Hi everyone!
I'm new to aquariums, and new to this group. I've always wanted to establish a nice aquarium but didn't think it would happen so soon. My daughter wanted some fish for her 6th birthday, so my husband took it upon himself to get a 10 gallon tank and all the fixin's for her. I don't think he realized how much maintenance was going to be involved and left it alone. We lost a guppie two weeks into it (water tested acidic so we did Ph decreaser), and I have since taken over testing the water, cleaning, etc. and trying to get things happy and healthy -- but what a bumpy road it's been.
To make a long story short, we were inadvertently overfeeding the fish (3 guppies, 3 tetras, 3 mollies, and a bottom feeder). I first noticed the ammonia spike and got ammonia neutralizer. Water was also very alkaline, but lady at the store said not to mess with any more chemicals, and to leave the Ph alone. Now the ammonia is safe, but we have bad nitrite levels. I did 25% water change yesterday, but being in panic mode to get the water changed, didn't realize I should've sucked water from the gravel to get the gunk out. I lost a Molly after the water change. (I had noticed a few hours earlier that she had a bit of fin rot on her tail, but otherwise seemed fine, but she declined rapidly after the water change.) I then noticed a guppy with swollen tummy (dropsy?). He's been fine up until a few hours ago, when he started hanging out at the bottom. Everybody else seems okay so far.
It's been 4 weeks since tank was set up with fish. Yesterday was the first water change (25-30%). How long should I wait to change the water again so I can get the nitrite levels down? Is this still part of the cycle the tank needs to get the bacteria growing? I am anxious to get these guys happy and healthy but feel so helpless. Also, should I change the filter or wait for next water change? I am now paranoid about doing too much, too quickly, but desperately want to remedy the situation. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I'm looking forward to learning more about aquarium-keeping from everyone here. I am sure you will inspire me to get my aquarium skills to advance levels! (I would love to be able to keep live plants some day too!) Thanks for your help!
I'm new to aquariums, and new to this group. I've always wanted to establish a nice aquarium but didn't think it would happen so soon. My daughter wanted some fish for her 6th birthday, so my husband took it upon himself to get a 10 gallon tank and all the fixin's for her. I don't think he realized how much maintenance was going to be involved and left it alone. We lost a guppie two weeks into it (water tested acidic so we did Ph decreaser), and I have since taken over testing the water, cleaning, etc. and trying to get things happy and healthy -- but what a bumpy road it's been.
To make a long story short, we were inadvertently overfeeding the fish (3 guppies, 3 tetras, 3 mollies, and a bottom feeder). I first noticed the ammonia spike and got ammonia neutralizer. Water was also very alkaline, but lady at the store said not to mess with any more chemicals, and to leave the Ph alone. Now the ammonia is safe, but we have bad nitrite levels. I did 25% water change yesterday, but being in panic mode to get the water changed, didn't realize I should've sucked water from the gravel to get the gunk out. I lost a Molly after the water change. (I had noticed a few hours earlier that she had a bit of fin rot on her tail, but otherwise seemed fine, but she declined rapidly after the water change.) I then noticed a guppy with swollen tummy (dropsy?). He's been fine up until a few hours ago, when he started hanging out at the bottom. Everybody else seems okay so far.
It's been 4 weeks since tank was set up with fish. Yesterday was the first water change (25-30%). How long should I wait to change the water again so I can get the nitrite levels down? Is this still part of the cycle the tank needs to get the bacteria growing? I am anxious to get these guys happy and healthy but feel so helpless. Also, should I change the filter or wait for next water change? I am now paranoid about doing too much, too quickly, but desperately want to remedy the situation. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I'm looking forward to learning more about aquarium-keeping from everyone here. I am sure you will inspire me to get my aquarium skills to advance levels! (I would love to be able to keep live plants some day too!) Thanks for your help!