Aquarium Slime

[HM Dragon Devil]

Well I just cleaned them out, put them in a basin of their own water with the heater, then cleaned everything in the tank, then filled the tank up with a little hot water and the rest cold as the temp on the side of the tank said 26 degrees which is it's usual. Put in the tank safe and left it running through for 15 mins, then put the heater back in and added some of the tanks water to the basin they were in. I have now just added the fish back into the tank and have left them in the dark. I have also put a little bit of food in for them.

Should I expect dead fish in the morning? I just kind of cleaned them out as its like they were new to the tank from the pet shop again.

The fish should be fine providing you've used a dechlorinator.

Tip. Don't pour hot water directly into the aquarium as it can crack the glass. It's safer to mix the water in a bucket or suitable container, add the water conditioner, then add to the aquarium.


Dean.

 

[crazyblondechick]

Looked at them as they have been in the dark and one of the four are lively but the other three seem not as vivid in colour and sooking nearer the filter Think they may be dead in the morning. By "dechlorinator" do you mean stuff like this Tap Safe??

If they do pass away during the night am I best to get fish that are a little bigger and stronger?

 

[FishBlast]

Looked at them as they have been in the dark and one of the four are lively but the other three seem not as vivid in colour and sooking nearer the filter Think they may be dead in the morning. By "dechlorinator" do you mean stuff like this Tap Safe??

If they do pass away during the night am I best to get fish that are a little bigger and stronger?

You should actually fishless cycle. Or if 1 neon survives, then you can add something one by one, maybe guppies or something, but only after tank is cycled with that one fish in, and only one new fish at a time.

 

[crazyblondechick]

So sorry for being thick but what does cycle mean just half empty the water and add new water in every couple of days?? Had a look at the links further up in the thread but it really doesn't make sense to a novice. Or to me anyways lol.

I did want a Male Fighter Fish, seen a purple one with red fins I fell in love with. Are neons or guppies ok with them or are they nippers??

Thanks again for everyone's help though I would be lost without it.

 

[HM Dragon Devil]

Looked at them as they have been in the dark and one of the four are lively but the other three seem not as vivid in colour and sooking nearer the filter Think they may be dead in the morning. By "dechlorinator" do you mean stuff like this Tap Safe??

If they do pass away during the night am I best to get fish that are a little bigger and stronger?

Your fish may be a little stressed at the moment from all the activity as this is still a new environment for them.

And Yes Tap Safe will be fine. There's also Tetra Aqua Safe or Seachem Prime (which is what I currently use).

Dean.

 

[HM Dragon Devil]

So sorry for being thick but what does cycle mean just half empty the water and add new water in every couple of days?? Had a look at the links further up in the thread but it really doesn't make sense to a novice. Or to me anyways lol.

I did want a Male Fighter Fish, seen a purple one with red fins I fell in love with. Are neons or guppies ok with them or are they nippers??

Thanks again for everyone's help though I would be lost without it.

Have a look at the Beginners Resource Center - Fish-in Cycling.

 

[FishFanatic04]

They are referring to the Nitrogen cycle. Heres the dealio: Fish produce ammonia. Then on your filter pads a bacteria will grow that turn ammonia in NitrIte. Then another bacteria will grow that turns the Nitrite into NitrAte.

Ammonia and nitrite are very poisonous to fish. Nitrate in controlled amounts are perfectly safe. It can take a month give or take a few weeks for the cycle to finish and your filter to be able to handle the fish's waste.

Right now your filter is not cycled and the ammonia will just build up untill it starts damaging your fishes gills, eventually killing them. UNLESS you do water changes often enough to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels low. This usually requires one or two water changes a day for the month it takes for your filter to be ready.

Most people who know about the cycle already do a fishless cycle and add a household ammonia to mimic the fishes waste. This way they dont have to do the water changes.


Whenever you clean your tank from now on, never, ever rinse your filter and filter media in tap water. THe chlorine in your tap water could kill off the bacteria you work so hard to grow.

Bettas and guppys are not a good combination. Bettas dont do well with other fish that have flowing fins.

 

[crazyblondechick]

Yay all four are still alive! There colour is back too never been so relieved! So as far as the slime goes do you think I should get an algae eater fish then? And would a fighter be ok with neons?

 

[FishBlast]

Yay all four are still alive! There colour is back too never been so relieved! So as far as the slime goes do you think I should get an algae eater fish then? And would a fighter be ok with neons?

Until your tank shows 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite while nitrates rise for over a week, you should not add any new fish.
Algae eaters such as ancistrus will only make things WORSE. They are pooping machines, require that you feed them vegetables (algae won't be enough for them) and basically will send the tank back into cycling if the fish is too big.
It is best that you keep the 4 neons and watch water parameters with test kits until you find 0s on the toxic stuff while you didn't do a water change. If you still find any values greater than 0 on ammonia or nitrite, water change is required and the cycle is still not finished.

 

[HM Dragon Devil]

Yay all four are still alive! There colour is back too never been so relieved! So as far as the slime goes do you think I should get an algae eater fish then? And would a fighter be ok with neons?

I agree with FishBlast, please don't add anymore fish until your tank has completed the nitrogen cycle (which could take 50 days or more).

If you add anymore fish you'll just add to the bio-load and make things worse than they already are, as you don't have any nitrifiers to consume the toxic waste, and ultimately you WILL lose everything!

Right now patience is your best freind, you really need to check your water parameters daily, buy an api master test kit, if you don't already have one.
And buy a tap water conditioner (again if you don't have one), as you'll be doing water changes every 1-2 days depending on your ammonia/nitrite test results.

Dean.

 

[ninjacheesefish]

I did want a Male Fighter Fish, seen a purple one with red fins I fell in love with. Are neons or guppies ok with them or are they nippers??

Neon tetras are fine with Siamese Fighter Fish, but guppies are are no. The Fighter will the guppies as another fighter and kill them. It's all down to the guppies pretty tails being all colourful and sparky.

 

[FishBlast]

I did want a Male Fighter Fish, seen a purple one with red fins I fell in love with. Are neons or guppies ok with them or are they nippers??

Neon tetras are fine with Siamese Fighter Fish, but guppies are are no. The Fighter will the guppies as another fighter and kill them. It's all down to the guppies pretty tails being all colourful and sparky.

For some odd reason, my bettas that I had before saw Zebra Danios as a threat and ate their eyes. They did shred guppy tails and bite their heads, but didn't kill those. I didn't let them once I caught them in the act.

 

[FishFanatic04]

No adding fish! The damage that is done to your fish's gills is irreversible. It is like having a bad burn, we dont heal burns very well because of the tissue damage. Fish don't heal their gills well and will never be as healthy as they could be if you don't take the filter cycling seriously.

 

[FishBlast]

No adding fish! The damage that is done to your fish's gills is irreversible. It is like having a bad burn, we dont heal burns very well because of the tissue damage. Fish don't heal their gills well and will never be as healthy as they could be if you don't take the filter cycling seriously.

I've read somewhere that the gills of fish DO repair, sometimes over long periods of time.
They thicken and become less efficient under toxic substances, and then get thinner when conditions become better.
Also that Zebra Danio fry have the highest regeneration rates of body parts and even organs.

 

[Aqua Tom]

No adding fish! The damage that is done to your fish's gills is irreversible. It is like having a bad burn, we dont heal burns very well because of the tissue damage. Fish don't heal their gills well and will never be as healthy as they could be if you don't take the filter cycling seriously.

I've read somewhere that the gills of fish DO repair, sometimes over long periods of time.
They thicken and become less efficient under toxic substances, and then get thinner when conditions become better.
Also that Zebra Danio fry have the highest regeneration rates of body parts and even organs.