First few fish...

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

AndrewD

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Dec 14, 2004
Messages
22
Location
Chicago, IL
Should I expect them to die when the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate rise? I just put two damsels and one clown in yesterday and the tank has been running for a week prior. Thanks.
 
WTF? You never just expect fish to die :p

Do you have LR in the tank? You can use that to cycle the tank, or go fishless.

What are the specs on the tank? Size, filtration, setup procedure...
 
Some people prefer to cycle their tank with damsels because they are hardy fish, but i have never heard of cycling a tank with a clown fish. I cycled my tank with 3 cocktail shrimps base on the advice of veterans members on here, and took only 3 weeks to complete the process. BTW, what kind of water are you using?
 
55 gallon tank, 12-15 lbs of live rock, I have a Penguin 330 on it now and a Protein Skimmer will be added in two weeks. The tank has been running for a week and I used Turbo Start to help initiate the biological filtration process.
 
Tap water coated with Seachem Chlorine remover and Instant Ocean salt...what kind of water should I be using???
 
I used Turbo Start to help initiate the biological filtration process.
Sigh..more snake oil on the market.
I have tried a similar product to cycle a qt tank, wish I would have saved the money.
Cocktail shrimp are a lot cheaper and a proven way to cycle. Like grimlock3000 stated, the LR you have will help cycle your tank as well.
RO (reverse osmosis) water is best. Here is an article explaining
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=20
 
After a week I do not think you are done with the cycle. A week is hardly enough time for it to begin. Take the fish back ASAP and let your tank cycle natually and properly. Otherwise you are just throwing your hard-earned $$$ away. "turbo-start", "stability" and "bio-spira" are all useless and a waste of money. They may kick-start your cycle but once you add livestock the tank is likely to re-cycle. The best thing to do is let nature take it's course. It is tough waiting but the end product is worth it. If you are getting your info from a LFS, start shopping for a new one. Good luck...Lando
 
Back
Top Bottom