Just Got 4 Tropical Fish - Please Read

[arvlyn]

wat do u mean musho? thats the kind of filter i use, i got a 10 gallon starter kit for your information btw when i bought my tank, the filter, it has ammo chips in it and carb chips in it, mixed together. i bought 2 products for cases like this where i need to medicate the tank etc, 1 box of ammo chips and 1 box of carb chips, i didthat because now that i needed to take the carb chips out of the filter i simply damped all the chips and simply put new ammo chips, when i am done with the treatment i will simply add some carb chips to the filter and it should all be good. i have a question guys, when i do a water change, should the fresh water that im adding be hot , cold or in between? i have my aqualife heater in the tank set to 80F. are you saying i shouldnt put too much ammo-chips in the filter? i mean its not that i have put alot anyway, i just put a small amount just like my friend in the store showed me, ontop of the chips comes a sponge of course. i have a question, my 4 tropical fish eat blood worms too? how much worms should i put in the tank? i might go and buy some blood worms for my fish to eat because i want them to have an alternative food, not just the flakes.

Ammo-Chips remove ammonia if it's a problem, there's no reason to use it all the time. It's best to let the tank cycle properly. You probably aren't testing your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels, are you?

What brand is your filter? Most of the time, those "kits" aren't very good.

The water you add should be as close to the water in the aquarium as you can get it, not colder, not hotter, especially in that small of a tank. You don't want to shock the fish.

 

[Musho3210]

size of the tank does not matter on hot or cold, i mean a 25% water change in a 1 gallon tank is no different than a 25% water change on a 1000 gallon tank ratio wise...... It never hurts to get the temp closest to the same, but a few degrees differences its nothing to worry about.

Anyway ammo-chips starve your bacteria of ammonia, so its perfectly fine if you constantly renew your ammo-chips, but not fine if you dont constantly renew. But id rather keep it natural and free.....

 

[lamonsas]

the filter has not a model, its a filter that they use in all petland discoiunts stores all around the country, it also comes with the 10 gallon starter kit which is 29.99, its a good filter indeed. its a simple filter that has a layer of mixed ammo chips and ammo carb when purchased already, a sponge on top of that and thats it, its connected with a hose to a pump which all comes with the kit and thats it, in my case where i need to take out the carb chips cuz i need to use the medication i simply threw all the chips and i bought a new box of ammo chips aswell as a new seperate box of ammo carb and they recommanded to me to have a mix of ammo chips and ammo carbs mix in the filter, only ammo chips will be good aswell its just they the carb chips clean the water and stuff, at this moment like i said i only put ammo chips because the medication is there is in proccess and carb chips cant be in the filter meanwhile, anyway what do u say, i should remove all chips and just leave the sponge in filter and thats it, no chips?? what will do the filtering then? that doesnt sound too safe indeed. thx for the other info btw, ill put like normal water, not hot not cold. btw, do my fish eat blood worms too? what do they enjoy the best to eat? i mean what makes them happy?

 

[TylerFerretLord]

I had to use ammo-chips when my tank was uncycled and everyone was sick. Just make sure to keep enough so you can change it the moment ammonia starts to appear.

Just feed them basic flake food, and every once in a while give some bloodworm or tubifex. It's perfectly fine to feed just flakes, but feeding worms can often 'put the fish in the mood'. I prefer froze or freeze-dried over live as you can't store it very long, and it can sometimes be infected with parrasites or other nasties.

 

[arvlyn]

the filter has not a model, its a filter that they use in all petland discoiunts stores all around the country, it also comes with the 10 gallon starter kit which is 29.99, its a good filter indeed. its a simple filter that has a layer of mixed ammo chips and ammo carb when purchased already, a sponge on top of that and thats it, its connected with a hose to a pump which all comes with the kit and thats it, in my case where i need to take out the carb chips cuz i need to use the medication i simply threw all the chips and i bought a new box of ammo chips aswell as a new seperate box of ammo carb and they recommanded to me to have a mix of ammo chips and ammo carbs mix in the filter, only ammo chips will be good aswell its just they the carb chips clean the water and stuff, at this moment like i said i only put ammo chips because the medication is there is in proccess and carb chips cant be in the filter meanwhile, anyway what do u say, i should remove all chips and just leave the sponge in filter and thats it, no chips?? what will do the filtering then? that doesnt sound too safe indeed. thx for the other info btw, ill put like normal water, not hot not cold. btw, do my fish eat blood worms too? what do they enjoy the best to eat? i mean what makes them happy?

So this filter sits inside the tank on the gravel? I didn't even realize they still made those. You might want to look into a filter that hangs on the back of the tank, like an AquaClear or my personal favorite, Marineland's Penguin BIO-Wheel.

Ammo-chips only remove ammonia from the water, they do not "clean" the water in any other way. They have to be replaced frequently. Do you currently have an ammonia problem? Are you testing your water?

Blood worms are fine for an treat once in a while, but stick to a flake food for their typical diet.

 

[lamonsas]

oh wow, damn, ok ill stick to flakes then, they dont eat pellets or anything yea? these fish are so cute man, the molly and the swordtail ESPECIally, i love these guys, i want to finish up this treatment and have a healthy tank. btw ill be changing like 20% every week or thats too much? i say 20 because it takes me time to vacum all the poop or whatever on the gravel but i guess i can take out 10% its just that i wont have enough time to suck all the poop and left over flakes from the gravel, btw for 10% water change, i should put 2ml stress coat right? dont recommanded me any other product like stress coat because i cant find any other brand, some ppl told me about prime , i was walking in store , sorry to say but like an idiot and no one even knew what prime was, oh well, ill stick to stress coat, i dont need stress zyme right?

the filter has not a model, its a filter that they use in all petland discoiunts stores all around the country, it also comes with the 10 gallon starter kit which is 29.99, its a good filter indeed. its a simple filter that has a layer of mixed ammo chips and ammo carb when purchased already, a sponge on top of that and thats it, its connected with a hose to a pump which all comes with the kit and thats it, in my case where i need to take out the carb chips cuz i need to use the medication i simply threw all the chips and i bought a new box of ammo chips aswell as a new seperate box of ammo carb and they recommanded to me to have a mix of ammo chips and ammo carbs mix in the filter, only ammo chips will be good aswell its just they the carb chips clean the water and stuff, at this moment like i said i only put ammo chips because the medication is there is in proccess and carb chips cant be in the filter meanwhile, anyway what do u say, i should remove all chips and just leave the sponge in filter and thats it, no chips?? what will do the filtering then? that doesnt sound too safe indeed. thx for the other info btw, ill put like normal water, not hot not cold. btw, do my fish eat blood worms too? what do they enjoy the best to eat? i mean what makes them happy?

So this filter sits inside the tank on the gravel? I didn't even realize they still made those. You might want to look into a filter that hangs on the back of the tank, like an AquaClear or my personal favorite, Marineland's Penguin BIO-Wheel.Ammo-chips only remove ammonia from the water, they do not "clean" the water in any other way. They have to be replaced frequently. Do you currently have an ammonia problem? Are you testing your water?Blood worms are fine for an treat once in a while, but stick to a flake food for their typical diet.

yes indeed thats the filter i have, its connected to an airpump that al so came with the keet and thats about it, it comes with the kits and besdies that the filter they use in most pet stores. how much is a cheap GOOD electronic filter? if its over 30$ then i cant afford it atm

 

[Musho3210]

A sponge mechanically and biologically filtrates, the two most important. If you got rid of your chips and used only sponge, or maybe something else like bioballs, ceramic media etc and sponge, it will be a much better filter where you wont ever need to constantly replace unless they are very litterally falling apart, you just need to clean them in old tank water when they get dirty. IMO it sure beats renewing chips all the time....

Stress coat is great, no stress zyme which is a snake oil product, and 20% is great, heck feel free to go up to 50%

 

[lamonsas]

yea but id rather have the carb chips to keep the water clean and stuff, i wont put too much, ill just put a bit of ammo chips and a bit of carb chips, btw how much is a filter that is not on the aquarium gravel just like the guy mentioned in the previous post? electronic filter id call it? oh and for example if i test my water and i see the ammonia is high, does it mean that its because of the ammo chips i have in the filter? i thought these chips are suppose to do the opposite, reduce ammonia..

 

[Musho3210]

well how is it keeping it clean? Its just keeping it clean the same way bacteria does, by detoxifying ammonia...

 

[lamonsas]

ok well like i asked, which filter should i get? and how much is it?

 

[ibbledibble]

ok well like i asked, which filter should i get? and how much is it?

you don't say where you live, is it America?

http/www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~AS3111~tab~0.html

the address above is for marine depot (copy and paste it into your browser address bar)

the product advertised is a Millennium 1000 Hang-On-Back Filter at a cost of $17.69
below is the marketing description

Description
Millennium® wet/dry multi-filter combines mechanical, chemical, and wet/dry biological filtration functions in an innovative and efficient tank mounted external filter unit. The unique BioGrid™ plate provides a high surface area of biological filtration that is separate from the MechaniChem® filtration cartridge. In this way, biological filter functions are preserved when the MechaniChem® cartridge is replaced. A venturi air valve mixes oxygen with filtered water to improve gas exchange.

Millennium 1000 Filters 90 GPH and the recommended for aquariums up to 15 gallons. 2-Year Warranty.

with a filter like this you could continue to use carbon if you wanted to

oh and for example if i test my water and i see the ammonia is high, does it mean that its because of the ammo chips i have in the filter? i thought these chips are suppose to do the opposite, reduce ammonia..

the ammonia chips will reduce ammonia. but they can only absorb a certain amount. if you test and see ammonia in the water it means the chips are "full" and need replacing.

if you buy a biological filter you will build up bacteria which will remove the ammonia instead. that way you do not have to keep buying expensive ammonia chips, but use free reproducing bacteria, which will literally EAT the ammonia.

 

[lamonsas]

thx alot for the info mate, i am from usa indeed, New york that is, but i dont buy stuff online, ill give petland discounts a call if they have any filters.

 

[afishdude]

tetra whisper 10

 

[lamonsas]

hey all i just came back from petland, i bought the Aquaclear power filter that costs 30$, now , should i set it up now guys or wait until i finish my treatment which will be on monday evening? i mean i cant add carbon in this new filter anyway, should i like take out my old filter and simply put this new filter just not put cabron chips in it and continue the treatment with this new filter? the filter came with foam, carbon and biomax filter inserts. so im just not gonna insert the carbon part yea? or should i just wait until the treatment is finished and then change to this new filter? oh btw guys i had no clue i needed to change the ammo and carb chips in my current non electric filter, i had it runing for 4 months with the same chips, wow was that a mistake, i just found out because my friend told me they need to be chanegd every month, with this new aquaclear filter i need to change the chips every 3 months yea? thats what my friend told me.

 

[Musho3210]

no, carbon should be changed every 48-76 hours, ammo chips should be changed the moment ammonia comes, that means testing for ammonia every day.

Either that or just use carbon as a bio-filter and leave the amm-chips out of the equation.