Newbie to all things fishy

[Patsy166]

HiI've recently bought a medium sized tank. I'm using sand instead of gravel and bought a siphon to clean the sand, but it didn't work very well it removed most of the sand and water. I've bought 3 small fish who seem to be ok so far, it's only been 2 weeks though. Any advice/tips would be really appreciated. The setup is tropical.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Hello!

Great to have you here.

I'm going to assume you haven't read about the nitrogen cycle? Head over to the getting started section and read the stickies. This will give you a pretty good idea but I can answer any questions you may have.

You obviously noticed sand is much different than gravel. Unlike gravel, waste just sits on top of sand. All you have to do is hover over the area needing cleaned. Swirling the siphon helps kick up those hard to get pieces. It may be a bit of a challenge at first like all things but you will master it before long.


Caleb

 

[sinibotia]

Do you know how many gallons the tank is or what kind of fish? And do you know about the nitrogen cycle?

Welcome to AA!

 

[Spirit Hawk]

Hola! Like cool man said, siphoning gets easier after a few tries. Can you post a pic of your tank?

Sent from my SM-G386T using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Patsy166]

Hi Spirit HawkHave had another try with siphon went better lol! How do I put a pic on here? I need to reduce the ammonia level and I'm changing 1 percent of the water each day for a few days, as per instructions from staff at Pet store. Do I need to clean the filter each water change? Fish seem OK.

 

[Mebbid]

Hi Spirit HawkHave had another try with siphon went better lol! How do I put a pic on here? I need to reduce the ammonia level and I'm changing 1 percent of the water each day for a few days, as per instructions from staff at Pet store. Do I need to clean the filter each water change? Fish seem OK.

When you change water it helps to look at things this way.

If you have 1ppm of ammonia then 1% of a water change will remove 1% of the ammonia leaving you with .99ppm of ammonia. Your tank is going to produce it way faster than that.

Instead, I don't even bother with doing less than a 50% water change anymore. Each 50% watch change will reduce ammonia by half. Since a 0.25ppm ammonia level is considered safe for fish, that means you would need to make 2 50% water changes in a single day to make the water safe for your fish. It sounds like a lot of work, which it is. However, after the tank cycles then it's easy sailing from that point forward.

What size tank is this and what fish do you have?

Are you using the app or the website?

Some things I would recommend:

Reading this : I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

(Super important) Buying this : http://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Master-Test-Kit/dp/B000255NCI
These test kits last a very very long time.

One of these will help with water changes immensely if you have anything larger than a 20g tank.
Amazon.com : 25 Foot - Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Maintenance System : Aquarium Gravel Cleaners : Pet Supplies


Lastly, if the LFS (Local fish Store) you went to really told you to change 1% of your water daily for an ammonia spike... please please don't ever listen to any advice they offer you again. Feel free to post any and all questions you have about fish keeping here and we will answer them to the best of our ability.

 

[UpsideDownfish]

any chance you know how many gallons it is? 10? 30? medium tell us zip. what fish too? keep themin there for 3 weeks at the very least then you can add 1-2-3 fish at once


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[PoppaRyno]

any chance you know how many gallons it is? 10? 30? medium tell us zip. what fish too? keep themin there for 3 weeks at the very least then you can add 1-2-3 fish at once


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

Uhh... NO. 3 weeks wait, to add fish! This is only acceptable if the cycle is complete. Which its not, judging by the amount of ammonia.

Sent from my LGLS991 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[ImACoolguy]

After cycle is completed you can add a couple fish but none until it has finished or you are just making it harder on yourself.


Caleb

 

[melosu58]

Welcome aboard. We are glad you found us here at AA.