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, ) 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
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, ) 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
Last edited: