Shelley

I sent mine from south canty to Wellington in a polystyrene box (asked at the pet store and they gave me one free) i had some foam plastic stuff which i tried to line it with and wrapped a coke bottle of hot water in a few layers of newspaper to use like a hot water bottle. Fish were double bagged...the biggies on their own the not quite so biggies 2 to a bag. plenty of air and plenty of screwed up newspaper to package them in with. Taped it all up and sent by Fastways courier (which were the only ones that would do it) and labelled "Live fish" and "very fragile handle with extreme care" all over the box. I packed them about 2.30 in the afternoon....I had them at the couriers office by 4pm and Mystic received them some time the next day...morning I think. She said they all arrived okay but I am not sure if they have survived the stress of the move.

oh no....i am in the same boat right now having lost some beautiful fish in the last few days after a really good run with no losses. It really upsets and depresses me to have lost such a large number over such a short period of time specially when i am frantically trying to improve conditions and can't fathom what is wrong. sometimes i think the stress of constant water changes might be half the problem but under the circumstances there is little choice....when obviously something is going wrong in the water. This week i have lost a male and female guppy a cory a harlequin 2 platties ....and have nursed back from the brink a beautiful dwarf gourami (i was so sure she was a gonna last night and almost considered putting her out of her misery...this morning she is swimming around the tank....i moved her from the main tank to a smaller still cycling tank with only a female fighter and a sick cory for company....and i havent found THAT cory yet this morning but last night he was looking better than he had been) god it is disheartening. You try so hard to make them happy and comfortable...and when you screw up...and they pay in stress and/or death it makes you feel like sh*t. I am so scared of hurting any more fish....but don't want to give up this beautiful hobby. I am reading till my hair hurts..... and just want to give these beautiful fish the happiest life they could wish for in a fish tank... You have done so well previously misty...... i hope you dont give up

ooops make that nitrate reading 10...i hadnt given it long enough to stand

Hi Suphew and thanks for your reply. Generally I don't make a habit of taking out the rocks and ornaments for a scrub. I have done so a couple of times when I had a bad algae problem, and on those occasions i sat them in a bucket of water with algae rid in while i did the water change...scrubbed them and rinsed them and put them back into the tank with water conditioner and cycle in the replaced water. I have also done this with plants but only in those very early days when algae was such a problem it seemed to be smothering the life out of the plants. I have never taken out the gravel for a good clean. The reason for me taking the ornaments now is a) i am looking for a dead fish....still haven't found him but he has got to be in there somewhere. My male guppy did a disappearing act a couple of days ago and i know he must be dead but cannot find him. and b) there is some sort of bug in my tank that is killing my fish..... and it must be in the water, the plants, the ornaments. I think I am maybe better to completely drain the tank and scrub everything.....and boil the stones........ and restart the entire cycling process from scratch.......yes this is the long haul but whatever bug is in there making the water so cloudy....is killing my fish. I really would like to get a grip of this water testing thing. I know that the desired levels are nil ammonia nitrite and nitrate..... but is anything outside of those levels permisable? My nitrite has been 0.05 since late February. Ammonia sits between 0 and 0.6 (which is the very slight shade up from 0 on the chart)...and sits there consistantly. On 10-3-05 i bought my first nitrate kit... on that day my PH was 7.6 nitrite 0.05 ammonia 0 nitrate 0. a week later nitrate was 20 nitrite 0.05 ammonia smewhere between 0 and 0.6.2 days later nitrate MAY have been 50! (i find it very hard to read which colour it is as it could be any one of three which is a big range). Nitrates then dropped to 10 and has pretty much stayed consistantly there with nitrites being 0.05 and ammonia between 0 and 0.6. No i am not going to christchurch especially for the nitrite kit......but i do feel i want to keep a closer eye on what is going on so will be getting one. The thing is...water changes dont seem to change the nitrite levels. I was speaking with Paul from Timaru a couple of days ago and he says he uses peat in his tanks under the gravel which helps lower the PH and works as a sort of filter. I have rushed out and bought some organic peat as i have been a bit concerned that my PH tends to hover right on or beyond) the deepest blue on the scale. cleaning out the main tank would give me a chance to put a layer of peat in and may help keep the tank free of bugs (???) I haven't done anything yet ...I was too tired to start mucking around with tanks last night but had planned on having a tank day today. I will wait for advice but will be moving the remaing fish out of this tank. Despite the strain it may put on my still cycling tanks i think they are possible safer there than they are in the main tank which becomes cloudy within 12 hours of a water change and causes breathing and in some cases swimming difficulties. For the record....the water tests yesterday on the main tank were PH 7.4, ammonia 0.6, nitrite 0.05, nitrate 10. No I do not stand the water as our water comes direct from the well and there are no additives such as chlorine. I HAVE wondered about the copper pipes though. That was a concern of mine in the earlier days of setting up the tank. Just tested the water from the tap. PH 6.6, ammonia 0, nitrate 5. I replace the tank water with water of the same (or close to the same) temperature.

Thanks snowman I was just lying on the couch...flicking my gaze between coronation street and the tank lol......but currently the tank is more depressing..... and I came to the decision to do exactly what you have just suggested.I was inclined to think it was something to do with the cucumber but thought i might have found it when i did the 80% water change. AND i have been using my test kits so much i have run out of nitrite test...... i will get some more when i go to Christchurch on Thursday. Thanks.

Ok i am starting to panic. The water looks gross. I did another 50% change last night because it was so thick with cloudy stuff although the readings were slightly better than they had been. Now i am losing fish. The water is cloudy again. PH 7.4 ammonia 0.6 nitrite 0.05 nitrate 5. I am seriously thinking about moving the fish i have left into tanks that really havent finished cycling yet....and scrubbing this tank from top to bottom and everything in it...and starting the cycle process from scratch (although i worry about splitting the fish between my remaining smaller and still cycling tanks). This is really distressing... i have had these sort of readings for some weeks now and everything seemed to have settled at about that level if anything they are a little lower now. Today I lost my little cory and a dwarf gourami. I have a harlequin swimming upside down and being swept about by the current...there is something seriously wrong with a tank that has been so happy till about a week ago....why? and what do i do about it? Help!

Hi Caper and welcome....this is a brilliant place to learn and there are some wonderful people here so I hope you enjoy learning from them as much as you enjoy your new hobby.

Thanks Muddy..... at the risk of sounding really dumb...where do I get a bottle of ammonia from? I can see my laundry is going to have a lot more buckets than it has currently (and there are some shelves in there that just about could hold a few fish tanks!)

Thank you Bill. This is what I LOVE about this forum. What helpful advice....although it has been a very steep learning curve the last 4 months (looks shamed that she didn't do sufficient homework first).....I know that there is still HEAPS I don't know so I am very grateful for any insights. Prior to the new filter I had a cannister filter which came with the tank...the guy said it was sufficient for the tank but for a 360 litre tank I don't think 500 litres per hour is sufficient (based on what I have read...)although it did a reasonable job. Basically I had been giving it a clean probably every second water change. We got the new filter on 3-04-05 and the first time I cleaned that was this last Wednesday (20-04). Yes... I wasn't quite sure what to do as I realised to clean it up would be to wash away some of the beneficial bacterias. But I was wondering if the reason for the tank being so cloudy was because the filter needed a clean. That it had done such an efficient job it was clogged with gunk. I don't actually believe this to be the case and was rather thrilled with the muck that came out of it realising that my previous filter hadn't dopne nearly as much work. In the mean time the previous filter went into a smaller tank I am cycling.....and i did put THAT filter back into the main tank to try and see if it was something wrong with the new filter (more likely the person operating it). The only thing I changed was the filter wool. However when the tank remained cloudy and seemed to be getting worse and I did another water change, I wondered if the carbon wasn't doing it's job either so changed that (still at this point thinking that maybe it was in my reconstructing of the filter I had done something wrong.) I am inclined to agree that the cucumber was the start of the problem. The fish only showed a vague interest in it when I first put it in. The next morning some had been eaten and the gouramis were enjoying it...the following morning there was hardly any left at all. Maybe I should have taken it out after the first 24 hours. I was due to do a water change and by the time I got all the lids off there was no sign of even the skin (which had been floating around the tank.) Definitely within 12 hours of the cucumber going into the tank I noticed the first signs of cloudiness though nothing drastic. Last night when I did the water change I pulled out all the rocks, ornaments and plants (the tank is well planted) to check for signs of any decaying cucumber...or maybe even a dead fish (although it is kind of habit for me to do a quick head count in the morning to check everyone is alive and present.....I just wondered if I had missed someone when doing the usual checks). No sign of any dead or decaying anything but I used the siphon hose to give a reasonable clean up of the surface anyway. This morning all fish are alive. The tank looks quite clear front on but side on (with a bit of natural light behind it) it looks a little bit murky. The fish had their usual appetite but I fed them only dried worms and a small pinch of flake this morning. (I have been giving them blood worms and frozen/thawed brine shrimp...and also wondered if this was a contributing factor) I feed once a day....mornings. I have decided to cut out the blood worms and brine shrimp for a few days in this tank as I never had the trouble before with the dried foods (oh but they do love it!). It is possible I was giving them too much of those frozen foods. I had cut back to feeding every second day as it had been put to me i may be over feeding them. But the fish seemed to get extra snarly and lost condition so I went back to daily feeds. Right..... Now to give the tank a break and give it time to settle. If the cloudiness returns and causes distress I will assume I have some sort of bug in the gravel or filter or something...and perhaps will have to remove the fish completely and sterilise the flaming tank and start the long process of cycling from scratch (aghhhhh!!!)

Just an update. Thanks everyone for your advice. I wouldnt mind some clarification of what levels (if any) is acceptable for over 0 for ammonia and nitrite. my tanks seem to fluctuate between 0 and 0.6 which is the very slight yellowing next to the '0' on the chart....i do know that 0 is desirable but is 0.6 really THAT bad? Same with Nitrite....mine has sat at about 0.05 for weeks now...in fact...it was 0 in the very early stages of cycling..... and went up to .05..... recently another fishy person told me that nitrate is acceptable up to 40! (horrors! I hyperventilated when mine shot up to 20 once!) Anyway. I have just finished a large water change as i felt the situation was quite desperate and something had to be done NOW....it would have been about an 80% change and added cycle and aqua plus. I don't like doing such a dramatic change as I worry about the stress on the fish but i felt it couldnt have been any worse than the stress the cloudiness was causing. Re-reading your replies.... it was only one gourami that i consider was stressed by the water conditions...one of the golden gouramis...the other was fine. The kissing gouramis are very odd fish at the best of times so I wasn't too worried about them.... they were still cleaning leaves and flitting about but one has been spending a bit of time on the tank making me worried...then the next time i lok she has gone and is busy cleaning again. The golden gourami i was concerned about wasnt desperate....but was causing concern as she didnt just go up to take a gulp of air and go back down like they do she was taking quite a few breaths....i would not say it was as dramatic as gasping...in fact it definitely wasn't...she was just staying up there which is out of character for her and with the water condition made me worried. All my other gouramis (5 others extra to the ones i have described) were/are fine. I'm looking at the tank now and they are active in there. I sincerely hope there are no losses over night. oh...and i cracked my glass lid too .... Still a little concerned in case i have done something wrong with the newish filter....i have put it back on now.....and if the tank looks cloudy in the morning i shall assume the filter is at fault and return it. i am heading to Christchurch in a few hours lol (better get some sleep) ....but i shall check my water conditions in the morning. Thanks again for your very valued input people.

I found the post i was telling you about Muddy it is under the welcome page..."hi from Dunedin" (or something like that). Yes I have heard of fishless cycling but understand that most prefer to use fish and or water/substrate/ filter from an established tank. I currently have 2 filters running in one of my tanks so that the tank I collect tomorrow can have a head start. I was also going to use water from my main tank but won't be now with it being such a mess. What I want to know is...what happened. this tank has been doing great now for a couple of months...we certainly had some hiccups at the start..... but for this to happen...within the last few days...out of nowhere is really baffling....not to mention distressing... I do not like to see my fish looking stressed. I have moved the 2 kissing gouramis that were a bit seedy and they are fine in a newer tank which i am keeping a close eye on the readings of. The golden gourami (one of two that came with a tank we bought a few weeks back) is the only other fish in the tank that appears to be stressed despite it (the tank) looking so terrible the other fish seem happy. Help.

oh.... having said that.... i don't know if the process is the same for a marine tank.

I think you might be muddy.... dont get me wrong...i am not throwing a dozen fish in to cycle a tank but as i understand it you need the waste products from fish to get the process started. I have put no more than three small fish in the new tanks (black widows/scissortails) to start the process. I just read on here tonight...(sorry cant remember what heading it was under) about someone having trouble thinking they were cycling their tank as advised by the pet store by having it empty for a week...and someone else replying that the pet store should be more accountable/responsible for the information they give out as you need fish to cycle a tank. This is where I find this site so valuable...as I didnt even know about cycling a tank till I came here.

Hi Warren and thanks for your comments but I think you are confusing me with someone else. There are less fish in my tank now than there have been for probably a couple of months. my PH has always been a little high.....I have mentioned here before about not being able to budge my .05 nitrate and the ammonia sits between 0 and 0.6. Nitrate has been sitting at about 10 for a few weeks now and i commented on it here worried about it as I have been doing 30% water changes weekly and nothing has budged....(previously my nitrate was barely readable with just the slightest tinge of pink) and was told not to worry about the Nitrate as the levels were acceptable (I was striving for 0 for ammonia,0 nitrite AND 0 nitrate.) no it wasn't me with the neon tetras and rummy nose and the tank (360 litres) has been going now for about 4 months. Certainly there is no way I will be adding fish to the tank until i get this sorted. As i said i was worried about shifting the fish to the other (newer and still cycling) tanks.... other products i use are aqua plus watewr conditioner and cycle....i am unsure if either is effective with having carbon in the filter.

Eeeeek! I can hardly see through my tank it has gone so cloudy!. I am trying really hard to see what I have done differently...the only thing I can think of is I tried feeding the fish some cucmber as suggested here. It took a couple of days and I noticed the tank starting to loo a bit cloudy....and decided I wouldnt give them cucumber again. I couldnt even find the rind/skin (whatever you call it) I think they ate that too!.... So I cleaned out the filter...this is the new fluval 404 i got about 3 weeks ago...and was stunned at how dirty it was (I thought this was a good thing..meaning my new filter was doing a treeeee-mendous job). Anyway put it all back together replaced only the filter wool. (the tank was cloudy BEFORE i did all this)....the cloudiness has become progressively worse. I did a 30% water change on Wednesday. It was still looking awful last night. All of the fish and plants look fine with the exception of some of the bigger fish one of my large gouramis is at the top taking breaths...and just staying there...I wouldn't say gasping but obviously feeling the need for air. The 2 kissing gouramis looked a little seedy but are ok...they tend to be strange fish at any time. So last night...watching this poor gourami....I did about a 40% water change and pulled apart the filter again...re-read the book that came with it (I think it is impossible to put the thing together incorrectly). I noted that the order of the filter media in the book was different to what the guy at animates suggested he set it up for me with the bottom to trays with ceramic noodles the middle tray with carbon and the top tray with plain old dacron. In the book it said the noodles should go on top and the filter wool on the bottom. He said the carbon should be replaced every 2 months.... in the book it said every month. I have replaced it. I dont like using accu clear (and am not sure it would be effective with carbon in the filter anyway) but did try that....nothing. The readings are pretty typical of my tanks readings.... PH is slightly bluer than the highest reading on the scale of 7.6 (has always sat around 7.4 - 7.6) ammonia is .6 ,Nitrite .05, Nitrate (as far as I can tell I always have trouble deciding which 'pink' my nitrate is) 10, GH 4 drops (80) , KH 4 drops (40). Temp 26. Not even overstocked right now as i have swiped fish out of there for cycling other tanks. I am contemplating moving all the fish and starting from scratch as it looks awful! but I really dont want to have to start cycling my main tank again and lumping all the fish in the smaller tanks. Any advice gratefully received.

hello and welcome..... you will find this is a great place to be...packed with info...the hardest thing is keeping up with all the posts! Good luck with the fishies

try telling that to one of PeneJanes black pregnant guppy's

I sense the need to rush out and buy a ramp, lol!

what should you do with it? whatever you want! Wonderful ideas about the cave underneath..... if I was a fish I would like to live in that tank

Got any foam rubber or foam plastic? I would use that to block the holes...maybe tape over some plastic for extra safety...and what the hell...throw some blankets over as well.

Yeah! :roll: Good innit

All of the above! ;-) You seriously need another tank (or two). I'm not a huge fan of the sword tails except to say they do add some lovely colour to the tank...and i think they are kind of on a par with guppies for ease of breeding. It stands to reason your black guppies will breed black guppies ..... maybe a new coloured male...and some females would give a surge of colour to your tank. I am waiting anxiously to see what colour the 6 guppy fry we have will turn out to be..... the albino female is back in the main tank....but she is certainly very shy...thankfully she is no longer a nervous wreck.

R.I.P. Pene's BN

sounds like mosquitos to me i live on a farm lol

Sounds absolutely magic!!!! Hearing of all these exciting things is almost as exciting for me as it must be for you! Good luck with the cichlids!