Martinbaker
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Tiger barbs
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The April FOTM Contest Poll is open!
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You know about cycling...or using live plants instead?
Martinbaker
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I have live plants and I have water on stand by for the clean was going to do it once every 2 weeks
Byron was asking if you have cycled the tank - that is, have you grown all the bacteria needed to 'eat' all the ammonia made by the fish by adding ammonia from a bottle until you have enough bacteria. The recommended method for doing this is first in the How To Tips menu.
The alternative is to have lots of live plants, especially floating ones, as they use the ammonia made by the fish. If all the plants in your photo are live plants you might get away with it but floating plants would help more because they are nearer the lights and they can use carbon dioxide from there air where there is more than in water.
You need to test the tank for ammonia and nitrite every day until you are sure they both stay at zero. If at any time you see either of them above zero, you need to do a water change big enough to lower them to zero.
And on the subject of water changes, once the tank is definitely cycled (ie no ammonia and no nitrite for several days) you need to do a 50% water change every week.
The alternative is to have lots of live plants, especially floating ones, as they use the ammonia made by the fish. If all the plants in your photo are live plants you might get away with it but floating plants would help more because they are nearer the lights and they can use carbon dioxide from there air where there is more than in water.
You need to test the tank for ammonia and nitrite every day until you are sure they both stay at zero. If at any time you see either of them above zero, you need to do a water change big enough to lower them to zero.
And on the subject of water changes, once the tank is definitely cycled (ie no ammonia and no nitrite for several days) you need to do a 50% water change every week.
Martinbaker
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Will floating plants get in the way of fedding
They don't cause a problem. I have water sprite and floating hornwort stems floating in my main tank. All I do is push them slightly to one side to make a hole and drop the food there.
Martinbaker
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Oh nice I will get some next time I go in the fish shop how long should I wait befour adding more fish if I add anymore
It is safe to get more fish when both ammonia and nitrite have been zero for a week. If either of them show up after getting the barbs, you need to do water changes to get them to zero, then once they stay at zero by themselves, wait a week.
You haven't mentioned whether you've done a fishless cycle using bottled ammonia or not.......
You haven't mentioned whether you've done a fishless cycle using bottled ammonia or not.......
Martinbaker
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No did not add anything to the tank left the tank a week went to the shop told them what I done got some pure aquarum that added to the filter then they said come back in a few day and they do some test for me
Oh.
Never believe anything a shop says until you have researched it for yourself. First lesson of fish keeping.
Adding the pure aquarium may help, it may not. When they tested the water it would have shown as perfect because you hadn't yet put anything in the tank to make it not perfect - ie no fish at that time.
Unfortunately, what you were told was all too common, and you are now doing a fish in cycle. If you don't have a test kit you need one asap. You need liquid reagent testers for ammonia and nitrite at the minimum. I'm afraid you'll need to get them from a real shop as you can't wait for the post at this time of year. Most of us in here use the API master kit which also contains pH and nitrate testers.
Until you get hold of the testers, change half the water in the tank daily. The new water needs to be the same temperature as the tank, and don't forget to add dechlorinator. Once you have the testers, you need to test every day and do a water change if there is any reading above zero for ammonia, nitrite or both.
Ammonia will show up first. This is excreted by the fish, and eventually you will have enough ammonia eating bacteria to eat it all. They turn ammonia into nitrite. At first there will be very few ammonia eaters so ammonia will build up. Once the bacteria start to grow they will make nitrite so that will start to show up. Then you need to grow nitrite eating bacteria, which turn nitrite into nitrate.
You will need to do water changes as often as necessary to stop the ammonia and nitrite poisoning your fish. Eventually, both ammonia and nitrite will stay at zero by themselves, and when they've been zero for a week, then you can get more fish.
I know this link is for fishless cycling, but the first part explains what happens during cycling. http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/
However, if a tank has lots of fast growing plants, particularly the floating plants I mentioned earlier, they can use all the ammonia made by the fish faster than the bacteria use it.
So floating plants are the second thing you need to buy asap.
The shop will probably try to tell you this is all nonsense. Most of them don't know or don't care. After all if your fish die, you'll buy more. And so many of them do not understand about the nitrogen cycle.
As soon as possible, buy some floating plants - a lot, you can always throw some away if they grow too much but your fish need a lot of them right now - and testers for ammonia and nitrite (or a master set containing pH and nitrate as well). And do daily 50% water changes until you have them.
Never believe anything a shop says until you have researched it for yourself. First lesson of fish keeping.
Adding the pure aquarium may help, it may not. When they tested the water it would have shown as perfect because you hadn't yet put anything in the tank to make it not perfect - ie no fish at that time.
Unfortunately, what you were told was all too common, and you are now doing a fish in cycle. If you don't have a test kit you need one asap. You need liquid reagent testers for ammonia and nitrite at the minimum. I'm afraid you'll need to get them from a real shop as you can't wait for the post at this time of year. Most of us in here use the API master kit which also contains pH and nitrate testers.
Until you get hold of the testers, change half the water in the tank daily. The new water needs to be the same temperature as the tank, and don't forget to add dechlorinator. Once you have the testers, you need to test every day and do a water change if there is any reading above zero for ammonia, nitrite or both.
Ammonia will show up first. This is excreted by the fish, and eventually you will have enough ammonia eating bacteria to eat it all. They turn ammonia into nitrite. At first there will be very few ammonia eaters so ammonia will build up. Once the bacteria start to grow they will make nitrite so that will start to show up. Then you need to grow nitrite eating bacteria, which turn nitrite into nitrate.
You will need to do water changes as often as necessary to stop the ammonia and nitrite poisoning your fish. Eventually, both ammonia and nitrite will stay at zero by themselves, and when they've been zero for a week, then you can get more fish.
I know this link is for fishless cycling, but the first part explains what happens during cycling. http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/
However, if a tank has lots of fast growing plants, particularly the floating plants I mentioned earlier, they can use all the ammonia made by the fish faster than the bacteria use it.
So floating plants are the second thing you need to buy asap.
The shop will probably try to tell you this is all nonsense. Most of them don't know or don't care. After all if your fish die, you'll buy more. And so many of them do not understand about the nitrogen cycle.
As soon as possible, buy some floating plants - a lot, you can always throw some away if they grow too much but your fish need a lot of them right now - and testers for ammonia and nitrite (or a master set containing pH and nitrate as well). And do daily 50% water changes until you have them.
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