wickedsteele
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2011
- Messages
- 2
Hi all,
I'm new to being a fish owner. We have a red cap oranda baby. We got him last Monday (Feb 21). Following the instructions of the "fish expert" at the pet store, I set up the tank and ran the filter for an hour before I put the fish in. For a few days now, the tank has been pretty cloudy. I did a 15% water change with prepared bottled water from the pet store (which is also the water that I used to fill the tank in the first place). I believe he was overfed the first two or three days, so there's some food particles at the bottom that stirred up when I changed the water.
I've just tested the water and found that the pH is reading about 8.0-8.5 and the ammonia is 0.2-1.0. Meanwhile, the nitrate and nitrite readings are great - both are at 0. The hardness is showing at 75, so soft, but not too soft.
I'm wondering what I should do. Will the pH and ammonia balance themselves out naturally after the tank has been established a little longer, or do I need to get that tank water completely changed and clean up that gravel with all that foodstuff down there? I don't want to harm the fish, so I want to be sure I make the right decisions and don't rush into anything, but I also don't want to wait around only to find him belly up.
If I am to do a full cleaning and replace 100% of the water (I wouldn't change the filter at this time - only the water and clean the gravel), what do I need to do with the fish during that time and how long should I wait before placing him back into the tank?
I'm sorry for all the questions. It's been a very long time since I've owned a fish and back in those days, I wasn't the one caring for it.
Thanks, in advance!
I'm new to being a fish owner. We have a red cap oranda baby. We got him last Monday (Feb 21). Following the instructions of the "fish expert" at the pet store, I set up the tank and ran the filter for an hour before I put the fish in. For a few days now, the tank has been pretty cloudy. I did a 15% water change with prepared bottled water from the pet store (which is also the water that I used to fill the tank in the first place). I believe he was overfed the first two or three days, so there's some food particles at the bottom that stirred up when I changed the water.
I've just tested the water and found that the pH is reading about 8.0-8.5 and the ammonia is 0.2-1.0. Meanwhile, the nitrate and nitrite readings are great - both are at 0. The hardness is showing at 75, so soft, but not too soft.
I'm wondering what I should do. Will the pH and ammonia balance themselves out naturally after the tank has been established a little longer, or do I need to get that tank water completely changed and clean up that gravel with all that foodstuff down there? I don't want to harm the fish, so I want to be sure I make the right decisions and don't rush into anything, but I also don't want to wait around only to find him belly up.
If I am to do a full cleaning and replace 100% of the water (I wouldn't change the filter at this time - only the water and clean the gravel), what do I need to do with the fish during that time and how long should I wait before placing him back into the tank?
I'm sorry for all the questions. It's been a very long time since I've owned a fish and back in those days, I wasn't the one caring for it.
Thanks, in advance!