Scared To Stock The Tank....
- Thread starter BigIan
- Start date
pieman
Fishaholic
If your sure your tank is cycled then you shouldn't have a problem. But if you want to be safe get some hardy fish, if you want some cheap hardy fish, Black Widow Tetras are the way to go.
i dn`t want to be stuck with fish i don`t want.
I know the tank is cycled, i add 5 ppm of amonia a day and its gone in 24 hrs my nitrite is constantly 0 and my nitrates keep going through the roof so i`m doing a water change every week to stop the cycle stalling again.
whats really worring me is my ph has dropped from 7.2 (out of the tap) to 6
i`ve been told several reasons why this could be, Is it because of the amonia i keep adding? when i finally do a huge water change and add fish will the ph stay constant?
and how hardy are angels and skunk corys?
I bought the tank with angels in mind its 4 ft long and they have a good 21 inches above the substrate to swim around in,
as thats pretty much what i`m after (besides panda corys that i`ll be getting in a few months when the tank is nice and mature for them
I know the tank is cycled, i add 5 ppm of amonia a day and its gone in 24 hrs my nitrite is constantly 0 and my nitrates keep going through the roof so i`m doing a water change every week to stop the cycle stalling again.
whats really worring me is my ph has dropped from 7.2 (out of the tap) to 6
i`ve been told several reasons why this could be, Is it because of the amonia i keep adding? when i finally do a huge water change and add fish will the ph stay constant?
and how hardy are angels and skunk corys?
I bought the tank with angels in mind its 4 ft long and they have a good 21 inches above the substrate to swim around in,
as thats pretty much what i`m after (besides panda corys that i`ll be getting in a few months when the tank is nice and mature for them
treecat
New Member
Triumph
New Member
Hi Big Ian,
I was as nervous as you thought all my fish would go belly up!
Pleased to report I started off with 4 platties in my tank 1 month ago and they are all still happily swimming about, and have been joined by 5 lemon tetras. Depends on whether you want platties, but mine certainly seem to have lived up to their hardy reputation.
I see you are a Bradford lad like me. My PH has been stable at 7.2 after adding fish so not sure why yours is at 6. It will probably settle when you do your water change and add the fish.
Which shop do you use? I've got all my fish from QSS on Wakefield Road and have found them to be very helpful.
Good luck
Billy the Fish
I was as nervous as you thought all my fish would go belly up!
Pleased to report I started off with 4 platties in my tank 1 month ago and they are all still happily swimming about, and have been joined by 5 lemon tetras. Depends on whether you want platties, but mine certainly seem to have lived up to their hardy reputation.
I see you are a Bradford lad like me. My PH has been stable at 7.2 after adding fish so not sure why yours is at 6. It will probably settle when you do your water change and add the fish.
Which shop do you use? I've got all my fish from QSS on Wakefield Road and have found them to be very helpful.
Good luck
Billy the Fish
i`ve been adding amonia to cycle the tank,
the idea of cycling is to build up a bacteria colony in the filter that eat amonia then eat nitrites to produce nitrate that you then remove with water changes.
There are 2 ways of doing this,
1) add some hardy fish to produce amonia through poo poo ect, (this however harms the fishy`s)
2) add pure amonia and wait for the bacteria to build up its self, this is my first tank and i did my research before starting and decided that was the way i wanted to go.
But as i know exactly what fish i want in my tank its kind of daunting what may happen
i go to tong garden centre, pet city and qss,
if i get a day off this weekend i`ll be doing a tour of them all plus more trying to find the perfect fishys for my tank
where abouts in bradistan are you from then?
the idea of cycling is to build up a bacteria colony in the filter that eat amonia then eat nitrites to produce nitrate that you then remove with water changes.
There are 2 ways of doing this,
1) add some hardy fish to produce amonia through poo poo ect, (this however harms the fishy`s)
2) add pure amonia and wait for the bacteria to build up its self, this is my first tank and i did my research before starting and decided that was the way i wanted to go.
But as i know exactly what fish i want in my tank its kind of daunting what may happen
Hi Big Ian,
I was as nervous as you thought all my fish would go belly up!
Pleased to report I started off with 4 platties in my tank 1 month ago and they are all still happily swimming about, and have been joined by 5 lemon tetras. Depends on whether you want platties, but mine certainly seem to have lived up to their hardy reputation.
I see you are a Bradford lad like me. My PH has been stable at 7.2 after adding fish so not sure why yours is at 6. It will probably settle when you do your water change and add the fish.
Which shop do you use? I've got all my fish from QSS on Wakefield Road and have found them to be very helpful.
Good luck
Billy the Fish
i go to tong garden centre, pet city and qss,
if i get a day off this weekend i`ll be doing a tour of them all plus more trying to find the perfect fishys for my tank
where abouts in bradistan are you from then?
Triumph
New Member
Tyersal mate, what about you?
Pet City, do you means Pets at Home?
Pet City, do you means Pets at Home?
no pet city, in cannon mills,
i do go to pets at home aswell but just for hardware and meds as there pretty cheap.
i`m from odsal
The whole point of cycling is to prepare the tank for the complete bioload you're going to put in it.
Say for example your stocklist is going to create 20 "units" of ammonia (the actual amount isn't relevant to this). You're dosing with much more than that, so you're got more bacteria than you need. You add all your fish in one go, the bacteria dies off to a level where it can cope with 20 units, and job done.
If you cycle, then add 2 unit's worth of fish, the bacteria will die off to that level within a matter of days and when you start adding more fish later you risk prompting a mini cycle.
As dangerous as it might feel, it's all or nothing with fishless cycling. Do not gradually stock. Obviously if you've got sensitive fish going in that need an established tank then you've got an exception, and that's fair enough.
@Bigian, sounds like you're cycled. Add one last batch of ammonia, the next morning change your water until you get your nitrates below 40 (you might find multiple 75% water changes easier than one 95%), then get to the fish shop, buy your total stock list and get them all in immediately. Mission accomplished. Scary yes, but the only way! Bite the bullet big man, Easter weekend seems like a fitting start to your fish's new lives!
This is of course assuming you don't have particularly sensitive fish, which I cannot comment on since I've never kept angels or skunk corys.
@ Treecat, no, stopping the ammonia will not bring nitrates down. It will stop the production of more, but that's different. It will aslo stop providing your bacteria with food, so they will all die off and you're back to square one and would need to start again from scratch.
Say for example your stocklist is going to create 20 "units" of ammonia (the actual amount isn't relevant to this). You're dosing with much more than that, so you're got more bacteria than you need. You add all your fish in one go, the bacteria dies off to a level where it can cope with 20 units, and job done.
If you cycle, then add 2 unit's worth of fish, the bacteria will die off to that level within a matter of days and when you start adding more fish later you risk prompting a mini cycle.
As dangerous as it might feel, it's all or nothing with fishless cycling. Do not gradually stock. Obviously if you've got sensitive fish going in that need an established tank then you've got an exception, and that's fair enough.
@Bigian, sounds like you're cycled. Add one last batch of ammonia, the next morning change your water until you get your nitrates below 40 (you might find multiple 75% water changes easier than one 95%), then get to the fish shop, buy your total stock list and get them all in immediately. Mission accomplished. Scary yes, but the only way! Bite the bullet big man, Easter weekend seems like a fitting start to your fish's new lives!
This is of course assuming you don't have particularly sensitive fish, which I cannot comment on since I've never kept angels or skunk corys.
@ Treecat, no, stopping the ammonia will not bring nitrates down. It will stop the production of more, but that's different. It will aslo stop providing your bacteria with food, so they will all die off and you're back to square one and would need to start again from scratch.
BigIan.
just my 2p...
I remember your thread about the halted cycle, and i mentioned that i had the same problem with the plummeting PH. Im pretty sure that it was the nitrates, or at least something to do with the fishless cycle, because since i have added fish and kept the nitrates at an appropriate level with water changes, the PH has been fine, so I wouldn't worry about that aspect of adding the fish.
However, i do share your concerns about adding the fish and getting it all right.. I was the same as you, but unfortunately with good reason. I have had a number of issues:
The first was my choice of fish. To be honest I think i was confusing a mature tank with a cycled tank. YES, it is important not to use fish like Panda Corys for cycling the tank, but a tank that can support the entire bio-load due to the fishless cycle, does not mean its a tank that can take Panda corys yet. I was unaware (damn my research) that panda corys were the more fragile ones, and unfortunately i have lost 4 out of the 6 that i bought, which is a shame because they are great little fish. So whilst people are correct about its ability to support a bio-load, it cant neccessarily support the fish in question, as there are other considerations as to what constitutes a mature tank.
Now.. don't get me wrong, the fishless cycle thing really does work. My stats for the first week or two were spot on. However, after the initial period, i did have a day or two where i had a tiny rise in nitrates or ammonia. Im not totally sure why this is the case, but i have lost other fish too. I have lost 2 female dwarf gouramis (which are prone to bacterial infections, so this is difficult to say if they would have gone anyway). More importantly to your message is that i have lost two Angelfish. Annoyingly, i just cant seem to figure out why. The only thing i can put it down to is that I understand they also like a "slightly more mature" tank than a just cycled one.
MY LFS (a good one) recommeneded that i let the tank settle for about 4-5 weeks before adding any more fish, and get a good period under my belt where the stats have been conistent and good. My remaining cory's, male dwarf gouramis, and seven pentazona barbs (pretty hardy things) have been doing great now. The major change i have made is not to rely on the Juwel internal filter. To be honest i didnt really trust this thing, so i bought an eheim 2026 a little over a week ago, and the water quality is visibly better, and the stats are still spot on.
So my question to you would be to ask how good your filtration is, as this is key. Its my own opinion that good filtration is key to helping a new tank settle in and find its feet. New tanks seem to have issues, hence fish requiring more mature tanks in some cases.
I think you are doing the right thing with holding back on the Panda corys, but i also thing that it may be worth waiting a while for the Angelfish too. However, I also understand your dilemma, which im afraid i can't solve. If anglefish are the main fish for the tank, and you don't want fish that you arent going to keep, then how can this be done.. hmm... not sure... also.. if a reasonable percentage of the fish are not added in the first go, then the bio-load may drop back.
Im keen to find out now (for me) how adding a few fish onto a 50% bio-load affects the tank, and how much of a mini-cycle will be caused if any.
Anyway, sorry for the ramblings of a newbie.. not sure if it will help or not, but its just my experience..
Cheers
Squid
just my 2p...
I remember your thread about the halted cycle, and i mentioned that i had the same problem with the plummeting PH. Im pretty sure that it was the nitrates, or at least something to do with the fishless cycle, because since i have added fish and kept the nitrates at an appropriate level with water changes, the PH has been fine, so I wouldn't worry about that aspect of adding the fish.
However, i do share your concerns about adding the fish and getting it all right.. I was the same as you, but unfortunately with good reason. I have had a number of issues:
The first was my choice of fish. To be honest I think i was confusing a mature tank with a cycled tank. YES, it is important not to use fish like Panda Corys for cycling the tank, but a tank that can support the entire bio-load due to the fishless cycle, does not mean its a tank that can take Panda corys yet. I was unaware (damn my research) that panda corys were the more fragile ones, and unfortunately i have lost 4 out of the 6 that i bought, which is a shame because they are great little fish. So whilst people are correct about its ability to support a bio-load, it cant neccessarily support the fish in question, as there are other considerations as to what constitutes a mature tank.
Now.. don't get me wrong, the fishless cycle thing really does work. My stats for the first week or two were spot on. However, after the initial period, i did have a day or two where i had a tiny rise in nitrates or ammonia. Im not totally sure why this is the case, but i have lost other fish too. I have lost 2 female dwarf gouramis (which are prone to bacterial infections, so this is difficult to say if they would have gone anyway). More importantly to your message is that i have lost two Angelfish. Annoyingly, i just cant seem to figure out why. The only thing i can put it down to is that I understand they also like a "slightly more mature" tank than a just cycled one.
MY LFS (a good one) recommeneded that i let the tank settle for about 4-5 weeks before adding any more fish, and get a good period under my belt where the stats have been conistent and good. My remaining cory's, male dwarf gouramis, and seven pentazona barbs (pretty hardy things) have been doing great now. The major change i have made is not to rely on the Juwel internal filter. To be honest i didnt really trust this thing, so i bought an eheim 2026 a little over a week ago, and the water quality is visibly better, and the stats are still spot on.
So my question to you would be to ask how good your filtration is, as this is key. Its my own opinion that good filtration is key to helping a new tank settle in and find its feet. New tanks seem to have issues, hence fish requiring more mature tanks in some cases.
I think you are doing the right thing with holding back on the Panda corys, but i also thing that it may be worth waiting a while for the Angelfish too. However, I also understand your dilemma, which im afraid i can't solve. If anglefish are the main fish for the tank, and you don't want fish that you arent going to keep, then how can this be done.. hmm... not sure... also.. if a reasonable percentage of the fish are not added in the first go, then the bio-load may drop back.
Im keen to find out now (for me) how adding a few fish onto a 50% bio-load affects the tank, and how much of a mini-cycle will be caused if any.
Anyway, sorry for the ramblings of a newbie.. not sure if it will help or not, but its just my experience..
Cheers
Squid
thanks squid glad i`m not the only one who had this headache....
I`m defiantely going to go for the angels, and maybe some sailfin mollys if i can find them, and skunk corys if i can find them too.
If i can`t find the exact fish i want i`m going to hold back a week and get the LFS to order them for me.
I have no problems with filtration as i have a rena xp2 and a fluval internal that i borrowed from my mate to push on the cycle...
I`m defiantely going to go for the angels, and maybe some sailfin mollys if i can find them, and skunk corys if i can find them too.
If i can`t find the exact fish i want i`m going to hold back a week and get the LFS to order them for me.
I have no problems with filtration as i have a rena xp2 and a fluval internal that i borrowed from my mate to push on the cycle...
diademhill
Fish Addict
Angels & corys are fine together but sailfin mollies are often raised in Brackish water & will not thrive if you get the conditions right for the South American fish.
Even though you've ccyled the tank is is still a good idea to keep hardier fish for the first few months - How about black neons?
the tank stocking WILL be....
2 black angels
2 ghost angels
2 koi angels
3 green sailfin mollys ( i`l wait for these as my friend has some fry growing up in a non brackish tank and they aren`t accustomed to the salt and the parents are thriving.)
6 corydoras panda or skunk..
I don`t want to be pawning fish i don`t want off onto my mates when my tank is matured
2 black angels
2 ghost angels
2 koi angels
3 green sailfin mollys ( i`l wait for these as my friend has some fry growing up in a non brackish tank and they aren`t accustomed to the salt and the parents are thriving.)
6 corydoras panda or skunk..
I don`t want to be pawning fish i don`t want off onto my mates when my tank is matured
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