A Confession..........

StuartLarge · Apr 9, 2011

Hi all, this is my first post so please bear with me

I bought a Juwel 180 on Ebay. The guy I got it from was really nice and gave me loads of extras, Fluval U4 (4 months old, with media) a heater (6 months old) some gravel and some floating plants (can't remember the name!)

Anyhow I ran the tank for a week, visited a few LFS's and asked advice (so many conflicted opinions!) started with the King British 6 in 1 dip strips which gave me an idea of the water condition. I was then advised to buy the tetra test kits (one for ammonia and one for nitrite)
I have been running these test every 12 hours and documenting the results. After speaking to my nearest LFS, they said it would be fine to add a selection of hardy fish. I came home with;

2 x panda cory's
5 x white cloud mountain minnow
4 x harlequin rasbora's

I put these in and continued the 12 hour tests and noticed absolutely no difference in test results. Being the impatient swine that I am and that the fish I had added seemed really happy, I decided a week later to add some fish that I had been watching weeks before I even got the tank, 3 x male superior guppies. They too enjoyed their new surrounding and I am utterly fascinated by this new community I have created. Sensing that the male Guppies would appreciate some company, a week later I added 3 gorgeous female Guppies. The 12 hourly tests still reveal <0.3 mgl Nitrite and 0.00 mg/l Ammonia. I am als doing the King British dip tests weekly and todays reading are;

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 25
Nitrite 0
GH 250
KH 100
PH 7.6

I cannot believe I have not seen an ammonia spike yet and haven't carried out a water change since filling the tank. I am paranoid about my first water change and really scared of using the gravel cleaner I bought :unsure:

I did add safe start when first filling the tank and added a bacteria gel to the sponges in my filter when adding fish for the first time. The fish really do seem happy and I am head over heels with my new hobby/addiction. I am aware I have probably made schoolboy errors and am grateful for any further advice you guys can offer. I am planning to leave the tank now (without additions) for at least a month before considering any more additions. I do have a heavily pregnant guppie who I believe is due to drop at any moment, I have bought a breeding trap and I have introduced this to the tank so the fish aren't stressed out when its needed. Should I bother putting her in or leave her to give birth in the open?

So many questions and this is the longest post I've ever composed but I guess if I put it all out there honestly you know what I've done and can tell me what to expect and what I need to do in the next few weeks.

Here's how she looks

http

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN7k-s2vJJU

Curiosity101 · Apr 9, 2011

Paper strip test are unbelievably in accurate. Any chance you can get the water tested by a liquid test kit? I'm not convinced that those results are correct.

fluttermoth · Apr 9, 2011

Was the tank up and running with fish in until shortly before you bought it?
If so, it's possible that you already had a bacterial colony going when you started.

Don't be scared of the gravel cleaner; just go slow and the fish will get out of the way. Well, mostly anyway, lol; I had a tiger barb get into mine the other day

They like to follow me around in case I uncover some juicy morsel they've missed :lol:

In general we don't recommend breeding traps; they're too small and stressful for the mother fish and not big enough for the fry to grow properly.
Leave her in the main tank and if you have enough floating plants some of the fry will survive; with each female being capable of having at least 30-40 fry every month, you'll soon be sick of the sight of baby guppies anyway!

Binge · Apr 9, 2011

fluttermoth said:
Was the tank up and running with fish in until shortly before you bought it?
If so, it's possible that you already had a bacterial colony going when you started.

Don't be scared of the gravel cleaner; just go slow and the fish will get out of the way. Well, mostly anyway, lol; I had a tiger barb get into mine the other day They like to follow me around in case I uncover some juicy morsel they've missed

In general we don't recommend breeding traps; they're too small and stressful for the mother fish and not big enough for the fry to grow properly.
Leave her in the main tank and if you have enough floating plants some of the fry will survive; with each female being capable of having at least 30-40 fry every month, you'll soon be sick of the sight of baby guppies anyway!

My wife would disagree she thinks tghen babys are the best part. however i agree they make a LOT of babys

This Old Spouse · Apr 9, 2011

I'm with fluttermoth on the breeding traps. I've never used them and I have plenty, and I mean PLENTY of babies to watch. So with the money you'll save on a breeding trap, go out and buy yourself an API Master Test Kit at the earliest possible moment and test your water right away.

And of course, post more photos!

BigbruiserAl · Apr 10, 2011

Unless that filter was kept damp and feed ammonia withing maybe a day or so you can expect to be in a fish in cycle anytime. My fear for you is using these strips as said wont give accurate results and your fish will prob slowly die. If your have the spare £20 get the API freshwater test, test the water daily and read the fish in cycle in the resource centre so your ready if it occurs. Goof luck :good:

felybee · Apr 10, 2011

Hi, just wondering, you have 3 guppies males for 3 females? You need at least 2 female per male, otherwise they gonna chase them until they die of being tired to give birth.

StuartLarge · Apr 10, 2011

Thanks for the responses guys. The 12 hour tests I carry out are the liquid tests ,2 separate kits, one for ammonia and one for nitrite. The king british test which I use once a week is the dipstrip type kit, I was advised of their lack of accuracy so decided to go for the liquid tetra kits as well. I would love to post more photo's but the little fella's move around so quick it's difficult to get any of quality! and tips for photographing them?

BigbruiserAl · Apr 10, 2011

Dont following the around the tank with the lens, focus on one place in the tank and wait for them to swim past.Will still take some practice and many snaps better hopefully better pics

StuartLarge · Apr 10, 2011

Yes I will need to get another three female guppie's I was just concerned about the population explosion if I did! Once I have the new females that will make a total of 20 fish in my 180 litre tank, is that too many? Thanks for your replies again guys, it is appreciated :good: