Newbie Advice Needed.....

[Fish are friends]

Hi everyone, I have finally added a few fish to my new 90ltr tank (4 zebra danios and 3 platies) have had the water tested to make sure it was ready to accept fish and it was ok. What i want to know is what sort of behaviour should i expect... The danios are pretty much sitting on the bottom of the tank ocationally having a swim about and the platies are sitting behind the filter..( i suspect one might be pregnant cause of the swollen abdomen) just wanted to know is this normal??? thought they were pretty active fish.... thanks!!

 

[anwhyte]

Hi everyone, I have finally added a few fish to my new 90ltr tank (4 zebra danios and 3 platies) have had the water tested to make sure it was ready to accept fish and it was ok. What i want to know is what sort of behaviour should i expect... The danios are pretty much sitting on the bottom of the tank ocationally having a swim about and the platies are sitting behind the filter..( i suspect one might be pregnant cause of the swollen abdomen) just wanted to know is this normal??? thought they were pretty active fish.... thanks!!

the danio's spend all their time swimming near the top, platies are active as well. they may be adjusting to their new surroundings, you should check the water temp tho.

 

[ZoddyZod]

sounds like your fish are settling in. Give them a couple of days to get used to their surroundings. Although Danios will normally inhabit the top 1/3 of the tank, it will depend on their tankmates. When I had some in a tank on their own, they swam everywhere. One even set up a 'territory' near a cave entrance.

When you say you had your water tested before adding the fish, had you performed a 'cycle' on the tank? Have you ever heard the term 'fishless cycling'?

 

[Fish are friends]

i set the tank up just over a week ago, added the bacteria etc and left it fishless for a week then took a sample down to the store and they took 4 different tests, the guy said to me that the water was 100% ready for new fish... i have the temp set at 25, i have the fluval U2 filter and am thinking the flow might be to strong for them...Just hope its going to be just as simple as letting them adjust to their new surroundings.

 

[ZoddyZod]

i set the tank up just over a week ago, added the bacteria etc and left it fishless for a week then took a sample down to the store and they took 4 different tests, the guy said to me that the water was 100% ready for new fish... i have the temp set at 25, i have the fluval U2 filter and am thinking the flow might be to strong for them...Just hope its going to be just as simple as letting them adjust to their new surroundings.

Sadly any bottled 'bacteria' product that you added is unlikely to have done anything to mature your filter, these are well known to be pretty much uselss regardless of what the fish store told you. You are now in what is known as a 'fish-in cycle' where the waste products of your fish will slowly increase in the water and could be a risk to your fishes health. It will take time for a bacteria colony to establish itself in your filter and until this happens you'll probably need to perform large daily water changes to minimize the risk. Take a look in the beginners section and read up on the 'Cycling' links for all the info you need. You'll also need to buy yourself your own liquid test kit as you will need to check the water stats daily.

Dont be disheartened about the situation. Many, MANY people have no idea about 'cycling' before they set up their own aquarium (I had no idea and had to fish-in cycle also), but with proper care and attention you should be able to keep the fish alive and healthy until the filter bacteria is properly established.

 

[Gilli]

Change 90% of the water and quick! Your fish are showing signs of distress because of the toxins in the water because your tank is not cycled and safe for your fish. Danios are never normally still and are always zipping around the top/mid section of the tank!

You need to buy yourself a liquid water testing kit as you are going to have to test the water every day and also make water changes every day - sometimes twice a day depening on the water readings for the next 6-8 weeks!

Read up on these instructions on a fish in cycle asap!

cycling a tank

 

[Fish are friends]

Well yesterday i went and had the water tested and everything was ok but was advised to do a 20% water change, which i did and i have left the light off since then. i got up this morning and the danios and 2 of the platies all seem much more active. even as much as swimming against the the current created by the filter and then just going with the flow. i have fed them tropical flakes but most of them get removed so not sure how much they are eating... (hate the idea of not completely knowing what i am doing..) I guess thats how we all learn!!

 

[ZoddyZod]

Well yesterday i went and had the water tested and everything was ok but was advised to do a 20% water change, which i did and i have left the light off since then. i got up this morning and the danios and 2 of the platies all seem much more active. even as much as swimming against the the current created by the filter and then just going with the flow. i have fed them tropical flakes but most of them get removed so not sure how much they are eating... (hate the idea of not completely knowing what i am doing..) I guess thats how we all learn!!

Did the fish shop tell you the results of the tests? What exactly did they test?

I'm afraid you really will need to go and buy a liquid test kit (about £18) and test the water daily for ammonia and nitrite (both harmful to fish). You need to make sure that you have a ZERO reading for both of these for at least two weeks before you can be sure your filter is coping with the fish waste.

The 20% water change will have helped, but without knowing the results of those tests you are really going through the process blind.

 

[Fish are friends]

admittedly they didnt tell me exactly what the results were but they said they tested the PH, nitrite levls and ammonia levels and they said there was no risk to the fish.. will go out and get a testing kit, which will be better the liquid one or the strips? The filter should manage its a fluval U2 for a tank upto 140l and i have a 90l tank... all the advice is much appreciated and i am sure in the end i will have a thriving and happy tank.

 

[ZoddyZod]

liquid are the best, the strips are pretty much useless. API is a highly recommended test kit. You will probably find it cheaper online (eBay for example) than at a LFS.

With regards to the filter being able to 'cope'. Yes you do have a filter that is rated for a larger tank, but that does not mean that bacteria will colonize it any faster. It is the bacteria colony that will live in your filter that will eat the ammonia and nitrite. Until that is fully established then there will always be additional ammonia/nitrite in the tank. These can be manually removed by water changes (% based on the tests results) until the readings hit constant zeros.

Have a read through the 'cycling' info. It may seem a bit labourious at first, but it will help you understand the process better and do a much more detailed job of explaining than I have!

 

[waterdrop]

Hello Fish are Friends and Welcome to TFF!

ZZ and Gilli are giving you correct advice. You are in a Fish-In Cycling Situation (without your having chosen it of free will) and will need to learn the skills of that type of cycling to both save your fish and to grow the correct two species of bacteria in your filter.

The shop is just being a shop, the system many of them use with customers now is to assume the customer will have nowhere near the patience required to prepare a working biofilter prior to introducing fish (which is the humane thing to do) and then to work on extra sales of medications if the fish come down with something from the stress of being used to cycle or to sell more fish is the first ones don't make it through the cycling - its not about the fish themselves. The -real- hobby is what you're going to begin to find here on TFF, much more deliberate.

You're in good hands, so listen to the members. You have some pretty urgent needs in learning good water changing technique, doing the right number of large water changes and in finding the correct type of test kit. The members are used to seeing dozens of cases like yours each month.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Fish are friends]

the advice is much appreciated. i am ready to learn as much as i can and advice from people who know what they are doing is the best type of advice. The one thing i have been thinking about which should of came to mind sooner is that at the store where i bought the fish from, had dead fish in their tanks which i thought was a bit strange but not being any wiser i accepted it as the way things were...
Will go through the section on cycling with a fine tooth comb and follow it to the letter.

unfortunately i have lost 3 of the 4 danio's. (and the pet store said my water was ready for fish) grrrrrrr last time i go to a big name pet store!

 

[waterdrop]

I am going to take it that you have 3 platies and 1 zebra danio left in your fish-in cycle, right?

The goal in fish-in cycling is to figure out what percentage and frequency of water change will keep your water below 0.25ppm in ammonia or nitrite (same .25ppm max for both poisons) until you can be home again to test again and potentially change water again. The tests should be performed with a liquid-reagent based test kit. Most of us like the API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

Water changes must be performed by using a gravel-cleaning siphon so that the debris, nitrite and nitrate will be pulled out of the substrate where they hang out. The water changes often need to be large, leaving just enough room for the fish to barely swim. The return tap water needs to be conditioned with a good conditioner (like Prime) that removes chlorine/chloramine (dose at 1.5x to 2x what the instructions say but not more than 2x.) Adjust the temperature of the return water roughly by using your hand.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Fish are friends]

Yeah thats correct 3 platies and one danio. I got up this morning and things are looking promising cause they are all swimming about apart from the one that has taken residence in the little cave and gaurds it by chasing any other fish out. plus i added a tiny bit of food and they all were going after it. got a siphon and will clean the gravel today and refill the tank... unfortunately got to wait till the weekend to get a test kit. (payday)

 

[Fish are friends]

Well just a quick update. found a aquatic store who were very friendly and helpful and they said that all i need to do is bring in a sample and they would test it when ever i needed to. the tank has now completely cycled and is looking good, regular water changes about 10-12 ltrs (90ltr tank) once a week. the 2 remaining platies and one remaining danio seem very happy swimming all over the tank often using the bubble curtain as a play toy. lol new fish will be added soon woohoo! thanks for all the advice.