ok here i am to follow

[nyrmel]

Ok i am following those that came before I wont name names (bob, Judge) I am not the type to fish and tell. But i was frustrated and it seems not just one but 2 (so far as i have seen) of helpful people I have met are here soooooooo
I will work on playing with the sigs and such maybe I'll learn how to even post pics.
I am fairly new to the hobby *cough cough* addiction and I promise I will ask more questions and be generally annoyingly persistant to get answers. But I am a Woman and I want what I want thats all. there is no shame in that right natural order of things and all that.
I will however also post like mad putting my 2 cents in everywhere. or since I tend to ramble on more like a nickel.
well this is me. My son and I are enjoying are new freinds and wet finny family members. hope to talk to yall alot more soon.

 

[cmor1701d]

Now please tell us more about your wet friends FW or SW?

We are here to feed your addiction, so please ask away...

 

[nyrmel]

ah well i didnt quite get hte sig working before I posted so FW planted and well sig is working now. I will work on a profile as timeallows today

 

[Ziggy953]

Welcome to AA! Glad to see you know what you want. Sometimes that is half the battle. So...when are you setting up that SW tank?

 

[nyrmel]

We if you are counting me are Not going to set up a SW tank. I am still having issues keeping everyone alive I did lose my new catfish last night and I seem to be having other issues as well. Trying to think how to really describe them. So inanswer to your question I dont see a sw tank fitting on the dressor so I will just have to stick with what I got.

BOB and Judge have seen me since i put water in the tank wow a month already...
I had 3 tetra's (lost 2 with in days, the third on mon) and a ghost shrimp after about a week (molting issue, 2nd molted just fine) and my catfish which i had brought home sat last and he was gone last night.
Water params are
ammno - none detected since about 10-12 days ago
nitrite (bad one) same as ammno except it dissappeared a day later
nitrate (good one) was steady about 15-20 range but has dropped to nil in last 2 days
water soft, no clorine(even with out cond.), and i cant rememberthe other tests or#'s but was told they where ok no wait ph ~7
I check all about 3 times a day am lunch and pm

first fish (neon tetra, guppy, shrimp I got on mothersday)
next set my stowaway snails showed up just after mem day
then 3 mollies, 1 catfish (max size 1 1/2 in) and a mystery snail I got on the 31st
2nd someone had babies (not sure who but they are growing and are almost to big for anyone to eat) some ~5 or 6 I caught and have in a net breeder on sidfe of tank but there are more that where to fast and are in main area

losses all 3 tetras- 2 within days 3rd a fewdays ago (I realize now they arent the best in a new tank)
1 ghost shrimp -as I said molting
1 catfish- not sure of the cause really but would like a little advice or thoughts

so couple Q's (I will explore in a bit and then find proper posting but gonna pic brains here too)

1.Water has recently (since newest fish) gotten well cloudy isnt the word but maybe extra bubbly? checked in white cup no color, same in black cup

2.my plants are not as happy and seem to be coated brown? and have some die back. (they where showing new growth last week and week before)

3. nitrates have gone away

so any thots on those issues would be great I will be repeateing the questions elsewhere once i get out the map and find my way around
Thanks

 

[RJRofFL]

Hi nyrmel. What a surprise. So good to see you again (well, I can't actually see you), but you know what I mean.

This seems to be a great forum and I'm glad I came here. Lots of friendly and knowledgeable folks here.

Judging from the warm welcome you've received so far, looks like you will be able to "ramble on". And the spelling is always easy to blame on the computer.

Post your numbers in the freshwater section and I'm sure you'll get quick advice on how to go forward.
Maybe a water change is in order, but you'll get good advice I'm sure.

Again, welcome. Look forward to talking with you.

Bob R

 

[nyrmel]

well I will do that still gonna take a bit to find my map.... some where maybe in the glove box... or under the back seat. hmmmm
naw I just wanted to give a bit of background since I am still new enough I can fit it in one post... well almost wc every other day and twice since i noticed change. Luv it bob that you remade a poem place. Already had to put in my response I will have to get orb over here now too

 

[mom2reds]

welcome to AA. I just have to ask if you cycled your tank before you put fish in. The cloudy water sounds like a bacterial bloom.
You have come to the right place we all like to ramble lucky for us we have people that like to ramble but make since.

 

[nyrmel]

I did sorta cycle first the cloudy just got alot worse (but I know why) since I got got some new plants that where back ordered and they reallllly mucked up the water. But if it ia bacteria bloom what can I do about it?

 

[Sahabo]

Welcome to the site

 

[roka64]

Welcome to the site!

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA!

 

[RJRofFL]

OK, I’m going to jump in here to try to help my friend. Hopefully the next poster can verify or add to & then perhaps we can move this to the Freshwater area, where the experts are.

I have a tendency to “oversimplify” things, as that is how I best understand them. (ok – no wise cracks here). I also have a tendency to use analogies for the same reason.

I tend to think, nyrmel, that for whatever reason, the cycle has stalled or stopped. This is based on the readings you’ve described. I feel that there should be some reading for NitrAtes, not zero.

Moving forward, we need to get it back on track.

In reviewing the “cycle process”, I tend to liken it to a game of Pac-Man (which you should remember unless you are 16). The yellow man gobbles up the ghosts. In cycling there is a Green ghost (ammonia), a purple ghost (NitrIte) and a Red ghost (NitrAte). I gave them colors to correspond to the API Test Kit (which we are using?).

Since there are fish here, then it is they who provide the green ghosts through their waste.

The yellow man gobbles up the green ghost and turns into a green man.
The green man gobbles up the purple ghost and turns purple.
Then the purple man gobbles up the red ghost and turns red.
Then, another yellow man appears and it follows the same path.
Just like PacMan, ghosts all over.

After a while the yellow men fade and disappear (the ammonia drops). Soon after that the purple men get brighter and then fade (the nitrite spiking and lowering). And finally we are left with a whole bunch of just red men zipping around. There is no one left to eat the red men, so they are removed by a 90% water change.

If you were able to grasp that then you are read for “Space Invaders!”

Now in this case, we have fish in addition to the men and ghosts, so we need to make sure the fish remain safe (or relatively so) during the game.

So going forward:

I recommend a 10% WC every other day. (only 10% - any more will pour out or destroy some ammonia that the good bacteria need to feed on)
Test the NH3 daily to insure it doesn’t go above 1.0 (I don’t know what is lethal as my fish survived, but I never let it get above that)
After a few days start testing the NI & NA along with it.
Once the NH3 and NI read zero (and stay zero) there should only be a NA reading.
Weekly WC should keep that in check & you should be fine, my friend.

I truly hope this helped, and hope that someone else can verify/dispute or add to what I’ve advised.

Good luck.

Bob R

 

[nyrmel]

Thanks bob I did try to move overto FW part but am waiting for answers there and I promise I am over 16 so therefore remember pacman quite well (but you knew that didnt you since I am guessing you already caught and knew the whole mom part and that he is old enough at 10 that would make me be a science experiment otherwise.) So i'll I will need to figure out now is since I have several fish that poop a storm (have yet to look at tank and not see at least one) I dont know why I dont have any green ghosts or ghosts of any color. I am wondering if this has something to do with the plants that are fading(as if they arent getting enough) since they feed from red men???? just thinking here but I will take the subject to the fw section. BTW I see there are more than one FW plant areas so my dieing plants with no red men should go where exactly???? I really need a map

 

[melosu58]

Welcome aboard