Is Adding More Fish Ok Yet?

[kaivalagi]

Yeah, as ninjasmurf has said, don't completely remove and re-add water, do as much water as you can without leaving the fish in an uncomfortable state, make sure they have a little room to move. That could be 50% or 80% or something else depending on how your tank is setup I guess.

I had an emergency not so long ago with a mini-cycle and started to deal with it by removing 90% of the water, before taking the last amount out I made sure I had another bucket of water ready to go in. After the first water change I was doing daily changes of 50% for a week or so before I had fixed the real cause (decaying shrimp in canister filter) and was happy, I was testing for ammonia so I knew what course of action was needed. When ammonia was down to 0 I stopped the water changes and went back to my weekly routine. Maybe a bit over the top but I like my fish a lot

You need to get an ammonia testing kit too really, ideally when starting the fish-in cycle or in a mini-cycle situation you should be testing for ammonia

 

[merlecollins]

Yeah, as ninjasmurf has said, don't completely remove and re-add water, do as much water as you can without leaving the fish in an uncomfortable state, make sure they have a little room to move. That could be 50% or 80% or something else depending on how your tank is setup I guess.

I had an emergency not so long ago with a mini-cycle and started to deal with it by removing 90% of the water, before taking the last amount out I made sure I had another bucket of water ready to go in. After the first water change I was doing daily changes of 50% for a week or so before I had fixed the real cause (decaying shrimp in canister filter) and was happy, I was testing for ammonia so I knew what course of action was needed. When ammonia was down to 0 I stopped the water changes and went back to my weekly routine. Maybe a bit over the top but I like my fish a lot

You need to get an ammonia testing kit too really, ideally when starting the fish-in cycle or in a mini-cycle situation you should be testing for ammonia

OK, what I have just quickly done is:

1. Removed just over 50% of the water using a 2litre jug - I went as far as I could before the filter started choking up.
2. Refilled to the top with the same 2litre jug, adding Aquasafe additive to each jug full. I set the temparature on our shower to fill the jug.

Am I OK so far??

 

[kaivalagi]

OK, what I have just quickly done is:

1. Removed just over 50% of the water using a 2litre jug - I went as far as I could before the filter started choking up.
2. Refilled to the top with the same 2litre jug, adding Aquasafe additive to each jug full. I set the temparature on our shower to fill the jug.

Am I OK so far??

Looking good, relax

What temp is the tank at now?

Has the molly calmed at all?

What does a test strip tell you now?

 

[kaivalagi]

This is all really starting to make sense now and I am so very grateful to all that have helped me - I'm an Elite Member of a Tiling Forum, so know exactly what it's like when folk need help

mmmmm, you got me thinking - tiles / water / fish...
Do you think making a tank in an alchove in the house using tiling for 4 sides (bottom, left, right, back) and glass on the front would be do-able and safe? Just a thought

 

[merlecollins]

Looking good, relax



What temp is the tank at now?

27 degrees

Has the molly calmed at all?

It seems to have livened up a bit if anything and is mixing with the other fish more....

What does a test strip tell you now?

I'll do one now and get back to you

The water did go quite cloudy after I did the change, I'm assuming this is the debris from the gravel being disturbed when I was pouring in the new water??

I can't thank you enough

 

[merlecollins]

mmmmm, you got me thinking - tiles / water / fish...
Do you think making a tank in an alchove in the house using tiling for 4 sides (bottom, left, right, back) and glass on the front would be do-able and safe? Just a though

Very do-able I would have thought - the tiling is no problem as you could use epoxy grout which does not corrode at all, not sure how you would fit the glass front though, maybe a question to confer with a tank manufacturer

My new levels are as follows:
Cl2 = 0 ; pH = 6.5 ; KH = 0 ; GH = 8 ; NO2 = 0 ; NO3 = between 25 & 50 (nearer 25)

Is that OK?

What equipment do you think I need to get to carry out these weekly changes more effectively?
I would say 2 clean buckets (1 large enough to house the fish), my 2 litre jug, gravelvac, additional thermostat (to test new water before putting it in tank)

Anything else?

 

[kaivalagi]

What temp is the tank at now?
27 degrees

At a guess set it to 25 for now but not sure on your fish. I suggest you setup your own tank page on AqAdvisor and bookmark it. You input your tank size, filter, fish and get lots of info on what to do etc. The link is: http/aqadvisor.com/

What does a test strip tell you now?
I'll do one now and get back to you

Cool, but we really need an ammonia test ASAP to know everything we need to know

The water did go quite cloudy after I did the change, I'm assuming this is the debris from the gravel being disturbed when I was pouring in the new water??

Probably from the pour and distance in the tank, should go in a little bit...

I can't thank you enough

No worries, I know what that feeling is like when you don't know what to do, am a newbie too really!

 

[merlecollins]

What temp is the tank at now?
27 degrees

At a guess set it to 25 for now but not sure on your fish. I suggest you setup your own tank page on AqAdvisor and bookmark it. You input your tank size, filter, fish and get lots of info on what to do etc. The link is: http/aqadvisor.com/

What does a test strip tell you now?
I'll do one now and get back to you

Cool, but we really need an ammonia test ASAP to know everything we need to know

The water did go quite cloudy after I did the change, I'm assuming this is the debris from the gravel being disturbed when I was pouring in the new water??

Probably from the pour and distance in the tank, should go in a little bit...

I can't thank you enough

No worries, I know what that feeling is like when you don't know what to do, am a newbie too really!

Thank you so much kaivalagi

I'm off to bed now, but will let you know tomorrow how my fish have fared over night - if there is anything else you can think of that would help me be successful, I would be very grateful of your advice

 

[kaivalagi]

My new levels are as follows:
Cl2 = 0 ; pH = 6.5 ; KH = 0 ; GH = 8 ; NO2 = 0 ; NO3 = between 25 & 50 (nearer 25)

Is that OK?

Okay results but not trustworthy as not accurate enough - the NO3 is the same but should have reduced...still that level is probably okay. If you can afford it get a liquid test kit which provides for NH3/4, NO2, NO3, KH, PH, pH...they are far more accurate and last for a good while. So that's the equipment list's first item

What equipment do you think I need to get to carry out these weekly changes more effectively?
I would say 2 clean buckets (1 large enough to house the fish), my 2 litre jug, gravelvac, additional thermostat (to test new water before putting it in tank)

Also get a gravel cleaner/syphon, and clean your substrate with it as you empty the tank water for a change. You should also really have a net and an algae cleaner.

I have an old heater left over from an upgrade and use it to prepare buckets of water, with a head start from a hot kettle. If I didn't have it I would just use a thermometer and a kettle

Anything else?

Read those pages that were highlighted to you, and post whatever else crosses your mind

I suggest you setup your own tank page on AqAdvisor and bookmark it. You input your tank size, filter, fish and get lots of info on what to do etc. The link is: http/aqadvisor.com/

 

[merlecollins]

Pheww Got up this morning and didn't have a single casualty Looks like the water change did the business alright, the Mollie is dodging about quite actively, albeit looking a little lonely since her mate passed away - do you think it'll be OK to get another Mollie as a companion?

So if I do this 50 - 70% water change every week is that OK? I know one thing I'll be using a boat load of that 'Tapsafe' water neutraliser.....

Any advice on which gravel vac to go for would be appreciated

Also what's the best food to use for Mollies?

 

[kaivalagi]

Pheww Got up this morning and didn't have a single casualty Looks like the water change did the business alright, the Mollie is dodging about quite actively, albeit looking a little lonely since her mate passed away - do you think it'll be OK to get another Mollie as a companion?

So if I do this 50 - 70% water change every week is that OK? I know one thing I'll be using a boat load of that 'Tapsafe' water neutraliser.....

Any advice on which gravel vac to go for would be appreciated

Also what's the best food to use for Mollies?

Water changes might not be over yet, you need to test that tank for ammonia today ideally, then we can see whether further water changes are needed. You ought to do a water change once a week (25% or so) when the tank is in a good state, but we don't know yet

Get any gravel vac, it doesn't need to be fancy - I have a Hagen Multi Gravel Washer, you can pick them up cheap, but really any will do


Don't get any more fish yet until we know what the situation is...

 

[merlecollins]

Cheers kaivalagi,

Just inputted my tank into Aqadvisor I had managed to identify the two tank sucking fish the lfs sold me yesterday as Chinese Algae Eaters (Sucking Loaches) and horror of horrors, they apparantly can grow to 11 inches and will potentially eat all my other fish

These are the warnings Aqadvisor flagged up:

Warning: Tiger Barb is not recommended for your tank - it may eventually outgrow your tank space, potentially reaching up to 2.5 inches.
Warning: At least 5 x Tiger Barb are recommended in a group.
Warning: At least 5 x Silvertip Tetra are recommended in a group.
Warning: At least 5 x Glowlight Tetra are recommended in a group.
Warning: Tiger Barb is too aggressive to co-exist with Glowlight Tetra.
Warning: Chinese Algae Eater is too aggressive to co-exist with Glowlight Tetra.
Note: Chinese Algae Eater will become incredibly aggressive and destructive when they become adults.
Warning: Chinese Algae Eater is not recommended for your tank - it may eventually outgrow your tank space, potentially reaching up to 11 inches.
Warning: Tiger Barb may become food for Chinese Algae Eater.
Warning: Zebra Danio may become food for Chinese Algae Eater.
Warning: Molly may become food for Chinese Algae Eater.
Warning: Silvertip Tetra may become food for Chinese Algae Eater.
Warning: Glowlight Tetra may become food for Chinese Algae Eater.
Warning: At least 5 x Zebra Danio are recommended in a group.

 

[kaivalagi]

Cheers kaivalagi,

Just inputted my tank into Aqadvisor I had managed to identify the two tank sucking fish the lfs sold me yesterday as Chinese Algae Eaters (Sucking Loaches) and horror of horrors, they apparantly can grow to 11 inches and will potentially eat all my other fish

Always best to trial fish in the site before your tank...we've all made the same mistakes though. It is a good site, and useful although some advice can be a tad on the cautious side and depending if you plan on upsizing tanks later may not be telling you things you don't need to worry about. In your case though those Chinese algae eaters are mean in general!

Maybe your LFS can do a swap for something else, they might play ball... I can recommend Oto as they are small suckers (< 3") or you could have a bristlenose plec (note not normal plec, BN grow to around 6"max, some plecs get to 3ft!). Just make sure any future fish you are thinking about get put into that site to see what will happen, it also ensures your temp/pH supports all residents etc

Also, take a look through the species sections of the site, you'll find useful info on common fish and some exotic ones.

 

[Harlequins]

What equipment do you think I need to get to carry out these weekly changes more effectively?
I would say 2 clean buckets (1 large enough to house the fish), my 2 litre jug, gravelvac, additional thermostat (to test new water before putting it in tank)

Anything else?

You do not need to put fish in a bucket to do waterchanges,they can be left in the tank.

I would suggest buying a liquid test kit,these normally include testers for ammonia,nitrite,nitrate & ph,these are more accurate that test stripes,
Really has you're in a fish in cycle,you need to test the water daily,then do a waterchange if the ammonia and/or nitrite shows anything over 0.25ppm,ideally it needs to be zero.

I wouldn't add my more fish until your stats are showing zero daily for a minimum of 7 days without a waterchange.

 

[merlecollins]

What equipment do you think I need to get to carry out these weekly changes more effectively?
I would say 2 clean buckets (1 large enough to house the fish), my 2 litre jug, gravelvac, additional thermostat (to test new water before putting it in tank)

Anything else?

You do not need to put fish in a bucket to do waterchanges,they can be left in the tank.

I would suggest buying a liquid test kit,these normally include testers for ammonia,nitrite,nitrate & ph,these are more accurate that test stripes,
Really has you're in a fish in cycle,you need to test the water daily,then do a waterchange if the ammonia and/or nitrite shows anything over 0.25ppm,ideally it needs to be zero.

I wouldn't add my more fish until your stats are showing zero daily for a minimum of 7 days without a waterchange.

Cheers Harlequins and kaivalagi,

I'm going to go into the lfs this afternoon and ask why he sold the loaches to me when he knew what other fish were in my tank I'll try for a swap or credit note for now till my water levels out

Any particular liquid test kit better than others?