Got Fish!

[Flamfish]

I said I'd keep you posted on the results of the TSS. ammonia .0, nitrite .0, nitrate 5.0. (seems to work)
with the parameters being good I stopped at the wal-mart and picked up 5 neons and one pleco.
most seem to be doing fine but one neon keeps away from the others and stays near the top of the tank like he can't get air. one eye seems to be slightly bulgy. I'm thinking maybe the lady at the pet store squished him a little with the net or maybe the vibrations in the truck or something. he's not gonna make it is he?
I'm still cycling the 55. ammonia is up to .25. I'm gonna add another 1/4 tsp of ammonia. I'm supposed to take it up to 4ppm right?(.0 nitrite, didn't bother with nitrate)
what should the nitrates be for me to do a water change?

[Star_Rider]

I said I'd keep you posted on the results of the TSS. ammonia .0, nitrite .0, nitrate 5.0. (seems to work)
with the parameters being good I stopped at the wal-mart and picked up 5 neons and one pleco.
most seem to be doing fine but one neon keeps away from the others and stays near the top of the tank like he can't get air. one eye seems to be slightly bulgy. I'm thinking maybe the lady at the pet store squished him a little with the net or maybe the vibrations in the truck or something. he's not gonna make it is he?
I'm still cycling the 55. ammonia is up to .25. I'm gonna add another 1/4 tsp of ammonia. I'm supposed to take it up to 4ppm right?(.0 nitrite, didn't bother with nitrate)
what should the nitrates be for me to do a water change?

I'm curios what size is the tank(cycled one)?
you may not have had any hand in the neon that is ill. many contributing factors I suspect it was ill when you got it.

as far as adding ammonia.. you can add to get it to 4ppm. it depends. more ammonia = more food = more bacteria(easy explanation) there is a pint where you can have too much tho ;)
don't base water changes on how much nitrate is in the tank. you should get to a routine(weekly) maintenance and do larger/more frequent water changes depending on the stock in your tank.
generally tho less than 60 ppm nitrate is fine tho many freak out when it get above 20. ;)

[GEV83]

I dont freak out Star_Rider. I read an article here that says 40ppm is safe and several people agreed so if mine ever hits 20ppm I wont be freaking. Mine has only gotten up to 10ppm though =)

[Twistersmom]

On the 55 gal, that you are cycling.
When doing an ammonia cycle, I take the ammonia up to 4 ppm. I do not add any more ammonia till it drops down to 1 ppm. Then I start adding ammonia daily to bring it up to 3ppm daily. Nitrates, I do not worry about till the tank is cycled. When both ammonia and nitrites can go test zero, 12 after bumping the ammonia up to 3 ppm, the tank is cycled.
Take a nitrate reading. A big water change is needed to get the nitrates under 40 ppm. My last fishless cycle, I did a 70% water change and that brought the nitrates down to 20 ppm. Then it is time to add the fish.
Sorry to hear about the neon. You could add some antibiotics to the tank, but more than likely it is to late for it to help.

[abarilot]

If it dies put it in a baggy and have a cup of tank water in another bag and bring it back to the lfs and they should replace it for free. I've lost a couple after getting them due to illness and my lfs replaces them.

Btw you arent adding the ammonia to the neon tank right? If so that is a no no

[Flying_Diamond]

what size is the tank that the neons and pleco are in?
if it's a common pleco you've got, you most likely won't be able to keep him, he'll get way too big for most common home aquariums.

[KarlTh]

Hang on - this reads as if you're adding ammonia to a tank with fish in it. Do NOT do this!

[Flying_Diamond]

i think she has two tanks; one cycled and the other a 55, going through fishless cycling.

[KarlTh]

Ah. My crystal ball is at the repairers. But why cycle the new tank the hard way? Transfer half the media from the first tank and start stocking. You only need to cycle your first tank.

[jpappy789]

:iagree:

The bacteria will catch up quickly.

[bradlgt21]

A neon straying from the pack and acting funny could mean he is diseased. I don't have neons myself but read up on them and that is a common sign of sickness. It could also be Neon Tetra Disease. Which if that's the case they all might start going down hill. You have to be careful going to places like walmart. They sell everything not just fish, so they don't really keep up on the tanks. They are prone to disease and don't know what they are doing most of the time. Most walmarts only carry one type of pleco. The common pleco which can get to like a foot long. It will outgrow your tank, not be healthy and poop so much your nitrates will never go down. My dad had a common in his 33 gallon tank and after a 50% water change he had over 100ppm nitrates. You should research every fish before you buy it. Never buy a fish you know nothing about.

Sorry if it sounds like I am being really harsh on you. I just know how those pet stores are and how uneducated people can be. I was in fish store and the lady in line was explaining to her friend that they can't get fish until the tank has cycled. Then she went on to explain to her that that means all the bubbles are gone from putting water in it.:eek3:

[jpappy789]

A neon straying from the pack and acting funny could mean he is diseased. I don't have neons myself but read up on them and that is a common sign of sickness. It could also be Neon Tetra Disease. Which if that's the case they all might start going down hill. You have to be careful going to places like walmart. They sell everything not just fish, so they don't really keep up on the tanks. They are prone to disease and don't know what they are doing most of the time. Most walmarts only carry one type of pleco. The common pleco which can get to like a foot long. It will outgrow your tank, not be healthy and poop so much your nitrates will never go down. My dad had a common in his 33 gallon tank and after a 50% water change he had over 100ppm nitrates. You should research every fish before you buy it. Never buy a fish you know nothing about.

Sorry if it sounds like I am being really harsh on you. I just know how those pet stores are and how uneducated people can be. I was in fish store and the lady in line was explaining to her friend that they can't get fish until the tank has cycled. Then she went on to explain to her that that means all the bubbles are gone from putting water in it.:eek3:

That's actually a contradictory statement...their "common plecos" could be any one of the numerous species labeled as such.

[GEV83]

Ah. My crystal ball is at the repairers. But why cycle the new tank the hard way? Transfer half the media from the first tank and start stocking. You only need to cycle your first tank.

On a previous thread FlamFish wanted to see which cycling process worked best the fishless cycling with ammonia or cycling with TSS. That is why there is no transefering of media from the first tank to the second one.

[Flamfish]

sorry I couldn't respond yesterday, I got home from work about 2am and someone had spilled coffee on the keyboard. why they were drinking coffee at 2am is beyond me, but anyway...

to fill in those who didn't catch the last thread. I'm not adding ammonia to the cycled tank (I've been getting great info from Jpap, FD and many others, and learned better before making a mistake like this, thanks)
I started cycling two tank at the same time, one 55 gal hex tank and one ten gal tank. I filled both tanks and let them sit for about a week with the filters running. while at the pet store I found a product from tetra called safe start. I received mixed or unsure reviews here about this product so I decided to try it in the 10 gal and cycle the 55 gal the long way and campare. over night I seemed to have an acceptable amount of nitrate (5ppm) 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite.
And now that I'm on page two I see that GER 1023 has already been kind enough to explain that, haha, thanks again.
I know the neon was not harmed by me, they were acting this way as soon as I put them in the tank. I think he might have been squished by the net or something when the lady at the store pulled him out but I will watch the otthers for any sign of disease in the others.
yes, it is a common pleco (and I'll take this to mean the only kind I've seen at any of the pet stores I've gone to). I know the 10 gal is to small for him to stay in. he will be transferred to the 55 gal when it is cycled.
I take no offense at someone offering experienced knowledge. a few short months ago I thought fish were cheap easy pets. boy was I wrong! LOL
I haven't tested yet today, just got home from work but I'll keep everyone posted on my TSS research, haha. so far I think it makes for a faster cycle with no stress to the fish.
As for wal-mart. even being as new at this as I am I would likely agree with the anti large chain sentiment(especially a place the sells everything) but unfortunately they seem to have better upkeep habbits than the LFS. clean tank, far far less overstocked. althought there were def issues with the bettas all the rest seem Okay.
ok, I think I've run on long enough, haha. Oh yeah, although Tina is in the center of the pic I'm the guy in the slipknot shirt, haha.

[GEV83]

Oh yeah forgot to mention the tetra possibly being squished by the net lol. Just keep is posted on the tanks this is very interesting considering Ive always been told bottles products never instantly cycle a tank.

[Flying_Diamond]

just so you know, you won't be able to keep the pleco in the 55 comfortably either. he will far outgrow that. plecos in common home aquariums can reach up to 3 feet easily, provided they aren't horribly stunted by small living arrangments. if i were you, i'd take him back to the store sooner rather than later.

[jpappy789]

just so you know, you won't be able to keep the pleco in the 55 comfortably either. he will far outgrow that. plecos in common home aquariums can reach up to 3 feet easily, provided they aren't horribly stunted by small living arrangments. if i were you, i'd take him back to the store sooner rather than later.


Rather than assuming the OP purchased a species that reaches that length (I do no no of ANY that are common in the trade that will reach 36" btw) I would rather get an exact ID. There are plenty of pleco species that will live comfortably in a 55 gallon/

[Flying_Diamond]

if it is one of the species sold as common, it won't be able to live in a 55 hex, will it? unless someone did some terrible labeling, which wouldn't surprise me, it probably won't work.

[jpappy789]

Who knows...if it was labeled as a "common" it could range anywhere from 8-24" as an adult, if it is even one of the species notoriously called by that name.

What are the dimensions for a 55 gallon octagon tank? I cannot find a reliable answer just by google searching.

[Flying_Diamond]

at glasscages.com their 53 gallon hex is 28 inches across at the longest points, 24 inches front to back, and 24 inches tall. i'm sure it can't be much different than a 55.

[jpappy789]

Well...a standard 55 is a 48"x12" footprint.

In one of flamfish's recent threads they say 55 octagon, not hex.

[Flying_Diamond]

*shrugs* this recent one says hex so idk.

[Flamfish]

sorry folks, I did previously say oct. but it is a hex. I don't have a tape here but it's definitely taller than 24".
don't know if it helps any but the pleco has almost a square on his back (in his pattern). He's dark black (I have black rocks on the bottom). and very good at hiding right in the open.
so, to the TSS experiment. ammonia went to 2. (trites still 0). (trates still 5.) I did a 50% water change and I'll do another tomorrow before work.
Everything I've been reading says about the same thing. ammonia will go high but you never get trites. I guess it's good if your inpatient and want to do a fish in cycle because there's one less bacteria to make the fish ill but it seems an extended fishless cycle is still the best way to minimize stress to the fish.
the big tank is coming along very slow. still no trites and still adding 1/4 tsp of ammonia a day.

[jpappy789]

I would suggest doing larger if not more frequent water changes. Your ammonia needs to be as close to 0 ppm as possible...