Newbie Needing Help (Got Tank & Fish Today)

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JasDownUnder

AC Members
Jan 12, 2003
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Brisbane, Australia
I'd like to say a big hello to everyone out there on Aquaria Central, and would also like to say that you have a GREAT community going here!

Ok, here's my dilemma:

Been wanting an aquarium for a while now, and today i found an old setup stored away in the cupboard from when the olds were into aquariums. I got it out, cleaned everything out (i.e. washed all the gravel/fake plants, put new wool and charcoal in the filter (its an old one), set it up, and filled it up with water.... I then went down to the LFS and bought some chlorine neutraliser and 4 fish... the fish i bought were 1 x Platy, 1 x Swordtail and 2 x Comet Feeders (Type of GoldFish i was told). The lady at the LFS said that the fish would be fine to go straight into the tank, even though i let her know it had only been filled today, so i took her word for it

I Got home and put the chlorine neutraliser in the water, and let the fish acclimatise for 1/2 an hour. After that, (and watching them for a while, :p ) I jumped on the net and found this awesome site, and started reading all the articles in the newbie forum. This was the first time i'd heard of 'Fishless Cycling' and 'The Nitrogen Cycle' and it got me wondering... How bad have i stuffed up?

The tank is 25cm Wide, by 30cm High, by 55cm Long, and i think it held 9 and a bit gallons when i filled it up.

Now for the questions:

1. It looks like i will be doing the Nitrogen Cycle WITH fish, so how can i keep the fish alive? After reading some of the articles, i WILL be changing some of the water daily, but what else can i do?

2. Once the cycle is finished, do i ever take the gravel out of the bottom and wash it again? or ever take all the water out? or once the bacteria colonies are established, won't i need to? Will i only need to change say 1/2 the water weekly or something?

3. How often should i clean this old charcoal and wool filter? Seeing as this appears to be where all the 'good' bacteria live, wouldn't it make me start all over again if i changed it?

Ok, i'm sure i'll think of more questions a bit later on, but thats all i can think of at the moment. I'm just pretty worried, 'coz i don't want my fish to die :(
 
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NJ Devils Fan

#1 Devils fan
Oct 28, 2002
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Yonkers, NY
members.tripod.com
Welcome to AC. :)

Do a 40%-50% water change every other day to keep ammonia levels down. Feed them very lightly. It can take the tank 4-6 weeks to cycle with fish in it, but hang in there.

After the cycle is complete, you do not take out the gravel to wash it. Use a gravel vacuum to do your water changes and clean the gravel of fish waste to also help keep ammonia down. Do this once a week with about 20%-25% of the water.

To clean the filter media, use a bucket with declorinized water in it. Just put the media in it and wipe it off with your hand. This is so that the bio-load will not get washed off.

Good Luck.
 

JasDownUnder

AC Members
Jan 12, 2003
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Brisbane, Australia
Thanks for the swift reply NJ Devils Fan!

I've already done a 2 gallon water change tonight (10 gallon tank, is this enough?) as i was worried about my fishies :)

I accidentally overfed them tonight, as i had no idea how much they'd eat... at least i know now, and i'll be able to feed them the right amount from now on (the right amount being what the fish can consume in 5 minutes... is this correct?)

As for cleaning the filter media... the media itself is just a layer of cotton wool on the bottom of the filter, with a layer of charcoal above it, and then another layer of cotton wool above that... i don't know how i'd go trying to clean this by wiping it in a bucket of water.... maybe its time to get a better (newer) filter? Can anyone suggest a decent one, thats not too expensive, for my size tank?

I'll be heading back to the LFS tomorrow to get a water testing kit... anything else i can do to make the cycling process less stressful on my poor little fishies?

edit: Where can i get one of these gravel vacuums, and approximately how much am i looking at for one? Also, should i vacuum before the cycle is completed? or wait until after?
 
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Rocketman

Detroit; proud of it.
Oct 24, 2002
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If you are only going to keep your 10 gallon (is this imperial or US gallons?) tnak without getting any larger tanks, a gravel vac may not be worth the investment for you. You may just want to siphon using a bit of airline tubing. Take about 5 feet, stick one end on the bottom of the tank, suck for a second on the 'dry' end, and stick it in a bucket. It will brong the water out slowly, but its ok for you to vacuum the gravel briefly to get all the debris out, then just leave the tube in there and walk away to rid the tank of some water.

As for overfeeding - it took me 10 years to figure this out, I don't know why, maybe I'm challenged, but I will assume the same goes with everyone else. Don't be afraid to get your hand's dirty - get two fingers down in the can, and pinch them and drop the food in the tank - don't just tap the can on the side of the tank while food flies out, to easy to overfeed.
 

wetmanNY

AC Members
Once your tank is well-cycled (around Valentine's Day), most of the bacterial life will be in the gravel. Preserving bacteria in the filter will become less crucial.

Get a Hang-on-Tank filter (aka h.o.t. filter as in h.o.t. pants!) AquaClear. Whisper. I don't know what brands you have in Oz. Fewest moving parts. You may want a biofilter, a revolving wheel of pleated woven papery stuff (to give it its correct technical term). Don't let yourself be rushed over your choice. Keep it simple. But this type of filter is a huge improvement on the inside filter you're using.

The other thing, to ease the cycling pains: get floating Water Sprite or another troublefree plant. Get enough to half-fill the surface area. Plants take up the ammonia that will be a problem this first month.

Have you read the articles here at AC and at www.thekrib.com (FAQs) and at www.aaquaria.com archives? The more ya read the more ya know!

Welcome to AC!
 

NJ Devils Fan

#1 Devils fan
Oct 28, 2002
2,522
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37
Yonkers, NY
members.tripod.com
Yea, that's what I was going to suggest, getting a new filter but I didn't know if that was an option. I have a Penguin 125 on my 10g tank and it works great.


The water goes through the filter media and then hits the bio-wheel. The bio-wheel over time looks dirty, but that is just the tank's "genes." It is all the good bacteria that established. So when you change your filter media, and add water, the water hit's the bio-wheel and gets the good bacteria.

Aqua Clear are also good filters.


They have sponges as media. The sponges have the bio-load and when you clean them, you rinse them in a declorinized bucket so that you do not lose the bio-load. I thought that your filter was a HOB(hang on back) that had a sponge, that's why I said it before.

This is a Python gravel vacuum.


It attaches to your sink and when you turn the water on, it starts a syphon and the water goes right from your tank into the sink. Very easy to use. Also has a reverse piece that allows water from the faucet to go back through the long hose and into your tank. A 25 foot one will run about $25-$30 at your LFS.

Also, if you do not have a heater, you will need one to keep the water warm and a thermometer to know the temp.
Tronic heaters are bery good. You will need a 50 watt one.


Big Al's Online is a great website if you want to order stuff online. They have the best prices I have ever seen. The also have exceptional cutomser service.
 
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JasDownUnder

AC Members
Jan 12, 2003
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Brisbane, Australia
Well, I'm off to the LFS now to get some stuff (Gee, this is getting expensive, lol :D) So far on my list i have:

*LOOK AT* Filters
Some pipe to use as a vacuum
Water test kit

As for your question about imperial or metric gallons rocketman... i really don't know... we use Litres over here :D... i just converted it to gallons (4.25L = 1 Gallon) so maybe you could understand a bit better.... tank is a 25L tank.

As for the overfeeding thing, all i did was got a pinch of the flakes between my fingers and put it in the tank.... but i have big fingers :(

Anyway, i'm off to buy this stuff, i'll let you all know how i go
 

JasDownUnder

AC Members
Jan 12, 2003
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Brisbane, Australia
NJ Devils Fan... most of it, like the gravel/decorations/pump are about 15 - 20 years old....

Anyway, got back from the LFS just then, and boy are things expensive :(

I bought:

Resun Hang On Filter (Looks Like a Cheap Rip-off of a Aquaclear) - $38.95 (Aquaclears were in the $80 - $150 range)

Some Tubing (To use as a gravel vacuum... approx 3 metres by the look of it) - $4.50

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc - Freshwater Master Test Kit (Includes pH (6.0 to 7.6), HIGH RANGE pH (7.4 to 8.8), AMMONIA (NH3/NH4+), NITRITE (NO2-), GH (General Hardness), KH (Carbonate Hardness) - $64.90

I have a feeling i got ripped massively on the test kit, as it seems VERY expensive, but i went to 3 stores, and only 1 store had a kit... the other 2 only had seperate tests for ammonia and pH...

And some of the advice of one of the store owners was shocking
:eek: (however, he did have good prices, and SOME of the stuff he said was good advice)

Question time: When should i test my water?
 

JasDownUnder

AC Members
Jan 12, 2003
20
0
0
40
Brisbane, Australia
Wow! I just installed the H.O.T. Filter, and i can't believe what a difference its already made to the tank! Before, the fish would just basically float around, not moving much, but now that there is some movement in the water, due to the new filter, the fish are moving around alot, etc etc.... thanks guys, for the suggestion of a H.O.T. Filter.... you've just made my aquarium so much more enjoyable to watch! :D
 
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