A brandnew beginner

[Omaria]

For our 40th wedidng anniversary recently we were given a 50 liter tank, we filled it with water, heated it up to 23/24 degrees, added washed gravel, plants, and all the required additions to the water . Purchased 6 neon Tetras, 3 assorted platy, and 3 guppy (1 male 2 female) One of the platy keeps hiding in a corner and can stay very still for a long time, it is rather eary, but is it normal? Now we need to replace some of the water, so a bucket is standing ready but how do we get it up to the right temperature? How do we know when a fish is pregnant? Can we leave babyfish with the adults? So much to learn but so much fun as well.

[livingart]

welcome to th forums

congrats on the 40th anniversary

[BikBok]

Hi and welcome !

Your platy and guppy will get large and fat when they are ready to drop fry which will be about once a month! In the guppys you can see a dark area which is all the little eyeballs of the babies inside. Bit harder to see on the red platys though

Some fry will get eaten by the parents but there's usually a few that survive especially if there is plants and places for them to hide.

If the tank is still cycling, it's possible that ammonia may be affecting the platy , or there may be some other reason like parasites. This is not uncommon with livebearers bought from some petshops.

I usually mix my water from the taps to get the right temperature and add drops to take the chlorine out.

[Omaria]

what is meant by the tank still cycling? Do we leave the filter on all the time or turn it off when we turn off the light? Is it worth to get a PH test kit? I am so glad I found this forum I will become the most annoying question asker im afraid LOL

[Tsarmina]

Hi Omaria and welcome

glad you found your way here from the TM message boards (i'm esdotia), there's so much more info here and so many more people who are able to answer all of those questions you have :bounce:

[oO SKIPPY Oo]

hi and welcome

you should leave the filter on all the time - a tank cycle is where the bacteria in the filter media, substrate, and water column changes the ammonia produced by the fish etc to nitrite, then that nitrite changes to nitrate. it can take a couple of weeks or longer for that to happen. just do regular water changes about 30% every 4 days or so and you should be fine.

hope that helps

[gagaforfish]

Hello! Im fairly new to this as well.his

This should help you understand cycling.

http://fishkeepers.co.nz/index.php/setting_up_a_tank/

[Skip™]

Welcome to the Forums! 8)

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like, there are some very knowledgeable fish keepers on here that are happy to help.

It's also a good idea to put you location in you profile by going to User Control Panel (top right). That way people that are local maybe able to help (ie- the best places/stores to go to in your area), or in other ways if you ever need it.

[Omaria]

Thanks for all the advice so far, will do some water change tomorrow and probably buy a PH measure gadget, but someone please tell me what is a healthy PH for the number of fish I have (12 small) in a 50 liter tank.

[oO SKIPPY Oo]

PH around 7 is OK for the fish you have - in saying that you would probably be better off with ammonia, nitrate and nitrite test kits than a PH kit.

[Omaria]

Thnks Skippy and I assume that instructions come with the kit? One of the fish is gasping in a corner so I guess that one is off to kingdom heaven soon, im not even sure if it is one of the platy or a guppy, not sure how to tell, see how ignorant I am Just did a water change about 1 bucket and 1 bucket on stand by. There is some fluffy wooley looking stuff floating on the gravel , any idea what that can be?

[ryanjury]

Hi and welcome

Fluffy stuff on the gravel is most likely rotting food..

It sounds like you have done 2 of the most common things that people do when they first get fish (which usually results in all their fish dying them deciding it is too hard and giving up).

1. Buying too many and chuck them in without cycling the tank (did you read the link provided)

2. Overfeeding.

So to start with I would be getting at least an ammonia test kit and testing your water, but in the mean time it is safe to assume you have water quality issues so change 1 bucket of water a day (could even do 2 1 in morning one at night) trying to suck up as much uneaten food as possible. Once you have measured your ammonia then you will know where you are at.

Only feed once every 2 days and only as much as the fish can eat ALL of it within 5mins of you sticking it in the tank. Cutting back on the feeding reduces the bioload on your tank and gives you the chance to learn how much to feed, once you get the hang of it and your tank is cycled then you can feed 1-2 times daily again.

Good luck!

[Omaria]

Thanks for your feedback, I did cycle the tank for almost a week. I only fed as per instruction, as much as they eat in 2 mins but then I guess i feel sorry as some didnt seem to get any, so I added a bit more (too much compassion lol) Some of those flakes seem awful big for such small fish but it was recommended.

[ryanjury]

How did you cycle the tank? The process of cycling a tank isn't just turning on a heater and filter and leaving it, it involves building up bacteria etc to a level capable of reducing the waste in your tank to a safe level so your fish don't die. Did you read the link that someone provided on cycling a tank?

Just crush up the big flakes so the smaller fish can get some, although you don't want to add anymore fish for a while you might want to consider adding a bottom feeder or bristlenose to clean up any uneaten food..

[Adrienne]

Welcome to the forums - congratulations on 40 years. I will be 29 years in a couple of months.

If it was me I would change 3 1/2 buckets of water today, tomorrow and monday and then 3 every couple of days for about 3 weeks, then you can reduce it to about twice a week.

You will be amazed how much difference this will make to a gasping fish. When you do the water changes siphon up as much gunk on the bottom as you can as this is what will cause water quality problems.

If you add some plants to your tank (like cabomba) which can also float on the surface you will find that when your fish have fry some will be saved as they will have somewhere to hide.

Further on down the track (after you have 2 or more tanks :lol: ) you will be able to put your pregnant females in another tank to drop the fry.

As for questions - there are no stupid questions, questions are what we are here for so ask away.

You will find you will get varying advice, so read all of it, think about it and then do what you feel you should do based on it. Happy fishkeeping!

[Omaria]

I prepared the tank according to the instructions of the sales person. About Changing the water, how can i get it up to the right temp and age it at the same time? Is adding some of the chemical to dechlorinate enough? The first bucket full change this morning I had standing for a day and added the chemical too and scooped out a bowl full and heated in the microwave before adding back to the bucket to get it to 23o. There is more to having fish than I thought, but im enjoying it and am learning heaps. And was that 3.5 buckets or 3 half buckets?

[Caryl]

If you need to use dechlorinator you just add it when you fill the bucket. I use warm water from the tap using my hand to guess if it is about the right temperature. It isn't critical and you don't need to be exact.

Congratulations on your 40th. I will be up to 33 this year I think. :roll:

Have a look through the various sections listed here for answers to many of your pH, cycling and test kit questions.

[Sunbird73]

hiya - I did the same thing as you about six months ago now, it was a crash course in cycling a tank. :oops:

It might pay to take a little sample of water (10-20ml) into your local fish shop and get it tested for ammonia and nitrites while the tank is new and still cycling (they do this for free). I did this instead of shelling out for the tests to begin with (they are around $20-25 each). I took a sample in every few days, and did daily water changes if it showed any signs of ammonia. Once I got zero readings I didn't bother testing, but did make sure that I did regular water changes and watched for any signs of distress.

I boil the jug and add it to the nearly full bucket of cold tap water, then add the dechlorinator.

I check the temp by dipping my hand in the bucket, then into the tank its going into (highly scientific LOL). I don't bother with checking pH much at all.

I use boiled water because my husband thinks there could be copper issues from the hot tap (copper pipes etc) - we are also not allowed to drink the hot tap water for this reason....

So nobody has had issues using the water straight from the hot tap?? - this would be a lot easier when changing the 126L tank for sure!

[BikBok]

So nobody has had issues using the water straight from the hot tap?? - this would be a lot easier when changing the 126L tank for sure!

well I've always used hot water straight from the tap. We have one of those single mixer taps and I just feel it with my hand and fill up the buckets. After doing this for over a year I can get the temp right within a degree!

But if your hubby thinks there may be copper pipe issues then it might be safer doing it your way. Our previous house was less than 15 years and the one we're in now is less than 5 and doesn't have a hot water cylinder. (instantly gas heated)

It's always best to run the tap for a minute or two each morning anyway to flush out any heavy metals. We have always done that before filling up the jug or changing the pets water each morning.

[Adrienne]

3.5 buckets.

I change from my kitchen tap via a hose straight into the tank. Mind you it is a 225 litre change each time! I add the conditioner to the tank when I start the fill.

[Omaria]

can you actually change the water too much? I did 2 buckets today. If I do more I need to take more out too? The tank isnt right up to the top yet but almost.

[Adrienne]

How much water you change sometimes depends on the type of fish you keep and the type of filter you are running.

[Ice222]

Omaria, yea it's hard starting up a tank when a lot of petstores give wrong information anyway. I'd recommend just getting a Ammonia and Nitrite test kit, as they are most likely what your fish are having problems with. It'll also help you tell when your tank is cycled, I think they usually take about a month to cycle if starting from scratch. Basically your fish poo/pee all add to Ammonia which burns their gills and makes it hard for them to breathe, you need to wait for a invisible bacteria to grow in your filter to turn Ammonia into Nitrite, Nitrite is still bad for fish so you wait for a second type to turn it into a Nitrate.

Since you started with quite a few fish and you don't have the right bacteria, that's why your fish is unwell. Feeding less and changing small amounts of water often, will help get rid of the ammonia or nitrite (especially if you suck up any uneaten food in the process) until the good bacteria has formed. I think you have already heard that Chlorine is bad for fish, and you already add a chemical to get rid of it, but I'd recommend one particular one called Prime, because with that one, you only have to add a few drops (1 drop/2L) so a small bottle will last you a long time, and it also makes ammonia less harmful for awhile.

To cycle you must leave your filter on all the time, having a heater also helps cycling. Plants aren't necessary, but if you don't have plants to absorb nutrients in the water you're probably more likely to have algae problems. Also It may sound mean, but I think that if your fish have babies at the moment, I think you should just let the parents eat them, otherwise if your tank water isn't stable yet, they'd most likely die anyway and add to the amount of waste in the tank. I hope you'll continue to enjoy fish keeping as you learn more it gets easier and easier to keep (until people then decide to go for harder challenges once they're hooked ).

[Omaria]

Much appreciate your suggestion and will definitely invest in some more stuff to make this work for the healthiest possible fish. Is an amonia and nitrite kit the same as a PH testing kit?

I use API stress zyme and stress coat as reccommended in the pet shop.

[Adrienne]

You can purchase testing kits which test for a variety of things ie pH, ammonia etc or you can purchase them separately. Unless you are trying to breed a particular type of fish then you won't have to have a pH test kit. However ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are very valuable to have on hand.

Where abouts in the country are you located?