Beginner Needs Help

[bigdave2009]

Hello everyone, this is my first fish tank. I have been wanting one for a very long time and I have finally had the opportunity to get one. I bought a 29 gallon tank with a heater, light, aqueon filter and an air pump. I have numerous decorations such as skulls, sunken ships,fake plants and etc. I started cycyling my tank for about 2 weeks or so, with 4 fish. Only one fish remained after the first few days Then i started using Stability in my tank and everything is working great now. I have a lot of fish, and I am not sure if it is too many....I was just really exctied to get going and I am already thinking about another tank (a 55 gallon). I want to have so many fish and it is just so hard because a lot of fish do not get a long. Anyway I chose a community tank. Its 29 gallons and it has 10 neon tetras, 4 giant danios, 2 sunset platys, 2 zebra danios, 7 fancy guppies, and one blue dwarf gourami. They all seem to be happy and getting along. I hope I did not put to many fish in because I dont have another tank. I always ask questions and read tons of forums online, but people always have different answers. I was really interested in a puffer fish, and when I asked on guy at a pet store, he told me that there is no such thing as a freshwater puffer. Then i look online, and there are numerous articles on freshwater puffers. I think my tank is doing, I dont want to kill any inocent fish, so please help and offer ANY suggestions. I am trying to learn as much as possible. Things like where to buy my fish supplies, how often to feed, how many fish per gallon, how to know what fishes go together, how often should i clean, is it ok for my air pump to be on full blast, and much more are questions that i would like to know! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Big Dave,

Firstly, welcome to the forum.

If you are totally new to the hobby, i suggest you stsrt reading books on it. Its the best way to learn the basics.

I'll give you what i consider to be the most important points and you can come back with any questions.

1. The first thing an aquarist should know is how the nitrogen cycle works. It's all about bacteria which live in your filter which convert deadly fish waste into less toxic forms. This is crucial to keeping your fish alive. Read up on it.

2. These bacteria will die if they come into contact with chlorine, so never wash your filter sponge under the tap. Always take water from the tank to wash it in.

3. Also, always treat water with dechlorinator before adding it to your tank.

4. Partial water changes are essential to a successful tank. A good starting point is to change 25% of the tank water every week. Be sure to dechlorinate fresh water before adding it to the tank.

5. Feed your fish once per day, and no more than they can consume in 2 minutes. Do not be tempted to overfeed. Also, remove any uneaten food from the tank as best you can.

6. Buy yourself test kits to test your water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH.

Ammonia should always be 0. Any sign of ammonia in the water is a sign of a problem and can be deadly to fish.

Nitrite should always be 0. Any sign of nitrite in the water is a sign of a problem and can be deadly to fish.

Nitrate is tolerable by most fish, but try to keep levels under 50ppm (50mg/l). Anything higher than this is generally an indication that you need to increase the volume or frequency of your water changes.

PH will generally be between 6.0 and 8.5, but a stable PH is most important. Your fish will not like it if your PH is constantly fluctuating.

7. Read books on the subject. You'll learn a lot.

If you have any problems or questions, please ask. This forum is a great resource and will help you greatly so long as you are not afraid to ask questions.

Hope this helps meantime.

Cheers.

Backtotropical

 

[bigdave2009]

Its 29 gallons and it has 10 neon tetras, 4 giant danios, 2 sunset platys, 2 zebra danios, 7 fancy guppies, and one blue dwarf gourami.........IS THIS TOO MANY FISH?

 

[backtotropical]

The short answer is that none of those fish will grow too big for your tank, so it's only too many fish if your filter can't cope with it.

Post your test results for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH and that will give us an indication of how well your filter is coping.

 

[bigdave2009]

The short answer is that none of those fish will grow too big for your tank, so it's only too many fish if your filter can't cope with it.

Post your test results for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH and that will give us an indication of how well your filter is coping.

Ammonia- dont have a test for....

Nitrite- 10ppm

Nitrate- 10ppm

Ph- 7.2

according to the test kit, my nitrite is very high. my fish seem fine, but what do i need to do so they can be healthy and stress free?

also my total alkalinity is at 160 and my total chlorine is at 0

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Dave,

To keep your fish happy and stress free, you need to lower nitrite levels down to 0.25ppm.

Levels of 10ppm are potentially lethal to fish.

I recommend that you do a 75% water change now, and another one tomorrow. Then test again. Keep doing this until you bring nitrite down to 0.25. You must then do as many water changes as it takes to keep it at that level until your filter catches up. Your nitrate and PH are fine. Remember to dechlorinate the fresh water properly before you add it to the tank.

I suspect that you are not suffering these levels because your tank is overstocked, but because your filter is not cycled.

I also recommend that you invest in an ammonia test kit. At this stage it is essential to keep an eye on ammonia.

Have you considered taking the fish back to the shop, or getting someone with an established tank to look after them for you, and doing a fishless cycle? You can read all about it in the link in my signature below. It is a way of cycling your filter so your tank is ready for fish without the fish having to suffer deadly ammonia and nitrite.

I would strongly advise you to consider it if it's at all possible. It's a lot easier for you too.

Let me know how you get on, and keep asking questions.

 

[bigdave2009]

Hi Dave,

To keep your fish happy and stress free, you need to lower nitrite levels down to 0.25ppm.

Levels of 10ppm are potentially lethal to fish.

I recommend that you do a 75% water change now, and another one tomorrow. Then test again. Keep doing this until you bring nitrite down to 0.25. You must then do as many water changes as it takes to keep it at that level until your filter catches up. Your nitrate and PH are fine. Remember to dechlorinate the fresh water properly before you add it to the tank.

I suspect that you are not suffering these levels because your tank is overstocked, but because your filter is not cycled.

I also recommend that you invest in an ammonia test kit. At this stage it is essential to keep an eye on ammonia.

Have you considered taking the fish back to the shop, or getting someone with an established tank to look after them for you, and doing a fishless cycle? You can read all about it in the link in my signature below. It is a way of cycling your filter so your tank is ready for fish without the fish having to suffer deadly ammonia and nitrite.

I would strongly advise you to consider it if it's at all possible. It's a lot easier for you too.

Let me know how you get on, and keep asking questions.

ok i will clean it tomorrow. i haven't cleaned it yet because the lfs keeps telling me that it is not necessary b/c i just started my tank. so i will buy a vacuum tomorrow and clean it. also i will pick up an ammonia test kit. i don't think i can put the fish any where, i do know what a fishless cycle is from reading online, but i dont think i can do that either. i was just a little to excited and jumped the gun, i wont make that mistake again. also iam using stability in my water to help prevent new tank syndrome, good idea?

 

[bigdave2009]

Hi Dave,

To keep your fish happy and stress free, you need to lower nitrite levels down to 0.25ppm.

Levels of 10ppm are potentially lethal to fish.

I recommend that you do a 75% water change now, and another one tomorrow. Then test again. Keep doing this until you bring nitrite down to 0.25. You must then do as many water changes as it takes to keep it at that level until your filter catches up. Your nitrate and PH are fine. Remember to dechlorinate the fresh water properly before you add it to the tank.

I suspect that you are not suffering these levels because your tank is overstocked, but because your filter is not cycled.

I also recommend that you invest in an ammonia test kit. At this stage it is essential to keep an eye on ammonia.

Have you considered taking the fish back to the shop, or getting someone with an established tank to look after them for you, and doing a fishless cycle? You can read all about it in the link in my signature below. It is a way of cycling your filter so your tank is ready for fish without the fish having to suffer deadly ammonia and nitrite.

I would strongly advise you to consider it if it's at all possible. It's a lot easier for you too.

Let me know how you get on, and keep asking questions.

ok i will clean it tomorrow. i haven't cleaned it yet because the lfs keeps telling me that it is not necessary b/c i just started my tank. so i will buy a vacuum tomorrow and clean it. also i will pick up an ammonia test kit. i don't think i can put the fish any where, i do know what a fishless cycle is from reading online, but i dont think i can do that either. i was just a little to excited and jumped the gun, i wont make that mistake again. also iam using stability in my water to help prevent new tank syndrome, good idea?

OK, I DID MY FIRST CLEANING!....so i bought a gravel vac from petco. i put it in the tank and it started to suck up the gravel and water, and let the water into the bucket.....it didnt look dirty, so i dont know if i did it right? anyway, i also got some stuff to reduce nitrite (amquel plus), also got some sea salt to help counter act nitrite (according to guy at pet shop), and i replaced about 35% of the water with new water and add water conditioner. i hope i did everything right, the fish seem happy, so iam happy! any suggestions or tips TELL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!