More Stupid Newbie Mistakes

[newfishy]

ok, the 29 gallon is still going threw its mini cycle the levels today were
a0/ni.25+/na20/ph8.2

today I was made aware that one of my platys is not a platy...but a baby gold dust molly. great shes really cute and all, but at my lfs sugestion I had got two more corys because my one albino cory was lonely.

so I have two problems now, mollys need a little salt....corys dont like salt, while one species is comfortable the other could get sick...am I right? also my substrate is gravel....neon colored ugly gravel that today I realised the paint is wearing off (I didnt buy the ugly gravel, came from a tank my husband had as a kid and we boiled it and used it) I know that sooner or later I will have to replace the neon gravel, and I do have about 25 pounds of sand sitting in the garage that we used some this summer to mix in soil in the garden to plant blue berrys. I could rinse and rinse and rinse that sand and use it. I would rather have part sand part gravel...will that be ok for a cory?

I dont want one fish to suffer while the other is happy, but a big problem would be IF I CHANGE THE GRAVEL AT ALL WILL IT MAKE MY MINI CYCLE GET WORSE? today I had got some ceramic balls and added them to all the other stuff going on in my filters( I have two filters running on the tank, a 10-20gallon filter and a 20-40 gallon filter)

so to sum this mess up
should I keep or take back the corys?
should I change the gravel out and possible make the mini cycle worse
should I leave everything as it is and just not add any salt?
AND A BIG CONCERN I have...can I use any melafix on this tank if somebody has nipped fins? or will it harm my biofilter?

 

[funkycat]

wow, haha you have alot of stuff going on in the tank.

In terms of adding salt, you really have to choose which fish you want to flourish. A tiny bit of salt shouldnt hurt the cories though. Mollies will obviously be healthier with salt, better immune system etc. If the cories look healthy i'm surprised they adjusted to the high pH.

Sand make sure its playground sand (usually safe for kids -> safe for fish). Make sure it has no heavy metals...anything else. And if its been hanging around for a while u should probably boil it. rinse throughly before u add to the tank
I would get rid of all the gravel and just use all sand, because if u do part sand part gravel, eventually everything is gonna mix and its just gonna be messy and ugly.

How many fish do you have in the tank? and how long has it been cycling?
I think it should be ok to switch the gravel without affecting your cycle too much

I'm not really familiar with medicine, but unless the nipped fins are really bad i would hold off. I personally dont like medication in general.

 

[jennybugs]

Melafix is completely natural and won't harm your biofilter. I'm unsure about adding anything to the tank during a mini cycle though.

If you're thinking of using builders sharp sand or similar in the tank, don't. You can't just put any old sand in your tank. You're best to use proper aquarium grade sand or play sand (silver sand) in your tank. I'd leave it til your mini cycle has finished if it were me. Just make sure you KNOW 100% that the sand is suitable for an aquarium before you think of using it.

I don't know the history behind your tank so can't commment further but I'd be inclined to return your molly as they are happier in low end brackish (I think) and some of the other fish you've mentioned won't thrive in those conditions too happily.

Good luck with this

 

[fourthtimelucky]

Melafix shoudn't affect your filter.

Who has the nipped fins?

 

[Larissa]

I would imagine that if you are just starting out it would be easier to keep the cories and return the molly since it might be more demanding keeping brackish fish. Bacteria does not really live on the gravel - especaily in new tanks so switching from gravel to sand should not be too much of a problem. Make sure you clean the sand thoroughly before adding it too your tank otherwise you will have very dirty water and yor filter will have to work overtime to clear it all. Also, keep in mind you will probably have to turn off your filter while you do the swap and while the sand is setteling - sand can damage filters if too much gets sucked in. So you should try and do the swap over pretty quickly and try not to disturb the sand too much or it will take a while to settle. Good luck, I hope this helps.
-Larissa

 

[newfishy]

the one male guppy may or may not have nipped fins, he had gotten nipped before and healed up so I cant tell if this is new dammage or the way his tail is always going to look...he is a rather odd little guy anyways.

I am thinking of keeping the molly and going that direction, because one my ph will always be higher...ph of my well water, and the corys as of this morning seem like they might have gotten picked on...and I have no clue what fish did it. and two we had wanted the molly and just got the corys on advice of lfs to "keep the bottem clean".

oh my just rechecked this morning, and my tank ph is higher then my well water ph 8.2 and 7.6 ...meaning what on earth is in my tank to buffer it? all that is in there is gravel, plastic plants, real plants and a plastic log. no coral or anything in the filter, no chemical buffers. ugh. perhaps its soemthing in the used gravel we have?

the corys dont have clamped fins or anything, but are still swiming all over the tank like nuts.


I also think I am a bit over stocked
8 platys, 4 guppys, 1 tiny molly, and then 3 corys

the whole tank mess started out as a 10 gallon...got it cycled learned from my newbie mistakes, then the 10 gallon started leaking badly...I took it back and replaced it with a 20 gallon, that went threw a mini cycle, then was done. only one morning to come down and see the 20 gallon had sprung a leak...at a different seam. so we replaced the 20 with a 29 gallon of a different brand from a different store. its on a proper stand, level and all, we just cant figure out why they leaked. so I had saved the 10-20 gallon filter off the 20 tank kept it running in my spare 5 gallon that I had transvered the fish in to temporarly, and am now running it along side the 20-40 filter on the 29 gallon, which this mini cycle has been going on for about 5 days now...never getting above .25 with a 30% water change every day.

so I have been changeing water nearly daily for months. because as soon as things get settled, something went badly. fell free to point out any other stupid things I have done.