Beginner Help Required!

[xjess_ukx]

Hi,

I am new to owning a home aquarium and i am in urgent need of some advice from any veterans out there.

I recently purchased a 64 litre Interpet fish pod which came with a thermostat heater, thermometer and CF2 cartridge filter. I set the tank up as instructed, introduced my substrate (after rinsing thoroughly); I also put some fake plants in and a stone-head ornament which were also rinsed before putting in the tank.

As expected, the tank was initially slightly clouded but that soon cleared up within 24hrs and i waited a further 5 days before i excitedly visited my local pet store to purchase my first fish. Note: During this time the temperature has never dropped below 24 degrees or gone above 25 degrees which i was advised is the 'ideal' temperature for tropical fish.

After much discussion with the expert regarding 'beginner fish' i opted to purchase x6 Lemon Tetras. She also mentioned that i should get some real plants in the near future to help with the oxygenation within the tank thus helping the integration of the fish.

I took the fish home and introduced them to the tank as instructed - leave them in the bag for 30mins, cut a small hole into the bag to allow both waters to merge, then set them free after a further 30mins. And, as requested, i returned to the pet store 2 days later and replaced the fake plants with 3 real plants.

Q. Also it has just occurred to me that the plants came with a small plastic pot which i removed but they also had a 'spongey' base which i took as being there to protect the roots and okay to leave - should i have removed this also?! 

The fish seemed relatively happy in their new environment for 2-3 days but yesterday was where my real problems have begun. Note: During this time i have fed the fish twice daily; i was careful not to overfeed.

Q. How much is too much?

I received and entirely new filter from the website i bought the tank from after a minor dispute and used this as an opportunity to replace the cartridge and algae-away pad in my existing filter (the cartridge was very grey and beginning to turn brown in places so i felt the need for a change). The leaflet advised of a straight swap and no need to rinse the pad or do anything particular before replacing). I did however use some Filter Start.

Q. Do i put the Filter Start directly into the filter itself or just in the tank water?

It was within 2-3hrs of this exchange that one of my fish began acting erratically, swimming to the top of the tank and back down, mainly on it's side. Sadly the fish died as i was frantically trying to re-read my many leaflets and online forums for a quick fix. I noticed that the remaining fish were also breathing much quicker than i'd previously observed.

Q. Could this be a lack of oxygen in the tank and if so i how can i increase it further? Or have i perhaps inadvertently created an huge imbalance in the tank by swapping the filter cartridge?

I'd considered reverting back to the original filter cartridge but i didn't want to risk even further stress on the fish. I did however perform an immediate 30% water change within the tank and included TapSafe. I also removed as much excess 'debris' as i could find.

Overnight another fish has died and i am left both saddened and confused as to what has caused this to happen. Is it one specific thing or several smaller errors i have made? In any case i need some help/advice!

Thank you in advance.

 

[Far_King]

Hi, and welcome.
 
Your tank isn't cycled and changing the filter will have set you back.  I recommend you read this link http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/

 

[Akasha72]

Hello and welcome You've come to the right place.
 
Far_King has linked you to our beginners section where there is loads of information for the beginner. Alongside that though I'll answer some of the direct questions that you have asked.
 
How much to feed? Twice a day is okay, I feed twice a day, but at the moment I would reduce it to once a day and only give enough for them to eat in about 30 seconds.  The reason for this is because of what Far_King has touched upon - your tank is not 'cycled'. Once you read the link you'll hopefully grasp what that means but briefly I'll explain. 
Fish create ammonia when they breathe and when they poo. The food also creates Ammonia. Ammonia is toxic to fish and will kill them very quickly. In order to remove ammonia from the tank bacteria needs to grow in your filter - that's the grey/brown stuff you've seen. This bacteria 'eats' the ammonia and converts it to Nitrite. Nitrite is also a fish killer and so another type of bacteria needs to grow on the filter sponges to 'eat' the nitrite. This bacteria then converts the Nitrite to Nitrate. The live plants you've added will 'eat' some of the Nitrate - it's a natural fertilizer. This is what we call 'cycling'. By reducing the amount of food you reduce the amount of ammonia entering the water. Nitrate though is also toxic but far less so than Ammonia and Nitrite. It's best to keep Nitrate below 40ppm if you can. You can do this by doing weekly water changes of around 25%.
 
In order to read your tank for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate you will need a test kit. There are many on the market but avoid the dip strips as they are really inaccurate. Look for a liquid drop type - the API Masterkit is one of the one's we'd normally recommend as it's easy to work with when you are a beginner. This kit will also give you a test for your pH. I would also recommend getting to know what is coming out of your tap as it's not the first time we've come across ammonia in tap water and Nitrate too. Once you get your test kit test both tank and tap. 
 
Had you of come here before you got your fish we would have suggested you 'cycle' the filter with household ammonia first but now you are in what we call a 'fish in cycle' and so you'll need to follow the instructions in the link for that.
 
The reason the fish are going to the surface is because of ammonia in the water - if you lift the lid you might even be able to smell ammonia yourself. Ammonia also burns their skin so it's a bit like us being forced to bath in acid. 
 
As to the filter media - do not change it unless it is falling to pieces. All you need to do is wash the media lightly in old tank water. Never wash it under the tap or in undechlorinated water as the metals in our water will kill the bacteria.
 
If you have any more questions just ask. There are no silly questions and someone will always be around to help you 
 
Best wishes - Akasha

 

[Ch4rlie]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
 
I am afraid that this has happened with new aquarists before, namely the pet store giving you "good advice". Most stores tend to just want their products sold to get the cash coming in regardless of the welfare of the fish they sell. Of course not ALL stores do this but a lot of them do, its either the staff being improperly trained / ignorance or owners just saying what you want to hear in order to sell their product in the store. Sad but true unfortunately
 
Akasha and Far_King have mentioned some good advice already, its a lot of information to take in for the beginner, but don't worry you will soon grasp the principle and try not to worry too much, we will help as much as we can.
 
First, your questions -
 
 

Q. Also it has just occurred to me that the plants came with a small plastic pot which i removed but they also had a 'spongey' base which i took as being there to protect the roots and okay to leave - should i have removed this also?! 

 
The spongey base at the roots of plants inside the pots is rock wool, usually we recommend to remove this as this is just to protect the roots and has no real purpose once planted inside a aquarium, but leaving it on should pose no risk at all. (Do bear in mind some plants should not be planted in substrate but tried or glued onto rocks/woods - usually Java Ferns and some varieties of Anubias)
 
 

The fish seemed relatively happy in their new environment for 2-3 days but yesterday was where my real problems have begun. Note: During this time i have fed the fish twice daily; i was careful not to overfeed.

Q. How much is too much?

 
Akasha has given her usual routine for feeding, other folks do different feeding routines, I personally feed my fish once a day, and i miss out on feeding once or twice a week, this is perfectly normal as this encourages the fish to forage for food whch help get rid of leftover foods. Overfeeding can lead to issues with water quaility in the tank so it pays to keep an eye on how much to feed, you will soon get to know this with your tank and fish as time goes on. There is no real right or wrong answer as long as there is not too much overfeeding.
 
 

I received and entirely new filter from the website i bought the tank from after a minor dispute and used this as an opportunity to replace the cartridge and algae-away pad in my existing filter (the cartridge was very grey and beginning to turn brown in places so i felt the need for a change). The leaflet advised of a straight swap and no need to rinse the pad or do anything particular before replacing). I did however use some Filter Start.

Q. Do i put the Filter Start directly into the filter itself or just in the tank water?

It was within 2-3hrs of this exchange that one of my fish began acting erratically, swimming to the top of the tank and back down, mainly on it's side. Sadly the fish died as i was frantically trying to re-read my many leaflets and online forums for a quick fix. I noticed that the remaining fish were also breathing much quicker than i'd previously observed.

Q. Could this be a lack of oxygen in the tank and if so i how can i increase it further? Or have i perhaps inadvertently created an huge imbalance in the tank by swapping the filter cartridge?

I'd considered reverting back to the original filter cartridge but i didn't want to risk even further stress on the fish. I did however perform an immediate 30% water change within the tank and included TapSafe. I also removed as much excess 'debris' as i could find.

 
I looked up online for your filter, Interpet CF2 Cartridge Filter, looks like an fairly decent internal filter with interchangeble cartridges for this tank.
Now, a LOT of manufacters will state that all the cartridges needs changing every so often, utter tosh, this is a marketing gimmick in order to get people buying more of their products. In fact, removing cartridges is taking away the very things thats keeping your water clean and your fish alive. Akasha had briefly said this about the relevent bacterias needed in order to keep a sort of eco sytem going in your aquarium, a lot of these bacterias actually live inside the filter and on the sponge media inside the cartridges as well as the biomedia/ceramic. Do not replace these unless they are falling apart, this will take a number of years.
 
The only thing I would suggest for your filter cartridges is the white cottony one, this is filter floss, this can be replaced once its full of trapped debris from the water column, it may be cheaper to get a sheet of filter floss online and cut these to size and placing that on the cartridge/filter rather than buying the more expensive cartridges every so often.
That is your personal choice or you can simply just leave as is.
 
Personally I have never used filter start, actually am unsure what it actually is or what it does. I would avoid buying any more of this stuff as I feel it won't add anything really beneficial to your tank.
 
However, you must use a water dechlorinator to make tap water safe to get rid of chlorine and any metals from your tap water. You have mentioned you use TapSafe, which is probably fine. There are a lot of product out there that does this and most are decent enough, Personally I have used Seachem Prime and have used Fluval AquaPlus when I first started the hobby without any problems, most members have their own preferences of what tap water safe chlorinators to use. I would advise you to use a dechlorinator that does not contain aloe vera as this can have negative impact on your fish slime coat which is essential for the health of the fish.
 
Lack of oxygen, well, as long as there is ripples on the surface of your tank water then that should be ok as this is where the exchange of oxygen happens in your water column basically. But signs of lack of oxygen from your tetras could be down to the cycling as ammonia/nitrite posinoning will make them gasp for oygen, other signs include lethargy and red gills. This is when you should do a large water change with clean dechlorinated temperature matched water.
 
I realise this is a rather a lot of information to digest, but this is basic information that should be known by all aquarist and i hope this has not put you off and realise that the only way to learn is to research and read lots of advice from seasoned keepers, don't worry, remember we ALL have been there for this learning curve

 

[xjess_ukx]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, some great advice there! I think i understand more what has happened now - basically i didn't cycle the tank properly and shouldn't have changed the filter. I will read all the advice again over a few more times to grasp more about the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels etc.. Thanks again 

 

[Flubberlump]

Agree with everything above, don't worry we've all been there. You should have seen what I had in my first tank it was horrendous but I was none the wiser at the time.

Just something else I picked up on, you said you were told cut a hole in the bag to allow the tank water and bag water to merge. We wouldn't recommend adding the water from the bag to your tank, as this can introduce undesirable things from the shop tank into your water. It is important to gradually acclimatise fish to your tank. The water in the bag must be brought to the same temperature as your tank. The easiest way to do this is to float the bag in the top of your tank, which is what you did.

There are then two commonly used methods to acclimatise your new fish to your tank water. The method I use is to gradually add small amounts of tank water to the bag. I use a jug, and add a small amount every half an hour or so until the amount of water in the bag has increased to 3 times what it was.

The second method is called 'drip acclimatisation.'This involves using a piece of airline tubing to add water to the bag a drop at a time. It can take a while but is a more gradual change for the fish.

Either way, changing the conditions for the fish too suddenly can cause them stress and shock, potentially leading to illness. As I said I use the first method as I find it easier. Once the fish are acclimatised, use a fish net to catch them, and release them into the tank. That way, none of the water from the bag will enter the tank.

Before you add any new fish do some research into the requirements for that particular fish. There are some fish that are very sensitive and not recommended for new aquariums, they require an established tank. It's a good idea to visit some shops and find fish that you like the look of, then go away and do some research to find out about their requirements. It's something that a lot of us do. There is a huge amount of information on here about fish species and there will always be someone who has kept the fish that you are interested in to offer advice. This is just something to bear in mind once you have your tank cycled and are ready to go.

Fishkeeping is a very rewarding and addictive hobby, and you will find all the advice you could need on this forum. Don't be afraid to ask questions