What A Nice Man...

[Tizer]

You do a massive water change the morning before you are likely to add fish and not before. The plants wont take up much nitrates, whatever you have read, its far less than you think it will be. i.e. not really noticable.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

As Tizer stated, you do a water change at the end to remove the excess nitrates about 24 hours before you add fish. Water changes are advised in the case of a stalled cycle, to remove excess nitrates, excess nitrites (if the stall happens in phase two), but your cycle seems to be coming along very nicely. You are practically through phase 3, there is no reason to change anything right now. Just keep dosing and testing and when you get double zeros consistently at the 12 hour mark for 5-7 days, you are cycled and ready for fish. Keep dosing and testing though, until you are ready to actually get the fish. For example, if you can't get fish until Saturday and your cycle is completed on Wednesday, keep dosing on Thursday and Friday. Complete the water change either Friday night - if getting fish early Saturday, or Saturday morning - if getting fish Saturday evening. You could get away with a water change on Friday night, and getting fish Sunday, but you will have a little (10-20%) bacteria dieback if you wait that long. (Of course, unless you plan to add a complete bioload - aka fully stocked - to the tank immediately, that shouldn't be a concern.)


Once you have your fish, keep a close eye on your levels for a week or so, just to make sure that everything is still going as it should. Keep feedings to a minimum. FIsh need far less food than many believe. THeir stomach is only as big as their eye (on average) and they are cold-blooded, so they can easily go as long as a week without food from time to time without an issue. Many fishkeepers will fast their fish at least one day a week. Even a regular regimen of feeding every other day is fine.

 

[willowstwin]

I was reading up on fish biology and feeding and it seems very similar to when I kept my mice. They were fed the correct amount to give them enough energy/nutrients for their days activities, and then fasted on a weekend. I've been told by numerous people that even though the flake food box says "2 - 3 times daily for as much as they can eat in around 3 minutes" (or words to that effect, I'm at work so I don't have it in front of me to quote), those directions are wrong. Once a day with a fast day once or twice a week is what I've deduced from the different things I've been told.

Now all I need to do is figure out what fish to have hehe and decide between cherry shrimp or bumblebee (not sure if I can mix the two?)

 

[willowstwin]

ok... so.. double 0's, I know you're supposed to wait for double 0's for a week (been almost 4 full days now on 0 0), but I have made a decision (please don't flame me as I have a full plan)...

I figure that if my cycle has come about so quickly, it will now be able to manage the load of the 7 neon tetras I want, and the few cherry shrimp. So I'm going to do a massive water change and head to the lfs.

What I plan to do is monitor the water 3 times a day. I will make sure they're evenly spaced, so even if I have to get up in the middle of the night to check levels, I will. I have enough dechlor to do multiple water changes when needed, and (again, as with testing) if there's a spike in the middle of the night when I check, I'm willing to run up and down with buckets of water to keep them at safe happy levels.

I'll add the dwarf gourami (or honey, haven't decided yet) in a week or so. So this is kind of a fishless/fish-in mix, with VERY careful monitoring for the second part. I'm willing to test and water change as often as needed to keep these guys happy, although I'm sure that with the small tetra load, the cycle will be fine.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

4 days with double is fine IMO thats all i did, I must advise the neons and shrimp are not the best choices for a fresh tank even fully cycled. I would choose a couple of other fish that are a bit more hardy leave the tank to create it normal bio laod and add your noen and shrimp in 2-3 weeks.
All to common is my tank was cycled and i found dead shrimp/neons

 

[willowstwin]

ack... I got this message too late. I spoke with the lfs and he was very nice. He refused to sell me the shrimp (even though I didn't badger him) as he said he wanted my tank set up with fish in it to mature for at least 6 weeks before he even considered selling me any sensitive shrimp, and 8 weeks before the gourami, as they're sensitive also. Quote "I couldn't care less about your money love, just the welfare of the fish and shrimp"... he tested the water sample I went in with, which he was happy with, but he wants weekly samples of my water, as he says that the tank is not fully mature until it's had fish in it for so long. He let me leave with no more than 5 neon tetras and some plants. They've been in the tank 3 hours now (including introduction time) and they're starting to seperate out of the school and explore. Only in short 10 second bursts before they quickly get back to the group, but they're settling. The plants are nice and healthy too. The lfs said in a

So, here we go... tri-daily testing (using another members method of only testing half the tubes level of water, so you only use half as many drops of the test solutions), and just watching for any problems.

I'll get a picture up later so you all can see (although I'm not happy with the sticky left over from a sticker that was on the front of the tank). I don't have any tank backing yet, but that doesn't bother me at the moment. All I care about it that the fish are happy.

 

[This Younger Spouse]

ack... I got this message too late. I spoke with the lfs and he was very nice. He refused to sell me the shrimp (even though I didn't badger him) as he said he wanted my tank set up with fish in it to mature for at least 6 weeks before he even considered selling me any sensitive shrimp, and 8 weeks before the gourami, as they're sensitive also. Quote "I couldn't care less about your money love, just the welfare of the fish and shrimp"... he tested the water sample I went in with, which he was happy with, but he wants weekly samples of my water, as he says that the tank is not fully mature until it's had fish in it for so long. He let me leave with no more than 5 neon tetras and some plants. They've been in the tank 3 hours now (including introduction time) and they're starting to seperate out of the school and explore. Only in short 10 second bursts before they quickly get back to the group, but they're settling. The plants are nice and healthy too. The lfs said in a

So, here we go... tri-daily testing (using another members method of only testing half the tubes level of water, so you only use half as many drops of the test solutions), and just watching for any problems.

I'll get a picture up later so you all can see (although I'm not happy with the sticky left over from a sticker that was on the front of the tank). I don't have any tank backing yet, but that doesn't bother me at the moment. All I care about it that the fish are happy.

Just read through this whole thread. As always, it was a bit of an education, with a few laughs thrown in.

Willowstwin, I think you've found your LFS man. It's a shame there aren't a lot more like him.

 

[This Old Spouse]

You should be able to use a little vegetable oil on the sticker on the front to get it off. That and a razor blade. Vinegar could also work.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

You should be able to use a little vegetable oil on the sticker on the front to get it off. That and a razor blade. Vinegar could also work.

+1 mr sheen works too lol

 

[This Old Spouse]

I don't use any chemicals to clean the tank ...

 

[This Younger Spouse]

In the FWIW category, I also think it would be great to have a few responsible LFS owners as TFF members/participants. I think I've seen posts from a couple members who work at fish stores, and that's a good perspective. Lots of things a person doesn't understand unless they're involved first hand. I bet owning a LFS is one of them.

 

[willowstwin]

hehe he's certainly a character, and he gave me really good advice, but with that advice he also refused to sell me more fish than he thinks my tank can handle for now. in a week I can have a couple more tetras (making up my full school) and then after the tank has matured a bit more, he'll sell me the gourami and the shrimp, but only when he's happy.

I think the problem with "old school" lfs's on here, is that they may argue that their methods have worked all these years, and that may cause friction between them and the "new school" fish keepers lol. Got to be wary of that tension - people stuck in their ways can be very bullheaded about the fact that they are right because thats what they've always done.

As for my wee fishies my tetras are doing fantastic so far... very active, the tri-daily testing has proved to show no changes apart from a slight nitrite spike last night, which had disappeared by the next test. The fish have (if this is even possible) become shinier than when I first bought them. They practically glow now when the light it on. They're absolutely gorgeous little things

 

[willowstwin]

hmmm I jinxed it... water tests are still fine, but the rest of the tetras are playing in the filter current, and follow each other everywhere, but 1 is staying in the corner of the tank all alone hardly moving. He looks fine, as in shiney scales, no spots, etc, and every now and again, the others seem to go to him as if to say "oi, are you coming, follow us" but he's not interested.

Water levels are fine.. double 0's and nitrates only at 60.... I'll keep an eye on him... really don't want casualties with water levels as nice as they are. Could it be stress? they were put in on saturday morning, so I don't think it was my introduction that hurt - or could it be? because the rest are fine...

*insert edit*...
errm... ok... maybe he was asleep? I looked over as I pressed send and waited for the page to refresh, and he came from behind the ornament and is now playing with the rest.... I was so worried!! do fish have lazy moments?

 

[Caprichoso]

Yeah, it's normal for fish to sit alone...it's only a problem if the fish isn't eating or doesn't look healthy and spends all day hiding (unless it's a solitary species, which your fish isn't) or if the others are bullying it.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Looks like you have a sulky tetra.

Probably would wear a hoody if it could.


Tom