Advice Needed Please

[Branwyn]

have serious problem. friend thought they would surprise me and brought 10x3lined cory. as shops now closed have no choice but to add them to my cycling tanks 5 in each but what should I do? partial water change each morning to keep ammonia down or take them to a LFS when it opens in the morning?

ph and temp were both the same in the water they were brought in and the tank so acclimatised them and released and they are shooting ll over the place exploring the tank and caves and just fed them a couple of pellets

have posted water test results end of replies

 

[Miles_hot]

Do a massive water change immediately to get ammonia and nitrite down to less than 0.25, don't stop till you're there. You are then in a fish in cycle till it's over OR you return them to the shop (maybe they'll just hold them till you're ready). If you return them just pick to your cycle where you left off (dose to 2 or 5ppm bases on where you were in the cycle).
No stress and not a problem.
Oh, remember to turn.the temp down a bit for the fish, few like it as hot as the bacteria do
Miles

 

[Branwyn]

yes Miles I have done that so both ammonia and nitrite where zero'd and lowered temp to 72 before i acclimatised them. was a bit frantic.

not heard of cycling with fish in.......... where can i get more info how to do this?

 

[moochy13]

in short, its just a case of water changing everyday to keep ammonia low. i cycled my tank fish in, and didnt really follow any guidelines, i just winged it. only had a couple of small tetras in my tank for a bit, doing 50% water change every other day. then added a couple more tetra, keep repeating the process for a month or so, reducing the water change size but not its frequency, always checking the ammonia levels to see if you need to adjust your water change. once my tank was keeping about 10 small fish healthy, i added a couple of larger fish, left it a bit, then stocked as normal, no fatalities. as you can see, it was mostly winging it, but dedication to water changes and testing will keep your fish alive.

downsides are possible fish deaths/damage through ammonia exposure, but this is only if you dont keep an eye on the levels. in theory, i guess removing too much water will mean theres not enough ammonia to build up a healthy baceria colony. obviously you dont use bottled ammonia when fish in cycling, thats what the fish are for. also, i onyl fed as little as possible when cycling, rotting food adds to ammonia.

 

[Branwyn]

thanks guys i really REALLY !! appreciate your advice and tips etc. really want to do all the right things regardless of the extra work doing a fish in cycle means.

 

[Rickzayne]

you could also add 15-20 plants to help with keeping levels down.

 

[Branwyn]

you could also add 15-20 plants to help with keeping levels down.

Hi Rick

Thanks - I am only having artifical plants in the tanks as i plan on stocking both tanks with Metynnis lippincottianus who are notorious plant eaters. if i find it hard to keep the ammonia levels down i will stick in a couple of plants as you suggest for the short period before they those fish are added

xx

 

[Miles_hot]

Have a look in.the beginner resource link - threes some stuff on.fish in cycles there. I would ensure that you test every day and use these results to guide the amount of water that you change - maybe testing 30 mins after the water change to confirm the impact that you've had.

 

[Branwyn]

Have a look in.the beginner resource link - threes some stuff on.fish in cycles there. I would ensure that you test every day and use these results to guide the amount of water that you change - maybe testing 30 mins after the water change to confirm the impact that you've had.

brilliant - thanks will follow that - I have a busy month ahead

 

[Branwyn]

ok first readings day after since having the corys are

left tank (210L)
PH 7.0
ammonia 0.25ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate 0ppm

right tank (210L)
PH 7.0
ammonia 0.25ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate 0ppm

oh & no deaths

 

[Rickzayne]

I have 7 cory, 9 neon 4 Molly 6 otos in a 4 week tank but 40+ plants.

No deaths.

You can do it if you keep an eye on your tests