Newbie to fish & forums

[AnnAlfie]

Boy he looks like a burnt orange, pretty. You mentioned the poop factor. I have plats, mollys, gourami & pepper corys. Do they all poop a lot? What do you have that is low pooping. I don't think i'd see this convo anywhere else

I have mollies, Gourami's and albino Cories and the are all fine. They poop a lot at all. the only one that usually has a string following him is the platy.
He would give my Goldfish a run for their money.
Gourami are beautiful. I have yellow gourami and she's really shy. So cute. Cories are real characters. I could watch them all day. True to their name. They have a funny 5 minutes just like fur cats lol.

 

[JennJenn]

The fish require far less food than most fish keepers realize. And in a fish in cycle, more food means extra ammonia. They need to be fed, but minimally. Without feeding them they can be more susceptible to ammonia poisoning, but feeding too much just makes for more ammonia. It's a gentle balance. I'd suggest feeding minimally... super tiny pinch... every other day.

There is another consideration which no one else seems to have mentioned... the fish you have are best kept separately. The mollies and plates are fish that prefer harder water conditions, meanwhile the gourami and cories prefer softer water. As you are cycling multiple tanks at the moment, I'd recommend planning to split them, and then building stocking plans around those. It is easier to harden water than to soften it, but it can be done as well.


What are the tap water conditions you are dealing with...
pH (after sitting out for 24 hours)?
kH?
gH?

These will determine what will need to be done to get the water a little more in line with the stock. In general, the advice is to keep fish that match your water conditions. Messing with water chemistry can get tough, but I'm thinking a very minor tweak, one way or the other should be all that is necessary to align your tap to your stock.




Oh and welcome to the forum.

Well now I know how they will be split, when the other tank is finished cycling. I will also be careful to add 1 species at a time so as not to have the tank put out of whack right at the get go. Thank you for that! Your saying to let the tap water sit for 24hrs before I take a ph reading? I'm assuming you mentioned this as it will give me the most accurate reading? I'm hoping in about a year I will be able to remove all the sticky notes from the walls surrounding my tanks.

 

[AnnAlfie]

Boy he looks like a burnt orange, pretty. You mentioned the poop factor. I have plats, mollys, gourami & pepper corys. Do they all poop a lot? What do you have that is low pooping. I don't think i'd see this convo anywhere else

Lol. I'm only going by my own experience. I'm far from being an expert on fish so you maybe right about the orange fella. The pet store said he was a sun platy (darn pet stores). I think next time I need to buy fish I'll take a pic and post here for the right info.
My mollies are jet black. Stunning fish

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Mollys and platys are gluttonous grazers... and as with grazers, the more they eat, the more they poop. It's just how it goes. The biggest pooper in my tank is my Bn plec... Goldie's also poop a lot, but if kept in colder tanks, they require less food and that helps reduce the mess. But they are messy little critters too.

The most important part of the poop is removal, especially during the cycling process you are in. Removing the poo will keep the ammonia down a bit. In a planted tank (the more heavily planted the more true this is), the poo is far less of a concern and doesn't need to be removed as much. It becomes a natural fertilizer for the plants... but in a lightly planted tank, you'll want to remove as much as you can during the water changes/vacuuming.

Do you have gravel or sand? Sand is really best for cories. Their behavior is so much better on sand... as they actually sift the sand through their gills! Cool to watch. Gravel and cories can work, but the instances of barbel damage from infection is far higher.

 

[JennJenn]

I have mollies, Gourami's and albino Cories and the are all fine. They poop a lot at all. the only one that usually has a string following him is the platy.
He would give my Goldfish a run for their money.
Gourami are beautiful. I have yellow gourami and she's really shy. So cute. Cories are real characters. I could watch them all day. True to their name. They have a funny 5 minutes just like fur cats lol.

I have 2 male dwarf Gouramis, their like a powder blue with coral coloured stripes. They get along well like BFF's. And the peppered corys, I didn't think they were the prettiest fish but they have a very important job. They are now my favorite to watch, characters.

 

[JennJenn]

Lol. I'm only going by my own experience. I'm far from being an expert on fish so you maybe right about the orange fella. The pet store said he was a sun platy (darn pet stores). I think next time I need to buy fish I'll take a pic and post here for the right info.
My mollies are jet black. Stunning fish

That came out wrong, I have no idea what kind of platy he is. I just love his burnt orange colour. sorry

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well now I know how they will be split, when the other tank is finished cycling. I will also be careful to add 1 species at a time so as not to have the tank put out of whack right at the get go. Thank you for that! Your saying to let the tap water sit for 24hrs before I take a ph reading? I'm assuming you mentioned this as it will give me the most accurate reading? I'm hoping in about a year I will be able to remove all the sticky notes from the walls surrounding my tanks.

Letting the water sit wil allow any dissolved gasses in the water a chance to dissipate. Think about when you first fill the tank... lots and lots of bubbles form all over the tank. These are gas dissolved inside the water and form bubbles on nucleation sites around the tank. CO2 in the water forms 'carbonic acid' which will show a lower pH right out of the tap than would normally be there. So, giving it a day to 'gas off' gives a more accurate reading. You can get a similar result by agitating the water a great deal for about an hour... with a pump for example...but waiting works too.

The kH and gH information should be available from your water supplier.

 

[AnnAlfie]

Mollys and plagues are gluttonous grazers... and as with grazers, the more they eat, the more they poop. It's just how it goes. The biggest pooper in my tank is my Bn plec... Goldie's also poop a lot, but if kept in colder tanks, they require less food and that helps reduce the mess. But they are messy little critters too.

The most important part of the poop is removal, especially during the cycling process you are in. Removing the poo will keep the ammonia down a bit. In a planted tank (the more heavily planted the more true this is), the poo is far less of a concern and doesn't need to be removed as much. It becomes a natural fertilizer for the plants... but in a lightly planted tank, you'll want to remove as much as you can during the water changes/vacuuming.

Do you have gravel or sand? Sand is really best for cories. Their behavior is so much better on sand... as they actually sift the sand through their gills! Cool to watch. Gravel and cories can work, but the instances of barbel damage from infection is far higher.

I didn't know that. I better get some sand in there for my cory's. There's always more to learn hence why I'm here . I have 1 large real plant but the other are plastic. No reason why i can't swap the plastic ones for real ones. I was worried more plants might change my water or give me some complications that I'm not prepared for. I would hate it if I was responsible for killing my fish due to doing something stupid.

 

[JennJenn]

Mollys and platys are gluttonous grazers... and as with grazers, the more they eat, the more they poop. It's just how it goes. The biggest pooper in my tank is my Bn plec... Goldie's also poop a lot, but if kept in colder tanks, they require less food and that helps reduce the mess. But they are messy little critters too.

The most important part of the poop is removal, especially during the cycling process you are in. Removing the poo will keep the ammonia down a bit. In a planted tank (the more heavily planted the more true this is), the poo is far less of a concern and doesn't need to be removed as much. It becomes a natural fertilizer for the plants... but in a lightly planted tank, you'll want to remove as much as you can during the water changes/vacuuming.

Do you have gravel or sand? Sand is really best for cories. Their behavior is so much better on sand... as they actually sift the sand through their gills! Cool to watch. Gravel and cories can work, but the instances of barbel damage from infection is far higher.

I think I will change the substrate in the second tank then as I have gravel in both right now. 1 plus my tanks have all live plants, I chose to go with live plants because of their benefits and I like the looks of them better than silk or plastic. My personal preference of course.

 

[AnnAlfie]

I have 2 male dwarf Gouramis, their like a powder blue with coral coloured stripes. They get along well like BFF's. And the peppered corys, I didn't think they were the prettiest fish but they have a very important job. They are now my favorite to watch, characters.

Aww beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm a sucker for an ugly mug . I love their little moustaches (I actually had to look up the spelling for that)

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Natural plants are better for fish under most circumstances. The negative circumstances really only come when the plants are dying... fouling the water. Beyond that they help to regulate the water chemistry, keeping the dangerous nitrogenous waste byproducts of the fish down... a mini ecosystem really!

Another case of plants and fish not mixing is African cichlids and plants... they just destroy them. Adding some easy to grow plants to your tank adds a wonderful dimension and another whole layer of learning. Plants are fun to research and try out. The key is matching your plants to your lighting. Everything else can be tweaked here and there. Generally simple ones like java fern, anubias and many cryptocorynes require very little effort on the part of the first time aquatic gardeners, though the crypts do appreciate a bit of root fertilizer every few months,

 

[AnnAlfie]

I think I will change the substrate in the second tank then as I have gravel in both right now. 1 plus my tanks have all live plants, I chose to go with live plants because of their benefits and I like the looks of them better than silk or plastic. My personal preference of course.

Your right. They do look better.

 

[AnnAlfie]

Natural plants are better for fish under most circumstances. The negative circumstances really only come when the plants are dying... fouling the water. Beyond that they help to regulate the water chemistry, keeping the dangerous nitrogenous waste byproducts of the fish down... a mini ecosystem really!

Another case of plants and fish not mixing is African cichlids and plants... they just destroy them. Adding some easy to grow plants to your tank adds a wonderful dimension and another whole layer of learning. Plants are fun to research and try out. The key is matching your plants to your lighting. Everything else can be tweaked here and there. Generally simple ones like java fern, anubias and many cryptocorynes require very little effort on the part of the first time aquatic gardeners, though the crypts do appreciate a bit of root fertilizer every few months,

I'll try your suggestions as I don't know a whole lot about aquatic plants. Trouble is, my local pet store never seems to have much in the way of plants. Is it advisable to get them mail order?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Word of warning on sand.... be sure it's thoroughly rinsed before adding it, or else you will be very sorry.

As a side note, I've had very nice success with Estes ceramaquartz sand... s grade. It's very fine, but comes in a variety of colors. I got black as it helps the color of the fish to pop. White sand has a tendency to wash out colors.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'll try your suggestions as I don't know a whole lot about aquatic plants. Trouble is, my local pet store never seems to have much in the way of plants. Is it advisable to get them mail order?

It depends on the seller. But I've had a lot of success with ordering plants online. Some plants work for my tank... others don't. It's a nice fun (sometimes expensive) experiment.