Rescue fish

[Madisonkeug]

It’s a 15 gal tank with some rocky decore and caves and a few live plants and a really good filter so far. The substrate is a smaller gravel for the kuhli loaches to burrow in and there’s also a Nertie snail in there to keep the tank clean

Okay all, after the recommendations I’ve gotten
I’ve decided to rehome my tetras and the yo-yo as they’re not going to like the conditions of the tank and just don’t jive well with the set up I have planned.

I’ve got this sandy plant substrate in the large 25gal tank now and let the dust settle. The tank got a bit cloudy white (I think that means I’ve set up the bacteria properly? ) and the cloudiness has gone down. Should I do a cycle before I add my fish or should I add the fish and leave it for a week to let the bacteria settle in more?

 

[Byron]

How do you recommend I GH for these guys then? I don’t want them to start out with bad conditions! Is there any way to fix this?

First you need to pin down the GH of your source water. I found this link to water quality reports
Water Quality - City of Chilliwack

and this 2020 data
Potable Water Quality Analysis 2020_print version.pdf (chilliwack.com)

I don't know if this is your water source or not, but it shows the GH in the range of 40-60 mg/l which is soft to very soft water. The mg/l is equal to ppm, one of the scales the hobby uses, the other being dGH. You can multiply dGH by 17.9 to get the equivalent ppm, or divide ppm by 17.9 for the equivalent dGH.

Assuming this is your water data, livebearers will struggle. The only way to resolve this is with a tank for just the livebearers (the other fish are soft water and will thrive in the source water) for which you prepare harder water. You can buy mineral salts like rift lake salts--note, this is not common sodium chloride "salt" but calcium and magnesium mineral salts--and prepare the water outside the aquarium at each water change before using it. Marine salt mixes are not useable because they do contain sodium chloride salts (at least I assume they do). Or you can use a calcareous substrate material, like a rift lake sand. This is easier in my view, as it is basically permanent. I did this back in the 1980's for my tank of mollies; the GH and pH increased, but it doesn't really matter the exact level, just so long as it is above their minimum requirement, which it would be with such a substrate.

 

[Ichthys]

I wouldn’t add fish until you’ve had a few days of ammonia and nitrites both going to zero in a day.

 

[Madisonkeug]

First you need to pin down the GH of your source water. I found this link to water quality reports
Water Quality - City of Chilliwack

and this 2020 data
Potable Water Quality Analysis 2020_print version.pdf (chilliwack.com)

I don't know if this is your water source or not, but it shows the GH in the range of 40-60 mg/l which is soft to very soft water. The mg/l is equal to ppm, one of the scales the hobby uses, the other being dGH. You can multiply dGH by 17.9 to get the equivalent ppm, or divide ppm by 17.9 for the equivalent dGH.

Assuming this is your water data, livebearers will struggle. The only way to resolve this is with a tank for just the livebearers (the other fish are soft water and will thrive in the source water) for which you prepare harder water. You can buy mineral salts like rift lake salts--note, this is not common sodium chloride "salt" but calcium and magnesium mineral salts--and prepare the water outside the aquarium at each water change before using it. Marine salt mixes are not useable because they do contain sodium chloride salts (at least I assume they do). Or you can use a calcareous substrate material, like a rift lake sand. This is easier in my view, as it is basically permanent. I did this back in the 1980's for my tank of mollies; the GH and pH increased, but it doesn't really matter the exact level, just so long as it is above their minimum requirement, which it would be with such a substrate.

Thank you so much! I think I’ll try and find a calcareous substrate for them... gonna have to do a little research to figure out where to buy that... is it common in most pet stores or will I have to order it in?

 

[Byron]

Thank you so much! I think I’ll try and find a calcareous substrate for them... gonna have to do a little research to figure out where to buy that... is it common in most pet stores or will I have to order it in?

No idea about Chilliwack fish stores, but some of the Vancouver stores should have substrates. CarribSea make them, they are available online as well as (whichever) stores. The "African Cichlid Mix" at this link is the sort of thing you want so far as being a calcareous substrate, as thy describe.
Aquarium - CaribSea

 

[Madisonkeug]

No idea about Chilliwack fish stores, but some of the Vancouver stores should have substrates. CarribSea make them, they are available online as well as (whichever) stores. The "African Cichlid Mix" at this link is the sort of thing you want so far as being a calcareous substrate, as thy describe.
Aquarium - CaribSea

I know they have the African cichlid mix so I will use that!! Thank you Byron!

 

[Madisonkeug]

Have now retested my water for the second tank and the levels are off now. What should I do?

Tank 1: 25 gal
pH: 6.6
High pH: 7.6
Ammonia: .50 ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm

Tank 2: 15 gal
pH: 7.6
High pH: 7.6
Ammonia: .50 ppm
Nitrite: .50 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm

is this because I need to do another water change? Would you recommend a 30% or more? Or is my tank not cycling yet? I was planning on adding my fish to this tank today! Please help LOL!!!!

 

[Essjay]

The high range pH shows 7.6 because that's the lowest colour on the chart. Your pH is 6.6, ignore the high range tester.

At that pH all the total ammonia as measured by the test kit is in the ammonium form which is the non-toxic form.

Besides adding the ammonia bacteria colony, have you added anything else to the tank? The danger is that if it's not cycled, as soon as you add fish, ammonia will shoot up and even ammonium is toxic at high levels, then nitrite will shoot up.

Edited to correct the wrong word

 

[Madisonkeug]

The high range pH shows 7.6 because that's the lowest colour on the chart. Your pH is 6.6, ignore the high range tester.

At that pH all the total ammonia as measured by the test kit is in the ammonium form which is the non-toxic form.

Besides adding the ammonia colony, have you added anything else to the tank? The danger is that if it's not cycled, as soon as you add fish, ammonia will shoot up and even ammonium is toxic at high levels, then nitrite will shoot up.

I’ve added my water conditioner substrate plants and a bit of my decorations? Is that what you mean?

 

[Madisonkeug]

The high range pH shows 7.6 because that's the lowest colour on the chart. Your pH is 6.6, ignore the high range tester.

At that pH all the total ammonia as measured by the test kit is in the ammonium form which is the non-toxic form.

Besides adding the ammonia colony, have you added anything else to the tank? The danger is that if it's not cycled, as soon as you add fish, ammonia will shoot up and even ammonium is toxic at high levels, then nitrite will shoot up.

What do you recommend I do? Does this mean my tank isn’t cycling properly? I have two small bunches of moneywart live plants and two smaller live wide leaved plants (got from store as misc)

 

[Byron]

You won't see cycling completed that quickly. [And I agree with @Essjay, just so you know.] The initial tank I thought was the 15g, are the fish still in this tank?

As for the new 25g, can you post a photo as I would like to see the number and type of plants. They can do a silent cycl, but they need to be reasonably fast growing to make sure.

 

[Madisonkeug]

You won't see cycling completed that quickly. [And I agree with @Essjay, just so you know.] The initial tank I thought was the 15g, are the fish still in this tank?

As for the new 25g, can you post a photo as I would like to see the number and type of plants. They can do a silent cycl, but they need to be reasonably fast growing to make sure.

I am at work right now and don’t have any great photos of the plants, this is a photo of my smaller tank with the same grass plant in the far right and the same moneywart plants I hav win the big tank. I have at least 9 strands of the moneywart and then two of those bushier plants and two grasses in the 25 gal. I am in need of some floating plants too but the LFS are all having stock issues. Had to drive an hour out of town yesterday to get cichlid mix to add to the smaller tank once I remove the more sensitive fish, and even then they had no live plants.

 

[Byron]

I am at work right now and don’t have any great photos of the plants, this is a photo of my smaller tank with the same grass plant in the far right and the same moneywart plants I hav win the big tank. I have at least 9 strands of the moneywart and then two of those bushier plants and two grasses in the 25 gal. I am in need of some floating plants too but the LFS are all having stock issues. Had to drive an hour out of town yesterday to get cichlid mix to add to the smaller tank once I remove the more sensitive fish, and even then they had no live plants.

Plants are not always easy to acquire around here. But this is a start...you might be able to get some duckweed, maybe for free, and while it can be a nuisance, it is very rapid growing and thus very helpful in soaking up ammonia/ammonium. This is duckweed (species is Lemna minor).

 

[Madisonkeug]

Hi guys, so I was given a bunch of fish from a local business who could no longer care for their fish. I’m new to owning fish and I’m not sure if I’m doing everything I can to care for these guys and I need help. Biggest question is the tank over stocked?
1x Bronze Cory (swimming around glass lots)
1x Spotted Cory
1x yoyo loach (hiding 60% of day but eating)
1x Pygmy gourami
1x guppy
3x mollies
2x X-ray tetras
3x kuhli loaches 2/3 hiding during the day, other swimming around like crazy

Okay guys, this morning I did my morning tests and here are my findings:

25 gal tank:
pH: still 6.6
Ammonia: now 0 ppm
Nitrite: now 0ppm
Nitrate: now 5 ppm

Is this tank cycling already then?

 

[Byron]

Okay guys, this morning I did my morning tests and here are my findings:

25 gal tank:
pH: still 6.6
Ammonia: now 0 ppm
Nitrite: now 0ppm
Nitrate: now 5 ppm

Is this tank cycling already then?

I see ammonia read .50 yesterday, and zero now...is there any source of ammonia in the tank (fish, added ammonia, bacterial supplement...)?

The numbers as such as good, very good. And if there are plants in this tank, I would feel safe adding fish, carefully.