Why you should..STOCK SLOWLY

[Tarkus2112]

Well....The "Microbe-Lift Special Blend" and "Nite-Out II" seems to have done it's job. Not without a few lost lives though.

I added the stuff on November 16th and last night, (one week later), my test results were.
PH: 7.6-7.8
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 40-50ppm

I started with 7 Glowlight Danios (Danio Choprai) and 3 Amano Shrimp (Caridina Multidentata).

To be completely honest, I found 3 dead Danios the next morning. They were stuck to the filter intake. I figured they were stressed from the move. So stupid me went back to the LFS and purchased 4 more Danio Choprai and was a little more careful acclimating them. I even left the light off for 12 hours and kept my apartment dark so they would be more comfortable and have plenty of time to get their bearings.

So on Thursday the 19th I had 8 Danios and 3 shrimp. Everything was good for a few days and they looked absolutely amazing! Then Saturday I tested the water for Ammonia and got a reading of .25ppm. Not thinking I panicked and did a 75% water change. Afterwards I realized that I most likely doomed my remaining fish by changing so much water. It's funny how after all the research I did, I still manage to mess up.

So about an hour after refilling the tank, 2 more Danio bodies. I kind of expected more to die. Then I was down to 6 Danios and 3 shrimp. I figure OK, they're lives were not lost in vain. They died so their brothers could live happy healthy lives and I learned a lot throughout the whole ordeal.

Now Sunday night I'm checking up on the Danios and wouldn't you know it 4 vanished into thin air. To top it off 1 of my shrimps was found in the filter intake. I loved that little guy. Now I have 2 Danios and 2 shrimp. After taking the filter intake off to remove the shrimp I discovered 1 of the vanishing Danios but 3 are still MIA. I guess the Amanos got a tasty snack while I was sleeping.


The moral of the story. STOCK SLOWLY!


I'm not buying anymore fish for a couple weeks. I want to make darn sure my levels stay at 0 for a while. I feel horrible but you only learn my doing.


On a side note: I found it amazing that more Danios died than the Amano Shrimp. I thought the Amanos were extremely sensitive to ammonia and water parameters in general?

 

[cmor1701d]

The tank water contains very little bacteria. Bacteria stick to surfaces. That would the substrate, filter medium, and any object in the tank. Bacteria population can grow quickly, but still need some time to adjust to an increased bio load. You should give the tank some time to adjust to each load before adding more. In SW the general rule is to add no more than 1 - 2 fish per month, but they are generally larger than the FW fish you are adding.

 

[Jason7894561230]

I also find it hard to believe that the amanos didnt die

 

[Tarkus2112]

I also find it hard to believe that the amanos didnt die

The 2 Amano Shrimp and the 2 Danios are still alive!

I've been good and haven't purchased anymore fish yet. I'm gonna let things settle for awhile. The good news is that the fish are happy and love having the whole tank to themselves.

I thought they would be shy and what not because I only have 2, but they school and play all day long. I even catch them playing hide and seek every once in a while. haha

 

[Tarkus2112]

The tank water contains very little bacteria. Bacteria stick to surfaces. That would the substrate, filter medium, and any object in the tank. Bacteria population can grow quickly, but still need some time to adjust to an increased bio load. You should give the tank some time to adjust to each load before adding more. In SW the general rule is to add no more than 1 - 2 fish per month, but they are generally larger than the FW fish you are adding.

I know. Thanks for the tip though.

The thing that killed them was the drastic change in water chemistry.

 

[Tarkus2112]

Good news everyone!

The original danios and amanos are still alive.

I added 3 more Danio Chopraes and 2 more Amano Shrimp last week.


Tank is finally cycled! after months of BS and mis-guided info


Do yourself a favor and just go buy "Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums" read it front to back, follow the instructions the author gives you exactly and you'll be set with minimal headaches. After all the "research" I did on here. I ended up referring back to the book and everything went smooth from then on. Stay off the forums for your info unless you want get frustrated and be one of the many who sells your fish tank and next summers yard sale.
Amazon.com: The Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums (Simple Guide to...) (9780793821013): David E. Boruchowitz: Books


I've learned through doing....that fishless cycling is a PITA and not worth it regardless of how many "experts" tell you it is better. It is much wiser for a beginner to go the old school way of using fish to cycle and stocking very slowly. I inspected the fish everyday for about a month and not once did they seem stressed. The only deaths I had were during the intial stocking...which is expected..and when I stupidly did a 75% Water Change. I'll never do that again. haha

That is another benefit. You get to watch the fish and at the first sign of stress, do a PWC. It is that simple. People make it seem like you're the Devil if you do a cycle with fish. I can only speak for myself, but I only had to do 1 PWC the whole time I cycled. WTF!? I am starting to think forums for fishkeeping are a waste of time. All they do is overload you with information when all you really need is a clear cut path to success. There are way to many opinions and not enough concrete answers.


Just thought I'd share my final results incase anyone stumbles across this. I for one have decided to leave the forum and focus on my fish instead of talking about them. Lol. I have way to many responsibilities and I can't find time to come on here anymore. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice. Good luck!


REMEMBER: This is all my personal experience and opinion. I am not an expert fish keeper, I'm a beginner who almost gave up because of the abundance of contradictory information. If you don't like what I have to say, keep it to yourself. Thank you!

 

[Mark Hewitt]

No, while I think fishless cycling is a good idea. When it comes down to it, I think I probably wouldn't do it, like yourself, just get a small number of hardy fish to cycle the tank with regular water changes.

 

[LemurLad]

Gah, that's such a pain that you lost so many of those beautiful little fish. They can be jumpers; perhaps they leaped out?
I hear you on the cycling issue. I've gone both ways and you end up getting the fish you want in the end, it is much easier to visualize problems when you have live fish in the tank. The fishless cycling can really drive you bananas just staring at an empty tank for a while as the bacteria establish themselves.

 

[Gus]

Adding enough Ammonia to the water will create a fairly strong bacteria colony.

 

[spoonman]

I avoid all the problems when starting a new tank by just having filter media from one of my other tanks or a friends tank. Have always done it that way and it always works. Since I already have tanks in the house, I always run an extra HOB filter on one and just move it to the new tank and fill with water, decor and fish. Same if I need a QT tank in a hurry. Just take the extra filter that has been running and fill a new tank and use the filter.

 

[Shetland James]

I've hardly ever had any fatalities in all my years of keeping fish which I could attribute to poor tank conditions, being too hasty, not being aware of the limits etc.

In my experience, most of the advice books and websites are nonsense written for idiots. I think that they're written for people who have never ever ever even thought about fish tanks before.

Stocking hastily has never harmed me.