Newbie :)

[Little_Nemo]

Hi all!

I'm kind of a newbie but not (my brothers had tropical for well over 6 years) and now I own a tropical tank - A Marina Style 35L by a company called 'Hagen', purchased from a local well known pet store. Currently in the middle of a fish-in cycle, started out with 6 danios (3 zebra, 3 leopard) I've lost the 3 zebra in the space of one day - more or less thought that there must be something wrong, as the others seem fine. What I've now realised is that the pet store failed to tell me I needed to purchase a testing kit
I'm thinking my Ammonia levels have risen as one of the leopards swims to the bottom, lays there, then floats tail above head, then resurfaces. Off back to the place I got the fish tomorrow and taking a water sample with my - they test water for 50p, also going to take the dead fish with me. I'm more or less following the same routine my brother did when he first got fish, and hes had no problems in the 6 years he's had his He never had a water testing kit, and started off with guppies which are less hardy than danios, and still has 2 originals that he first started out with.

The tanks got de-chlorinated water, now thinking its wrong stuff as pet shop advised me in buying 'Gold' - and I added Nutrafin cycle which seems everyone now goes against. Although what is 'Mature Filter Media'?

 

[onebto]

Mature filter media is either or all off sponge ceramic rings or bio balls from an established and well cycled tank.

Its a good idea to get a test kit but dont get test strips as they are more than worthless get a liquid regent test kit like API fresh water master test kit.

How often are you changing your water in the tank?

Rewgards onebto

 

[Carlovel1]

Welcome to the forum

 

[rob158]

to the forum,

 

[Little_Nemo]

Thanks for the welcomes!

 

[chigwellhammer]

Welcome to the mad house

 

[Little_Nemo]

Right guys - Been to my trusted aquarium shope today, and picked up an API water testing kit. But first took a water sample test in and got them to check levels for me. Guy said I had nitrite but sadly cant remember what he said it was. He did a strip test for that and basically said the starting colour was pure white, mine ended up a slight pale pink. The ammonia test was at 5 - two coloured sqaures away from no ammonia. As previously mentioned I currently have danios in my tank well 2 now, and was wondering what the best thing to do would be? Could re-acclimatise danios in my brothers tank, and start my cycle over - or would possible water changes and monitoring fix the ammonia level so that it became 0?

 

[fluttermoth]

First of all, you need to do a big water change with warm, dechlorinated water to reduce the ammonia and nitrite to zero. Can you get some mature media from your brother? As his filter will already have a colony of the helpful bacteria you need.

If you can, put the sponge or whatever in your filter and your tank will cycle much quicker; you just have to wait for the bacteria to multiply. Don't take more than a third of his media, though, or you might not leave enough for the fish in his tank!

 

[Skins]

hello and welcome to the forum

keith.

 

[Curiosity101]

First of all, you need to do a big water change with warm, dechlorinated water to reduce the ammonia and nitrite to zero. Can you get some mature media from your brother? As his filter will already have a colony of the helpful bacteria you need.

If you can, put the sponge or whatever in your filter and your tank will cycle much quicker; you just have to wait for the bacteria to multiply. Don't take more than a third of his media, though, or you might not leave enough for the fish in his tank!

+1 for this ^^

Also if you could test your water yourself now you've got your test kit that would be great. And post the results up here

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

welcome to the forum

 

[Little_Nemo]

AS i mentioned in a previous post I had been to get my water tested - I've now completed a big water change - and added filter media from my brothers tank. Whens the best time to check the levels again? Do I let the water settle for half an hour to an hour or so then check. Or do I check now? And seeing as this is my first time checking any help would be lovely thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

Let it settle for a while to give the bacteria a chance to do their work.

The API test kit is quite straight forward to use; just read the instsuctions really carefully before you start so you know how many drops and bottles you need to do each test. Oh, and give bottle 2 of the nitrate test a REALLY good bang on a hard surface and then really make sure you shake it well

 

[Curiosity101]

AS i mentioned in a previous post I had been to get my water tested

I wasn't suggesting for one second you hadn't been getting it tested. I had read your posts.

I was suggesting that some up to date results would be useful. Especially seeing as it seems the local fish shop was using paper strip tests as opposed to liquid tests. And the paper strip tests are very inaccurate.

Personally I think you should test straight away as you need to get the levels down to 0.25ppm ammonia and nitrite ASAP, then you can just sit back and hopefully/almost definitely the bacteria will do the rest of the hard work for you.

 

[Little_Nemo]

AS i mentioned in a previous post I had been to get my water tested

I wasn't suggesting for one second you hadn't been getting it tested. I had read your posts.

I was suggesting that some up to date results would be useful. Especially seeing as it seems the local fish shop was using paper strip tests as opposed to liquid tests. And the paper strip tests are very inaccurate.

Personally I think you should test straight away as you need to get the levels down to 0.25ppm ammonia and nitrite ASAP, then you can just sit back and hopefully/almost definitely the bacteria will do the rest of the hard work for you.

Sorry my error, left the caps on