Thanks! Our guppy is better!

[mel_20_20]

Hi,

Thanks for the help last night.

This morning the nitrites are 0, the nitrates are in the pink area of the color chart. (I'm going to get the test kit, today, that gives the more accurate readings.)

Last night I did some searching on this site and I think I know why the nitrite levels had gone back up. Our tank had already previously cycled, (We set this up around the first week of June) and, until now, had been having great water quality readings, 0 nitrites 0 ammonia, and good levels of nitrate (but low enough so far that there was very little algae, until this week).

Around Monday of last week, I bought 2 more guppies, and the Emerald Cat, and the 3 ghost shrimp, and put them in the tank. I think I must have created a mini cycle. The new additions created a new imbalance and the beneficial bacteria couldn't keep up with the new addition's waste, and, also, I think my nephew has been putting too much food in there. Last week and over the weekend I did water changes but was having trouble keeping the nitrites down.

Does this sound logical? This morning the nitrite has dropped to 0, and the guppy looks, OK. Will there be any lasting consequences from this, do you think?

I appreciate, so much, everyone's input. We're new, and really love this. We (my sister and I) went about it all wrong to begin with. We got a 10 gallon tank setup, got it set up and after 24 hours we put 3 guppies, 3 tetras, and 2 ADFs in there. We have the colored gravel, (I washed it laboriously before putting it in there), some plastic plants, a little fake coral/sea anemone feature, a plastic hollow tree stump, a treasure chest that bubbles, a bubble wand that really doesn't work well, heater, filter, and digital thermometer.

We struggled the first month and a half, reading water quality, doing water exchanges as first the ammonia and then nitrite levels began to climb. We were doing water changes every day. Added Amquel plus to add bacteria and condition the water, and aquarium salt. I can't believe we only lost 2 fish. One guppy that was on the bottom of the tank one morning after the 4th week, and into around the 5th week one guppy developed bloat. I nearly had a stroke! That is the most pitiful looking thing to see. He looked like a little pine cone. I tried to save it, using suggestions I found on this site. Finally I euthanised it with eugenol as directed by the threads I found on this site.

We were thrilled when finally after about 8 weeks the water quality was excellent! Clear and beautiful. The fish looked happy and healthy. Until this recent difficulty.

We really started this for my nephew; my sister and her husband and son live with us after being Hurricane victims. I love having an aquarium.

Reading the posts in this site has been very encouraging and helpful. I hope we continue to improve in fish keeping and we would like to get a bigger tank. Is it true that larger tanks are easier to take care of?

We realize now, too, that we should also have a small tank as a hospital tank.

We're going to get a python for water exchanges, after reading about that here on this site. (I was syphoning and carrying buckets 'til I felt like Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer's Apprentice, which most of you may be too young to remember- I ain't no spring chicken, lol)

The algae in the tank is worrying me. There's this whispy strand-like stuff on all the plastic plants, clogging the intake (we keep cleaning it), and on the coral a dark brownish black algae.

How can we control this? Will weekly water changes do the trick, or should we get an algae eater?

Sorry I'm so wordy. I'll try to be more succinct in future posts. (my sister would tell you it's impossible for me to be succinct, lol)

Thanks again to all.

Melody

 

[MrGoodbytes]

What are your nitrates reading at concentration-wise (pink?)? It may help to increase the frequency or volume of your water changes to remove excess organics the algae are using up. What kind of light do you have on your aquarium? How long do you have it on? Have you considered live plants? Don't let clear water fool you into thinking you have good water quality. Ammonia and other such toxins may still be present. Lastly, it would help to cut down feeding. Most fish are fine to be fed once a day and small fish like guppies don't require a lot of food anyways.

Lol I'm only 22 but I remember the Mickey Mouse thing you mean! I used to love that. Maybe next time you'd be quicker if there were two of you .

 

[bushwhacker]

melody what a beautiful name.. your going thru what we all did at one time or another. this place has a lot of good advice but a lot of conflicting advice also use your judgement. yes larger tanks are easier after they are set up properly and cycled. a python is the best purchase you can make i hate buckets i'm no spring chicken either.. yes get a few algae eaters and lots of live plants they will use the stuff the algae are growing on you will always have some but you can fight it to a draw

 

[mel_20_20]

Thanks MrGoodbytes and Bushwacker,

I have just finished vacuuming and changing water, and got a bigger compressor for the bubblers. A new bubble wand or tube, whatever you call it, and the bubbles are great. The water reads very little nitrites at present. The nitrates are in the pink, safe area on the chart. Ammonia is 0.

I will get the more accurate testing kit this week. For the longest, before this most recent crises, I had not been getting any readings at all of ammonia and nitrite. The bacteria in the biofilter was teeming, apparently, and the water quality was great. I guess adding the 2 guppies, Emerald cat, and 3 ghost shrimp all in one day put the tank out of balance. I will stay on top of the water changes. I will seriously consider getting the live plants, thanks Bushwacker. BTW, your pictures of your tanks are great. I love the video of your tank. What are those zebra like fish? Do I hear birds in the background?

Lol, MrGoodbytes, glad a youngster knows Mickey. Do you guys think my guppies may have sustained some damage due to stress. I was looking at them and noticed the two of them have some raggedness to the fins. The oldest one has it on the tail fin, and the newest one, a good bit smaller has some raggedness to the dorsal fin. I know on one of the guppies that died in the early stages of the tank cycle process, he had that and it progressed and he eventually died. What can I do. Are they in trouble. I guess the stress of the water quality issues that I have been fighting this last week may have hurt them.

I appreciate your kind words of encouragment, and appreciate any suggestions you have.