Splatter
Fish Fanatic
That's alright, we're all here to help
If the tank's been running 6 months I wouldn't expect any of the water to help much in the cycling process, but if he offers a small amount of filter medium that would definately help
Fish Keep Dying
- Thread starter TommySide
- Start date
That's alright, we're all here to help
If the tank's been running 6 months I wouldn't expect any of the water to help much in the cycling process, but if he offers a small amount of filter medium that would definately help
pirate monkey
Fish Crazy
Hi tommy and 
to the forum!
Unfortunately, even tho your friend's tank is mature, taking his water won 't help you much at all. The beneficial bacteria that convert the ammonia to nitrite, and then nitrite to nitrate live on things like filter media (sponges, ceramic balls etc) and also in gravel, plants and bogwood.
If your mate has not recently changed his filter sponges (in the last couple of weeks) they could really help you out by giving you a bit of their filter sponge. Make sure you don't take all of it otherwise he'll have some problems...!
It doesn't matter if your filters aren't the same, there is usually a way of fitting the sponge into the filter! Just make sure if you do get some sponge from them that they stay wet during transit to your tank, as letting the sponges dry out will kill the bacteria.
It is very highly reccomended that you get yourself a liquid test kit such as the one honeythorn mentioned, API also do a master test kit, both around £20. This way you'll be able to keep an eye on what's going on in your tank. In the meantime you can take some tank water to your lfs (local fish shop) and they should test it for you. The downside to this is that ideally you need to test your water everyday so that could get quite tedious unless you have your own test kit.
While your tank is cycling, the ammonia and nitrIte and nitrAte readings will follow a pattern:
Firstly, your ammonia will increase to a peak, then will start to drop off (ammonia spike)
Before your ammonia reaches 0, your nitrItes will start to rise, then they will drop off (nitrIte spike)
Then your nitrAtes will start to rise (when your tank is cycled, you reduce these by weekly water changes)
Once your ammonia and nitrItes read 0 and you have a reading for nitrAtes, your tank is cycled.
Now, because you have fish in your tank already, it is very important to do 50% water changes a day, ideally keeping the ammonia below 0.25 ppm (highlighting the importance of a testkit!) Ammonia, and nitrItes are very dangerous to fish, so they need to be kept to a minimum during the cycle.
If you keep up with the water changes, and testing, your fish should be ok! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any more troubles or haven't understood something, it can get quite overwhelming with all the information presented to you!
I hope this helps, keep us posted - once you get a test kit you can post your results up here to get help and reassurance.
Good luck
[edit: spelling]
to the forum!Unfortunately, even tho your friend's tank is mature, taking his water won 't help you much at all. The beneficial bacteria that convert the ammonia to nitrite, and then nitrite to nitrate live on things like filter media (sponges, ceramic balls etc) and also in gravel, plants and bogwood.
If your mate has not recently changed his filter sponges (in the last couple of weeks) they could really help you out by giving you a bit of their filter sponge. Make sure you don't take all of it otherwise he'll have some problems...!
It doesn't matter if your filters aren't the same, there is usually a way of fitting the sponge into the filter! Just make sure if you do get some sponge from them that they stay wet during transit to your tank, as letting the sponges dry out will kill the bacteria.
It is very highly reccomended that you get yourself a liquid test kit such as the one honeythorn mentioned, API also do a master test kit, both around £20. This way you'll be able to keep an eye on what's going on in your tank. In the meantime you can take some tank water to your lfs (local fish shop) and they should test it for you. The downside to this is that ideally you need to test your water everyday so that could get quite tedious unless you have your own test kit.
While your tank is cycling, the ammonia and nitrIte and nitrAte readings will follow a pattern:
Firstly, your ammonia will increase to a peak, then will start to drop off (ammonia spike)
Before your ammonia reaches 0, your nitrItes will start to rise, then they will drop off (nitrIte spike)
Then your nitrAtes will start to rise (when your tank is cycled, you reduce these by weekly water changes)
Once your ammonia and nitrItes read 0 and you have a reading for nitrAtes, your tank is cycled.
Now, because you have fish in your tank already, it is very important to do 50% water changes a day, ideally keeping the ammonia below 0.25 ppm (highlighting the importance of a testkit!) Ammonia, and nitrItes are very dangerous to fish, so they need to be kept to a minimum during the cycle.
If you keep up with the water changes, and testing, your fish should be ok! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any more troubles or haven't understood something, it can get quite overwhelming with all the information presented to you!
I hope this helps, keep us posted - once you get a test kit you can post your results up here to get help and reassurance.
Good luck
[edit: spelling]
Thanks Pirate Monkey. Let me clarify this before i get home and try it. I empty 50% of the water out (keeping the fish in??) and put 15 litres (half of my capacity) into a bucket and treat it with conditioner (i have aquasafe) and then fill the tank back up? i do this once a day then? i hope that makes sense
pirate monkey
Fish Crazy
Yep, that's it!
I tend to put some hot water in the bucket (from kettle not hot water tap) just to bring the new water up to temperature. (you can check with your hand - accurate to a few degrees!) This causes the fish less stress than cold water - the fish will already be a little stressed while you're going through this cycle.
As long as the aquasafe is a dechlorinator then that's the right thing to use. And yes the fish stay in the tank.
It is often a wise idea to switch off your filter and heater while your hands are in the tank - this just prevents any 'accidents' from happening... although unlikely but it's a safety precaution!
Doing this once a day (although a lot of hard work) will just keep the ammonia and nitrIte levels down until your bacteria have multiplied to big enough numbers.
Once your tank has cycled you will only need to water change once a week!
This hobby can seem like a lot of hard work at first, but I find it so rewarding! There is a lot to learn and get your head around, but believe me it really is worth it!
I tend to put some hot water in the bucket (from kettle not hot water tap) just to bring the new water up to temperature. (you can check with your hand - accurate to a few degrees!) This causes the fish less stress than cold water - the fish will already be a little stressed while you're going through this cycle.
As long as the aquasafe is a dechlorinator then that's the right thing to use. And yes the fish stay in the tank.
It is often a wise idea to switch off your filter and heater while your hands are in the tank - this just prevents any 'accidents' from happening... although unlikely but it's a safety precaution!
Doing this once a day (although a lot of hard work) will just keep the ammonia and nitrIte levels down until your bacteria have multiplied to big enough numbers.
Once your tank has cycled you will only need to water change once a week!
This hobby can seem like a lot of hard work at first, but I find it so rewarding! There is a lot to learn and get your head around, but believe me it really is worth it!
Thanks again!
i shall continue to do this and hopefully i can keep the remaining 3! it does appear to be hard work, more so than i first imagined but hopefully i can suss it all out!
no doubt you will hear/read a lot more from me.
cheers
i shall continue to do this and hopefully i can keep the remaining 3! it does appear to be hard work, more so than i first imagined but hopefully i can suss it all out!
no doubt you will hear/read a lot more from me.
cheers
pirate monkey
Fish Crazy
Look forward to hearing how it goes!
If you like you can post the results of all your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate tests here, then we can all see how it's going and advise you appropriately. Many other members have done this and I think they find it really useful, plus it is just generally useful if you have a record of what's you've done.
Good luck!
If you like you can post the results of all your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate tests here, then we can all see how it's going and advise you appropriately. Many other members have done this and I think they find it really useful, plus it is just generally useful if you have a record of what's you've done.
Good luck!
That's the thing with biube / biorb tanks, you are told to replace the filter with a service kit every 4-6 weeks, and to chuck your old filter in the bin with all your lovely bacteria on it. I had a biube and always seemed to lose fish after a filter change. IMO, the biube/biorb is asthetically very beautiful, but not good for fish health. Like I say though......this is only my opinion.
Honeythorn
Sugar coating and nicely nicely? I don't think so
Tommy, if your friend can't spare you any mature media >if you want to use some that is , then I'm sure some people on here would be happy to send you a batch to help you out.
Good luck!
Good luck!
unsure whether i should continue in this topic, but...
i have done my first 50% water change, my guppies seem a bit perkier (may just be wishful thinking on my part?!)
what i didnt mention before is that they go through stages of nipping at eachothers tails. is this stress? also how can i de-stress them?
thanks in advance
i have done my first 50% water change, my guppies seem a bit perkier (may just be wishful thinking on my part?!)
what i didnt mention before is that they go through stages of nipping at eachothers tails. is this stress? also how can i de-stress them?
thanks in advance
pirate monkey
Fish Crazy
You'd be surprised how a water change can give your fish a burst of life!
Once you have had your fish a while, you will notice odd behaviour eg if they started looking listless, and sometimes simply a water change will bring them back to their old selves!
I can't help you with the guppies, I've never kept them. Do you know how many males and females you have? I think maybe you should have something like one male to 4 females, not too sure, maybe someone else can comment, or try posting about the guppies in the livebearer section?
Once you have had your fish a while, you will notice odd behaviour eg if they started looking listless, and sometimes simply a water change will bring them back to their old selves!
I can't help you with the guppies, I've never kept them. Do you know how many males and females you have? I think maybe you should have something like one male to 4 females, not too sure, maybe someone else can comment, or try posting about the guppies in the livebearer section?
vinylman
Essentially Humanoid
TBH, if you mix male and female Guppies in a BiOrb, you'll very quickly be overstocked. Due to the small size of the BiOrb, I'd go for the smallest fish you can get and have maybe 5-7 of them. Read up on fish first, to see which ones are too lively for your size of BiOrb. Swimming space is very important to most fish and any stress is a bad thing. Hope things improve for you.
I have unfortunately no lost another of my fish, I have done a 50% water change for the past 3 days and they had seemed to perk up, but I woke up this morning and only 2 were moving... 
Does anyone have any other ideas? Unfortunately i wont be able to get a water testing kit until Saturday because of work and there is nowhere near me or still open by the time i get home.
Thanks
Does anyone have any other ideas? Unfortunately i wont be able to get a water testing kit until Saturday because of work and there is nowhere near me or still open by the time i get home.Thanks
Don't panic too much, as by the looks of it you are only doing what the biorbs instructions tell you....... I does say you can start stocking after with 3 small fish after 24 hrs. You may lose all your fish ( I did with my first lot in my biube and was gutted) But from coming on here you will be armed with plenty of knowledge from VERY experienced fish keepers and will be more successful in the future.
The BiOrb instructions are not that clear, I have learnt more from here since I registered on Sunday than from anything else. I don't think I read up as much as I originally thought when I first started off. I now feel guilty as I have killed 4 fish and it just seems it's because of my doing. Does everyone have trouble with their first fish?
like I said, I lost all of my first fishies, and then some....... It's all trial and error.
remember, no-one's perfect and we all have made mistakes.
That's how people know what to do, they make the mistakes and learn from them.
remember, no-one's perfect and we all have made mistakes.
That's how people know what to do, they make the mistakes and learn from them.
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
303 -
177 -
157 -
155 -
129 -
126 -
95
-
90 -
89 -
82 -
81 -
62 -
60 -
54 -
41