I GIVE UP!
- Thread starter Strawberri001
- Start date
No doubt about that. It's not that larger volumes are easier per se, more like there's more time to correct an issue with larger water volume. A dead fish in a 55 gallon will produce the same amount of ammonia as a dead fish in a 10 gallon, but the concentration of ammonia will be much higher in a 10. The same goes for water temp/ pH fluctuations.
I would recommend a 20 gallon over a 10 for a beginner in the hobby. Not much more work maintenance- wise, and it gives the aquarist a higher margin for error. I wouldn't recommend a beginner start with a 120 gallon.
I would recommend a 20 gallon over a 10 for a beginner in the hobby. Not much more work maintenance- wise, and it gives the aquarist a higher margin for error. I wouldn't recommend a beginner start with a 120 gallon.
The plants would likely benefit from a sudden increase in ammonia and nitrites, but the fish would not. In such a case, we'd be talking about a tank that hasn't seen a water change in a long, long time. The fish may survive the initial re-cycle but the damage caused by the ammonia poisoning would eventually do them in, probably long enough after the event ( could be a month or more ) for the aquarist not to suspect ammonia poisoning. After all, the plants are thriving. " Mysterious Fish Death Syndrome ".
I have a 5 gal tank planted heavily that I use for cherry shrimp and blue ramshorn snails Oh and a few MTS that I don't know how ended up in there. I change 50 % of the water approx. every two weeks and feed lightly.
I think that is a perfect way to use the smaller tanks like these and I have had good success with shrimp and snails in there using this routine.
Good Luck to you and don't give up - you will eventually get it right remember everyone starts out as a beginner at some point.
I think that is a perfect way to use the smaller tanks like these and I have had good success with shrimp and snails in there using this routine.
Good Luck to you and don't give up - you will eventually get it right remember everyone starts out as a beginner at some point.
echoofformless
Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
In a heavily planted tank the ammonia would be taken up by the plants far sooner than it could ever build up to a level even resembling toxicity.
One thing that confuses me is how not receiving a water change would cause an ammonia spike.
It's not the lack of a water change itself that causes an ammonia spike. Here's the scenario: a 120 gallon tank housing large SA fish ( Dempseys and the like ), goes 6-7 months with nothing but top-offs. During this time waste accumulates. Normally the ammonia produced would be converted into nitrates by Nitrifying Bacteria. We can all agree on that. Over time though, water becomes acidic. So much so that the pH drops below 6.4 and go no longer support the nitrifying bacteria. Problem right? Not so much. At a pH below 6.4 ammonia converts to AMMONIUM, a much less toxic version of ammonia. Fish are highly adaptable and may show no signs of stress at all. Now, a water change is performed bringing the pH back up well above 6.4. This is when the trouble happens as the ammonium reverts to ammonia and there is no nitrifying bacteria present. Unless you're talking DENSELY planted ( good luck with large cichlids ), it will be enough to poison the stock. In a situation like this it would be better to perform a 100% water change and deal with the cycle as if it were a fish-in cycle.
I have to disagree on the above. pH is negative LOG of hydrogen ion concentration, which means that it only swings upon large amount of dilution, say 10 to 100 times. To achieve this, you need to do almost 100% water change, and we don't usually do that especially when you haven't done WC for a while. Besides, by the time you do 100% WC, you also remove all the ammonia in the old water, so you no longer need to worry about the pH swing. It is a valid point, if you have very sensitive fish to pH change, but in terms of ammonium/ammonia equilibrium, it won't happen.
On another note, I used to keep a 6 gal tank with some neon tetras and ghost shrimps and also some low light plants and it worked out great until I upgraded to my current 10 g. It doesn't look like a huge difference between 6g and 10g, and yet, it is so much pain to keep up with my current tank (although now I planted my tank heavily and going high-tech, so that is probably why). I also thought that my stocking was limited due to the water volume, but if you google 'nano fish list' you will find a plenty of stocking options you can afford with your tank size. Most of those fish are a bit rare, so you will only be able to find them from online vendors or good LFS nearby, but it is worth searching if you want some nice looking and tiny fish. I know a smaller tank has a smaller margin of error, but it is so much easier to keep up with water change and tank maintenance. Just don't do a complete tear down next time. Good luck.
On another note, I used to keep a 6 gal tank with some neon tetras and ghost shrimps and also some low light plants and it worked out great until I upgraded to my current 10 g. It doesn't look like a huge difference between 6g and 10g, and yet, it is so much pain to keep up with my current tank (although now I planted my tank heavily and going high-tech, so that is probably why). I also thought that my stocking was limited due to the water volume, but if you google 'nano fish list' you will find a plenty of stocking options you can afford with your tank size. Most of those fish are a bit rare, so you will only be able to find them from online vendors or good LFS nearby, but it is worth searching if you want some nice looking and tiny fish. I know a smaller tank has a smaller margin of error, but it is so much easier to keep up with water change and tank maintenance. Just don't do a complete tear down next time. Good luck.
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I had the same problem you've been having. Keep trying bettas until you can get them to thrive. Live plants are what helped me out the most.
