Hi All. Just Thought I'd Say Hi.

[LastBoy5cout]

Hi,

Got a 80 litre tank ( http/www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/rekord334.htm ) for my Birthday.

My dad always used to have a fish tank when I was a kid so I was really exited about getting it all set up.

It has a built in filter inside and pump so is fairly self contained. I set it all up and left it for ten days to run with the plants in it, left the light on for most of the day and finally put some fish in it last sunday ( 5 Red Eye Tetras ).

I am slightly concerned now becuase having joined the forum and reading all the posts about cycling, I didnt do anything like this and did a few test strips to ensure my water wasnt wildly hideous before I put the fish in. The fish seem happy enough, they swim okay, feed okay. Should I worry or is it too late ?

I have the brown algae everyone seems to get reading the posts! but other than that everthing seems good.

Is there anything I need to know about these self contained units, any problems with these sytems?

Also when I do a water change do I change all of the water or half and leave the fish in there and how do I combat the fact that the water Im putting is colder and it will take time to warm up to the right temperature!

Sorry for the all the questions, any advice would be greatly appreciatted.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SJ2K]

Hey, we have the same tank not a bad start there!

Ok, cycling, yes as your well aware you have skipped the preffered cycling method and are now doing whats known as a fish-in cycle, or put simply, cycling with fish

Step to do from now on to keep those fishies happy:

1) Go to your local fish store (LFS) and get yourself an API master test kit (Or any other LIQUID based test kit which reads ammonia, nitrite and nitrate).

2) Test your water twice daily, when (not if) your ammonia starts to go up, carry out a 25% water change you can leave the fish in at this stage, just siphon of the water and replace it with fresh clean warm water from the tap (make sure to use water conditioner!).

3) Reduce feeding to a bare minimum, 1 small pinch every 2 days is enough.

4) After about a week or so, start using your nitrIte test kit, same as ammonia make sure as soon as its above 0 you carry out a water change

Its hard work, lord only knows im well aware of it (I too carried out the same cycle), but it DOES work and its totally worth it when you get to keep fish without watching them suffer

Good luck!

 

[Daveyg1969]

Hey, we have the same tank not a bad start there!

Ok, cycling, yes as your well aware you have skipped the preffered cycling method and are now doing whats known as a fish-in cycle, or put simply, cycling with fish

Step to do from now on to keep those fishies happy:

1) Go to your local fish store (LFS) and get yourself an API master test kit (Or any other LIQUID based test kit which reads ammonia, nitrite and nitrate).

2) Test your water twice daily, when (not if) your ammonia starts to go up, carry out a 25% water change you can leave the fish in at this stage, just siphon of the water and replace it with fresh clean warm water from the tap (make sure to use water conditioner!).

3) Reduce feeding to a bare minimum, 1 small pinch every 2 days is enough.

4) After about a week or so, start using your nitrIte test kit, same as ammonia make sure as soon as its above 0 you carry out a water change

Its hard work, lord only knows im well aware of it (I too carried out the same cycle), but it DOES work and its totally worth it when you get to keep fish without watching them suffer

Good luck!

Also Jewel filters are great if left to get on with their job and not disturbed unless absolutely necessary, and the Nitrate pad cuts down on the need for water changes once your tank has cycled.

 

[Bungy]

Welcome.
Firstly it is likely that your tank will being to "cycle" now that you have fish in the water - this is as a result of the the fish waste and uneaten food - you have read the section of cycling your tank so should now be reasonably familiar with the process. You will of course need to keep a close eye on your "stats" Amonia/Nitrite and finally Nitrate and perhaps your PH. Spend a few quid and buy yourself a test kit from your LFS (Local Fish Shop) - the idea being to achieve the following readings:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5.0 ish
PH - around 7 / 7.5 ish (depending upon what fish you wish to keep in the longer term)

After a few days you will see your Nitrite reading begin to rise - this is a by-product of your Amonia munching bacteria begining to colonise your filter media (this is good) - your Amonia level will drop at this point. After a while (the time frame changes from tank to tank) your Nitrite level will also begin to drop as new bacteria that eat Nitrite begin to colonise your filter media - unfortunately there is a by-product to this process also and Nitrate is produced however Nitrate is not as harmful to your fish as Amonia and Nitrite. Nitrate is best controlled by performing regular weekly water changes - at least 10%

One point to remember however is that your filter will be coping with the number of fish you CURRENTLY have in your tank - if after several weeks and your tank has completed the cycle you then add more fish - your filter needs time for the bacteria within to colonise to cope with the increased level of fish waste. It is therefore sensible to only add say 3 fish at a time each weekend. Frustrating I know - you will want to push ahead and add more fish but DONT....I made this mistake and didnt read up on the hobby before setting up - as a result I ended up with very poor water quality which in turn led to an outbreak of WhiteSpot - probably due to distressed fish and also Fin rot - I lost MOST of my fish and it took weeks for things to finally settle down.

Hope this helps

Bungy

 

[LastBoy5cout]

Thanks for this peeps, really appreciatte the advice.

Do I need to clean my filter media at all?

Just ordered a API kit ( God bless Ebay! ) so will run some test as soon as that arrives.

I went to college and did fishery management so know a bit about it nitrates and and nitrites but that was a few years ago! so need to brush up on it all.

If I want rid of my brown algae ( its on a few leaves and a bit on the bottom ) Should I introduce snails or a algae eating fish?

 

[SJ2K]

Well done on ordering the kit its a great investment!

When cycling its the ammonia and nitrite which you will really need to check these are the elements which can and regularly do kill fish! Cleaning the media isnt needed at this stage so i wouldnt worry about that.

Brown algae is ok you can either leave it (it usually clears once the tank is well established), take out any effected decor and give it a scrub or wait untill your cycled and get some oto's they love brown algae.

 

[LastBoy5cout]

You mentioned water conditioner in a earlier post, do you mean like a Brita Filter?

I might leave the brown algae for a while and see if it improves before adding any other fish.

What type of snail could I add if I did want rid of the algae? I always fancied snails in my tank.

 

[SJ2K]

Water conditioner (also known as dechlorinator) is an essential bottled product you must add to ALL water you put into your tank, it removes chlorine and chloramine that will otherwise wipe out any benefitial bacteria

Leaving th algae will be fine and take a look at the invertibrate section of the forum for more info on snails.

 

[LastBoy5cout]

Aha, I have a bottle of that stuff. Called tap safe or something similar I think. Its greny/blue in colour.

Thanks ever so much for all the help so far everybody.

Im sure there will be more questions along the way!!

 

[SJ2K]

Aha, I have a bottle of that stuff. Called tap safe or something similar I think. Its greny/blue in colour.

Thanks ever so much for all the help so far everybody.

Im sure there will be more questions along the way!!

Yup that'll be the stuff, just add it to every bucket of clean water going into the tank

Good luck and never hessitate to ask q's.

 

[LastBoy5cout]

API kit turned up today.

Off to see what my water is like, fingers crossed!

Have been feeding my tetra's a pinch a day and they go mad for it, they are hungry lil buggers!

Have left the light off as well to try and combat the Algae growth but to be honest thats not that bad at the moment.

 

[LastBoy5cout]

Did the API test on my tank Saturday and again today and the results are below.

Can anyone shed any light on what it al means?

Saturdays results

PH 7.6
Amonia 0 - .25
Nitrate 10 - 20
Nitrite 2 - 5

Todays results

Amonia 0 - .25
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 2 - 5

Fish seem healthy. ( Although one is slightly lethargic ) I have cut there feed right back to a pinch a day but when I do feed them they go mad for it!

 

[jennybugs]

Have you done any water changes yet?

Seems like you're doing fine,you're cycle is underway, but just remember to do your daily water changes...I do 10% changes every day when the ammonia first shows a reading (if I've cycled with fish that is). Dechlorinator in your water every time as well.

Fish will always seem as though they haven't been fed for ages each time you feed them, unless they are ill and then most likely their appetite will drop I feed my fish once every 2-3 days if cycling with fish.

 

[LastBoy5cout]

Not been doing water changes as yet. But will do ASAP as I thought one of my tetra's had white lines one the outer edges of its fins and I googled this and I appears thy have the early stages of fin rot. Any ideas?

Caused to the poor water quality possibly?

How do I combat this?

HELP!!

 

[jennybugs]

Ok this is what I would do...you need to start doing water changes right away. Do a large change first or several medium ones straight away, then do daily changes of 10%. You have to get that ammonia and nitrite down as this is poisonous to your fish. Don't forget your water conditioner to add to the water every time you change it.

If they are getting fin rot it may well be down to water quality. If you are certain that it is rot, I would use some Melafix according to the bottle's instructions to help heal the fish. This won't interfere with your cycle as it is natural tea tree oil.

Without good water quality your fish will suffer. That's the best way to help prevent disease and deaths