Aggressively stocked... with a plan...

[FFGuest6357]

Hi I’m Nate, posted my intro in the new members forum. I think this post needs to be here.

I have a tendency to ramble, but I like to get details across as much as possible, so I’ll try to keep this simple but prepare for a long read.

I have a 22 gallon long tank.

Week 1:
large piece of natural driftwood.
2 aqueon led lights in the new lid
Fluval 207, took out the carbon filter, replaced the stock ceramic rings with lava rock, have two trays full. Ceramic rings I put into a nylon bag and they’re sitting in the main display to grow bacteria for the other 10 gallon to be setup.

“feeding“ tank with flake food every day to start cycle. 25% water changes every 2-3 days.

Manage to get ammonia up to .5ppm
Nitrite/nitrate 0ppm

Week 2:
started with a 50% water change. Bought two packs of tissue culture Christmas moss, glued it to the driftwood (in small pieces).
Wasn’t high quality, started out light green almost brown.

continued flake feeding, also starting dosing liquid fertilizer.
Ammonia spiked at 1ppm, and to be honest, never tested nitrites or nitrates.
2 water changes at 10% (driftwood was releasing tannins, almost dark tea coloured)

Week 3:
Much the same as week 2, plants are starting to green up though, look more healthy.

Week 4:
Maintain similar routine, plants are showing signs of growth, just barely, but if you watch them everyday, you know.

Ammonia is down to 0ppm, nitrites are 0ppm, and nitrates are <5ppm.

Friday I start dosing Seachem Stability as per the instructions, getting ready for stocking.

Planned stocking: 8 panda corydoras, 10-12 neon tetras and eventually in a few months time, adding a few otocinclus. All fish I’ve kept before, with success.

Enter Sunday:
Take my son to the store, they have Diamond neon tetras, beautiful fish, and small panda corydoras. I wanted to slowly stock the tank... but none of these fish were bigger than 3/4” long, and being Covid and all, to reduce trips to the store, I decided to stock aggressively. Risky, I know. I’ll-advised, definitely. I’m nothing if not persistent to make this work and have the fish be alright.

So I did it. 8 pandas, tiny guys. 12 neons.
Still dosing the stability bacteria in a bottle, no longer the liquid plant fertilizer though.

Acclimate the fish, they are super active, look healthy, eating great, showing a lot of personality. After 6 hours in the tank, I get 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm Nitrites, 0ppm nitrates.

Monday:
Fish are still doing well, super active, eating great. They’re all very timid when you come up to the glass, but they’re still adjusting.
Ammonia appears to be around 0.1ppm, nitrites and nitrates are registering 0ppm.
temperature 79F, ph7.4, heater seams to be malfunctioning, so I unplug it.

Plants are looking great, starting to really bush out from their original size and colour.

25% water change that night, dosed Stability call it a night.

Tuesday:
Evening water tests: ammonia <0.2 ppm, nitrites and nitrates 0ppm.
Ph 7.4, temperature 76F
tetras are doing great, but pandas seem to more reclusive, only eating after 7:30pm when the lights go out.

Wednesday:
Evening water test: .25ppm ammonia. 0/0 nitrite/nitrate. Ph 7.4, temperature 74.
Pandas still reclusive. Tetras are doing great! One panda seems to have white fuzz.

25% water change, dose Stability, begin dosing Pimafix for anti-fungal treatment.

Tonight:
Pandas are nowhere to be seen. Hiding in every corner that’s impossible to see. Counted them all, no loss yet.

Will not eat or come out with the light on. They come out to eat after dark. 10% water change because I rinsed out some gunk and added a fine filter floss to the fluval 207 to help get rid of floating particulate.

tetras are still awesome, schooling, eating well and colouring up nicely. Dosed again with pimafix, stability. Melafix arrives tomorrow and I will start dosing that right away to help balance for any bacterial infections that may come from a fungal issue. Ammonia tonight was around .1 ppm, ph is stable at 7.4 , and temperature is again at 74. Nitrites and nitrates are still holding strong at 0ppm.

I feel like I’ve been doing enough to avoid a huge crash, as parameters have stayed consistent, and I’m on top of testing and water changes as needed.

I have the 10 gallon waiting on the sidelines, in case things go pear-shaped.

Anyone who wants to weigh in on my situation, by all means, all tips, criticisms will be heard. I’m aware this was an aggressive approach, but I’m committed to make it work and as least stressful for the fish as possible.

 

[Pugsnstuf]

Hi I’m Nate, posted my intro in the new members forum. I think this post needs to be here.

I have a tendency to ramble, but I like to get details across as much as possible, so I’ll try to keep this simple but prepare for a long read.

I have a 22 gallon long tank.

Week 1:
large piece of natural driftwood.
2 aqueon led lights in the new lid
Fluval 207, took out the carbon filter, replaced the stock ceramic rings with lava rock, have two trays full. Ceramic rings I put into a nylon bag and they’re sitting in the main display to grow bacteria for the other 10 gallon to be setup.

“feeding“ tank with flake food every day to start cycle. 25% water changes every 2-3 days.

Manage to get ammonia up to .5ppm
Nitrite/nitrate 0ppm

Week 2:
started with a 50% water change. Bought two packs of tissue culture Christmas moss, glued it to the driftwood (in small pieces).
Wasn’t high quality, started out light green almost brown.

continued flake feeding, also starting dosing liquid fertilizer.
Ammonia spiked at 1ppm, and to be honest, never tested nitrites or nitrates.
2 water changes at 10% (driftwood was releasing tannins, almost dark tea coloured)

Week 3:
Much the same as week 2, plants are starting to green up though, look more healthy.

Week 4:
Maintain similar routine, plants are showing signs of growth, just barely, but if you watch them everyday, you know.

Ammonia is down to 0ppm, nitrites are 0ppm, and nitrates are <5ppm.

Friday I start dosing Seachem Stability as per the instructions, getting ready for stocking.

Planned stocking: 8 panda corydoras, 10-12 neon tetras and eventually in a few months time, adding a few otocinclus. All fish I’ve kept before, with success.

Enter Sunday:
Take my son to the store, they have Diamond neon tetras, beautiful fish, and small panda corydoras. I wanted to slowly stock the tank... but none of these fish were bigger than 3/4” long, and being Covid and all, to reduce trips to the store, I decided to stock aggressively. Risky, I know. I’ll-advised, definitely. I’m nothing if not persistent to make this work and have the fish be alright.

So I did it. 8 pandas, tiny guys. 12 neons.
Still dosing the stability bacteria in a bottle, no longer the liquid plant fertilizer though.

Acclimate the fish, they are super active, look healthy, eating great, showing a lot of personality. After 6 hours in the tank, I get 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm Nitrites, 0ppm nitrates.

Monday:
Fish are still doing well, super active, eating great. They’re all very timid when you come up to the glass, but they’re still adjusting.
Ammonia appears to be around 0.1ppm, nitrites and nitrates are registering 0ppm.
temperature 79F, ph7.4, heater seams to be malfunctioning, so I unplug it.

Plants are looking great, starting to really bush out from their original size and colour.

25% water change that night, dosed Stability call it a night.

Tuesday:
Evening water tests: ammonia <0.2 ppm, nitrites and nitrates 0ppm.
Ph 7.4, temperature 76F
tetras are doing great, but pandas seem to more reclusive, only eating after 7:30pm when the lights go out.

Wednesday:
Evening water test: .25ppm ammonia. 0/0 nitrite/nitrate. Ph 7.4, temperature 74.
Pandas still reclusive. Tetras are doing great! One panda seems to have white fuzz.

25% water change, dose Stability, begin dosing Pimafix for anti-fungal treatment.

Tonight:
Pandas are nowhere to be seen. Hiding in every corner that’s impossible to see. Counted them all, no loss yet.

Will not eat or come out with the light on. They come out to eat after dark. 10% water change because I rinsed out some gunk and added a fine filter floss to the fluval 207 to help get rid of floating particulate.

tetras are still awesome, schooling, eating well and colouring up nicely. Dosed again with pimafix, stability. Melafix arrives tomorrow and I will start dosing that right away to help balance for any bacterial infections that may come from a fungal issue. Ammonia tonight was around .1 ppm, ph is stable at 7.4 , and temperature is again at 74. Nitrites and nitrates are still holding strong at 0ppm.

I feel like I’ve been doing enough to avoid a huge crash, as parameters have stayed consistent, and I’m on top of testing and water changes as needed.

I have the 10 gallon waiting on the sidelines, in case things go pear-shaped.

Anyone who wants to weigh in on my situation, by all means, all tips, criticisms will be heard. I’m aware this was an aggressive approach, but I’m committed to make it work and as least stressful for the fish as possible.

Dang man, you could've tried some hillstream loaches lol

 

[itiwhetu]

I always say for a new tank slowly, slowly, I would have only introduced about 4 fish into this tank. You need to hold your breath and hope you get through the ammonia spike. Remember you will have the tank along time so slowly introduce fish don't be in a rush

 

[Lajos_Detari]

Don't worry.

Just do a lot of water changes and the fish will be fine.

Feed lightly probably once every 2-3 days.

Watch out for any diseases. Fish died mostly from diseases (other than swing of GH, pH and toxic/chemical).

Get some fast growing plants such as Anacharis Elodea/Hornworts/Cabomba to absorb the ammonia.

Lastly, don't clean the filters for the first two months as the beneficial bacteria are still growing.

All the best.

 

[mbsqw1d]

see if you can get hold of some alder cones and/or dried almond leaves. Should help the corys out as they have anti-fungal properties. Pandas appear to be the more delicate of the corydoras from what I've heard recently

 

[FFGuest6357]

I always say for a new tank slowly, slowly, I would have only introduced about 4 fish into this tank. You need to hold your breath and hope you get through the ammonia spike. Remember you will have the tank along time so slowly introduce fish don't be in a rush

I know that’s the drill normally, and I’ve been holding my breath the whole time.

If it wasn’t COVID times, that’s what I would do.
Last night I got my ammonia down to nearly zero. This morning and evening ammonia was zero. Nitrites have been zero as long as I can remember. Nitrates have barely registered.
Lost a corydora today though, fungus, smallest guy of the group. Been treating for a few days now with API, and just added Melafix to the dosing.
Hoping it clears things up, the tetras are still looking great, just the corydoras have the fungus