Recent content by andreahp

I am currently using a 5gal as a QT. Right now I have 2 danios & 2 cories in it. Honestly, I wish I had a 10gal because the danios need the swimming room even though they aren't very big yet. If necessary I will use it as a hospital tank in the future, but considering I see 5gal as small (my...

I've been advised to not add more than 3-4 fish at a time to give your filter a chance to adjust to the increase in ammonia from fish waste. After adding fish, you'll want to check your water parameters like every other day to make sure there's no ammonia buildup.

+1 James in MN on your water parameters not showing nitrates - the tank should always have nitrates of 20ppm or less which is the end of the nitrogen cycle and I agree on the stocking question - the smaller tetras would work well in a smaller tank because they don't get very big and they're...

Personally I'd get the black skirts for a tank that size - I currently have 2 danios - they really need space to chase each other - I have a 46gal. The black skirts school more and don't chase each other. JMO

I have 2 long fins in my QT right now to add to the 2 danios currently in my main tank. Thankfully they are doing ok - eating, swimming, etc. - it's a small tank & they don't have tons of room to swim but they are still small so for 2 more weeks they'll be ok. It's always upsetting to lose a...

Good you had the nerve to say something. The employees don't work on commission do they? I would think the only reason an employee will get annoyed is that you're "showing them up" with your own knowledge, not because you nixed a sale. I know at my local Petsmart, I also spend a lot of time...

Just curious - how big is your tank, what type of fish are in there and how many?

Changing the water doesn't affect the biological filter but NOT changing it will allow ammonia to build up. You should be increasing the frequency of PWC's to get the ammonia level down so your fish aren't affected by it. I only feed my fish once a day - more frequent feedings leads to more...

I also cycled my tank with fish. It took about a month before my tank was ready - thankfully the fish survived because the ammonia level stayed low but it was exciting seeing nitrites and then nitrates show up!

When you say ammonia is just fine - does that mean you are testing at 0? Are you testing for nitrates also? Are you changing your water? What kind of a test kit are you using or are you using strips? How long has your tank been running? Fish dying like that could mean there's a problem with...

I've heard of people who got cloudy tanks during cycling - I didn't. Also, you might want to see if you can get the API freshwater test kit. Most members use it. You can test a lot with it (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates & pH). I'm just concerned that the liquid kit you are using is fresh...

Just curious, what kind of fish is this? And, HNI how do you know it's a male "staking out its territory"?

I agree - I have 2 in my 46 gal and 2 in a QT and they are so cute! They are all over both of the tanks - it's quite fun. They explore every nook and cranny.

I'm new at this stuff too and I didn't cycle with ammonia but it's my understanding that you shouldn't touch the media at all while you're cycling because you're trying to build up beneficial bacteria so there's no point to even rinsing it in tank water. Doing water changes will help bring the...

What has been said above about your filter and the ammonia is correct. I am currently trying to get rid of ammonia in a quarantine tank (because I put fish into it over the weekend for the 1st time) and found out that my filter isn't completely cycled yet because my ammonia level last night was...