New To Forum New Tank

[Shelby]

Ok, so I found this forum and decided to join. It looks really fun and educational for those of us that have no clue what we are doing! This might be a little long but hopefully you have a little patience with me!

This whole fish thing started with my kids. (go figure!) They brought home a 10g aquarium for a painted turtle they found in a pond. Then, they brought home a 10g aquarium for fish and no their dad didn't ask first BUT I let them keep it. So, we started with 6 Guppies. This was ok. Then, they brought home an 8 inch gold algae eater. It died. Then they brought home 3 abino zebra danios and some sort of pleco.

We are currently battling ich. I have been using Nox-ich and I brought up the water temp. I now have the unknown pleco it has a black stripe down its side, 1 albino danio and 2 adult female guppies although I think the one is not going to make it, and 1 baby guppy. As to the ich: one female shows no more signs of it, and one does. The danio shows no signs of it nor does the pleco. I am not sure about the baby guppy as it is so tiny it's hard to tell.

My questions:

I am using an airstone bubbler thing and an aquaclear 200 filter (out of my 50g tank no longer set up due to no stand). I'm assuming this is plenty? I change my water at least 50% at least once a week. Is this too much? Too little?

For the ich I was not changing out water between med doses. Should I have been? I have been using Nox-ich and it says use 3 days, skip a day and use 3 days again. The first day I did not take the carbon out. It's pretty old so I didn't think it mattered. The second day I took it out and I have now down the 3 days with and tomorrow will be my skip day. Because I still have a fish showing signs of ICH should I not skip a day? or if she dies do I stop the treatment or continue?

What is a good relatively cheap water test kit? I am only on unemployment right now and money is extremely tight.

What else can I put in this tank? I want something colorful and pretty and I know bettas are beautiful but I want something I can get more than one of!

 

[Shelby]

Ok, the one female did die So I have left 1 adult female guppy, 1 pleco, 1 albino zebra danio, and 1 baby guppy. Looks to be female but not sure. Any responses to the above questions would be great.

 

[OldMan47]

Keep up the treatment, according to directions, until at least 3 days after the last sign you see of any ich on any fish. Here is the reason. Ich can only be killed in its free swimming state. The parasite enters the fish and forms the visible mark on the fish, it then falls off into the substrate where it develops into the free swimming state. After a couple of days that free swimming stage ich parasite starts swimming around looking for its next victim, and that is the only time it is vulnerable to the ich medication. If you still see an ich parasite blister on the side of a fish, it will be several days before all of the parasites have been exposed to the medication that can kill them. There is a link in my signature area to Ich Info that explains things in much more detail and gives a few hints on how ich can be treated. It is something we have all faced at one time or another.

 

[festa]

Keep up the treatment, according to directions, until at least 3 days after the last sign you see of any ich on any fish. Here is the reason. Ich can only be killed in its free swimming state. The parasite enters the fish and forms the visible mark on the fish, it then falls off into the substrate where it develops into the free swimming state. After a couple of days that free swimming stage ich parasite starts swimming around looking for its next victim, and that is the only time it is vulnerable to the ich medication. If you still see an ich parasite blister on the side of a fish, it will be several days before all of the parasites have been exposed to the medication that can kill them. There is a link in my signature area to Ich Info that explains things in much more detail and gives a few hints on how ich can be treated. It is something we have all faced at one time or another.

Hi

Did you cycle your tank, it sounds like the tank was set up and fish put in straight away??

If so it takes a month or two to cycle a tank your fish may well be dying owing to ammonia or nitrite poisoning. it takes some time for the good bacteria to bulid up and remove the toxins are you sure it is ich??

 

[Shelby]

Pretty sure it was Ich. The tiny little white spots looked like all the pictures I had seen. I did not cycle my tank. I didn't know anything about fish when my kids brought them home. I have since learned alot.

I continued with the treatment and we have now been spot free for 4 days. I just wish their dad paid more attention because he took them shopping after school and brought home
2 more guppies
3 plays
2 mollies (black spots orange tails)

I have a feeling we are way over crowded now.

*sigh* Hopefully they all make it.

The good news is I could be getting a larger tank!

 

[OldMan47]

You are in for some fun now Shelby. You will continue to test the water and you will find that you need to change more water more often to keep the fish healthy. Maybe that over helpful dad can do the water changes and learn that heavy stocking in a new tank means lots of work.

 

[Shelby]

Oh we are no longer together! He gets them on weekends and doesn't bother to ask any thing! But it's ok. I have a 50g that I don't have room for but the LFS will trade me a 29G one for it. If it doesn't sell by the time my add wears out

All in all it's a lot of fun to watch the fish swim around!