possible for the health of your fish. You should be testing daily & doing water changes as needed to address detectable levels of ammonia and/or nitrite. Please read up on fish-in cycling so you can understand what is happening in your tank. If you are unsure or have questions, please dont hesitate to ask!

 

[alexou812]

i have test strips.. but thankyou! my girlfriend set up my first tank.. so this is the first time I've done it without "supervision" haha. I'm just worried about getting my fish to eat.. the levels arent too much of proble as the are nearing the "ideal" zone they shouls be in. could the fish just be stressed out?

 

[jlk]

Please invest in a proper test kit for the sake of your fish. Strips are inaccurate at best & what is listed as 'ideal' is actually way less than ideal. Ideal is zero ammonia & zero nitrites. Your fish are likely not eating due to stress & their water quality. Do you have a decent water conditioner such as Prime or Amquel Plus that aids (temporaily) in detoxing ammonia/nitrites?

 

[alexou812]

yes, and some sort of fizz tablets that im fairly skeptical of.i did a pwc twice yesterday and once today. they apparently stabilize ph and amonia toxicity, as well as a chemical that reduces nitrates and phosphate, and helps stabilize ph and alkalinity as well. i dont want to over-medicate or anything like that though. how many pwc's should i be doing daily for now?

 

[jlk]

I am not sure what the 'fizzy' tablets are & anything that may affect your ph is not a wise idea. Fish will adapt to your tap waters ph & trying to adjust it up or down will negatively affect your fishes health. Please invest in a decent water conditioner (such as prime) & a test kit so you can properly monitor your tank & take care of your fish & their water.

 

[librarygirl]

What kind of fish do you have?

I wouldn't add any chemicals to the tank; they usually aren't needed and can do more harm than good. What do you mean your "levels are fluctuating?"

There's a link below in my signature called: new tank with fish. It'll guide you through the cycling process. You're going to need to do daily water changes for the next 2-3 months until your tank cycles I'm afraid. Get some Prime if you don't have it already (its one of the best dechlorinators) and a liquid test kit. Good luck and post any questions you have along the way.

 

[alexou812]

well, i have gotton all of the fish to eat (earthworms of all things) BUT the oscar.. and i have no ide what i could get him to eat, i've tried everything but feeder guppies

 

[steez]

Well you have more problems than just the water quality I'm afraid.


Oscar's require 75g for an Adult. Yours may be young right now, but they grow up to or even more than an inch a month, and will quickly outgrow a 40g tank and will kill the other fish in the tank.
A full grown Oscar can be over 15".


You should do some reading on the fish you have to understand what kind of setup is required and re-home stock as needed. Remember that it does you no good and you'll just end up losing a bunch of money if you don't do it right.

 

[alexou812]

im well aware of the requirements as far as space goes. my main concern is how to get them to eat.. or to simply start eating even

 

[jlk]

Your fish are stressed right now. They are in a new environment. I suspect you may have ammonia and/or nitrite issues happening as well which will further stress them. It is common for fish suffering from ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning to have little to no desire eat because they are sick from the toxins. You need to invest in a proper test kit (such as an API kit) & a decent water conditioner along with lots of water changes to improve their environment & help reduce stress.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Your tank is cycling. You have been given some great advise above I suggest you follow it. New tank syndrome/a cycling tank is very dangerous for your fish. The high ammonia and nitrite concentrations in your tank could cause burns to gills, deformities and even death. Even after the tank is cycled if the fish have been exposed to too much they can have on going health issues and can die prematurely.

Do not use pH altering/stabilizing chemicals. They can poison your fish and cause large pH swings that can stress and kill fish. They will adapt to the pH of your tap water. Stressed fish have lowered immune systems. Lowered immune systems mean disease can get a foot hold.

I would suggest a minimum 50% water change EVERY DAY until you get a proper liquid test kit to see what your levels are. The test strips saying 'normal' is not a good indication of water quality.

 

[joel618]

Your tank is cycling. You have been given some great advise above I suggest you follow it. New tank syndrome/a cycling tank is very dangerous for your fish. The high ammonia and nitrite concentrations in your tank could cause burns to gills, deformities and even death. Even after the tank is cycled if the fish have been exposed to too much they can have on going health issues and can die prematurely.

Do not use pH altering/stabilizing chemicals. They can poison your fish and cause large pH swings that can stress and kill fish. They will adapt to the pH of your tap water. Stressed fish have lowered immune systems. Lowered immune systems mean disease can get a foot hold.

+1. The people on this forum are giving you this info so you don't have to go through the same trial and error that they did. Before joining this forum I thought I had it all figured out, then quickly discovered I didn't know the half of it. We arent judging or putting you down, just trying to help. It is easy to be mislead by the lfs. I now boycott all of my lfs bc of bad info. What is your total stock list?

 

[alexou812]

oh, yeah man. and i really appreciate what you guys do on here. so far in the tank i have a tiretrack eel, a small jack dempsey, a convict, a badass loach(he is the smallest and somehow bosses the rest around), a green terror, and a lazy firemouth. thr tank seems to be ok so far... i try to keep up at least doing a wc every other day of 25% or so.. but all in all its going great so far

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Have you purchased a test kit or had your water checked?
IMO 25% every 1-3 days isn't going to cut it. You have some high waste producing fish in a small (for them) tank so the ammonia and nitrite are a going to build up FAST.