New In Fish Hobby. Help?

[ex0rc1st]

Thanks for your time reading.
I am from S.A. I really don't know my fish by there biological names but the question is not about goldfish. Its the fish that cleans the tank, in the shop the fish would be flat against the tank(you can see his mouth)he sucks the tank clean and he pretty fast. Well I hope more or less u know what I am describing. anyway, my one is never against the tank, always on the bottom, normally lying still under plants doing nothing? Is he ill? Or is it normal?

 

[communitytank75]

sucker fishes are usually night timers..they dont move much during day times..they like to hide a lot..if you want active cleaning fish...think about the loaches or something

 

[Aqua Tom]

Sounds like a Bristlenosed catfish. They are mostly nocturnal so dont venture out much in the day.

Tom

 

[fluttermoth]

Sounds like a Bristlenosed catfish. They are mostly nocturnal so dont venture out much in the day.

Tom

Could be a common plec or gibbi though; they're the plecs most often sold for coldwater tanks...

 

[Aqua Tom]

Sounds like a Bristlenosed catfish. They are mostly nocturnal so dont venture out much in the day.

Tom

Could be a common plec or gibbi though; they're the plecs most often sold for coldwater tanks...

I put my money on a plec of some sort. I just said BN coz I like them

 

[fluttermoth]

Sounds like a Bristlenosed catfish. They are mostly nocturnal so dont venture out much in the day.

Tom

Could be a common plec or gibbi though; they're the plecs most often sold for coldwater tanks...

I put my money on a plec of some sort. I just said BN coz I like them

 

[ex0rc1st]

Would it be advisable to get snails to clean? Also when I lift the lid of the tank, I get a putrid smell. I've only had fish for 2days, and everything is still clean, I added 10ml of anti-chlorine. I have 2 fake plastic type plants, then 2 real plants providing oxygen as well as 4 long strips of plant doing same as plants. Then I have a filter with a pipe going over the water level allowing water to squirt back into tank (pipe has 8 holes where water blows back into tank, like a fountain). There is sufficient rocks on bottom. The feed is small brown pellets that sinks. Its a 60 Liter tank, 1 sucker fish, 1male gold fish, and 2 females. Oh, and a purplish low voltage light. that's all. I wanna start like this, and move onto marine fish in a few years. But 1st questions first, snails and smell.

 

[fluttermoth]

Did you cycle the tank at all before you added fish? If there's a bad smell coming from your tank, that's bad sign; it's probably uneaten food; it's very easy for newbies to overfeed.

Do an immediate (and I do mean now! not 'later' or 'tomorrow'!) large water change; at least 60 or 75% (temperature matched, dechlorinated water, of course).

 

[ex0rc1st]

Well the sucker looks like.. The afrikaans word "n barber"

I, When asked the pet shop assistant, was told not yet to buy temperature stuff... So its pretty much cold tap water, dechlorinated ofcourse.

 

[ex0rc1st]

"Cycle the tank"? Meaning soaking and washing everything with luke warm water? (That's what they told me to do at first)

 

[fluttermoth]

No, I'm afraid that's not cycling; cycling a tank means growing a colony of the good bacteria that eat the polution (ammonia) that fish produce and that is poisonous to them; that's your problem right now; the fish are being poisoned by swiming round in their own toilet.

Don't worry, we seen newbies here after being given the same 'advice' as you practically every day. There's a great article on 'fish-in cycling', which is what you're now doing, in the beginner's resource centre (link is in my sig) which you can read when you've done a water change!.

 

[ex0rc1st]

Where can I obtain these good bacteria? Pet shop? Thank you fluttermoth, you've been of great assistance. Ill get started right away. Ill ask you again if anymore questions should arise. Do you have a blackberry?

 

[fluttermoth]

No, pet shops very rarely sell the good bacteria. They will sell you stuff in a bottle that claims to be live bacteria, but by the time you buy it, the bacteria will be dead and of no use.

Some shops will give you some media from their filters if you ask nicely (old tank water won't do any good either, if anyone offers you that; the bacteria cling very strongly onto the filter medium) or you could have a friend give you some (up to a third) of theirs, if you know anyone else with a tank.

You're very welcome; lets hope we can get you sorted and having happy, healthy fish I don't have a Blackberry, sorry!

 

[HayzH]

another customer NOT told about the Cycling of the media I was duped this way too...your fish will die if you don't get rid of that Ammonia...hope you have done that water change

 

[Miles_hot]

The bacteria are present in small quantities in the water. You grow them by providing food (Ammonia) and the right conditions (good oxygenated water, temp c. 30 degrees C and pH around 8 - 8.2) and they will grow. To make matters more complex there are actually two types you need to grow but you'll learn all about that in the beginner's resource link

Once you've read that any questions you have we'll be able to answer

Miles