Sweet Sharon

Thanks. So basically you added plecos to solve the problem? You must have a big tank! There are so many different opinions and information out there. I did add a golden algae eater last week, and she's quite efficient, and pretty to boot. When you said you added UV, was that inside a filter?

Hi. My tank has been cycled for almost a year, yet the brown algae always comes back. It's not so hard to clean up on the glass, but I've spent a lot of money on plants, and a lot of time buying oto's and watching them die one by one. I checked my phosphate levels recently, and they are very high in the tap water and the tank water. I bought Seachem phosguard, and added it as recommended, in the filters, and that was two weeks ago. I do substrate cleaning once a week when I clean the glass,(leaving one side of glass with algae on it for the oto's). I just want to know if I'm on the right track. And is there a good way to manually clean the plants without harming them?

They look like slow release fertilizer, the kind that come in clear capsules. It took me a few days to figure that one out too!

Hi Sandra. This is definitely the place for good advice. I now have two 55 gallon tanks with oodles of fish and live plants and it pleases me no end. I do need to set up a quarantine tank though. I've been very lucky in that regard, but as you stated, it only takes one sick fish to taint the entire ecosystem. Thanks for the reminder. It's still amazing that a cycled tank does it's job so sensationally. It's worth the wait, and seeing the fish having such a good time is the end result. Wish I was in there quite frankly. I have flying dreams where I look for large bodies of water to swim in. Life is good. I'm getting ready to set up a 100 gallon. One thing I would recommend to any newbies is just go ahead and get the bigger tanks now, because when you fall in love with these fish, you always want a bigger space for them. Enjoy!

Hi everyone. Thank you Vets and families of vets! I just wanted to thank everyone who helped me out with cycling back in April. I now have two 55 gallon tanks with fish and plants that are thriving. It's amazing to let the tank bacteria 'do their thing'. I keep a log now, and I actually thank you all and the bacteria in my notes section. I have 16 zebra neons, 16 cherry barbs, and 9 oto's in tank one (55 gal)with live plants and driftwood. The barbs have all started to brighten their colors, and I'm pretty sure some are pregnant. The otos are wonderful cleaners, and they don't put the bio load that the adorable cory's would. Everyone swims in the different levels of currents and bubbles. They all seem to get along, and I'm as happy as can be! The other tank (55 gal) has 3 beautiful goldfish, with some live plants and some fake ones, and that's all I'm going to put in there for a while. I had put some sponges in a mesh bag to rest at the bottom of tank one, to gather up bacteria to help tank two, and it seems to have worked. I faithfully did all tests in the kit for about a month, and now I only do it every three days, mostly because it just feels like I'm being a good caretaker. After reading all your comments back in April, I decided to go with putting food in the tank every day, roughly the amount that I would be feeding the future fish. I stopped doing water changes, and finally decided to be patient. It worked. I wish I had a camera to show you the pretty tanks, but I'm still living in the twentieth century. 😊 Special thanks to corydorasEthan, James Black, Lefty O, Brandy, Demobanana, Acenorm, Schwack, Patrick G, Starsmov20, SWilson, Hobbbit, Maggie, FishFolk, Gideyon, Jeff, CalmedbyFish, and MJV Aquatics. Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks to Cory for starting this forum...

Hi Everyone. You guys helped me get my tank healthy enough for fish, and I thank all of you for lending your words of advice. Now there is brown algae, and I see different opinions on what causes that, too much light, or too little light. I have the lights on for 10-11 hours a day. I want to nip this in the bud before it takes over.

I just looked up camallanus worms. Yuk. So sorry you lost your fish. As Rosanna Rosannadanna used to say: "It's always something!" What kind of tank do you have, and whats in it? How long have you been doing aquariums?

Good afternoon everyone. I actually did the bottled cycle, and it didn't seem to affect anything. I'm not naturally a trusting person, and you have to wonder what's really in the bottle, when in fact you don't know where it's coming from. I wondered what the active ingredient is in water conditioners, and it is sodium thiosulfate, which can break down chlorine, but not chloramine. This stuff can be quite expensive in the long run, especially when they say to treat tap water every time you do a water change. And this is already an expensive hobby! One thing I did not do when getting fish, was quarantining them. Do all of you do that? If so how long?

This was informative. This explains doing massive water changes to no avail! I'm just going to let it sit for awhile and let the filter do its job, maybe throw in some fish food. I really don't know anyone else with a tank unfortunately. It is really nice to have the advice of people who love this hobby, and who have had the same problems, and who understand why losing fish is so hard. I will postpone putting shrimp in till I see what just leaving the aquarium alone does. It is beckoning even as I write this. Thanks again for the advice everyone!

You guys are awesome. Hopefully I can let you know when the tank is full of lively fish and swaying plants. This is a great site. It's amazing how deep we can get into this 'way of life'. Even though the tank just has plants and flowing water, I'm in there at least once almost every waking hour! I saw a video saying that some fish get spooked just seeing shadows. Do you think I stressed the fish by having my goofy face one foot from the tank? I sure hope not. In the past the fish were always friendly, riding the tide and playing in the bubbles. I miss them. Thanks to all of you. I have a big smile on my face right now because of all of you! Sweet dreams...

Hi Hobbit. Your tank looked good when you started. I see fish in the first pic, so why did you have to cycle?

Hi again. Thanks for all your suggestions. I can see patience is needed here, and I guess that's the hardest part. Until then, I'll have to keep stopping in and visiting the fish in the tanks at the fish dealers around here. I really don't remember having these problems in the past. But then again....memories...not so clear as we think sometimes eh? Love your nicknames by the way. I've never inquired to a forum before, and you have made it easy for this introvert!

It's been about two weeks since the last fish died. Actually ordered them online despite the price because I figured they'd be handled less, but they died too. It was two Cory's and 3 H. rasboras. I get very attached to the fish, and want nothing but a great tank for them, that's why it's been so frustrating. May I ask, any of you, what type set up you have with plants and fish? And ho long you have been addicted to this hobby?

I just want to thank you all for your help. You have no idea how good it is to actually have aquarium lovers to talk to about all this. Have a wonderful weekend, and say hi to your live fish for me!

The tank is still up and running because of the plants and my desire for optimal parameters for the fish I hope to slowly add. Since it's reading ammonia in the tank, I'll just let it be and maybe throw something in there like some fish food. If you don't all mind, I have another question. I've spent countless hours watching videos and reading my aquarium books, (twice!) and the more knowledge I acquire, the thing that is front and center is how stressed fish can be with all the handling and what not that goes on. That's why I put 10 comets in at once, so they'd be comfortable. How many small tetras should I put in when the tank finally cycles? I want Cory's too, but unless they are babies, more than 3 at a time would probably not be good.