Newbie Daily Tank Log...Expert Feedback Requested

D

DVDA

AC Members
May 21, 2008
53
0
0
41
In regards to my previous post (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153657) I have started a Daily Log for my brand new aquarium. In this log i will make daily entries in reply form to the original post...

The purpose of this is to correct the errors I have made thanks to the poor advice i was given by my pet store. We this luck and alot of help we can get the tank running smoothly we ZERO causalities to the 4 fish that current inhabit the tank

Day 1 (May 3rd 2008) –
Purchased Tank, Added Gravel, Water and Marineland Emperor Power Filter (Model 400) & Marineland Maxi-Jet Powerhead/Undergravel filter.

Day 2 (May 4th 2008) –
Added 1 full bottle of Superbac Live Nitrifying Bacteria, turned on all the filters, powerhead etc

Day 3 (May 5th 2008) –
Added Amquel+ (Removed Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, Chorline & Chloramines.

Day 4-15 (May 6th - May 16th) -
Left tank alone

Day 15 (May 17th, 2008) –
Had pet store test water result numbers unknown but was told everything was perfect....
Added fake plants, aquarium deco (shipwreck) and 4 Fish (2 Giant Danios, 2 Pineapple Sword Tails)
Fed Stable Flake Food (very little)

Day 16 (May 18th, 2008) -
Fed Stable Flake Food @ 5:00 pm (very little)

Day 17 (May 19th, 2008) -
Fed Stable Flake Food @ 5:00 pm (very little)

Day 18 (May 20th, 2008) -
Fed Stable Flake Food @ 5:00 pm (very little)

Day 19 (May 21st, 2008) –
Tested pH results read between 7.2-7.6
Tested Ammonia results read 0ppm
Tested high range pH result reads between 7.4-7.8
Tested Nitrite results read 0ppm
Tested Nitrate results read 0ppm
Skipped Feeding today
 
Problem is, between day 2 and day 15 you left your bacteria (if there were any alive in the bottle at all, which is questionable) without a food source, so if there were any, they died.

Expect a nitrite spike within the next few days.
 
I'm no expert and will forever have "newbie" in my name, but... The Superbac you used is bunk and did nothing beneficial. The load is pretty small for a 46G so you are just beginning a fishyy cycle I believe. If you know anyone with an established tank, I'd highly recommend that you get some filter media from them. Also, it'd be a good idea to decide now on what the final stocking you (and the GF) want so that you can plan accordingly. Most people (including myself) get into trouble when they go into an LFS and go "that's cool, let's get two of those". Many fish need pretty specific groupings and not all are compatible with one another. Research and decide on what you want BEFORE you step through the door. And welcome to AC! :)
 
Yes i have a tester kit everyday I will post a reply here with results and you experts can tell me if im doing well, if im harming fish and how to resolve any problems :-)
 
Arturo said:
Any pics?
Click to expand...

Working on it.....i have an old Sony Mavica that uses floppy disks....but my computer's motherboard died 2 days ago and that was the only computer i owned with a floppy disk drive....

Im currently on my laptop
 
Technically you screwed the bacteria over on day 3 when you added the Amquel+. If the bacteria has no ammonia or nitrites, then they die off. So you still have an uncycled tank and the only reason why the tests came back with good water is because when the tank is not cycled, it's the same as having tap water without chlorine or chloramines. Since there is nothing to make ammonia, the cycle stalls and evetually dies out.
 
DAVIDFBT said:
Technically you screwed the bacteria over on day 3 when you added the Amquel+. If the bacteria has no ammonia or nitrites, then they die off. So you still have an uncycled tank and the only reason why the tests came back with good water is because when the tank is not cycled, it's the same as having tap water without chlorine or chloramines. Since there is nothing to make ammonia, the cycle stalls and evetually dies out.
Click to expand...

Yeah i know but thats what the pet store told me to do (i had no idea) so now im going to try and cycle this tank and keep these 4 fish alive
 
You are doing fine DVDA. At present you have a small enough bioload from 4 fish in a large tank that changes will happen slowly. That will give you time to notice if your water is starting to go bad and will give you time to react with a water change. We all make mistakes so don't worry too much about the past. Going forward, do the water changes that are needed and you will be fine along with your fish. I am not a big fan of doing a fish-in cycle but it is done successfully every day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom