BLASK
Fish Fanatic
Hey all again, I got tons of questions that need answers, so if anyone can help I will greatly appreciate it.
To start off I will give a complete history of my tank. Some of the info might be really in detail and uneccesary, but I want to mention everything.
on 11/24/04 I purchased a 20 gallon tank with acc. which include: heater, water filter, fish net, and ofcourse cover with light fixture. I also purchased a self syphon gravel cleaner, a rock decor, tons of plastic plants and 25lbs of gravel. In addition an airstone and airpump with the hoses and valves.
Ok with all that said I first filled the tank to check for leaks, cleaned it, got the water out. Then I cleaned the gravel and spread it nicely in the tank. Next the tank was filled and the appropriate level of a dechlorinator was added. Then the decor and plastic plants. Lastly the air stone, thermometer and water filter. Insterted a filter cartridge filled with carbon and turned everything on.
I let it cycle for aprox. five and a half days (should have waited longer) and then I purchased my first fish on 11/29/04. I did not have a test kit at this point so I do not have any numbers. The first fish were: 2 male red tuxedo platys (one was huge and had beautiful long fins), 2 female red velvet swordtails, and 2 albino cory catfish. I carefully examined the tanks they were purchased from for any dead or sick looking fish.
So only after 2 days (12/01/04) one of the velvets showed up a white pimple on her left fin (back then I was tottaly unaware of ich, but I still knew it was a bad sign). I went to the lfs where she was purchased and asked for help. The friendly lfs employee gave me a medication mixture and told me to pour it in my tank, it was a heavy blueish color. So I get home and pour it in and turn off the water filter. I let it do its work for 36 hours but the pimples kept showing up on her all over now. I was about to give up and return her. After a total of 48 hours of after pouring in the medication mixture I noticed that the second velvet showed a white pimple on her tail fin. At this point I gave up and netted both of the velvets and turned the filter back on. I exchanged them for 2 female tuxedo platys, one red and the other orange. After a day or two the blue hue was completely gone from the water and I changed the filter cartridge with a brand new one. When I returned the velvets the lfs did a test on my water and said everything is in great shape except the ammonia was really high, he told me not to add anymore fish and wait for the ammonia to drop, I asked what I could use to drop it quicker, he told me to get aquarium salt and some cycle treatment that has bacteria in it. So I did all that and even purchased my own test kit. Then suddenly that same night before I even added anything the beautful male platy with the long fins was strangely swimming near the top of the water, rather not swimming but staying still. The next morning he was dead. I netted him out returned him (with the 14day policy) and out of spite bought 2 khuli loaches.
I put in some plastic tubes inside the front of the tank and covered them with gravel with only the two ends emerging. The kuhlis love hanging out in there during the day and sometimes peek out and swim around the plants and search for food.
I kept testing my ammonia and it NEVER seemed to drop, it was always between 4 to 8ppm. (even to this day)
Feeling I was out of options I bought a product called Ammo-Lock and I don't know if that works since the tests will pick up the locked ammonia as if were still toxic.
During the entire month of december I did 10% water changes and syphoned the gravel nice and clean.
The fish seemed happy after everywater change, their fins were fully extended and they gained some pretty colors on their bodys and nice colors on their scales.
So on 1/1/05 I started to log everything I do and the results of tests. (I consider the month of december my newbie month)
On 1/1/05 my tests showed: ammonia: 4ppm, nitrate: 4ppm, nitrite: 2ppm, pH: 7.6
On 1/2/05 the pH was 7.7
On 1/4/05 ammonia was 6ppm, nitrate was 2ppm, nitrite was 3.5ppm, and the pH was 7.5
With all that said here are my questions:
1. My water changes are either a 10% (2gal) or a 20% (4gal). In either change half the new water is from bottled disstiled water and the other half is treated tap water. Is it ok to use disstiled water? eventually I want to use 100% of disstiled water in my changes. Ofcourse I have 5gal buckets with a heater and its own air pump to add oxygen to the water. My tank temp is 79-80 degrees and so is the water I change.
2. On 1/4/05 I purchased a female sunset platy for the sole reason to divide the stress between my other 2 female platys from the male. But the odd situation was that she was not nipping, but BITTING my orange platy directly on the side and it was so fierce that she pushed her down all the way to the gravel and the poor orange platy was wobbling or shaking due to it. She swam like a shark, up and down against the currents of the flow from the water filter and up and down with the air bubbles from the air stone. She was very aggresive towards ALL the fish in the tank. This caused more stress for the fish so I netted and returned her the next morning. Just for say all fish were acclimated for 15 minutes and water was added to their bag for another 15 minutes. They were then netted out of their store bags and into the tank making sure none of the store water got in. My question is how a this sunset female platy was so aggresive?
3. It is 1/5/05 and the same orange tuxedo platy that was attacked by the sunset platy is showing a slightly whiteish film on the side she was attacked on. It doesn't cover her entire side but only the upper middle part, with the exception of a spot right in the middle of that film! Ill try to get a picture. I know it sounds confusing but my guesses are either a fungus or she is healing from the attacks? She eats well, no problems there, any ideas?
4. Last question: the water filter that came with the tank kit looks crappy imo, I was thinking of getting a BIO wheel filter, I have heard good reviews about that, any input?
Thanks alot for reading this and I hope I can get some answers!
BLASK
P.S. I feed the fish flakes and I buy organic lettuce(they really love it) tiger shirmp which I feed live and oh man is it a frenzy then. Then after two days I dry out the shrimp and grind it into a slight power or little granules and the fish love that too.
To start off I will give a complete history of my tank. Some of the info might be really in detail and uneccesary, but I want to mention everything.
on 11/24/04 I purchased a 20 gallon tank with acc. which include: heater, water filter, fish net, and ofcourse cover with light fixture. I also purchased a self syphon gravel cleaner, a rock decor, tons of plastic plants and 25lbs of gravel. In addition an airstone and airpump with the hoses and valves.
Ok with all that said I first filled the tank to check for leaks, cleaned it, got the water out. Then I cleaned the gravel and spread it nicely in the tank. Next the tank was filled and the appropriate level of a dechlorinator was added. Then the decor and plastic plants. Lastly the air stone, thermometer and water filter. Insterted a filter cartridge filled with carbon and turned everything on.
I let it cycle for aprox. five and a half days (should have waited longer) and then I purchased my first fish on 11/29/04. I did not have a test kit at this point so I do not have any numbers. The first fish were: 2 male red tuxedo platys (one was huge and had beautiful long fins), 2 female red velvet swordtails, and 2 albino cory catfish. I carefully examined the tanks they were purchased from for any dead or sick looking fish.
So only after 2 days (12/01/04) one of the velvets showed up a white pimple on her left fin (back then I was tottaly unaware of ich, but I still knew it was a bad sign). I went to the lfs where she was purchased and asked for help. The friendly lfs employee gave me a medication mixture and told me to pour it in my tank, it was a heavy blueish color. So I get home and pour it in and turn off the water filter. I let it do its work for 36 hours but the pimples kept showing up on her all over now. I was about to give up and return her. After a total of 48 hours of after pouring in the medication mixture I noticed that the second velvet showed a white pimple on her tail fin. At this point I gave up and netted both of the velvets and turned the filter back on. I exchanged them for 2 female tuxedo platys, one red and the other orange. After a day or two the blue hue was completely gone from the water and I changed the filter cartridge with a brand new one. When I returned the velvets the lfs did a test on my water and said everything is in great shape except the ammonia was really high, he told me not to add anymore fish and wait for the ammonia to drop, I asked what I could use to drop it quicker, he told me to get aquarium salt and some cycle treatment that has bacteria in it. So I did all that and even purchased my own test kit. Then suddenly that same night before I even added anything the beautful male platy with the long fins was strangely swimming near the top of the water, rather not swimming but staying still. The next morning he was dead. I netted him out returned him (with the 14day policy) and out of spite bought 2 khuli loaches.
I put in some plastic tubes inside the front of the tank and covered them with gravel with only the two ends emerging. The kuhlis love hanging out in there during the day and sometimes peek out and swim around the plants and search for food.
I kept testing my ammonia and it NEVER seemed to drop, it was always between 4 to 8ppm. (even to this day)
Feeling I was out of options I bought a product called Ammo-Lock and I don't know if that works since the tests will pick up the locked ammonia as if were still toxic.
During the entire month of december I did 10% water changes and syphoned the gravel nice and clean.
The fish seemed happy after everywater change, their fins were fully extended and they gained some pretty colors on their bodys and nice colors on their scales.
So on 1/1/05 I started to log everything I do and the results of tests. (I consider the month of december my newbie month)
On 1/1/05 my tests showed: ammonia: 4ppm, nitrate: 4ppm, nitrite: 2ppm, pH: 7.6
On 1/2/05 the pH was 7.7
On 1/4/05 ammonia was 6ppm, nitrate was 2ppm, nitrite was 3.5ppm, and the pH was 7.5
With all that said here are my questions:
1. My water changes are either a 10% (2gal) or a 20% (4gal). In either change half the new water is from bottled disstiled water and the other half is treated tap water. Is it ok to use disstiled water? eventually I want to use 100% of disstiled water in my changes. Ofcourse I have 5gal buckets with a heater and its own air pump to add oxygen to the water. My tank temp is 79-80 degrees and so is the water I change.
2. On 1/4/05 I purchased a female sunset platy for the sole reason to divide the stress between my other 2 female platys from the male. But the odd situation was that she was not nipping, but BITTING my orange platy directly on the side and it was so fierce that she pushed her down all the way to the gravel and the poor orange platy was wobbling or shaking due to it. She swam like a shark, up and down against the currents of the flow from the water filter and up and down with the air bubbles from the air stone. She was very aggresive towards ALL the fish in the tank. This caused more stress for the fish so I netted and returned her the next morning. Just for say all fish were acclimated for 15 minutes and water was added to their bag for another 15 minutes. They were then netted out of their store bags and into the tank making sure none of the store water got in. My question is how a this sunset female platy was so aggresive?
3. It is 1/5/05 and the same orange tuxedo platy that was attacked by the sunset platy is showing a slightly whiteish film on the side she was attacked on. It doesn't cover her entire side but only the upper middle part, with the exception of a spot right in the middle of that film! Ill try to get a picture. I know it sounds confusing but my guesses are either a fungus or she is healing from the attacks? She eats well, no problems there, any ideas?
4. Last question: the water filter that came with the tank kit looks crappy imo, I was thinking of getting a BIO wheel filter, I have heard good reviews about that, any input?
Thanks alot for reading this and I hope I can get some answers!
BLASK
P.S. I feed the fish flakes and I buy organic lettuce(they really love it) tiger shirmp which I feed live and oh man is it a frenzy then. Then after two days I dry out the shrimp and grind it into a slight power or little granules and the fish love that too.
put any more fish in it, your fish seem to be stressed and im guessing that the female who fought your fish was introduced into a tank which is in the process of cycling (when she had come from a cycled tank in the shop). Adding aquarium salt will help reduce fish stress. Water changes cant hurt your fish it can only help so daily 10% water changes should help your fish and keep testing the water daily and keep an eye on them. My tank is going through the process of cycling with fish , i have 8 red platys and i am on day 11 and all fish are fine.
).
/www.marineland.com/products/consume...guinfilters.asp
