Please Please Help

[Sami9999]

I would suggest regularly cleaning the goldfish filter in the big tank too.

Your tank was technically cycled... but only for the bioload of 2 guppies... lol. If you keep giving the goldfish filter a daily rinse in the main tank this should help seed the filter further a help boost the numbers of bacteria. So long as you're not too rough with the filter the goldfish shouldn't see a spike of any description.

Also according to practical fish keeping magazine there is actually a new live cycling product out on the market! If you can get hold of any Pond Protect-L that has been stored correctly then it's probably worth a try to help bump up the numbers of bacteria faster.

Oh and one last thing, definitely try to feed sparingly.

Also what area are you in? You never know but someone nearby on the boards may be able to donate some mature media to you.

The goldfish will be around for a few more days. They were babies that my daughter was storing till they were big enough to move to her and her nana's pond. So I will continue to move media from their filter to the bigger tank.

I will look into pond protect-l thank you.

I only feed a small amount once a day and will feed a few live blood worms a night for the frogs.

I am in the Auburn, CA area.

 

[Curiosity101]

Oo if you're in america then I think there are some bacterial products that work. Not sure if pond-protect l is available over there though.

I'm sure Waterdrop will be able to help more than I can with stuff lik that as he's based in the US aswell. But the goldies media is definitely a good start. Once they've been rehomed deffo stuff all the media into the filter in the 55gal. It should really help speed things up

 

[waterdrop]

Were you thinking of Hovanec's new stuff C101? WD

 

[Sami9999]

Well fish have been in for a few hours and are exploring and seem well. Water levels are still good. Ammonia is 0 nitrites between 0 and .5. This is my first freshwater tropical tank...how soon after adding all the fish can I do a water change? I have keep Koi and Goldfish most of my life they are super hardy and have never minded water changes so I am not sure.

If there is a bacteria product here in the states that works let me know and I will find and get it. Otherwise I will continue with the goldfish media. Thank you all so much for all the advice.

 

[Curiosity101]

No, it's by a company called Novozyme Biologicals Inc... it's something I read today in PFK's e-newsletter.
http/links.specialist.bauermedia.co.uk/ctt?kn=31&m=35736724&r=MjcxNjM4MjA4MAS2&b=0&j=ODA0MzAzNjUS1&mt=1&rt=0

 

[waterdrop]

Sounds worth a try! WD

 

[Sami9999]

So I have another question. I read that adding a some salt can be beneficial to the fish...is this true? I have guppies, zebra danios, cardinal tetras, and african dwarf frogs.

 

[waterdrop]

No, no salt. We'll talk about it. WD

 

[Sami9999]

Okay no salt. One of the female guppies has a few white spots on one of her fins...only one and none of the other have them. Not sure if it is anything to be concerned about but I have taken her out and put her in another tank.

Also how soon should I change the water?

 

[waterdrop]

I forget what type of test kit you have Sami. Do you have an API master kit?

The goal in fishless cycling is first to use such a kit to test the ammonia and nitrite levels of course, then to figure out, based on that, a percentage and frequency of water changes (done with good technique) that keep both of those poisons in the narrow band between zero ppm and 0.25ppm until you can be home again to change more water if necessary. The rate that the ammonia and nitrite will appear will not be linear at all it will just suddenly appear sometimes, so you have to be pretty regular about testing. The norm is to test morning and evening but of course with your sudden 30 fish addition you may want to test even more often to get the feel of what's going on in the first few days.

When in doubt its better to change a larger percentage of water. Don't worry about water changes being a shock as they pale in comparison to ammonia and nitrite exposure. Always try to substrate-clean the water out of the tank (this gets more of the nitrite and nitrate out we believe.) On the return tap water you should dose a good conditioner at 1.5x to 2x whatever the instructions recommend but not more than 2x. Always roughly temperature match. Your hand is good enough for this.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Sami9999]

I forget what type of test kit you have Sami. Do you have an API master kit?

The goal in fishless cycling is first to use such a kit to test the ammonia and nitrite levels of course, then to figure out, based on that, a percentage and frequency of water changes (done with good technique) that keep both of those poisons in the narrow band between zero ppm and 0.25ppm until you can be home again to change more water if necessary. The rate that the ammonia and nitrite will appear will not be linear at all it will just suddenly appear sometimes, so you have to be pretty regular about testing. The norm is to test morning and evening but of course with your sudden 30 fish addition you may want to test even more often to get the feel of what's going on in the first few days.

When in doubt its better to change a larger percentage of water. Don't worry about water changes being a shock as they pale in comparison to ammonia and nitrite exposure. Always try to substrate-clean the water out of the tank (this gets more of the nitrite and nitrate out we believe.) On the return tap water you should dose a good conditioner at 1.5x to 2x whatever the instructions recommend but not more than 2x. Always roughly temperature match. Your hand is good enough for this.

~~waterdrop~~

Had a master kit however it was not working so till tomorrow I am stuck with strips. I took samples to my lfs twice today to have them test with api master test kit...sadly they do not stock the kit. The levels were 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites first time and between 0 and .5 the second. Will do at least a 20% change.

Curious if I should worried about the white spots on the female guppys fin?

 

[frogmarch1987]

The levels were 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites first time and between 0 and .5 the second. Will do at least a 20% change.

From what I understand from reading these forums (I'm a newbie who hasn't even set their tank up yet ) it's best to do 50-75% water changes during a fish-in cycle (which is effectively what you are in). 20% water changes are not going to be enough, unless you are available to change the water every hour or so. You're probably going to work every day right, so you need to do a big enough water change to ensure that the ammonia and nitrite levels don't get any higher than 0.25ppm before you get home from work 8+ hours later, where you can do another change

 

[tanksalot]

Curious if I should worried about the white spots on the female guppys fin?

Well, I would be worried. Chances are she has a parasite called Ich, and if one fish has it, then all the rest are at risk and you need to treat the whole tank, not just the fish showing symptoms.

Have a read of this: Understanding and treating Ich It's quite long but very informative. Good luck with it...it can sometimes be a pesky nuisance to deal with, I believe.

 

[Anna Robinson]

I wouldn't treat for ich unless you are certain she has it though - it may just be a bump from the transportation and ich meds are quite harsh.

Depending on which type of African frog you have, they may be a threat to the cardinals as they get bigger (and possibly the guppies too!). If they are genuine African Dwarf frogs they will be fine but African Clawed Frogs get much bigger.

 

[Sami9999]

Ich was what I was worried about and why I removed her the moment I noticed the white spots. Other than waiting to see if it spreads to the rest of the body I am not sure how to confirm or rule out ich...any ideas? WD this is why I asked about salt...the article you recommend also mentions salt as a treatment. However, I am not sure if the tetras will be okay with the salt...again does anyone know if all my fish can handle it...guppies, zebra danios, cardinal tetras and dwarf frogs.