myriam
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I should have been reading and posting to this section all along, instead of the General Discussion one! I feel less dopey here, since everyone else is also trying to figure out all this stuff.
I have a 20-gallon tank with 3 Black Mollies, 5 Red Wag Platies and 2 Aeneus Cory Catfish. I have the filter that came with the Top Fin tank kit--it has a white filter bag filled with charcoal bits that the water runs through.
The guy at PetSmart (I know, I know, but I couldn't find a better LFS around) gave me some bacteria stuff that I am supposed to add 4 tsp to the tank on the 1st, 7th and 14th days of the tank's life. So from what I've been reading here, that kind of stuff (Stresszyme?) is useless. ACK! Does that mean my tank has not even begun to grow the good bacteria?! My ammonia is .5 (I tested yesterday). Is that too high already? Last week the 2 catfish and a platy died, PetSmart replaced them, and now they all seem fine. There have even been many molly and platy fries, although I believe they have all been eaten :-(
What is this Bio thing that I keep seeing postings about? Some kind of instant bacteria in your tank? Where do I get it, does it really work well, and can I add it in to a tank with fish already in it (as well as all that other stuff that I've added)?
I've also added a couple packets of StressCoat that came with the aquarium kit, as well as 4 tbsp of aquarium salt (the guy said livebearers like the salt).
Now for my filter--I keep seeing differing opinions and I'm so confused. So should I replace the white filter bag at certain periods, or just keep rinsing it off? When should I add or replace the charcoal inside?
Thanks!
I have a 20-gallon tank with 3 Black Mollies, 5 Red Wag Platies and 2 Aeneus Cory Catfish. I have the filter that came with the Top Fin tank kit--it has a white filter bag filled with charcoal bits that the water runs through.
The guy at PetSmart (I know, I know, but I couldn't find a better LFS around) gave me some bacteria stuff that I am supposed to add 4 tsp to the tank on the 1st, 7th and 14th days of the tank's life. So from what I've been reading here, that kind of stuff (Stresszyme?) is useless. ACK! Does that mean my tank has not even begun to grow the good bacteria?! My ammonia is .5 (I tested yesterday). Is that too high already? Last week the 2 catfish and a platy died, PetSmart replaced them, and now they all seem fine. There have even been many molly and platy fries, although I believe they have all been eaten :-(
What is this Bio thing that I keep seeing postings about? Some kind of instant bacteria in your tank? Where do I get it, does it really work well, and can I add it in to a tank with fish already in it (as well as all that other stuff that I've added)?
I've also added a couple packets of StressCoat that came with the aquarium kit, as well as 4 tbsp of aquarium salt (the guy said livebearers like the salt).
Now for my filter--I keep seeing differing opinions and I'm so confused. So should I replace the white filter bag at certain periods, or just keep rinsing it off? When should I add or replace the charcoal inside?
Thanks!