first some background...i just got into the hobby of fish about two months ago...i started with a 10gal tank and acting under the advice of a walmart employee, i ended up getting 3 tiger barbs and 3 tinfoil barbs, after being told that all i had to do to set the tank up was run the filter for a couple days.
well, after losing one fish and doing a bunch of research, i know now i'm lucky to have only lost one fish. anyway, i recently purcharsed a used 55gal tank to move all my fish into. the previous owner had a bunch of algy growth on the sides of the tank and on the gravel that sat on the bottom. i purchased a new filter for it and let the algy and gravel sit in the tank for a little while before changing it out, i figured the good bacteria would still be in the tank, so it'd make my cycling process shorter.
i think it worked, after doing 20-30% water changed ever couple of days, i saw all my chemcial levels in the "safe" range (i'm using a quick dip strip tester). they do have numbers next to the colors, but i don't have the number with me (i'm posting from work). anyway, everything looked good for a couple days so i moved over just my 3 tiger barbs last night. this morning when i went to feel them, one of them looks really glossy, more than usual, and he also looks darker. i don't see any white spots so i don't think its ich...i'm really not sure what it is.
could it be from the stress of moving him over? i took a bag and filled it 1/4 of the way with water from the new tank, and 1/4 of the way with water from the 10gal, and slowly added more and after about 45 mins i put them in.
i added new gravel in the tank about 3 or 4 days ago, did a water change the day after the gravel was added, and checked for chemicals about and hour before i added the fish. as i said before, i don't have numbers right now, but i'll get them as soon a i get home.
i planted two very small patches of plants in the tank...kinda look like grass, i'm blanking on the official name of it.
anyone with any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.
well, after losing one fish and doing a bunch of research, i know now i'm lucky to have only lost one fish. anyway, i recently purcharsed a used 55gal tank to move all my fish into. the previous owner had a bunch of algy growth on the sides of the tank and on the gravel that sat on the bottom. i purchased a new filter for it and let the algy and gravel sit in the tank for a little while before changing it out, i figured the good bacteria would still be in the tank, so it'd make my cycling process shorter.
i think it worked, after doing 20-30% water changed ever couple of days, i saw all my chemcial levels in the "safe" range (i'm using a quick dip strip tester). they do have numbers next to the colors, but i don't have the number with me (i'm posting from work). anyway, everything looked good for a couple days so i moved over just my 3 tiger barbs last night. this morning when i went to feel them, one of them looks really glossy, more than usual, and he also looks darker. i don't see any white spots so i don't think its ich...i'm really not sure what it is.
could it be from the stress of moving him over? i took a bag and filled it 1/4 of the way with water from the new tank, and 1/4 of the way with water from the 10gal, and slowly added more and after about 45 mins i put them in.
i added new gravel in the tank about 3 or 4 days ago, did a water change the day after the gravel was added, and checked for chemicals about and hour before i added the fish. as i said before, i don't have numbers right now, but i'll get them as soon a i get home.
i planted two very small patches of plants in the tank...kinda look like grass, i'm blanking on the official name of it.
anyone with any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.
