Another Misled Newbie!

[GazinSussex]

Hi everyone - I used to keep fish about 20 years ago and things have certainly changed a bit!!

OK I took the plunge a bought a second hand tank with external filter, lights heater etc etc, then proceeded to visit my LFS (see I read the guide to abbreviations to ask for some advice. The very nice chap said I needed to get my tank set up, up to temperature etc then put some fish straight in to start it cycling. So I partly ignored him, filled the tank over the course of a weekend to make sure the floor didnt collapse (bungalow but over the garage - house on a slope), put in the gravel, filter (XP3), heaters etc etc, put media in the external filter (4 layers of progressive filter sponge, bagged activated carbon and ceramic bits that look like big hexagonal nuts with holes in) and switched on. Added cycle additive and left it running for two weeks. Luckily our local water is ph7 & zero nitrate. I assumed that after this time the water will have naturally dechlorinated?
Then back to the LFS for some fish, chap reckoned I would need about 30 fish to cycle the tank (440l tank) but I thought that was way too many so bought 15 Zebra Danios and 6 Red eye tetras. Flaoted the bags with the lights off for 5 mins then started to add a little tank water progressively to the bags every 5 mins for 20 mins then gently netted the fish into the tank.
So 2 weeks later fish seem very happy - every time anyone walks into the room they shoot up to the feeding hatch!
BUT water testing every day and nitrite levels hovering around 2-3 (hard to say as the stupid test strips only start at 5 with a pale pink and its not as strong as that) and annoyingly no ammonia test. Nitrate around 10-20 I guess.

So Im hoping you're all going to tell me that because its a relatively big tank (440l/90 gallons I think) and the fish seem really happy (difficult to know I realise) that I havent been really really cruel to them because of some duff advice!

Dull tank stuff now

Rena aqualife tank 120cm x 50cm x 76cm
XP3 3 basket external filter as above with sponge, carbon(showing my age!) and ceramic dodads
Water return through spraybar that I have agitating the surface but not breaking it
I do 12 gallon waterchanges every 4-5 days using a a dechlorinator additive

I have a 2-3 inch fine(ish) smooth gravel base with lots of live plants - some of which are doing really well some of which are not - Im guessing browning leaves releasing streams of bubbles is not a good sign(!). Ive tried adding root tabs under the bigger plants but to little avail.

I was going to try and post a few sequential pics if anyone is interested?

Gaz

 

[GazinSussex]

PS sorry if this is in the wrong bit of the forum - I'll get the hang of it I promise!!

 

[lilfishie]

to the forum, try get a test kit as soon as possible most on here reccomend API master kits, which do everything you need, may look a bit pricey but works out better in the long run, ebay has them at desent prices. right since you have the fish, have a read though THIS should help a bit. would love to see pics

 

[GazinSussex]

Thanks for that - I did read the fishy cycling article- very interesting, like I said things sure have changed since I last had a tank - for the better in terms of the welfare of the fish is concerned - i've never been able to work out why fish should be treated any differently to other pets in terms of care. I just wonder if 20 gallon a day water changes might cause the fish more stress than the elevated nitrite levels? I do have test strips that measure nitrate, nitrite KH abbd pH - do you think I need a different test kit?
I'll try and post some pics later on when I get home from work - do I put them here or in another section.

Gaz

 

[lilfishie]

test stipes aren't very accurate unfortunately, liqiud kits last longer and are very accurate not sure about the water change though as my tank is know where near as big

 

[GazinSussex]

I'll look out for the test kit you mentioned - in the meantime I'll post some sequential pics in the members tanks bit!!