New to aquariums, and now I'm in trouble :(

[Cryptina]

Hi all. I'm new to the boards. And I'm pretty much new to keeping an aquarium. I've had tanks in the past, but had absolutely no idea about how to keep fish... and all of them ended up dying on me.

So, I'm pregnant... and we decided to go with a pirate themed nursery. And for a "nightlight", of sorts, I thought it would be rather nice to have a freshwater aquarium. Hubby and I went out and bought a ten gallon tank, got it set up... waited a week... and were told {at the pet store} that all of our levels looked great and that we were ready for fish.

Not the case AT ALL. First off, we had no idea that we were supposed to cycle the tank WITH bacteria. No one told us, and since we didn't know to ask... we didn't ask.

We ended up buying three danios on April 13. Brought them home, set them up in the tank... almost immediately {that next day} our nitrite spiked to 5 ppm. I did a partial water change {which I read I should do on another freshwater aquarium site}, which brought the levels down. Still, the next day they were back up to 5 ppm. Another partial water change. Eventually the nitrite level ended up on 10 ppm. The fish didn't seem to be having difficulties {that we could tell}. I continued to do partial water changes. I also bought a gravel vacuum to aid in the water changes.

A week later and we were still at the same level. Went back to the pet store and asked what we should do. We were told to buy a otocinclus catfish - because they eat waste {LIARS! We now know better!}. And to STOP changing the water... else the good bacteria would keep being eliminated.

Now we have four fish, which has pretty much killed our nitrite levels! They continue to stay at 10 ppm on a daily basis. I keep changing the water {partial changes - 25 to 50% rotated every other day} in hopes that the fish won't die on me.

I did a 50% partial water change tonight and the level dropped to 5 ppm.

Please help me! I have no idea what to do... and I'm so sad that my little danios and catfish are in danger.

[SchizotypalVamp]

Use Prime or Amquel plus dechlorinator in your water changes and overdose a lil' bit(not too much, of course!:)) It'll detoxify the nitrite so that it's harmless to your fish but the bacteria still eats it. You will still see it on the test kit so it's impossible to know how well it worked, but it will help!

Aka dechlorinate the water before it goes in and then add a tiny bit to the tank

You can also add some hornwort.

Danios are hardy little fish and you're pregnant! Take a deep breath, and we're totally here to help you.

[Lupin]

:welcome: to AC!

Do you have a friend who has an established tank? Borrow the used filter media and use it in your tank. Make sure though the tanks are not riddled with diseases. This may help increase the speed of cycling thus saving you from lots of trouble and stress.:)

Once you are done, you can start with a few male endler's livebearers or guppies. No females this time. They breed rather quickly and any additional fry can strain your tank's capacity to handle bioloads. Otos can be kept there but buy them only once you are sure your tank's water conditions have stabilized. Growing algae is not difficult at all. All you need is put a pinch of fishfood in a bucket of water containing small rocks. Put the bucket under direct sunlight. Expect algae in a few days. You can alternately use the algae-coated rocks to feed the otos. API liquid test kit is best recommended for accuracy of water parameter results.

[Cryptina]

:welcome: to AC!

Do you have a friend who has an established tank? Borrow the used filter media and use it in your tank. Make sure though the tanks are not riddled with diseases. This may help increase the speed of cycling thus saving you from lots of trouble and stress.:)

I don't, actually. Could I do the same thing with some type of media from the pet store? Or would that be to risky, as the store fish could be sick?

[Lupin]

I don't, actually. Could I do the same thing with some type of media from the pet store? Or would that be to risky, as the store fish could be sick?
It is up to you whether to trust your store or not. If not, try other shops. Be observant of the inhabitants' conditions. This will help you indicate whether it is safe to ask their filter media or not.

I edited my post above so you'll need to reread the last paragraph.:)

[Cryptina]

Use Prime or Amquel plus dechlorinator in your water changes and overdose a lil' bit(not too much, of course!:)) It'll detoxify the nitrite so that it's harmless to your fish but the bacteria still eats it. You will still see it on the test kit so it's impossible to know how well it worked, but it will help!

Aka dechlorinate the water before it goes in and then add a tiny bit to the tank

You can also add some hornwort.

Danios are hardy little fish and you're pregnant! Take a deep breath, and we're totally here to help you.

We were told by one of the store employees that Amquel was a good thing to use, but at the time of our last purchase they were sold out! I'll go out tomorrow and look again.

I have been dechlorinating the water with every change. So far so good in that aspect. Should I keep doing daily water changes?? Someone else, on another thread somewhere here, had been told to do water changes twice daily. Should I do that instead?

I really appreciate the advice! :)

[Cryptina]

:welcome: to AC!

Once you are done, you can start with a few male endler's livebearers or guppies. No females this time. They breed rather quickly and any additional fry can strain your tank's capacity to handle bioloads. Otos can be kept there but buy them only once you are sure your tank's water conditions have stabilized. Growing algae is not difficult at all. All you need is put a pinch of fishfood in a bucket of water containing small rocks. Put the bucket under direct sunlight. Expect algae in a few days. You can alternately use the algae-coated rocks to feed the otos. API liquid test kit is best recommended for accuracy of water parameter results.

I'm not sure we'll have to deal with babies, as we have three danios but they are all different types... one zebra, one leopard, and one gold. Not sure if babies are possible?

I do have algae wafers for my oto. We had live plants, but ended up removing them because they looked just awful, and the roots were starting to "rot" {for lack of a better word}.

I'll look for an API liquid test kit tomorrow :)

[Lupin]

The important thing is to minimize your burden. Once a day done daily is fine.:)

[Lady G]

OH, honey....you poor thing. You will find unfortunately many LFS will give you the wrong advice. My biggest advice at this point would be to relax, it will all come together for you and try not to worry your self to much :)

Keep up with water changes, adding the Prime or Amquel Plus. If you can get a python it makes water changes much easier, no buckets required.

You came to the right place though there are many here that will help you every step of the way!

We have all been there at one point, I know I was :grinyes:

[KarlTh]

The water changes disrupting cycle thing is a myth - the bacteria don't live in the water, but on the surfaces. Water changes are required - 95% a day if necessary - to keep the nitrite below lethal levels.

I personally advise adding 1/2 a teaspoon of salt for every 10 gallons in these situations because chloride competes with nitrite for uptake at the fishes' gills. You need to maintain that level in proportion when you do water changes.

[Reddog80p]

Just wondering if you have a good liquid testing kit like API's freshwater master test kit? The test strips are very innacurate and hard to read. Just keep up with your water changes and feed only what your fish can fully consume in 2 minutes or so. Danios are very hardy fish depending on the stock. Bacteria in a bottle only empties your purse/wallet, so leave it on the shelf. Welcome to AC! :thumbsup:

[desertwitch]

I'm so sorry this is stressing you out! Your levels aren't deadly though so you can relax a bit. One thing to note is that live plants are very beneficial to your tank levels. They produce oxygen (O2) and absorb the carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia (NH3) that your fish generate. Adding some back in would be a good thing. Just make sure you remove and parts that begin to die. Also, live plants don't like salt in their water so go easy with that. I'm sure your tank will stabilize quickly - sounds like you are very conscientious! Good luck!

[Cryptina]

Well, I told hubby that the pet store had no idea what it was talking about... as he seemed to believe everything they said... and thought that leaving the tank alone, with the nitrite level as high as it was, was o.k.

Today we changed 50% of the water, which dropped the nitrite levels to 3ppm. I also added Amquel as suggested.

We have added freshwater salt, back about a week ago, I forgot to mention that. We bought some in hopes that the fish would survive.

We also have quite a bit of air bubbles; in the form of an airstone, a decoration, and part of the filter... which I've been told can help. Especially with the Amquel, since it takes oxygen out of the water.

We only have the test strips at the moment. The liquid kit is a bit more than we can afford at the moment... but something we will look into getting as soon as finances can afford us that luxery. Inaccurate or not, the test strips are better than nothing, yes?

I've also been told, by a friend of mine on myspace, that live plants will bring snails along with them. Are these a problem? I've been scooping them out of the tank when I see them. I know you can buy snails at the pet store... wasn't sure if they were the same thing, or if they are a nuisance?

One of the plants we bought kind of fell apart in the water... and left debris all over everything. We're still trying to clean that mess up. :(

[SchizotypalVamp]

Live plants can, but if you inspect the plants before and wash them in hot water it lessens the chances, plus the chances of any other nasties entering the tank. I do the same thing with picking them off(I didn't wash my first batch of plants, lol). The little pond snails can reproduce asexually, and in some cases can overrun a tank, though it has been mentioned on the forums before by a very experienced person that this generally happens when they have an excess food.
The mystery and apple snails sold in stores don't reproduce asexually. Mystery snails can burrow in the substrate, which is especially useful with sand which is a great substrate but can compact. When sand compacts it can release sulfur into the aquarium(this has never happened to some people, but to others killed all their fish). Snails are also fun to look at, though they are poop machines. Snails discussion later, though(and there are much more knowledgeable people than me on them).
What sort of lighting and plants do you have? Can you give us your watts per gallon?
This may sound stupid, but is it a fluorescent bulb?

You sound as if you're a concerned, caring person who's doing all they can and I really hope this works out well for you.

[excuzzzeme]

For new tank set-up with fish I dose one time 1 teaspoon salt for every 5 gallons. (As long as you have no tetras). Danios are extremely hardy and often used to cycle tanks.

Karl is correct in stating that bacteria live on the glass and in the substrate. Personally, I do a 50% wc every other day on a new tank with fish. I do it for 2 weeks. When using Danios, I do not test water constantly. I test 1x a week as it needs at least 24-48 hrs to stabilize after a change. Adding an air stone of some fashion will help the water to off-gas better and create more water surface to add oxygen into the water. (The airstone itself doesn't add O2). Off-gassing the water will cause a faster depletion of CO2 and other gases which will allow for faster absorption of O2 by surface water. Bacteria need O2 to develop.

I also carry over substrate from one tank to a new one when possible or carry over a filter. When neither is possible, I do NOT clean my gravel for at least 2 weeks. When fully cycled I clean gravel and do a 25% WC weekly. If I vacuum gravel I do not change filter, If it is filter change time, I still do WC but do not clean gravel.

[Cryptina]

What sort of lighting and plants do you have? Can you give us your watts per gallon?
This may sound stupid, but is it a fluorescent bulb?

You sound as if you're a concerned, caring person who's doing all they can and I really hope this works out well for you.

It's a 10 gallon tank we bought at {heaven forbid!} Walmart. It came with the hood, which included two lightbulbs. They aren't fluorescent. I have absolutely no idea what the wattage is, as it isn't on the bulbs... and the box is *long* gone.

I'm not sure what the live plants we bought were, but we had four of them. The one that made the large mess was tossed the first night. It looked like moss... and has left fronds all over everything. I'm still handpicking those out when I see them. When we realized the nitrites were high, we pulled the live plants out to clean the gravel, and realized the roots were pretty much black and rotting. So we tossed those as well. Now we only have plastic/fabric plants... about five of them.

[Lupin]

Mystery snails can burrow in the substrate, which is especially useful with sand which is a great substrate but can compact.
You meant the Malaysian trumpet snails. Their hard shell covering reduces their number of predators as well and are harder to crush compared to the common pond snails (Physas sp.).
When sand compacts it can release sulfur into the aquarium(this has never happened to some people, but to others killed all their fish).
It will release if disturbed.

[Lupin]

It's a 10 gallon tank we bought at {heaven forbid!} Walmart. It came with the hood, which included two lightbulbs. They aren't fluorescent. I have absolutely no idea what the wattage is, as it isn't on the bulbs... and the box is *long* gone.

I'm not sure what the live plants we bought were, but we had four of them. The one that made the large mess was tossed the first night. It looked like moss... and has left fronds all over everything. I'm still handpicking those out when I see them. When we realized the nitrites were high, we pulled the live plants out to clean the gravel, and realized the roots were pretty much black and rotting. So we tossed those as well. Now we only have plastic/fabric plants... about five of them.
Be careful when buying plants. Most plants sold are not truly aquatic and will only rot if remain submerged. Try Elodea densa to start with or Java moss.

[Marinemom]

A nice sturdy plant that does not take a lot of light and will not fall apart in the water is anubias. There are several different kinds from short cute ones to tall pretty ones. You may want to consider them since they are also considered a beginner plant for live planted tanks.

Marinemom

[THE V]

Try Elodea densa to start with or Java moss.

Just to mess with everyone it has been re-name to Egeria densa for the tropical type and Elodea canandensis for the North American type. It is also sold under its very old name of Anachris. This is probably the easiest plant to grow to remove nitrogen.

It sounds like you have the two 25W incandescent tube bulbs in the hood. If you want to grow some really nice looking plants you can replace them with two 13W CFL's or even the 19W ones if they will fit.

[SchizotypalVamp]

Thanks for correcting me Lupin. That's embarrassing ,two mistakes in two days, lol. Grrrr.

Most plants will not grow at all under an incandescent bulb :(.
However, when I switched to this aquarium, I didn't notice that I had an incadescent bulb and some plants grow under it:
Anubias Barterii, Red Wendtii Crypt, and Java Moss. My windelov fern (a variant of java fern), bacopa and moss ball were at a standstill. Some that would probably also work besides those mentioned, even under incandescents, are water sprite and hornwort.

Do you remember the names of the plants at all? You said you were tight on money, so the problem is probably the only way to save the plants would be either to go out and get higher lighting or to scrap them and order cheap off here :). You can order plants for very, very cheap in the classifieds. Actually, you may be able to sell them in the classifieds. If you don't know what they are, you can post for IDs in the plant section.

Edit: The Crypt was probably growing because I have ecocomplete, a special substrate. If you have regular gravel and can find laterite, you can mix it in. How is that spelled?

[Lupin]

Thanks for correcting me Lupin. That's embarrassing ,two mistakes in two days, lol. Grrrr.
It's okay. We make mistakes. Even I do.:)
Most plants will not grow at all under an incandescent bulb :(.
Yep. Incandescents are old hat. They can contribute too much heat more than fluorescents and do not give the proper spectrum for most plants to live.

[KarlTh]

Just to mess with everyone it has been re-name to Egeria densa for the tropical type and Elodea canandensis for the North American type. It is also sold under its very old name of Anachris. This is probably the easiest plant to grow to remove nitrogen.

It sounds like you have the two 25W incandescent tube bulbs in the hood. If you want to grow some really nice looking plants you can replace them with two 13W CFL's or even the 19W ones if they will fit.

Indeed, these plants were renamed in the 60s, so "has been re-named" doesn't quite seem the right tense. It's amazing that the name Elodea densa is still in use; yet Anacharis is an even more ancient name. But the aquarium industry changes very slowly when it comes to keeping up with scientific names.

But I don't think Egeria will grow under lighting this poor. 50W incandescent is the equivalent of what - 10W fluorescent or so? And it's the wrong spectrum.

[SchizotypalVamp]

I had Egeria/Anacharis/Elodea/Grrrr in a med tank. With only the lighting in my kitchen and tetracycline in the water it turned a nice green color from brown and grew slightly. Of course, when I measured the ammonia it was at .25(don't tell me about it, I hadn't realized the tap had ammonia, I was so angry), which, as we know, would not usually be present with the Elodea in there.

[Lady G]

How you doing over there? I see your hubby wants to believe the pet shop, well at least you are listening and when they all turn out healthy and fine in the end...you can show him how wrong they were. LOL!

If you are using the strips...maybe your levels are not as bad as you think, still keep up the water changes and everything you are doing. Just wanted to let you know when I first started out, I had the strips too...it showed my levels as outrageous, because of the folks here I got a liquid test kit, and guess what...they were not as bad as I thought! Yes, they were still high...but no where near as high as the strips showed.

You are doing everything right, and everything you can...keep up the good work, we are all here for ya hun! :grinyes:

[JohnEX]

i think you are doing way more than is needed. i wouldn't have bothered testing the water, wouldn't have added plants and would have just done 50% water changes (dechlor should be the only chemical you're throwing in the tank) once a week and let the cycle settle itself. zebra danios can survive a nuclear holocaust from my experience. i wouldn't worry about babies either since danios will eat them quickly. my advice is to keep it as simple as possible since the added stress while pregnant is not worth doing things exactly the right way.

i'm far from an expert like others here so it's up to you where you want to take your tank...

[Star_Rider]

I agree..monitor and do water changes as needed.

if you can find someone with an established tank and you trust the source you can get filter squeezins from their established tank.

[b.greene]

:welcome:Welcome Cryptina! Sounds like you are doing everything right now.
Enjoy nurturing your fishy babies while you wait for your own new, precious baby to arrive!