Another Newbie ;-)

[pen306]

hello to you all.
i have spent a few days brousing round here since i signed up... it looks gr8 so my hat off to you all for giving such a lot of help & info to everyone,
hope i can benefit from some of it also.

my name is Penny and i have only just started with this hobby(about 2months now) and am over the moon with my little babies already.

i startedwith a cube tank which i had neons, guppys & mollys in,

then went for my bigger tank and brought a few others that i was advised on. which i hope once this post is placed will give the list... if not it will be on profile im sure.

sorry if being ages introducing myself... lookforward to gettin to know you

 

[caitlin01]

Welcome to the forum hope you enjoy it here! I'm Caitlin i am also new to the site if you don't know much about fish like me read the journals you can learn a lot from each journal. Just a few question how many gallons is your tank? and how many fish are in it at the moment?






Caitlin,

 

[kewskills]

to the forum

 

[Colin_T]

Howdee & Welcome

 

[VictorMeldrew]

hello welcome to tff

 

[Bojangles]

Welcome to the site

 

[Nick16]

hey guys, hope this site is what you need. xo

 

[dcarmor927]

Welcome! this site has given me answers to all my questions, you came to the right place!

 

[pen306]

... i noticed there were about 40 looks and a few of you popped in. so guys

today is a sad one due to our little MICK (the bristlenose catfish) died to MICK.

he was a funny little chap zipping around & will be sadly missed. not sure what happened


HI, Caitlin

my tank is a 39.5 gallons bow fronted which will hopefully go up for sale in the new year once i upgrade to about 300 ltr plus, there are so many out there it is dawnting but fun looking up everything.


there are many anwers iv found on here ... and am sure i will think of some questions... ( like what happened to MICK) ??? called him that as he had such big puffy lips like mick jagger lol

why is my Synodontis Petricola is soooooooo elusive i understood they do not like light, so brought 2 moon light bulbs which from about 9pm have on till go to bed, may now try even no lights... as it is a joke trying to spot her, she is a hermit for sure.. i have taken to placing the bloodworms into the cave on the hope she wont die of hunger, does anyone else have such a problem???

so if anyone can help me answer these 2 for now i'd be grateful.
penny

 

[Colin_T]

We need more info about mick before we can offer advice on why the bristlenose died.

Synodontis are schooling fishes that generally come out after dark. If you only have one fish then it will feel insecure and hide all the time, only coming out after the lights have been turned off. Don't put food in the cave because you won't be able to tell if it is being eaten. If it doesn't get eaten it will rot and cause water quality issues that will stress or even kill the fish. Poor water quality will also cause catfish to hide more than usual. Make sure you do regular water changes and gravel cleans, and that the filter is well maintained and running efficiently. Make sure any new water going into the tank is free of chlorine/ chloramine and has a similar temp & PH to the tank.

 

[pen306]

We need more info about mick before we can offer advice on why the bristlenose died.

Synodontis are schooling fishes that generally come out after dark. If you only have one fish then it will feel insecure and hide all the time, only coming out after the lights have been turned off. Don't put food in the cave because you won't be able to tell if it is being eaten. If it doesn't get eaten it will rot and cause water quality issues that will stress or even kill the fish. Poor water quality will also cause catfish to hide more than usual. Make sure you do regular water changes and gravel cleans, and that the filter is well maintained and running efficiently. Make sure any new water going into the tank is free of chlorine/ chloramine and has a similar temp & PH to the tank.

thank you so much for this advice, i will keep a close check on the water quality, and will return for a couple more of her family members..
as i have noticed water becoming more cloudy recently and am dealing with this issue as we speak ... i feel i have been over feeding .... now hubbys hiding the fish food, and doing frequent water changes & hopefully we'll soon be back to normal...

many thanks

 

[Colin_T]

get the water quality checked before you buy any more fish because if it isn't perfect you could kill any new fish. Take a glass full of tank water into the petshop and have them test it for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & PH, (you can do it yourself if you have the kits). If the water checks out ok and there isn't any ammonia or nitrite and the nitrates are below 30ppm, then it should be fine to get some more fish.

 

[pen306]

get the water quality checked before you buy any more fish because if it isn't perfect you could kill any new fish. Take a glass full of tank water into the petshop and have them test it for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & PH, (you can do it yourself if you have the kits). If the water checks out ok and there isn't any ammonia or nitrite and the nitrates are below 30ppm, then it should be fine to get some more fish.

yes ... that is what we have been doing ... checking and changing water to ruduce any traces of ammonia ... have got test kits and using them, and didnt intend adding anymore fish until its settled. but thank you for your advice so far, its much appreciated Colin_T

 

[pen306]

get the water quality checked before you buy any more fish because if it isn't perfect you could kill any new fish. Take a glass full of tank water into the petshop and have them test it for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & PH, (you can do it yourself if you have the kits). If the water checks out ok and there isn't any ammonia or nitrite and the nitrates are below 30ppm, then it should be fine to get some more fish.

hi again Colin_T just to give you an update....on tank readings as of today:


P.H 7.5
Nitrite 0.3 mg/l
Nitrate 0.10 mg/l

 

[Colin_T]

what about ammonia, is there a reading of that?
Ammonia is more toxic than nitrite, and nitrite is more toxic than nitrate.
Your nitrate is fine and nothing to worry about. However, you want to keep doing water changes until the nitrite is 0ppm. And if you have any ammonia at all, then continue doing water changes until it is gone.

Your PH is fine for most fish