So they're still timid
but they're little piggies
and i cant get food to my cories or the shrimp
=/

i havnt gotten any different food than flake food for my fish
should i get some other kind or is there a method to feed everybody with over eager fish at dinner time?

This post has been edited by FishyJames: Jul 3 2008, 10:14 PM

Frozen bloodworms would not harm. What are the water parameters now?

And, btw, how are you on plants? They would feel more comfortable with sufficient plant cover.

i havnt had the chance to get the water checked, i dont own a checker thing, so i go to petsmart
=/

and i've got two amazon swords, some tape grass, anarchis, a crypt, some micro sword, and a bundle of java moss.

Not to mention two silk plants as a shrimp hotel, a coconut and a pice of clay pot

It would be a very good idea if you got your own "checker thing"...you really need to have it if you keep fish.
Specifically, get the master kit from AP.
If your tests show ammonia or nitrites, get Prime from Seachem, this will help you to get the water under control faster.
If your tests show no ammonia and nitrites, post the pH/kH/gH values.

Post the results, "timid" behavior is really unusual for Odessa's. In good conditions, they are obnoxious pests.

well i fed the little guys today and they ate from my hand
=X

i dunno if that still counts as timid, but i havnt had them do it before
=D

Alright I just got the Master test kit and here are the values as near as i can tell


Ph: 6.4
Ammonia: .25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 20 ppm

so i dont know where that sits in the cycle.
But i usually have a problem with low Ph water.

OK...

You should not be having ammonia in an established tank...0.25 is not dangerous at low pH but it should not be there. One problem is that low pH also has a negative effect on cycling -- it takes much longer.
(Incidentally, low pH and near-zero kH are typical for East Coast.)

I'd say, arm yourself with Prime and crashed corals, and get the cycle issue resolved. Specifically, add enough crashed corals to the tank to bring pH toward neutral, and use Prime for as long as needed to keep ammonia at bay.

It would be good to check your gH (TDS) as well. If it is ultra-low (again, common on the East Coast), bring it up toward 150-200, this is better for the barbs.

hth

ok
could i get away with using bicarbonate of soda?
Im kinda low on money lately and i didnt know i had problems. So i dont know when ill be able to get to some crushed coral.
And will all of this adversly affect my plants?

because i know some Ph up solution you cant use with plants.

Yep, you can, but go slowly, so that pH does not jump too rapidly. Monitor ammonia and use Prime to suppress it (1 drop per gallon per day should do it).

There should be no effect on plants.

Crashed corals is a better approach since with soda you will have to add it every time to maintain pH...with corals, you do this once every few months. They are not costly...the problem is to get a small amount rather than a 10lb bag you don't need...some lfs may be kind enough to give you a little for a couple of bucks.

Well i decided against the baking soda, since there's a large chance id kill my fish.
=/

but i went snooping around and apparently none of my lfs would give me any crushed coral.
So i went to petsmart and they gave me a 5lb bag of what looks to me like a bunch of crushed shells and saltwater invertebrates.


i really dont know what crushed coral could be aside from...crushed corals...
but anyway

is that stuff going to work too?
right now i've got it sitting in the bottom of my power filter untill i can find some mesh bags
been in there two days and the test results are:
Ph: 6
Ammonia:.25ppm
Nitrates:0ppm
Nitrites:0ppm

i tested my tap too and it came out 0 for Amm, Nitrates, Nitrates, and a PH of about 7.2

so i think my plants are not doing well or something, and their decay is lowering my ph..
or i could be over feeding.
But regardless...
Thanks Mikev for all the help =]

You are very welcome.

Coral is made from saltwater inverts, what else? What it leaks is pretty much the same soda....

You don't really need mesh bags, old stockings would do. (But filter bags can be found at most lfs for $1-$2).

Rinse the corals before using. Add slowly, I'd say add about a teaspoon of corals per day to the bag. You don't want pH to jump too fast, this is dangerous to the fish. Watch pH. Continue adding slowly every day until your pH is close to neutral (7).

Notice that your pH=6.0 may actually mean pH=5.0 or anything, 6.0 is probably the lowest reading on your kit.

It is hard to interpret your readings without knowing the kH. You either have a cycle running very badly because of low pH, or you don't have it all... I suspect that you do, otherwise ammonia would have been higher. The way to know is to check your nitrate reading: if you were using a strip, 0 is unreliable, it may easily be 10 and the strip would not show. If you have non-zero nitrates, you have a cycle going, and raising pH will solve the problems quickly; otherwise you are still for a couple of weeks of pain.

Yes, overfeeding may lower the pH by using up the buffering. Limit the feeding to one flake (one bloodworm) per fish for now, your fish will be ok.
If plants are decaying, remove dead leaves, or everything, if they really look dying.
Put some live floating plants if you can. Specifically, water sprite is potent.

Good luck!