can u say sos

[stunt 101]

can u say sos
houstin we gotta problem

2 tanks 10g (76F) and a 30g (72f)

10 gallon (molly breeding tank)-
-6 mollies (2m4f)
-one male fancy guppy
-2 chinese algea eaters

30 gallon-
-one crayfish (4 inches)
-one small pleco
-9 feeder goldfish

-each aquarium has whisper filters, gravel, fake plants, heaters, thermometers, airstones, lines and pumps, and some decorations
-i also have a 2 in 1 breeder trap ( but i heard that mollies dont do well in small spaces. tell me info on breeding tips with them

problems-
-had 14 feeder goldfish but now i have 9 cuz the others died (there dropping like flies)
-2 of 3 guppies died now i only have the surviving guppy with the mollies
-crayfish wont eat the flakes, goldfish, or frozen krill,
- 2 goldfish are just sitting on the bottom breathing slowly
-one molly is doing the same as the 2 goldfish in the other tank
-need to learn sensitivity of the heaters
-cloudy water (might just be new fish syndrom)
(ive only had these tanks set with fish in em for 2-3 days)

besides all of the issues everything is cool (which isnt very much)

i have a 5 gallon, a nother 10 gallon and a 20 gallon long aquarium doing nothing.
in the 5 gallon i want to breed ghost shrimp and/or use the tank for the pregnant mollie to deliver her young (any suggestions or issues with that)
i dont no what to do with the second 10 or 20 gallon but am open for ideas
*********please help me with my issues im helpless********

one last thing-
i was wondering what freshwater fish would do well at max length in my 30 gallon and that eats the occasional feeder fish
(preferably some type of cichlid)
(the 30 gallon tank is 12"x1'6"x2'6")
if im very lucky i can get a 50 gallon tank from my friend who has a redbellied paca thats growin out of it.


thank u snake ica nad jay for the help im gonna give it a try in the newbie forum

[stunt 101]

sry i miss typed i ment SnakeIce and Jay

[tomm10]

You've got some issues here.

First, your tank is not yet cycled. By cycled, I mean your tank has not established a colony of nitrifying or beneficial bacteria that every tank needs to convert the toxic ammonia in fish and food waste into the still toxic nitrite and then finally into the much less toxic nitrate.

There are three main ways to cycle your tank. First is the oldest but not necessarily best method of "fishy" cycling. This is essentially what you are doing. You introduce fish to a new tank and their ammonia builds in tank until a colony of bacteria establishes to convert the ammonia into nitrites. Once this colony is established, ammonia goes down but nitrites start to climb until a colony of bacteria that converts nitrites to nitrAtes establishes. Once its established, ammonia and nitrites drop to zero and nitrates climb. Nitrates are managed at a comfortable level (somewhere under 20-40 ppm depending on who you talk to) by regular partial water changes.

You are doing this method now but with way too many fish. Generally fishy cycling is down with only a few hardy fish as the ammonia and nitrites are very toxic. during a fishy cycle you need to test your water for ammonia and nitrites every day and keep the levels low by doing daily water changes (% of water changed varies but you can do up to 50% easily).

The second method is fishless cycling. The same bacteria process takes place but rather than using fish to produce ammonia, you pour measured amounts of pure ammonia into the tank until the cycle is complete. At the end of the cycle you add all the fish you're planning on.

Lastly is the shortcut method of adding an established bacteria colony to the tank to cycle it nearly instantly. This is my favorite since I'm very impatient. For this method you will need either filter material (filter floss or a filter cartridge) from an established tank or a packet of Bio Spira. You can also use decorations or a couple handfuls of gravel from another tank but IME there's usually not enough bacteria on these to instantly cycle the tank. They would speed it up though.

Because the beneficial bacteria require oxygen and ammonia/nitrites, they attach themselves to places in the aquarium with a lot of water exchange or current. The filter media is just about perfect. You take the media from an established tank, swish it around in your tank (it will make a mess but that's okay) and then plant it either in your filter or in a corner of the aquarium for a few weeks until the bacteria has had a chance to settle in you tank.

Bio Spira is a product from Marineland that is basically the beneficial bacteria in a packet. When poured into your existing tank it will cycle it within a few days. (If you had added this to the tank when you added the first fish it would have cycled nearly instantly). The catch is that it is not real easy to find in some parts and at $11-15 a packet its a little pricey ( I think its worth it).

I would advise you to get an established filter cartridge or Bio Spira because you are HIGHLY likely to lose more fish while your tank cycles.

That brings us to the second problem I see. You are way over stocked and your big tank is mismatched. Your 10g is probably okay but unless I'm mixing up my algae eaters (entirely possible) that CAE will grow to be agressive.

There are way too many goldfish in that 30g. They are poop machines (as is the pleco) and will make an unholy mess of the tank that your filters won't keep up with. As a general rule of thumb you wnat no more than one oldfish per 10g. Also, they are cold water fish and like temps under 70 while the other fish in that tank are tropical.

Lastly, what type of pleco is it? If its a common pleco, take him back. They grow up to 18". If its a bristlenose or a clown you're okay.

Tom

[stunt 101]

yea now its down to 5 goldfish the rest died :(

this number is more manageble

yea i had a common algea eater a year ago and i had to give him away when he was like 8 inches, im pretty sure that its a common one this time so i might be in trouble, also with the 10 gallon i have the 2 CAE but what should i use instead of them that wont out grow it, and what are my options for replacing the common algea eater in the big tank with

should i put the 2 CAE in the big tank cuz what ever live stuff i have in there i want eaten and not layin around dead so they could maybe help with that :)

[tomm10]

You could put the CAEs in the big tank but I still think even 5 goldfish is too much and you still have the temperature difference problem. What temp do you keep the tanks at?

Ditch the feeders back to the LFS. The pleco should go too if he's a common one. You can trade him for a bristlenose pleco.

For bottom feeders in the 10g look into corydoras. There are several varietys. You could go with three panda cories as they;re relatively small. Corys like company so no matter what kind you get make sure you get 3 or more. Remember the 10g is small though so don't go crazy. You could also look at ghost shrimp. They fun to watch and good cleaners. They're also dirt cheap.

I would add absolutely no more fish until your tanks are cycled but I would bring back the goldfish and the pleco now.

Tom

[stunt 101]

the goldfish r like 1 1/2 inches if that matters any
i try to keep the 10 gallon at 74 degrees and the 30 gallon at 72 degress

if i exchanged the pleco for the bristlenose could i keep the 2 CAE in the same 30 gallon as the bristle nose and the crayfish

also cuz im running into a crowding issue in the 10 gallon i am going to switch the 10 gallon with a 20 gallon long that is in my garage which will give me more space. The 10 gallon i will keep set up only for the pregnant mollies when there ready to give birth. Any advice on how to set up the 20 gallon so i dont end up with a dejavu disaster? And also what should i use for waste/algae managment in the 10 and 20 gallon aquariums that wont out grow it... so heres the final plan tell me if theres gonna be some issues.....

3 tanks- 10 gallon, 20 gallon long, and a 30 gallon

10 gallon- this tank is for iscolating the pregnant mollies when there ready for birth this tank needs some waste/ algae managment any ideas?

20 gallon- this tank is for the other mollies and the guppy plus 3 of some type of small corys for crap managment

30 gallon- this has my crayfish and will have a bristlenose or other small pleco in it plus the 2 CAE in it for eating dead remains


(how effective are the ghost shrimp and how many would i need for the 10 and 20 gallons, plus will they die if there is too much waste in the water?)

thanx a lot

[stunt 101]

also will mollies work as a feeder fish for the crayfish or anyone have any better ideas for fish that are easy to breed and the crayfish will eat

i am also trying to feed the cray frozen krill one at a time

[stunt 101]

one final thing could i feed a few live ants to my mollies and goldfish as a treat?