Started new tank and added fish.

[spittinfly]

First let me start out saying that I appreciate everyones feelings on fishless cycling but unfortunately that was not possible with my situation. I will still take every precaution I can to ensure 0 fish loss and a healthy tank.

Now for the fun stuff:

35 gal tall tank

1 Mickey Mouse Platy
1 Platy (white body/orange tail with black dots all over)
1 Female Swordtail

1 Dalmation Mollie
1 Golden Sunglow Lyretail Mollie
1 Black w/ white speckles Mollie

some rocks
some fake plants
some seashells from the Pacific Ocean

Started the tank for about 3-4 days with just Tetra Aqua Clear and the filter running. The rock was in a tank about 3 years ago, so I cleaned them the best I could and let them soak for about 2-3 weeks. They still have some green bushy growth on them. The shells I collected about 2 weeks ago, they have been out of the water since. I did a couple of water tests. Ok, yes I plan on getting a API kit but for the time being all I can use are the strips. The Ammonia has shown 0-1 and the Nitrites and Nitrates are showing in the safe zone. I understand I should be doing water changes to keep the Ammonia in the safe zone but so far it appears to be ok.

Would doing waterchanges HURT anything? Even since adding the fish my parameters haven't changed. Is it just to soon to see any changes or will I not?

Oh yeah, how everybody says not to feed them the first day or so.... my wife kept arguing with me that they were hungry cause they were all at the top (I told her some were top level fish but noooo). So I put a couple of flakes in there and sure enough they freakin' gobbled the stuff up!!! I think they did it just to prove her right.

I have one recluse but he does eat sparingly if anything makes it to the bottom but it just might be to early. The Sunglow Lyretail Molly keeps kinda mouthing everybody and likes to chase them all around. Some of the others do it also but that one does it the most. They all have been mouthing all the rocks I guess they are either eating or exploring but they all seem fine.

Would my Swordtail mate with anyone in the tank?

Well it seems I got a little winded but I think that’s everything. I welcome your comments and suggestions. I plan on adding more plants soon and will try to add pics.

Thanks,
Spittinfly

 

[rich311k]

You tank looks nice. Keep testing and keep up with water changes. Try to keep ammonia and nitrites below .5ppm. Good luck.

 

[spittinfly]

Thanks.

 

[lyquidphyre]

Are you using testing strips that you dip in the tank or a testing kit with test tubes?
Testing strips can be VERY inaccurate, so just be careful with those.
Water changes aren't too harmful as long as you aren't scrubbing down decor or gravel (thats where the beneficial bacteria grow) or removing too much water.

If I were you, I would feed the fish every other day while you cycle the tank. That way you aren't getting more ammonia in your tank than you need =o)

 

[spittinfly]

I am using test strips for right now. I have @23 left and will get the master test kit as soon as I can. If I just do @ 25% pwc every other day do I really need to be that accurate with the test strips? I have fed them twice and they really clean up the food. As long as I don't overfeed them would it be that bad every day?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

No, it won't be bad to do the water changes.

 

[ezy33]

IME If i do a large PWC like 40% on a established tank the water gets cloudy. I suspect it's from the bacteria dying. This is not what you want.

 

[theotheragentm]

IME If i do a large PWC like 40% on a established tank the water gets cloudy. I suspect it's from the bacteria dying.

Bacteria shouldn't be dying during water changes. You should do them relatively quickly, leaving the sides of the tank wet the whole time. The bacteria is stuck to the surfaces, not in the water column. If you use something to condition your water as it goes in or before, no bacteria should die.

Cloudiness is probably due more in part to kicking up particulate when refilling the tank.

 

[Hara]

The water getting cloudy,when it happens because of bacteria, is due to bacterial BLOOM, just the opposite of dieing.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Water changes of at least 50% are performed on my tanks weekly and I've never had issues with cloudiness. More likely as theotheragentm stated, particles being kicked up during the addition of water.

 

[ezy33]

I would not do a PWC since your trying to build up your bacterial filter which requires ammonia and nitrIte for them to consume. But you're also almost out of ammonia which your bacteria need to feed on.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You want your Ammonia level to be below .5 ppm. So if it's reading between 0 and 1 you really don't know what the true reading is. Not to mention the inaccuracy of the strips. It could very well be at 1 ppm already. Doing water changes reguarly until you are able to get ahold of an accurate test kit will not do harm. Ammonia will still be produced by the fish so the tank should not be lacking in that regard. Good luck Spittinfly and keep us updated.

 

[fish 'n' fries]

I'm one of the people on this board who's never done fishless cycling. I personally wouldn't worry about water changes. You often need them to keep the fish healthy (as everyone's said...you want the ammonia and nitrites to stay low). It may not have been long enough to see a spike in ammonia. That said...you don't have a lot of fish in your tank (I'm assuming these are juveniles--not adults?). You may not see a lot of spike. The key to fish-y cycling is to add fish very, very slowly (wait weeks between added even a couple fish). You should not get any sort of cloud other than stirring up debris from water changes.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I would not do a PWC since your trying to build up your bacterial filter which requires ammonia and nitrIte for them to consume. But you're also almost out of ammonia which your bacteria need to feed on.

You also need to remember this. If you get any ammonia or nitrite readings, that means that this amount is in excess. So no mater how many water changes you do, if you get any readings, it is in excess and the bacteria will continue to multiply. They won't grow faster just because you have more ammonia or more nitrite, they grow at the same rate. So if you have .5ppm ammonia, they are growing at the same rate as if it were 2ppm. So better safe than sorrry, do your PWC's and keep the levels below .5ppm as mentioned above. You will not stall the cycle, nor will you slow it down.

 

[supermazz9]

Do: Partial water changes. Limit this strictly to removing water and adding water, not cleaning any surfaces. As pointed out, surfaces are where your bacteria reside.

BTW, PWC's are almost never bad.

Fact: Doing a big PWC will not "cause" cloudy water. Yes, there are variables that could prove this wrong, must 99.9% of the time this is true.

Fact: Fish are oppurtunistic eaters. There are fish that will quite literally eat themselves to death if given the oppurtunity. It's not likely you'll see a change in behavior even if they went a few more days without food.

If they're all at the surface, gasping (doesn't sound like they are, but just in case), you may have low oxygen levels in your tank. Check your temp (higher temps support less oxygen), and aerate if necissary.

Dump your test strips as soon as you can. This is the point in your tanks' life that you require constant accurate tasting, and you can't do this with strips.

Go buy some BioSpira. Fish stores will sell it out of a fridge. If it is not in a fridge, it is garbage. Also, check the exp. date.

Good luck with your startup!

 

[spittinfly]

Thank you all for your input. It sounds like pwc's are the thing to do. I am at 76 degrees and am using a L whisper HOB filter. No pump or extra aeration. The fish do come to the top and mouth the surface. I suppose they could be gasping for air. Right now the HOB filter lip is about 1/4" under water and is moving the water pretty well but no bubbles. Should I lower the water level so that I can see bubbles moving through the water from impact?

I did about a 25% pwc last night and this morning I got up and realized I forgot the conditioner. So I just added it this morning (7hrs later) to the filter stream and will probably have to do another pwc tonight. Sorry rookie mistake, I'll keep the bottle in the bucket from now on!

My spotted Platy finally came out for a couple minutes this morning and it looks like I have five males and only one female. Will the Swordtail (F) mate with any of the other fish in the tank? Just cautious, not trying to push her but want to make sure I don't add to the bio-load.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I would put something in the tank for air. A bubble wand, air controlled piece of decor, or lower the water line a little bit. It's just a precautionary measure.

Regarding the dechlorinator, I've done that too. It was a small water change so it didn't harm the fish but it used to happen often when I first started. It was such an ordeal at water change time that dechlor was the last thing on my list of things to remember. This was before finding AA and going strictly by the lfs advice. They told me to remove my fish at every water change since it would cause too much stress.

 

[spittinfly]

Yikes!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Thank you all for your input. It sounds like pwc's are the thing to do. I am at 76 degrees and am using a L whisper HOB filter. No pump or extra aeration. The fish do come to the top and mouth the surface. I suppose they could be gasping for air. Right now the HOB filter lip is about 1/4" under water and is moving the water pretty well but no bubbles. Should I lower the water level so that I can see bubbles moving through the water from impact?

I did about a 25% pwc last night and this morning I got up and realized I forgot the conditioner. So I just added it this morning (7hrs later) to the filter stream and will probably have to do another pwc tonight. Sorry rookie mistake, I'll keep the bottle in the bucket from now on!

My spotted Platy finally came out for a couple minutes this morning and it looks like I have five males and only one female. Will the Swordtail (F) mate with any of the other fish in the tank? Just cautious, not trying to push her but want to make sure I don't add to the bio-load.

Take a water sample to the LFS where they can check it for you. Another reason for gasping could very well be ammonia levels being high. And with regular test strips, you may not see it.

As for the HOB, it should be providing enough aeration. I doubt is low O2 levels, especially as cool as your water is.

 

[spittinfly]

Great idea. I forgot I could bring it in to test.