Are My Stats Ok

[N0body Of The Goat]

11.00 am Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0.3

80% WATER CHANGE

11.30 AM

Ammonia 0
Nitites 0

Fish are showing red streaks and blotches under there scales. I dont think they are going to make it long term.

Uploading a few photos to somewhere like www.imageshack.com might help, so forum members can look at these things that are concerning you

Edit: In these early critical stages of a new tank, I'd advise you to only add another small amount of fish (less than the "volume" of your current Danios) once you have had two complete weeks of water readings being zero for both ammonia (which should be helped by the plants) and nitrIte (which will need to be processed into the less toxic nitrAte by bacteria, plants are not believed to use nitrite, but they will use some of the nitrAte).

If things work out ok with these four guys, I'd say get another three or four, as your next fish.

 

[CheniseMummy]

I think this has put me off danios, i had 14 so far. i had 5 in my previouse tank that dies of unknown causes now i know about cycling i think it was due to that, then i brought 5 more and moved house that killed off them as i didnt know how to move them correctly. So i brought 4 more to go with my remaining one and had good cycled water by then so brought a biggger tank. Now this.

So many problems, ive tried taking pictures but my 12mp camera just cant get clear enough ones to make anything out.

I think if they make it them thats good but if not im trying something else. Id like to get Bolivian rams.

I have learned so much from here im sure i can make it and have healthy fish and tank.

 

[CheniseMummy]

Ive taken some pics and uploaded them to photobucket here is the link, sorry they are not very good i tried to get them best as possible, im hoping you can see the one with clamped fins, has red spots, and a large black spot under skin, swollen misshapen belly and dose not swim level but more vertical slant.

http/s148.photobucket.com/albums/s3/astephanieanne/Fish/

The other two top fins and now standing up and they are swimming around much better but still have red spot underneth i can get these to show. They seem to feel better at night when lights are off.

 

[BethK]

i'm slightly confused, did you say you are using a filter that you ha in your 15ltr?

i would not consider any form of ram, until your tank is established and finished it's mini cycle. I would also suggest keeping other fish before rams, they aren't a novice fish imo

 

[CheniseMummy]

i'm slightly confused, did you say you are using a filter that you ha in your 15ltr?

i would not consider any form of ram, until your tank is established and finished it's mini cycle. I would also suggest keeping other fish before rams, they aren't a novice fish imo

I have two filters running the fluval 1 from the smaller tank plus another filter 400lph I'm going to swap these two for a fluval 3 and put the media inside from both when cycle is finished. I'm not planning on getting rams untill everthying has settled and the fish i currently have are healthy. If they do survive ill get another 3 danios to make 6 then wait few weeks till stats are returned normal. I know rams do like stable water, my ph is 7.5 there max so im getting some bogwood which should soften the water. My lfs MH A keep them in the same water so hoping they will do ok. Ive had the smaller tank for around 1yr but got given wrong advice ie just told to put fish in after 1 week then do small water changes everyweek.

I'd like to get 5 leapard corys or chinese sucker fish/loach (the small ones) so maybe these would come next. I also like honey gourami so would be either these or the rams.

My next step is to finish my planting as i had two plants come early so am still waiting for the rest.

 

[BethK]

good plan

 

[CheniseMummy]

Stats :

Ammonia 0, Nitites 0.3
Yesterday at 10.00pm 75% water change

This Morning 20% water change

11am

Ammonia 0, Nirites 0.3, nitrates not tested.

Tank has now had fish in for 3 weeks, whats the next stage, when will the bacteria grow enough to get nitirtes down to 0 as they seem to remailn at 0.3 how ever many water changes i do. They get back to 0.3 within 12h. What can i do to speed up the process. My ph is 7.5 could this be stalling the second lot of bacs

 

[CheniseMummy]

Stats last night:

Ammonia 0, Nitites 0.3, Nitates 30

This Morning

Ammonia 0, Nitites 0.1, Nitates 5 think test might have been innacurate)

20% water change


Stats at lunch time

Ammonia 0, Nitirites 0.1, Nitates 40, ph 7.5

Is this normal progress, im going to do another 20% water change later today.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

A few random ideas that spring to mind...

• Have you checked the filter(s), to make sure they are free of any rotting food? If they look like they need cleaning, gently rinse in some extracted tank water, so you don't kill any bacteria with untreated tap water.
• Have you bought and used a gravel/sand vacuum to "hoover" the floor of the tank, again to remove any rotting food?
• How much food are you giving these Danios each day? A decent ballpark quantity is the size of one eye of each fish per day. More than that either rots in the tank (producing ammonia), or gets eaten by greedy fish (which then produce ammonia), both of which scenarios will do your critical bacteria colonies no favours in these early stages of "cycling."

 

[CheniseMummy]

A few random ideas that spring to mind...

• Have you checked the filter(s), to make sure they are free of any rotting food? If they look like they need cleaning, gently rinse in some extracted tank water, so you don't kill any bacteria with untreated tap water.
• Have you bought and used a gravel/sand vacuum to "hoover" the floor of the tank, again to remove any rotting food?
• How much food are you giving these Danios each day? A decent ballpark quantity is the size of one eye of each fish per day. More than that either rots in the tank (producing ammonia), or gets eaten by greedy fish (which then produce ammonia), both of which scenarios will do your critical bacteria colonies no favours in these early stages of "cycling."

I cleaned both out last week in tank water id just removed with the syphon. Can do this again if you think it help.
Yes i have a gravel cleaner but ive got couple live plants. Ive lightly hoovered off any uneaten food from top layer of gravel. (bf was feeding when i was away 19th-26july) At the moment the danios are not eating anything, ive added a small pinch of powdered tetra crisp flakes in every other day. They not interested, ive tried peas but same so hoovered out.
Im woried they are goign to starve to death. Ive also tried sliced cucumber also removed after short while.

I think they are constipated and one thats quite sick had large swollen adomen.

Thanks for the help ill do anything to help my fish get better quicker.

 

[Assaye]

Just to say, as the others are giving good advice:

The chinese algae eaters/sucking loaches are not small. The juveniles you get are usually little but don't believe any shop worker that tells you they stay small and make good algae eaters. They get really big (up to 30 cm) and become very aggressive as adults. Only really suitable for fairly specialised community tanks of 200 litres or more.

Other than that, your plan sounds OK. Don't expect bogwood to make much difference to the water and I wouldn't recommend blue/golden rams at that pH. Bolivans could be fine though, as might hardier apistos. It's pretty hard to lower the pH and hardness of water without stripping it of all its buffers, which can be dangerous as it allows massive pH swings to happen.

 

[CheniseMummy]

It would be bolivian rams i was planning, they are kept quite successfully at MHA, the head man there has a few good permant tanks there with them in. its the same water as mine.

danios are going,as i dont want to keep more i can rehome them but what fish should i get after cycle finish to keep cycle alive. That would fit into my amazon type coomunity.

Im planning on tetras 2 shoals, 2 Bolivian rams, 6 corys.

 

[CheniseMummy]

whoop whoop I now have stats stable of

Ammonia 0 and Nitite 0. I also planted 80% off my plants yesterday did small water change this morning of 20%. The fish are looking much better even the constipated one but thats having a salt bath tomorrow so hopefully that will sort out my final problems.

I've not fed them for 2 days but they have been nibbling on the bits of Riccia fluitans pad that i have to form a carpet. bits have been floating to the top. Im hoping this will give them a bit of fibre and help with the constipation problems.

Should i test daily from now on or longer.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I would still test daily for the next fortnight.

Looks like things have turned around

 

[OldMan47]

You can expect your nitrite spike to last at least another 2 weeks CheniseMummy. The nitrite spike is often longer lived than the ammonia part of the cycle. As long as you stay on top of the needed water changes, things will be fine.