Hi New User

[grimmy@reg]

hi there, new to the forum. thought id say hi.

i have a bit of a problem. i have an external filter. i bought a pigmy puffer yesterday and was worried about him getting sucked up the pipe so i put a bit of scotch pad on the end of it. i went to look for him about 10 mins ago and he was stuck to the scotch.

i need to find a better method of keeping my little fish away from the intake. any ideas?

many thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

A larger peice of sponge would reduce the 'suck' more, but I'd be worried about something else perhaps being wrong with the fish.

It's actually very rare for a healthy fish to be sucked against or into a filter like that; it nearly always means it's sick. How big is the tank, how long has it been set up and what are your water stats? Is the filter cycled?

 

[grimmy@reg]

i know none of the answers to your questions. i have just realised that there is alot more to this than i realised after just reading the beginners guide.
i have had the tank set up and running for about a month but i have not tested it or done any water changes.
i think i need to get to the fish shop and get reading. FAST.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yeah, fishkeeping is not hard, but it is harder than it looks at first glance.

I expect your fish is feeling sick because his water is becoming polluted by the ammonia in his wee and poo. Eventually you will get bacteria grwoing in your filter (that's what 'cycling' is; getting those good bacteria growing).

Until then you need to be changing lots of water, using a dechlorinator. I suggest you get a test kit for ammonia (and one for nitrite too if you can afford it). Test every day, and if you get any reading for those things, do a water change.

This is called 'fish-in cycling' and you can read more about it by following the link in my signature.

Best of luck and post again if you need more help

Oh, and PS; don't neccessarily listen to the people in you local fish shop (LFS) as they might want your money more than they want you to have happy fish

 

[grimmy@reg]

thanks for your replys.

my little puffer is hiding behind my thermometer at the moment. it has been there for a while now.
i bought it for the misses and she is going to be upset if it dies. is there anything i can do for him now? or should i just get the water right asap? he is tiny. like less than 10mm long.

i have quite a few fish, 10 neons 10 tetras and two bigger ones iv forgot the names of gurrami's i think. is this bad?

 

[c-dub]

What you could do is purchase something like a breeder net to place around the filter, even if you turn it upside down and put a hole in it.

This way when the fish comes near it, it won't be close enough to feel any servere pull/suck from the filter.

 

[fluttermoth]

Well, the more fish you have, the harder a fish-in cycle is as the ammonia builds up quicker and you have to do more, larger water changes.

Good, clean water is the best healer there is for fish; if you have dechlorinator, start some water changes now; do 50% and see if he looks any happier. You can do multiple water changes in a day, as long as the water is warm and dechlorinated (that's very important; chlorine paralyses fish's gills)

 

[Davo86]

cram the tank with live plants, this will help with the cycle and provide plenty of cover for the puffer

 

[grimmy@reg]

well iv just been to my local fish shop and got an ammonia test kit and its reading nothing. they only had one in and it was a nutrafin one.

other test results as follows.

CL2 - 0
PH - 6.8
KH - 3d with a little circle
GH - 16d with a little circle
no2 - 1mg/l
no3 - 25

iv guestimated my tank at about 150 litres and water temp is at 25.5

iv just bought 5 plants aswell which are in.

is there anything wrong with that?