View Full Version : Trying to cycle a new 29g tank with Platy... Hmm...
It's been exactly 3 days since I added the fishes, and I still have zero ammonia. Should I add more fish?
My tank:
- 29g
- 3 Platys
- Java Moss (one "ball, about 20cm in diameter)
- Java Fern (all still short, at 10cm or less).
Water:
- pH 7.8 (with Baking Soda)
- GH 80ppm
- KH 100ppm (with Baking Soda)
- about 80F
My Aqua Clear only uses the sponge filter - no carbon or ammonia remover.
I was planning to add the following once cycled, in this order:
- 2 X Pearl Gourami (about 2 inches each)
- 3 X Albino Cory (1.5 inch each)
- 8 X Neon Tetra (less than 1 inch each)
- 2 X Oto (2 inch each)
Should I add Gouramis now or further wait for Platy to produce ammonia?
OrionGirl
08-08-2003, 9:57 PM
No. If you leave the platies in there, monitoring for ammonia and taking action if needed, the bacteria will develop slowly and the exposure level will be very low. Keep in mind that hobbyist test kits are NOT that precise, and do not detect low levels of ammonia. If you have a professional water testing lab run through your water, they will report ammonia and nitrite, even from a cycled tank that is not showing ammonia on a hobbyist kit.
So, I would let the tank run for a minimum of 2 weeks between additions of fish, and do water changes to keep the ammonia level below 1. Slowly adding the fish allows the bacteria to catch up and find the balance.
yhbae
08-08-2003, 10:17 PM
Thanks for the feedback!
So in my case, is there a need for water change? I haven't done it since I started the tank as I couldn't detect any ammonia so far. I've been feeding flakes and dried worms once a day, just enough so that Platies can eat for few minutes without any leftovers...
My original plan was to do 20% change weekly unless I see any sign of ammonia in which case, change more frequently.
Since you are already cycling with fish I would do that 20% water change every week. And like Oriongirl said wait a couple weeks between new fish additions. This will of course make for a slow cycle but in the end it will reduce the stress on your fish and not shorten their lives.
If you could get your hands on some filter media from someone elses tank then this would really speed up the process.
Also make sure not to change the filter media, but instead just rinse it out when doing water changes to get rid of built up gunk. This will help preserve the good bacteria.
yhbae
08-09-2003, 12:55 PM
Great! Sounds good...
I just did 10% water change (my first ever!) and realized that there's more fish waste in the gravel than I expected... I may go with 10% twice a week instead of 20% weekly. Would this be better? I treat water by leaving indoor for 24 hours, and add Stress Coat.
(Just for a note - it took me about 50 attempts to get the water to go up the gravel vac tube... :D I kind of found a way to do this accidentally, but at one point, I felt like sucking up some air from the other side of the tube with my mouth!...)
On a different note, does anyone see a problem with my stocking plan? Too much fish perhaps? (Remember, I plan to have decent amount of Java Fern/Moss.) The footprint of my tank is 30 inch by 12 inch.
Appreciate any feedback...
That should be a fine stocking, though those platies might just breed a whole bunch. Be careful with Ottos. They seem to be quite hard to get established into a new tank with lots of deaths. Make sure your tank is well cycled before adding them.
10% 2 times is fine. The stress coat is a dechlorinator. That is allyou need. Don't worry about that aloe vera protective junk. In the wild fish don't tend to coat themselves with aloe vera. Most of the dechlorinators will do the job well. And proper water changes will promote healthy fish with a healthy slime coat.
Alright!
So I'll continue cycling the tank with only the Platies and wait until it is completely done, then will start to add the Gouramies. (2 weeks apart between additional species?) It's reassuraing to hear that my plan will not overstock the tank. Thanks for the feedback!
(As for the Platies, I bought it as my little daughter absolutely wanted to have that one - Sunset Tailwag variety over every other fish in the store... Once other species are stocked, I'll probably buy another breeder tank, perhaps a 15g long, and try to breed it separately...)
Unless you have a plan for the offspring I would just let them breed in the regular tank. The fry will probably get eaten, and any survivors you will be able to take to the LFS. Often they take them for credit. I have three platys, well now I have 11. As soon as the little ones grow up they will be headed out of the tank to the LFS. They are nice fish, hardy and will pick at algae as well.
I figure platys are a great choice for people who have smaller tanks but really want goldfish.
And yes, waiting a couple of weeks between adding species should be a good idea and everything should work out. Plus it will give you a chance to get to know the new spieces well and make any alterations that you might need. If you have aggression troubles when adding new fish it is often a good idea to move plants and decorations around as this makes the fish have to re-establish their territories.
How much do you get for fries of Platies? (Well, for a store credit at least) I guess this depends on the maturity, but for few months old fries, do you receive enough $$ to make it worth while? (i.e. more than the cost of gas?)
Mine I give away for free at the moment. This is not a money making scheme. And really I would rather if they didn't breed, but it isn't going to stop. Most petstores have tanks full of platys so they aren't super interested in more as they aren't worth a lot in resale.
Definitely wasn't looking for a money making scheme, but enough to cover the food and other maintenance costs... And who knows, I may like it more than I thought I would and... :D
pinballqueen
08-10-2003, 6:25 PM
hmmm... I breed convicts (rather, they breed and I watch them helplessly as they fill my tank with Eyeballs with Fins...). I can't even give them away most of the time.
Most fish stores might *maybe* give you a dime apiece for them as juveniles but not fry (unless you breed a rare fish or a unique strain they can get more than a buck apiece for). It might cover the gas to take them down, however, and trust me on this, you'll be going to the lfs on a regular basis anyhow :D... I go to mine to hang out and watch the fish I can't have just yet... :D Getting rid of cons is just a perk... my lfs usually feeds the young fish he gets from me and the other fortunate con and guppy owners to the Alcatraz tank.
I am assuming that most fries are worth close to nothing until they grow close to their maturity. I hear Platies take about 4 months to reach this level?
10 cents sounds very little - probably will barely be enough to cover the gas + depreciation cost of the car for the trip... :D
How about a fully mature convicts? They must be worth more...
pinballqueen
08-11-2003, 1:10 PM
I don't really know, I know my fish store sells them for $10 each, so I'd say he pays 2-3 for them. I don't really have the room to keep them until they reach "sellable" size, so I don't know how much he would give for them.