Thanks folks

[fatguppy]

I posted the topic earlier of fish losing colour. God How sad do I feel right now - but what a huge learning curve!!!

Apparently this was due to exorbitant nitrite levels which (although we had bought the kit to test) wasn't flagged up by the info leaflet in the testing kit! THe kit let us know what the levels were but didn't flag up crisis levels - and as a newbie we needed a big red flag to tell us that we were in severe crisis.

Had a dreadful night last night and lost about half the fish overnight. Feel guilty because this was due to our complete inexperience, but as a plus point, this web site helped us to avoid complete annihilation of our fish. The few that are left are fine (not perhaps brilliant) but after looking at them last night pretty good.

HUGE learning curve.

WE did all that was suggested in the pinned topic (water changes at least once a day and more if necessary, no feeding of fish, added as much oxygen as possible via an air curtain) Tested twice per day until the nitrite and nitrate levels are nil. Can't tell you the relief and I guess I don't need to! We were unable to take fish out but are buying a small tank for similar crises in the future and as an isolation tank.

Sadder but wiser tonight and can only thank you all for your help and support.


I feel that now we know what we are doing (ish) and although we have a few fish left - will be going through the cycling process with fewer fish and a wiser head!

Thanks guys!

RIP our poor guys!

Jane xx )

 

[jflowers]

Sorry to hear about the fish but good to hear you are learning. I have learned most from this site, thats why I am here all the time and I still learn more here than I teach here and think it will stay that way for a long time. Good luck with your remaining and future fish!

Jon

 

[fatguppy]

Cheers Jon!

Feel so much better and I guess that this site helps many peeps. I'll keep logging in regularly in the hope of not only learning but hopefully to help other peeps in the same situation that we had (and undoubtedly still have!).

Just so glad that my acquatic frogs have survived! My husband blames them for everything going wrong in the tank but to be honest at the moment its nice to see something moving and looking happy! God please don't anyone tell me there's problems with them!!!

They're called Henri and Phileas (as in Phileas Frog) in case anyone cares!!!

Jane xx

 

[B75]

What sort of frogs are they Jane?

 

[jflowers]

Your aquatic frogs may be a problem see the pinned post http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=18252 Basically if they are African Dwarf Frogs you are ok, but if they are African Clawed Frogs you will get problems (like them eating your small fish). I hope you have ADF's as they will never eat small fish and don't grow any where near the size of ACF's.

Jon

 

[fatguppy]

They are African Dwarf frogs. I was told not to get them but they are so cute!!! However, having bought them they are actually extremely boring!!!!! They hide all the time. They are not interested in the fish and the fish are not interested in them! They don't seem to eat, all they do is hide. However they have apparently survived the nitrite crisis so maybe at least they are hard!! Or stupid?

Jane xx

 

[jflowers]

ADF's are cool, glad you have them. They will liven up in a while as they get used to you. Mine hid for weeks and only came out at feeding time, now they are all over the place. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid though, I have read storys of them escaping from the smallest gaps. They also prefer small live or frozen food such as brine shrimp and bloodworm and won't even look at flake.

Jon

 

[fatguppy]

Brilliant! At last I have info I can rely on from the LFS! They told me that the frogs loved frozen food - so we got them some daphnia! Still have no evidence of them eating but at least hopefully they have the right stuff??? I just know at this point you are going to say that Daphnia is not appropriate!!!!!! Don't care if you say no - as long as we get it right!!!

I have to say that your observations have matched mine in that the longer we have had the froggies the less shy they seem to become. I love em to bits (and we do have a frog tight top on the tank). Fish aren't bothered and the kick-ass frogs are (so far) dealing with the appalling tank conditions.


Jane (still stressed but getting there!!)

xx

 

[Inchworm]

Hi fatguppy

I am so sad that you lost so many of your fish, but glad to hear that you are not giving up.

Most fishkeepers go through a similar problem at the start, so you are not alone. And, sad to say the help you get at the lfs is too little and often reeled of too quickly for anyone to understand, let alone follow.

I love my little frogs too. I feed them live blackworms which they really enjoy, but then, so do most fish.

 

[fatguppy]

Live black worms huh? I'll be off to get some of them tomorrow. Am I right in assuming that the froggies don't get the same diseases as the fish? Because for all our crisis, the little beggars are looking fine. We have now every fish remedy known to man (and fish) because the fishies having survived the high nitrites are getting everything going, and I'm not sure I can face (or afford!) to go out and buy similar frog remedies!

I feel at the moment that they fish are no longer swimming around in lovely water but merely swimming in increasing amounts of chemicals!

Thanks folks

Janexx

 

[CTS]

glad to hear you learned from it, sorry about your fish

 

[fatguppy]

glad to hear you learned from it, sorry about your fish

Thanks CTS! It's awful isn't it when you lose them through your own bad behaviour!

AS I've said in a different tag - HUGE learning curve - and boy! are our fish going to be the healthiest ever from now on!!!

Jane xx