I'm getting a test kit tomorrow. If the ammonia and nitrite levels go up, should I do a water change and keep doing that until the ammonia and nitrate levels are really low. A question, can ammonia go forever? Or does it keep coming back?
Next Fish?
- Thread starter boblus
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Yeah, if you see ammonia or nitrItes, do daily water changes to keep them both down. Over a period of the next two weeks or so you'll see your ammonia drop and your nitrite rise. Bacteria slowly grow and eat the ammonia that the fish waste/food produces and process it into nitrite. Then in another 2 weeks or so more bacteria will grow that eat nitrite and make it into nitrate. When that happens your tank is cycled. Nitrate is not very toxic to freshwater fish and they can do ok with levels up to 80ppm (anything 0.25ppm of ammonia or nitrite or higher is bad). You can add some hardy live plants and they'll keep your nitrate levels to almoast nothing, and help keep algae from getting a significant foothold.
I'd actually add some plants right away as they also can use ammonia and help ease the cycling pressures on the tank. Some Anubias, Java Fern, Echinoderous, and Sword species tend to be the hardiest and really only require light and fish waste to survive. The general rule of thumb is the bigger and darker green the leaf, the easier it is to keep. In addition to adding plants, decrease your feeding volume to only what the fish can eat in 1-2 minutes. Slightly hungry fish are better than poisoned fish from rotting food.
Once your bacteria colonies and plants build up over the next month or so you'll have the proper biological filtration to keep ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite at bay, and they wont be much of a problem. In a truly cycled tank, the only time ammonia and nitrite should enter the picture is if lots of new fish are added, a fish dies and rots away, or disease outbreaks.
Whatever you do, dont add more fish until your ammonia and nitrite are back to 0. Keep up with the water changes, dont forget dechlorinator, and good luck keeping the rest alive.
I'd actually add some plants right away as they also can use ammonia and help ease the cycling pressures on the tank. Some Anubias, Java Fern, Echinoderous, and Sword species tend to be the hardiest and really only require light and fish waste to survive. The general rule of thumb is the bigger and darker green the leaf, the easier it is to keep. In addition to adding plants, decrease your feeding volume to only what the fish can eat in 1-2 minutes. Slightly hungry fish are better than poisoned fish from rotting food.
Once your bacteria colonies and plants build up over the next month or so you'll have the proper biological filtration to keep ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite at bay, and they wont be much of a problem. In a truly cycled tank, the only time ammonia and nitrite should enter the picture is if lots of new fish are added, a fish dies and rots away, or disease outbreaks.
Whatever you do, dont add more fish until your ammonia and nitrite are back to 0. Keep up with the water changes, dont forget dechlorinator, and good luck keeping the rest alive.
Also, as something to consider when choosing a new fish, a dwarf gourami might be ok in that tank. only keep one male though as they fight amongst themselves and get territorial with each other when kept in groups. regular gourami's tend to get too big for a tank your size, so stick to dwarfs 
Whoa! That's an awful lot of information. Thanks for all your help everyone.
Anyway, back to what this topic was started for. What kind of fish would be best in my tank? I was thinking maybe a Clown Loach? Are they ok?
Anyway, back to what this topic was started for. What kind of fish would be best in my tank? I was thinking maybe a Clown Loach? Are they ok?
MegTheFish
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ncjharris
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Something else to add that hasn't been mentioned - make sure you are adding conditioned water when you do a change. I notice you said a couple more platies died after a water change.
If the water hasn't been treated to remove the chlorine, then this will kill the friendly bacteria and you'll be back to square one.
As for a clown loach, Megs link shows it all.
They should be kept in groups of a least four and in a tank size of ay least 55 gallons, as they grow to around a foot. Unfortunately, Clown Loaches wouldn't be able to go in your tank.
Your original thought of gouramis was a good start - Once your stats are ok.
If the water hasn't been treated to remove the chlorine, then this will kill the friendly bacteria and you'll be back to square one.
As for a clown loach, Megs link shows it all.
They should be kept in groups of a least four and in a tank size of ay least 55 gallons, as they grow to around a foot. Unfortunately, Clown Loaches wouldn't be able to go in your tank.
Your original thought of gouramis was a good start - Once your stats are ok.
onemisterchristian
Fishaholic
Most likely just brown diatom algea. It generally occurs in new setups that have yet to really establish themselves, I beleive in the 2-12 week period. Generally it goes away fairly quickly. However, it could also be indicative of low light or high phosphates in your water. Neither is really dangerous but if it is either of the last two options, then the brown algea is there until those circumstances change. What watts per gallon do you have and how big is your tank again?
Neal
Live life, don't let it live you!
How do you dechlorinate water?
Hey, that's really wierd! Just half an hour ago I looked at the algae and it was still there, climbing all over my rocks but when I came back an hour later, it'd all gone! How strange is that? You don't think the Catfish did it do you?
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