I did everything wrong.....

[Irvinite]

I went and bought a new tank,set it up and two days later put fish in it....
They seem to be doing alright but I'm not sure since I didn't buy any testing equipment except for PH....Now what do I need to buy to make sure I'm not slowly killing them??

I guess you probably need alittle more info ,so heres a list of what I have...

30 gal Tank
Heater
Bio water filter
bubble screen
3-platies
3 swordtails
5- mollies
3-guppies

I've had the fish in the tank about two weeks now.....

 

[trout_pout]

that's damn tricky dude.
there is something I have bought, that you add whenever you add fish. I'll give you the name of it later. I'm not quite sure what else to advise

 

[DOLORES]

dont worry.... do a 10 % water change every now and then....they will be ok and feed every other day,

i have my gups that did cycled the tank, and now i have one guppy fry im sure theres more to come, last night there were 2 but one eiither got eaten or sucked up by the filter

you will be ok buy test kits so you check on them every 2 days

ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte cuz u already have pH

edited:

did you de-chlorinate da water? if not , do it! with STRESS COAT! and keep it clean with STRESS ZYME ALWAYZ de-chlorinate the water

 

[boozybears]

Hi Irvinite! You are not the first to do just what you did... in fact that's exactly what I did... boughta 25 gallon, let it sit for 5 days, bought a bunch of fish and then found the forum which told me I did everything wrong )

Good news is that with proper care you will be fine! You definetly need to go buy your kits and get them today!!! At mininum you need kits to test amonia, nitrite and nitrate. (do you know about cycling? Pleasea check out the pinned articles at the top of the beginner section... they'll give you all the info you need to know about starting this hobby and understanding cycling and new tank syndrome)

In the meantime, in order to help your fish survive the next 5-6 weeks of amonia and nitrite spikes, do daily 10-15% water changes, feed sparingly, test your levels daily, and watch your fish for signs of stress and disease. I've now been cycled for 1 1/2 months and it was a great experience. I did lose a few fish along the way but I came through it disease free and relatively painlessly.

Oh, and one more thing... now that you found this forum make use of the great experience people have here... post all your questions and read everyone elses. Everyone on here is great and will be more than happy to help you out along the way.

Good Luck!!!!

Val

ps - NO MORE Fish!!! You really do have too many in there right now for cycling but at least the ones you have pretty hardy ones that, with proper care, have the potential to make it through.

 

[Richard]

might be an idea to get yourself a nitrite test kit so u can keep an eye on your water conditions

also you could add a bacteria culture to spead up the maturing of your filter they are available from your local LFS and arnt to expencive

 

[Bol]

Good advice by everyone.

I'd recommend gettiing this Master Test Kit by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. (edit: I don't necessarily mean that as an endorsement for Big Al's, just wanted to show a picture of the kit ). Also, you'll probably want a KH test kit, but if necessary, that could wait a little while.

Until you get test kits, I'd also suggest getting your water tested for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Some local fish stores will do occasional water tests for you if you bring in a sample -- some even do it for free.

I'd also agree that if you've had unmonitored water for two weeks, you should probably do a water change or two.

 

[Irvinite]

Thanks for all the advice Guy's.......I really like the forum and will come back often....

Oh, sorry but I have one more quick Question.....A friends was telling me that her parents put Ivy in their tanks...GOOD or BAD Idea??

 

[david27]

I have never heard of putting ivy in tanks not sure that i sound like that good an idea to me, don't know why just doesn't

As for the original post just stick to the advice above and things will turn out fine, many tanks get cycled with fish in without adverse effects so just sit back and enjoy your hobby.

David


PS welcome to the forum