Newbie Questions?????

[tjohanso]

Tank Info:
29G Freshwater set up since 8/16/2011(kit from Petco)
Quietflow20 Aqueon Filter
100W Submersible Heater
Whisper 40 Air Pump w/ 2 air stones on opposite ends of the tank
NEVER ADDED SALTS
Have the API Liquid Test Kit
Started twice a day 50% water changes yesterday (10/3/11) at the advice of the Knowledgable Ones from this website

Stock:
2 Long Fin Red Tetras
3 Lyretail Mollies (1M & 2F)
1 Angelfish
1 Albino Cory
10 Ghost Shrimp
1 HiFin Spotted Pleco(in the process of finding a new/bigger home as the LFS sold him to me w/o asking the size of my tank BUT I did not research b4 purchase either)

Questions:

Is there a test kit that gives me the Alkalinity & Hardiness results?
My API kit doesn't...

Should I vacuum the gravel everytime I do a PWC?
I do them twice a day at 50% each time.

What is the best algae eater for a FW 29G?
Since the pleco's are too big for my tank, I'm not sure what the next best thing would be. I have a cory but what I have read tells me they don't do the same cleaning as a pleco does. Again I have 1 cory and 10 Ghost Shrimp right now.

Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!

 

[librarygirl]

Hi and welcome!

I'm assuming you're doing a fish-in cycle?

You have some problems. First you should add a second filter. The one you have is insufficient for your tank size.
Not sure about the heater but I think a 150w is minimum for your tank size as well.
Cory's do better in a group. The Tetras should be in a larger school.
Not sure about the Tetras and Angelfish but eventually I think you're going to see some aggression.
You already know that the Pleco is way too large for your tank; do you have plans to rehome/return it? Sooner would be better than later, especially if its in an uncycled tank.

API sells a GH/KH test kit that will test for alkalinity and hardness. Is your PH very high or low? Is your PH fluctuating?

No need to vacuum the gravel every time, once a week is enough as long as you aren't overfeeding. If you have a lot of food/waste at the bottom of the tank you're likely overfeeding, which can also contribute to ammonia and in an uncycled tank you want to be careful of that.

Not sure about algae eaters, maybe the shrimp would do it but not sure. Snails and Otos would probably clean it up. But if you have a lot of algae perhaps figuring out the source would be a good idea (are your tank lights on too long? is the tank in direct sunlight)?

I wouldn't add anything else to that tank until it cycles and it's way overstocked now with the Pleco in there.

 

[tjohanso]

To LibraryGirl;

Thank you for responding.

Response to problems;

Filter and Heater came in the tank kit that was a bday gift from the hubby and sons this year. I was recently laid off so as soon as I can get the extra money I will buy a bigger filter and heater.

I started with 3 cory's and 5 tetra's and 1 cory and 2 tetra's later in a fish in cycle. I didn't do my research prior to setting up the tank and the LFS didn't inform me of tank cycling. I had a 55G FW when I was 13 till 23 and oddly I never heard of cycling, pwc's, or leaving your filter media alone. I have no clue as to why I never had these problems then but I guess god felt sorry for me. haa haa haa haa I was going to get more of these 2 fish ONCE I have finished the cycle process.

Tetra's & Angelfish : I have a large "fake" upright log in the middle of the tank and it is surrounded by 2 very tall fake plants(tube covers) and 5 real plants so it kinda acts as a natural divider in the tank. So far the terta's and angelfish don't even acknowledge each other, BUT I am always keeping my eye out for aggression with all of the fish. I LOVE TO WATCH MY TANK AT NIGHT! I will watch very closely.

Pleco: I am in the process of finding a home for him because Petsmart will not take him back????? He's very healthy but they said no. Of course if he was dead they would. Go figure. I did not research the Pleco before the purchase and Petsmart did not ask me my tank size or they probably would have been able to tell me no way due to his adult size. Both of my sons love him too but they understand why we are rehoming.

PH, Alkalinity, & Hardness: My PH has been pretty steady at 6.0. I have seen a lot of posts on here that show the water parameters & they are mentioning the hardness & alkalinity so I thought it might be something I was supposed to be testing for. Should I or only when there is a problem?

Algae: I do not have an algae problem but since I am rehoming the pleco I wanted to make sure I have the right algae eater for my tank. My lights are on from about 6pm till 8am daily. The only plants that seem to be having growth issues are the amazon swords. My anubias and java fern are flourishing.

I am not adding ANY fish for awhile. Even after getting the Pleco a proper sized home and the cycling is complete. I am researching all of the fish I currently have to make sure that I don't overload after the cycle is done. It's weird how attached I have become to these little angels but I get upset when they die right now and do not want to cause anymore deaths because I pack em in like sardines. No pun intended. hee hee

Sorry for the book but I really enjoy talking with people that enjoy this hobby because my hubby does not share the same enthusiasm.

 

[Batt4Christ]

I will second the above statement regarding filter- it isn't enough. General rule of thumb- you want a bare minimum of 5X the gallons in your tank of flow, and 10x is much better and gives a margin of error.

29g X 5= a minimum of about 150gph. 300gph would be even better. I believe your quietflow 20 is 125gph (at best). A second of the same type would proved the extra capacity and a margin for error if one messes up.

Also, assuming someone else hasn't beat me to it:

The most important parameters to test in addition to pH:
-Ammonia (any is bad. Above .25 ppm needs an immediate water change to bring it down).
-Nitrites- still dangerous at any level. Needs to be zero
-Nitrates- less than 40ppm (though some fish are sensitive to levels above 20ppm).

Any time levels of the first two show up, fish get stressed and are mire likely to succumb to disease.

 

[librarygirl]

HI again. My replies in blue:

To LibraryGirl;

Thank you for responding.

Response to problems;

Filter and Heater came in the tank kit that was a bday gift from the hubby and sons this year. I was recently laid off so as soon as I can get the extra money I will buy a bigger filter and heater. Good.

I started with 3 cory's and 5 tetra's and 1 cory and 2 tetra's later in a fish in cycle. I didn't do my research prior to setting up the tank and the LFS didn't inform me of tank cycling. I had a 55G FW when I was 13 till 23 and oddly I never heard of cycling, pwc's, or leaving your filter media alone. I have no clue as to why I never had these problems then but I guess god felt sorry for me. haa haa haa haa I was going to get more of these 2 fish ONCE I have finished the cycle process. You aren't the first victim of an LFS not informing you correctly; I've fallen for what they told me too.

Tetra's & Angelfish : I have a large "fake" upright log in the middle of the tank and it is surrounded by 2 very tall fake plants(tube covers) and 5 real plants so it kinda acts as a natural divider in the tank. So far the terta's and angelfish don't even acknowledge each other, BUT I am always keeping my eye out for aggression with all of the fish. I LOVE TO WATCH MY TANK AT NIGHT! I will watch very closely. Good.

Pleco: I am in the process of finding a home for him because Petsmart will not take him back????? He's very healthy but they said no. Of course if he was dead they would. Go figure. I did not research the Pleco before the purchase and Petsmart did not ask me my tank size or they probably would have been able to tell me no way due to his adult size. Both of my sons love him too but they understand why we are rehoming. If you can't find anyone to take him you could try posting on here in the Classifieds section that you have a Pleco, maybe someoen will take him off your hands and give him a good home.

PH, Alkalinity, & Hardness: My PH has been pretty steady at 6.0. I have seen a lot of posts on here that show the water parameters & they are mentioning the hardness & alkalinity so I thought it might be something I was supposed to be testing for. Should I or only when there is a problem?
Your PH is pretty low at 6; the nitrifying bacteria (which is what you are trying to grow through the cycling process) pretty much stop producing at that level. What is the PH of your tap water, is it the same or higher? You generally don't need to know GH/KH; it can help to know if the buffering capacity of your water is low.

Algae: I do not have an algae problem but since I am rehoming the pleco I wanted to make sure I have the right algae eater for my tank. My lights are on from about 6pm till 8am daily. The only plants that seem to be having growth issues are the amazon swords. My anubias and java fern are flourishing. I don't have an algae eater per se either. You don't necessarily need one, particularly if you don't have an algae problem. Watch the swords, if they start to rot take them out as they can contribute to ammonia in your tank.

I am not adding ANY fish for awhile. Even after getting the Pleco a proper sized home and the cycling is complete. I am researching all of the fish I currently have to make sure that I don't overload after the cycle is done. It's weird how attached I have become to these little angels but I get upset when they die right now and do not want to cause anymore deaths because I pack em in like sardines. No pun intended. hee hee
Just test your water daily, any time ammonia and/or nitrite get above .25 do a water change to get them down as close to 0 as possible (this may mean some fairly large water changes, or even back-to-back changes for some weeks). Using Prime as a dechlorinator is best b/c it can help detoxify toxins for up to 48 hours between water changes (but not to be used in place of pwc).

Sorry for the book but I really enjoy talking with people that enjoy this hobby because my hubby does not share the same enthusiasm. No problem, I know what you mean.

 

[tjohanso]

Tap Water Param's: Ammo:0ppm, Nitrite:0ppm, Nitrate:5.0ppm, PH 7.6 & then High Range PH 7.4 done with API Test Kit.

Tank Param's 10/4/11 3pm Ammo:.25ppm, Nitrite: .25ppm, Nitrate: 0ppm, PH 6.0, Temp:79. I did a 50% pwc & then retested 5.5 hrs later at 8:30pm & the numbers were Ammo:0ppm, Nitrite:0ppm, Nitrate:10ppm, PH 6.6, & Temp 79. This morning at 9:45am the Ammo was at .50ppm, Nitrites 0ppm, Nitrates 5.0ppm, & PH 6.0. I did a 75% water change after this test.
Should I worry about getting my PH up immediately due to the cycling process? I hate having to use things to raise and lower readings unless it's just a PWC or using Prime. The PH started to raise last night but of course it was lower this AM & then I had to do a big PWC due to high ammonia.

I will watch the plants. I have been clipping a lot of the swords dead pieces too.

Thanks again for everything. I have learned so much & it's exciting.

 

[librarygirl]

Cycling can wreak havoc with PH. If your PH keeps dropping from 7.6 to 6 often though you may want to buffer it naturally. Putting some crushed coral (sold at most pet/fish stores in the saltwater section) in a mesh media bag or clean nylon stocking and putting it into your filter often helps buffer the water and keep the PH steady.