I have Jewel Rio 400 installed with plants and the first few fish 21st June. I have 12 Zebra Danios (2 since died), 12 Scissortails and 10 Glowlight tetras. I have done a water check, PH 7.4, AM 0.6, No2 0.2, No3 7, followed by a 40% water change. Today 2 days later water check is PH 7.2 AM 0.6, No2 0.1, No3 5. I dont understand the significance of these figures, but I can see food dropping to the bottom that these fish have no interest in. I feel I need a scavenger to mop the bits up. I have been told I already have more fish than is healty and buying more would be fatal for them. Can any one advise please?
First fish
- Thread starter andrewcollier
- Start date
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
How did you cycle the tank ?
Your ammonia is at savagely toxic levels if your test kit is accurate - what are you testing with ? Your nitrite is not good either.
The first significance of the figures is that there is insufficient bacterial colonies in your tank (in the gravel, the filter media especially) to process the waste from your many fish.
In your tank, bacterial colonies act on ammonia to produce nitrites. A second form of bacteria then act on nitrite to produce nitrate. Nitrate is damaging to fish at levels at certain levels (some people say 40 ppm, I prefer to keep them at 20 or less - you do this by water changes and gravel vaccing). Ammonia and Nitrite are toxic and can cause fish death at any levels really, but especially at .25 ppm. So the real significance of your test results is that your water is currently poisoning your fish.
You need to make sure you have a good liquid test kit, use it twice daily, do water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite below .25ppm.
I suspect the real reason you are seeing fish not interested in the food is because they are suffering from the toxic effects of, in particular, the ammonia.
A product called Seachem Prime is useful for detoxifying ammonia especially in an emergency/while cycling - its not however a substitute for water changes. It is also a dechlorinator and probably the best out there.
Forget about other fish - currently your water will kill off those you have unless you get cracking on the testing and the water changing.
Water change daily.
If you have a seperate tank to put the fish in, do it. Fish produce ammonia and nitrites when they poop, so less fish helps the problem, then slowly introduce them, prolly only a couple at a time.
Get the ammonia to 0 and the same with nitrites. I'm surprised your fish are alive with it all the way to 6ppm... mine was at 1.2, and I was startled (Gravel Vacc + WC = 0 Ammonia / trItes, 15 trAtes).
Only feed a few pieces of food at a time, and try to underfeed. The less your fish eat, the less they poop. The less you feed, the less ammonia there is.
Once you have 0 ammonia and 0 NitrItes, get some corydoras. Actually, could you say the exact size of your tank? How many gallons? How long, wide, and tall?
If you have a seperate tank to put the fish in, do it. Fish produce ammonia and nitrites when they poop, so less fish helps the problem, then slowly introduce them, prolly only a couple at a time.
Get the ammonia to 0 and the same with nitrites. I'm surprised your fish are alive with it all the way to 6ppm... mine was at 1.2, and I was startled (Gravel Vacc + WC = 0 Ammonia / trItes, 15 trAtes).
Only feed a few pieces of food at a time, and try to underfeed. The less your fish eat, the less they poop. The less you feed, the less ammonia there is.
Once you have 0 ammonia and 0 NitrItes, get some corydoras. Actually, could you say the exact size of your tank? How many gallons? How long, wide, and tall?
doing that would not solve the problem it would only create more in the other tank, especially if it is uncycled. water changes are the answer here, not moving the fish and stressing them out even more than they are.
it sounds like this tank is starting to finish off the cycle, but you still need to keep the ammoina and nitrite levels low.
bottom feeders should not be fed essentially scraps that have fallen from the surface; they need regular food like all of the other fish. try too feed less at one time so the fish have a chance to polish off all of the food, and then feed a little bit more.
Thanks for the advice.
I must be one of the many folk you find just starting, thinking they can progress a lot faster, but the truth is I went to an established retailer, asked if the individual had experience to give guidance on fist fish, gave details of tank size and when I had filled it. The only fish on the "First fish list" were the zebras. I felt I needed more and was surprised to be offered as suitable the scissor tails and tetras which I understood were on the 2nd fish list.
Everyone I have had contact with agrees I should have been offered just the zebras and I was given bad advice. So far though the water checks are showing similar readings as before and I have not had any more deaths.
My tank is a Jewell Rio 400 (litres) 5ft long
This is a steep leaning curve for me!
I am going on holiday next week, for a week. It sounds like I would be better doing a water change just before I go, then not feeding them for the week. I was intending to leave that to my adult daughter, but where as she is responsible and will do as told, the fish may be better off on a fast.
zebra danios are often recommened as a first fish by stores as they are tougher than some other fish and are cheap, so it they do get poisoned by the ammonia and nitrite dring the cycle, you didn't lose much money. seriously though, LFS's (local fish stores) are usually more interested in selling you fish (yours died? here's a few more) than helping you start up your tank without any losses. they make more money selling you fish and useless chemicals (cycle, TLC, etc) than teaching you about water changes and the nitrogen cycle.
if you go on vacation and don't want the fish fed, HIDE THE FOOD! friends, neighbors, pet-sitters etc. . . all tend to overfeed in the best of intentions, resulting in nasty tanks and sick or dead fish when you return. situations like that have been posted quite often here. unless you can absolutely trust your daughter not to give in to the beggng fish, i would take the food with you or something.
if you go on vacation and don't want the fish fed, HIDE THE FOOD! friends, neighbors, pet-sitters etc. . . all tend to overfeed in the best of intentions, resulting in nasty tanks and sick or dead fish when you return. situations like that have been posted quite often here. unless you can absolutely trust your daughter not to give in to the beggng fish, i would take the food with you or something.