What To Add After A Restart?

[mattdillon100]

So after some very poor advise from a guy in an aquarium shop, I lost a platy within a week of owning, and will sorely be missed. My tank was too small so I am picking up a new 3ft one tomorrow.

I have (left) a small angel, Congo tetra and tiny bristlenose.

I have been told I need to get at least 5 more tetras for him to be happy. Is there anything else I should know? As you can imagine, my trust in local aquarium shops has been lost and I'm sure my fish are in better hands with me asking all you experts.

I appreciate the help

 

[fluttermoth]

Is your current tank cycled?

 

[508]

Unless you can transfer the media over from your old tank (if it's cycled) you should wait and cycle or you'll lose them as well

 

[mattdillon100]

I was unaware and untold about cycling the tank. Have just read the guide and am so angry with the guy in the shop. Taking the fish back isn't an option, is there anything I can do for the time my new tank is cycling?

I have some water stabilizer and have been adding a very small amount (according to instructions) each day.

I'm sorry, I am so new to this and I really am angry that I was so misinformed.

 

[fluttermoth]

Don't feel too bad; honestly, we see people in your situation all the time, sadly.
 
You really need some test kits, so you can monitor the levels of ammonia and nitrite and keep them low with plenty of water changes. Get liquid or tablet based ones, not the paper strip kind (they're very inaccurate and often don't have a test for ammonia included).
 
Until you get some, I would advise changing half the water, every day.

 

[jimboshrimp]

Hi I had the same problem as you I wasn't told about cycling tank before fish added but I am now on the other side (thankfully  found this site) the horrible ammonia nitrite spikes constant water changes to bring levels down etc ,then massive ich outbreak as their immune systems were so battered  I have only got 5 neon tetras left after my poor zebra danios, golden barbs, rabbit snail, and shrimps all lost their poor lives .
please get a water liquid test and follow all the advise given on here the are wonderful helpful people who know what they are talking about I cant thank them enough
Angie

 

[mattdillon100]

Thank you so much Angie and Fluttermoth. I'm glad I inquired on here before it was too late. My other fish seem to be doing fine now. Am doing water 50% water change every 2nd day and using stability fluid too. Will start doing more regular water changes.
 
I have a 3ft tank now (the thing holds 180l and looks very out of place in my little apartment!). I filled it a couple of day ago and am leaving it to settle for a while before I move the fish in. I believe a couple of weeks is recommended. I am getting a test kit this weekend and will keep an eye on both tanks.
 
I Can't wait to know for sure that my fish are going to be OK. And I'm really excited about this new tank!

 

[Mamashack]

Thank you so much Angie and Fluttermoth. I'm glad I inquired on here before it was too late. My other fish seem to be doing fine now. Am doing water 50% water change every 2nd day and using stability fluid too. Will start doing more regular water changes.
 
I have a 3ft tank now (the thing holds 180l and looks very out of place in my little apartment!). I filled it a couple of day ago and am leaving it to settle for a while before I move the fish in. I believe a couple of weeks is recommended. I am getting a test kit this weekend and will keep an eye on both tanks.
 
I Can't wait to know for sure that my fish are going to be OK. And I'm really excited about this new tank!

It will still be the same in a couple of weeks Matt! To properly prepare a tank for fish (fishless cycle) requires the addition of ammonia and testing for evidence of bacterial activity to eventually reduce the nitrogenous waste (ammonia) to less harmful substances (nitrAtes). Have a read of the fishless cycling article - the link is at the end of my signature or at the top of every forum page and is called Cycling a tank.

 

[Elena]

If you can move your old filter into the new tank and some of the gravel with it you can move your fish over to the new tank. That's what I did with mine and I didn't loose one fish. Just keep up with the water changes, I did 40% daily water changes because my tank wasn't fully cycled, I didn't clean the gravel every time just replaced the dirty water with the clean and that helped a lot.

 

[fluttermoth]

As your current tank is so small (I think it's 20l?), I would seriously recommend you don't do a fishless cycle on the larger tank, but move the fish in straight away (once you've checked the filter and heater are working, that there are no leaks etc).
 
Doing fish-in cycles is a tricky business, but the larger volume of water will mean that it will take much longer for the toxins (ammonia and nitrite) to build up to dangerous levels.
 
Do transfer all the current filter media to the new filter, in case you have already got some bacterial growth going on.