New to Aquariums, Not new to Ecosystems

[jayofearth]

My name is Jay and I'm a 27 year old software engineer / landscaper / entrepreneur. I recently bought my first tank from a neighbor, it came with a lighted LED hood, biowheel filter and heater. He also had it cycling water for months with no intervention so we emptied water out into buckets, moved the tank to my place and then put the water back in. I let it sit for about 5 days before putting any fish in to let the water settle back to reasonable conditions.

After spending hours doing research on what fish and plants would work for the water conditions I had to work with. I went to a few local pet stores and couldn't find any fish that I had researched. Settled on the Rosy Barbs and Sterbai Cory which I'm really happy with.

This experience and discussions with friends who have been in the hobby for years led me to develop software to help with this problem. I don't want to spam, so I won't post it - just message me if you'd like to know more about that

Anyways, I hope to learn a lot from the forums here and I already have which is why I decided to make an account and I hope that one day I'll be able to contribute back.

 

[mistersprinkles]

My name is Jay and I'm a 27 year old software engineer / landscaper / entrepreneur. I recently bought my first tank from a neighbor, it came with a lighted LED hood, biowheel filter and heater. He also had it cycling water for months with no intervention so we emptied water out into buckets, moved the tank to my place and then put the water back in. I let it sit for about 5 days before putting any fish in to let the water settle back to reasonable conditions.

After spending hours doing research on what fish and plants would work for the water conditions I had to work with. I went to a few local pet stores and couldn't find any fish that I had researched. Settled on the Rosy Barbs and Sterbai Cory which I'm really happy with.

This experience and discussions with friends who have been in the hobby for years led me to develop software to help with this problem. I don't want to spam, so I won't post it - just message me if you'd like to know more about that

Anyways, I hope to learn a lot from the forums here and I already have which is why I decided to make an account and I hope that one day I'll be able to contribute back.

You didn't cycle your tank.
Having the aquarium running empty with just water in it does not make a cycled aquarium. Your fish are going to have to live through a very unpleasant and possibly deadly cycle of ammonia and nitrite now.

Read up on the nitrogen cycle as it pertains to aquariums.

And WELCOME!! It's ok that you started off wrong, most people do.

 

[melosu58]

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

 

[jayofearth]

@mistersprinkles Thanks for your concern for my fish and correcting me. I may have posted "cycling water for months" when I should have also mentioned it was an established aquarium, that had no fish in the tank for a few months.

I did test the water before putting fish in and the only thing that was high was the Nitrate.

The only thing I'm struggling with now is the hardness in my water, I made the mistake of adding tap water the first weekend - which I won't do again. So I think I have a handle on that and I'll find out when I test the water next weekend.

Thanks for having me guys

 

[mistersprinkles]

@mistersprinkles Thanks for your concern for my fish and correcting me. I may have posted "cycling water for months" when I should have also mentioned it was an established aquarium, that had no fish in the tank for a few months.

Hence it was not cycled. The bacteria don't stay alive with no food (ammonia/nitrite) for several months like that.

There was high nitrate because the water hadn't been replaced after the fish were removed.

Do you have a test kit right now? I bet there's ammonia in that water. Just a hunch.

 

[NadiaG]

Welcome to forum and fish keeping! I am pretty new to it myself but learned quite a few things.

Despite all the proper cycling debates, you are really not doomed. You HAVE to have a test kit tho. Also get a bacteria supplement, it will help you cycle faster and get rid of ammonia (if any) quickly.
Observe your fish, behavior, signs of illness. Use bacteria supplement as directed, do not over feed fish, frequent partial water changes and you will be in the clear.

I started "wrong" too, but it has been 2 months now and I did not loose a single fish! They are all healthy and happy!

 

[bribo12]

Welcome to aquarium advice!!

 

[jayofearth]

I'll learn from my mistakes and hope that I can minimize the casualties in the process. I'm amazed at how much I've come to enjoy my fishy friends. haha

 

[mistersprinkles]

I'll learn from my mistakes and hope that I can minimize the casualties in the process. I'm amazed at how much I've come to enjoy my fishy friends. haha

Go get a test kit today! Please!

Enjoy your fish

 

[NadiaG]

They are so much fun!!! Take good care of them and good luck with your software

 

[fish4phil]

That's awesome your neighbor has done that for you. Welcome and enjoy!