My First Tank, Any Ideas For If I Did It Right This Time Or What I Cou

[humpy_the_humphead_wrasse]

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[Bebobb]

Sounds like what I have read up on! if they look ok and filtered the water and denastied it it should be fine! That is what I did with my betta and is what I will do with my 10 gallon. *What should I get?*

 

[humpy_the_humphead_wrasse]

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[rabbut]

Well, no tank cloning or fishless cycling going on will be ringing the alarm bells of any experineced aquarists.... Let me explain;

Ammonia cycle;

Ammonia is produced by fish. This is broken now into nitrites and then nitrates by bacteria in the filter. These bacteria are not already there, so you need to build this colonie up. Great, I'll add a few hardy fish, like the LFS advised to start the cycle. Yes, it will start the cycle, but; it intentionaly exposes the fish to leathal ammonia and nitrite that will permenantly damage the fishes gills. If the fish are lucky enough to survive this, they will live shortened lives

OK, fine, I'll add ne of those bacteria in the bottle products, that the LFS advises.

you could, but only two work. Bactinetts, in part and biospira, both of which have to be kept refrigerated at all times to work. If the product isn't refrigerated, it will have the normal metbolic rates going on within the bottle. This means that a hermetically sealed bottle containing bacteria would run out of air and die in hours. No bacteira. Is stability refrigerated? no, then the bottle is a useless money making ploy.

so how do I set up the tank?

You can either use ammonia to fishless cycle, as per the pinned thread at the top of the forum, or use mature media from an established tank.

where does this leave me?

Take a look at what your water stats for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate are doing, and I'll bet the first two aren't on zero, where they should be. You will need to test ammonia and nitrite and nitrate when you get discus, take it from me, a discus keeper myself, that ammonia and nitrite at even trace levels are worse for discus than an off pH

The knife fish and silver dollars aren't compartible with discus, so if you want discus later, you will have to re-home them elsewhere. Knife fish will get over 3 foot in length, so plan that into your future plans for the tank

Prime is a good water conditioner, and may be the reason as to why you haven't yet had any deaths. It converts ammonia to ammonium, thus making it less toxic. Just wait for the nitrite to spike, and you will see a different story

The clown knife fish circling each other is actualy fishting. You need to get one out before the weakest gets killed A lone discus will refuse to eat and die, so get a group of 5+ to "test the water" so to speak when you decide to get them. Discus have a reputation for being hard to keep because few people bother to research them before buying. If you don't know about their specific care before purchase, you will be watching within weeks as you £200+ investment flakes over and dies

Waterchanges for discus usualy need about 50% weekly or two 30%s a week or 10-20% daily

All the best
Rabbut

 

[ALEXF]

Well Said Rabbut

 

[humpy_the_humphead_wrasse]

well aparently stability doesn't need to be refrigerated because the bacteria is dorment and as for the knife fish no they are not clowns. as ive already said they are black ghost knife fish and they keep on seperate sides to themselves now and seem to like the suction caps. the gobies in my 1ft tank all seem to be getting along well also. i will accept defeate if something goes wrong but until then i will continue to keep my ph in both tanks at 7 and continue with the instructions on the bottles as to dosages after the first week and when water changing and see how i go .

As for my discus i will be either using the tank providing all tests say its stable next year and if over crowding occures with the 4 fish in there i will deal with it befor i get the discus and i do plan to get 6 or 7 from 2 seperate reputable breeders when the time comes.

 

[rabbut]

Well, if you whish to go down that route, all I can do is whish your fish the best of luck...

I'm telling you that in the unlikely event that the discus survive in your tank when you get them, they realy won't be happy and you'll get one issue after the other.

I hope the knife fish are relatively docile specimins and that you have a chance to remove one before they kill each other and you find a dead body, mebe then you'll realise why you have been told they fisght in one of your other threads as well...

When it does go wrong, let the other members know, but I'll avoid the thread

Best regards
Rabbut

 

[humpy_the_humphead_wrasse]

well im following the same route my cousin took which he was advised to take by our lfs run by an old friend of his amd so fare hes had 4 tanks ranging from a small one then upgrading after his silver dollars and pleco's outgrew his early tank and into a 4ft and theres been no stress but if nothing goes wrong and my tank mates stay happy as they are now then . no hard feelings for the negativity. As for having 2 ghost knifes ive spoken to a few friends who've had numerous amounts without casulties and they seem to keep to themselves as their tanks are big enough and for the time being mine are only small and if they grow large enough to the point where it becomes a problem or i notice distress in one or the other i will remove one to anouther tank.

 

[rabbut]

Keep a sharp eye on the knifes

LFS's advise in notoriously dodgy. Most use the techiques that we used in the 80's, that we now know intentionaly harms the fish, because it means more fish die and you replace more. Livestock is where a store makes it's cash

 

[humpy_the_humphead_wrasse]

as i said im just going to follow the same route that my cousin took which has had nothing but success and a lil fin rot or possibly nipping angels 6 months in as there hasnt been a single death so fare and now houses 2 quit large pleco's, a ghost knife, 2 angels. 2 black angel like fish, 2 silver dollars, and 4 (something or other). which was upgraded half way from a 2 ft tank to a 4 ft full setup at 2 months and fish introduced at different stages starting a couple of days after treating with prime and stability.