rachel4 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Hi everyone I have been reading heaps about all the tricks of the trade here........great site!! I set up a new tank about three weeks ago and had a major crash five days ago, four dead fish...next day another few.. next day more etc. Was so dissapointed cause it was doing so well. So I found out after many hours reading here, that it was due to not enough bacteria!!!! And I thought to have a sparkly clean tank was good :oops: So have been doing major water changes every day ... and took out the rocks i got from river :oops: and things are looking on the up no dead fishies today. I have just one question... what is the story with salt? I put some in following instructions from store... but now I read about people trying to get it out...? So you put it in but then take it out after the fish are no longer stressed... :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustcooktea Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Welcome to the site, Rachel. It's a great place for information and advice isn't it? I'm glad that you are feeling a bit more in control of what is happening in your tank now that you know what is going on. Best of luck for the rest of your tank's cycle! In reply to your question about salt. Yes, you are right - for most fish salt is used medicinally and then removed with waterchanges. Salt is helpful for fish during the nitrite spike in your cycle but once your tank is through this, you won't need to add it during water changes. Unless, of course, you have fish which like salt e.g. mollies. And, just to confuse matters more, sometimes your will find people that keep a small amount of salt in their tanks as a 'tonic'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Not sure the local rocks would have added to your problems. Canterbury rocks are pretty safe. All some rocks do is alter the pH, making it too alkaline. Limestone does this for instance. To test a rock to see if it is safe, pour a little vinegar on it. If it fizzes, that indicates lime present and don't use it - unless you are setting up an African tank of course and want a high pH. I am sure though that the rocks had nothing to do with your fishes' dying, just the problem of too many fish too fast too soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Hi Rachel4! As you have seen, this place has sooooooooooo much information and the people are so wonderful to help AND FUNNY...well...they...hilarious...I don't remember learning being so much fun Is this your first tank? Take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel4 Posted July 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 hi guys thanks for replies..... Caryl cheers about the rocks, my bro did say something about testing rocks somehow, but not sure what to use, I read somewhere about bleaching them, but that to me seems extreme so went and bought stones......... worms get to have those rocks to play with now.... although right now they are still sitting in a pile by my back door where I dumped them cause the weather has been shit down here for past week and not real keen to go out there........ prefer to stay in and watch fishes and Caper youre right i have had a few laughs reading thru peoples stories and this way of learning is heaps better ... I have had cold water fish for about ten years, and got a small 30 litre tank two years ago and just had a couple neons and a guppy or 2 with a plec . Recently bought a big house so thought why not get bigger tank...? Got 90-95 litre one. kept smaller one and put 2 goldfish in for kids to look after. just set up a fifty litre for platys to have their babies in as well..... no lid for it tho and cat thinks its their new water trough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Welcome Rachel ............. LOL Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel4 Posted July 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Hi Jude again lol glad to finally get in to the chat room last night...real good to talk with y'all i know this site and everyone on it is going to make my new hobby (obsession?) a lot easier to get the hang of.... bit worried about the mention of MTS though um well er i think i have it, i was looking on Trademe last night at tanks help!! LOL my partner thinks one tank is enough and i have three..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Partners are easier to replace than tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel4 Posted July 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 also Caryl you forgot to mention that a tank wouldnt get stroppy if you played with another tanks equipment :lol: !! unlike my partner........ not that i have ever done that!! and I forgot to mention that even tho he might not want tanks everywhere, he doesnt really get a say in the matter te he he used to have a huge 250lt tank years ago with huge kissing gourami and plec in it , and he has been gazing at mine and reminiscing , but he wouldnt admit it......i know he misses them........ he will easily be converted i know it.....MTS is contagious isn't it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 Ask him for help - it sucks 'em in every time :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel4 Posted July 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 ahuh, what a good idea...hey Caryl i have noticed you talking about having polystyrene under tanks... did you have a mishap? I remember reading somewhere about 160lt of water on the floor... was that you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 No, I had 250 litres of water on the floor. It spread through 24ft of lounge pure wool carpet, around the corner through the dining room and kitchen (another 24ft) and was just starting to wet the hall carpet when Grant got up one morning (it was my birthday too) and wodered why the vinyl looked so clean and shiny. Then it squelched when he stood on it and realised kit was water. There was no water left and fish flopping on the gravel. Luckily we had another set up and had been going to transfer the fish to it that day so grabbed them and threw them in the other cycled tank. They did survive but were badly damaged from the scales on the gravel. Large silver dollars and acaras mainly. I have always put polystyrene under my tanks (although this one had a very very thin sheet). There was a minor quake overnight and it stress fractured the tank base. We had to have the carpet lifted, dried, and re-laid. Being pure wool it shrank . On the bright side, I didn't have to mop the kitchen and dining room floors that week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Hi Rachel. I'm in South Canterbury too. Sorry to hear of your rocky start....but nothing quite like being thrown in the deep end (no pun intended) for a steep learning curve. My daughter and I had to go to Christchurch yesterday...and although I had no moiney to spend my daughter did...we came home with 2 female fighters, 2 male guppies and one female guppy (already have 2 girls in the tank)........ Would love to have bought some bristlenose...and saw some nice swords and platties...actually apart from animates, some of the fish stores had quite grotty tanks! we saw a lot of dead fish and some really scungy tanks..... never mind....cant wait to find some funds to REALLY go shopping...my tanks are looking a little on the light side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve slack Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 hey there rachel welcome to the site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel4 Posted July 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Caryl: wow 250 lt is a heck of a lot of water on the floor!!! what a sight that would have been...looking at my 90lt full i would freak if it burst... i was a bit worried when i first filled it, thinking imagine if there was a slight weak point somewhere and it burst at the seams, it would take hours to clean up...... i would have thought maybe insurance would cover loss due to that happening though... if something was permanently damaged though, maybe i should take out life insurance on fish just in case :lol: I was lucky enough to have my brother who gave me a huge sheet of polystyrene 4cm thick before i set up tanks. He used to be obsessed with fish-keeping, had tanks everywhere breeding and even talked to them, but four children later kinda was too busy to keep up with it. He still has a 250lt tank with 2 huge oscars, and a plec. Shelley: Hey neighbour!! Where in Canterbury are you? I have just bought house in Temuka. Really like it here. Noticed the other day in town that the pet shop has new owners, hope things take a turn for the better in the fish department. And in the attitude of the people!! I really want to go to Chch for a look but can't quite justify going that far to look at fish ( and as we all know ... buy some) so waiting for a good reason to go up there (as an excuse) Steve Slack: Hi right back to ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Always check your insurance policy!!! We thought we were covered as we had specifically asked if the tank was covered in our house policy and they said it was. What they DIDN'T tell us was that the damage from a broken tank was NOT. They only covered damage from normal household water supplies (eg if a pipe had burst or sink overflowed). I tried to explain that tanks were a normal household water supply in our place (we had 18 of them) but they didn't listen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel4 Posted July 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 you had 18 tanks!! that would just about be a full time job looking after all them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Heehee...Rachel, I live about 10 minutes drive from you! Yes the Timaru shop is much improved. I had a trip to Christchurch last week and had a quick squiz at the shops....actually they were looking pretty grotty last week which was disappointing, although animates shops are always clean with nice looking tanks. Happy fishing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel4 Posted July 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Hey Shelley, went to Timaru shop tonight...just for a look :roll: and they have just stocked up. Tanks are looking good. Fish look good too. Specially the ones i brought home :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 lol yes I called in there a day or so back and they do have some interesting new stock.....so what did you bring home with you? I was VERY good and didn't buy anything....but I've added a few things to my want list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel4 Posted August 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2005 hey shelley, all i got was four neons. i already had four so now i have a nice wee school. they hit it off right from the start.... all good mates now. I saw some albino oscars in the shop they looked cool but my brother has two and they are massive so not interseted. I am in the process of scoring tank number four so cant wait to get it up and running, then a trip back to shop for some newbies How long have you lived in Timaru? I have just moved here and its pretty cool. Good size town, everything ya need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilchrist Posted August 2, 2005 Report Share Posted August 2, 2005 Hi Shelly and Rachel Welcome to the site from another local. I am in Timaru, and yes the pet store is looking much better. The tanks are actually clean and the fish are healthy good to see some more locals here. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted August 5, 2005 Report Share Posted August 5, 2005 Well I'm actually just north of Temuka, sort of between the dairy factory at Clandeboye and the main road at Orari. I have been in the South Canterbury area for 20 odd years. I like Temuka too. Mark are you a member of the fish group in Timaru? Sod it! I've just realised I missed the meeting which would have been this Tuesday just gone. Paul had said he might go too. Would very much like to get some more fish, but it won't be for a little while yet. My female sword died the other day (damn it all, she was about to drop some fry too). The tank need some more bright colour....ohhhhhh have you seen the sweetest wee sunset honey gouramis (is that what they are?) so so pretty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilchrist Posted August 10, 2005 Report Share Posted August 10, 2005 Whoops slow reply tried to go to a meeting with paul but there was nobody there, will have to check details and try again next month, be glad to meet you there have one honey gourami at home, lovely fish. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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