New Tank Worries

[dyso]

Hi,

I've recently set up a 165l freshwater tank ( Aquaone AR850 ) I purchased 2nd hand. by no means am an expert so I was hoping to get some advice on a few concerns i've had since introducing my first few fish..

So tank was setup as follows

On initial setup the tank (inc. internal powerhead, filter chambers) was flushed out thoroughly with tap water. The driftwood, aquarium rock & plastic cave (all supplied to me by previous owner) were all soaked in hot water containing aquarium salt for around 4 hours.

I purchased gravel and the filter media as these were not supplied. The gravel i flushed in a (new) bucket and added to the tank.

For filter media I purchased Ammonia pads, active carbon pads & ceramic rings. As advised by the aquarium guy the rings went on the bottom of filter chambers, followed by the ammonia pads, then the active carbon pads on top of that. The ar850 filter type is the one that sits on top of the tank w/ the powerhead sucking up into a spray arm which sprays the water evenly over the filter media (not sure of the exact name). This drips down through the filter then into a small space underneath the chamber and back down into the tank on the opposite side of the powerhead. Tap water was added - treated with Wardley Tri-Start and API Stress zyme.

I ran this setup for a full 7 days before introducing fish. PH level was still a bit high after 7 days and ammonia levels were normal according to my sera test kit. I asked my local aquarium about the ph and he advised this would be fine and the fish would adjust...but I could lower it anyway to keep the levels good. Tank temp lingers around 26degrees celcius (79fh)

My first fish were swordtails I got from my tank at work. There are no known problems with this tank - it was given to me by a departing colleague as he couldn't be bothered moving it. The tank was overpopulated however, as these swordtails would breed like rabbits in the tank at work...which is why I decided to bring some home. The only other fish in this tank are three clown loaches.

So I got 1 male & 1 female and later decided on getting another 2 females as the male would constantly follow & annoy the lone female. All was good for a few weeks - they seemed happy & normal as they did at work. So then I purchased a red-tail shark about a week after bringing home the swordtails - not sure if its male or female but I suspect female as she has a slightly grey belly. She keeps to herself and doesn't annoy the swordtails at all.

Not long after (say 4 days) the Swordtails started looking miserable and were mainly hanging around the powerhead near the top of the tank or sometimes sit on the bottom of the tank looking very grumpy. No where near as active as the ones at work. The scales appear to be losing color slightly going from a bright orange to a clear/white colour (although some of the fish in the tank at work have this but appear normal). Occasionally they will swim erratically and they don't appear to eat much food (sometimes they will spit it out).

Two weeks later nothing has really changed much - there condition is the same and hasn't worsened and the shark is as happy as he was since day one. I've (about 4 days ago) since also added 2x Tiger barbs to the tank and they seem fine and have been eating more than there fair share (although sometimes the redtail gets very dominant and chases them off when they get too close, nothing major though).

So i guess my concerns are

Have I set up the tank correctly?

Is the filter type any good? I have my concerns as the ceramic rings are constantly underwater and i've heard that its better if they weren't.

If no, are cannister filters any good?

Should I be worried about my Swordtails? Do they need to be quarantined?

Any help would be great. Thanks!

 

[zoetetra]

hiya first off you say you ran the set up for 7 days was this just running the filter ect as if you did not add ammonia your tank is not cycling,so you need to get a test kit to test for ammonia,nitrate,nitrite ect so you can keep an eye on these levels.
i have no experience of the filter you are using as i have an external canaster filter which i pretty much leave alone but it has those nodule tube things in it and they are under water all the time.
i wouldnt add any more fish just now.
what is you water changing routine and how much do you change ect
lesley

 

[Inchworm]

Hi dyso

Welcome to the forum!

The first thing you need to know is whether or not your tank is cycled. This means if there is enough beneficial bacteria growing there to process the waste your fish are producing and turn it into less harmful nitrate. This can be determined by doing a few simple water tests. If you have been doing them, please post the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If not, let us know and the members will be happy to help you get started with them.

I'll move your thread to the New to the Hobby section where it is more likely to be read by the members who like to help with this.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Dyso.
It appears, at first glance, that you have an uncycled tank that will have its chemistry results skewed by the "ammonia pads" in the filter. If the ammonia pads contain some form of ion exchange resin or zeolites, that would definitely be the case but sometimes manufacturer's names have little to do with the actual composition of the product. Since you work in a location that keeps tropicals, you are in the enviable position of being able to use some of the filter media from your place of employment to start your filter's biological process. A fairly small sample can be quite effective at seeding your filter with the correct bacteria. As others have said, it would help us help you if you have the test results for your water chemistry. In my estimation, your swordtails are showing the effects of "new tank syndrome" which is a fancy way of saying that the tank has yet to be cycled properly. If that is the case, a large water change using a dechlorinator for the new water would make the fish act much more like they should rather than moping around the bottom of the tank. High nitrites make it more difficult for the fish to use the oxygen in the water and they will sit in high flow areas, like next to the filter or will lay around listlessly with their gills working hard to try to get enough oxygen. Regular water changes of 30 to 50% are often called for by the chemistry in a new tank until the bacterial populations can become established and the ammonia and nitrites controlled.

 

[dyso]

thanks very much for the replies zoetetra, Inchworm & Oldman 47

so far i've done the following water tests

ph this appears to now be 'off the meter' or at the very least a reading of 7.5. Testing the tap water I added initially gave me a similar reading. I've tried lowering this with the supplied 'Ph Down' but this doesn't seem to have any effect?

kH the kit I have involves adding a reagent then adding another reagent drop by drop until the water changes colour. This gave me a reading of between 7.0 & 8.0 which I think is fairly normal?

I've still yet to purchase an ammonia/nitrate/nitrite test kit which I'll try and do today - once tested i'll post the results.

the tap water was treated with wardley tri-start conditioner and API stress zyme which is the biological agent. the filter was then run for a good 7 days before adding fish..

since starting i've done 4x 25% water changes, each time treating the water the same way..after all the advice i think i may start doing about 40-50% changes for a while to see if conditions improve?

OldMan47 - which part of the filter media should i take? the ceramic rings or the sponge part? and roughly how much do you think i'll need?

thanks again for your help and suggestions, much appreciated!


also I've recently purchased an AquaOne CF1000 cannister which was recommended to me by a friend and also the sales guy...

http/www.thereefshop.com.au/index.php?ma...products_id=579

 

[OldMan47]

Whatever media fits well into your filter would be the one to use. I would guess that both the ceramic media and the sponge contain some of the right bacteria to get you a jump start. I would look for enough of the ceramic to fill one of your media baskets maybe 80% full.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, agree with the advice from the members. I certainly agree that 50% water changes will be better than 25% changes until you've received your kit and can do the core tests on the water. Once you get your tests you'll be able to see what percentages at what frequency will be needed to keep ammonia and nitrite(NO2) below 0.25ppm until you are home to do another water change. The pH is fine and you don't want to be putting any pH adjuster chemicals into your tank. Have you accomplished the removal of the ammonia pads and carbon, with replacement by mature media? All these things will be important for you to have a better chance of keeping the fish alive.

~~waterdrop~~