New member any help is appreciated

[Charestv]

Thank you. I already do other then the slaughtering it's nice to at least imagine what this tank will be when it's running. The guppy the whole time has been the only fish acting normal. And with the water testing "fine" the past few days I was confused why they were dieing one at a time. 

 

On another note I ordered that "cycled media" it was 10 bucks with shipping so when it gets here hopefully that can help cycle the tank and get some good bacteria in it. As of now I still don't plan to add fish until I see some growth on the plants or some alge of some sort. 

 

 

[TheChunkyFish]

Guppies are pretty hardy, so that could be why it’s still alive, but I’ve never heard of an aggressive guppy. 
Actually I did research on it, and it’s possible that your guppy is aggressive if it’s a male, and like doesn’t have enough females but that was a quick 5 minute research so I’m not entirely sure. Interesting though. 

[Schuyler]

That's rough.

Those things tend to have a feedback loop. Something goes wrong, fish get stressed, stressed fish get aggressive, aggression causes stress, and so on...

Hopefully you keep with it

[jo1414]

Hi!! Your story is identical to mine!! So, on the Co-Op website and youtube you can do searches. On the you tube Look up nitrogen cycle. There is a fabulous video on that. Then these links are good references to keep open while you're learning...

 

Nitrogen Cycle: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/nitrogen-cycle

Plant deficiencies https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/plant-nutrition

Water Changes: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/water-changes

Cycling: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/fish-tank-cycling

Tetra parameters: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/apps/omega-search/?ID=699122a9-8580-4401-9163-79e3aa29d26b&index=posts&limit=16&q=tetra&view=grid

 

Ok, for now... do a 50% water change. (if you have test strips test before, record it. test 2 hours later, record it. Test tomorrow (or next day, depending on when you see this.), record it. Based on the ammonia level... do your fish in cycling (link above) But, simply. If you have 0.5 of ammonia and you change 50% your ammonia should decrease to 0.25. Ideally, your ammonia should be 0. (But read below) Add whatever aqueon balls you have left and if the kit included any type of beneficial bacteria add that. 

In the beginning... your ammonia, nitr(i)te, and Nitr(a)te will be 0...  you have nothing going on yet. You've had some fish there and they died (Big breath, it's going to happen. it happens to everyone). You're having some ammonia, but that's ok. It's part of the cycle. The bacteria will eat the ammonia so you may see it higher. Your job is to keep it low enough for the fish to survive. (Again, deep breath. You're learning). Simply put... if you have an Ammonia of 0.5 and you do a 50% water change your ammonia level should go to 0.25 or lower. As bacteria grows it eats the ammonia until it's gone, as ammonia is processed Nitrite (I) forms, and a new bacteria forms that eat the Nitrite (I). As the nitrite (I) is eaten it forms Nitrates (A), Nitrates (A) are good up to levels of around 50, they are plant food, and when you have live plants they will lower the Nitrate (A). So, with plants, you need to monitor your nitrate, add easy green or root tabs, or both. (What kind of plants do you have?)

Bacteria can help to cycle, you can get the 'seeded' substrate media from online. I don't know anything about that store. You can call a local fish store (Not Petco or Petsmart, they don't offer it. So independent mom-and-pop stores. Google can help) they may be willing to sell you freshwater media. Or if you have a local fish swap/club... it may be easier to access. 

Your goal numbers are also based on your fish. pH, gH, kH. You're not going to chase any parameters unless they are harmful to your fish/plants. That's why it is good to get your fish from local fish stores because they have parameters close to you and get them (most times) from local breeders. Also, if you get a hook up with a fish club they can get you in contact with local breeders.

I have found that I have a lot of fish death with the P-stores. AquaHuna is a great online store, in Washington state based. Cheap shipping. Great survival rate. Local place are also higher quality. If you are near the AQCoOp store, they also have healthy stock.

I'm sure I have more info, I'm not a pro by any means, I've been in fishkeeping for 14 months and am still making mistakes and learning. SO, Feel free to ask questions.

 

 

[Charestv]

Thank you for the advice ill look into if there are clubs near me to figure some of this out. There isn't to many freshwater mom and pop stores near me. Most are only saltwater. Or it's a 1+hour drive to the nearest one. I make make the drive out to them when it comes time to restock with fish. But that's not for at least a month at this point is my guess. 

[Charestv]

Latest update. Both the last tetra and the guppy made it through the day. The tank seems to be leveled off on ammonia and nitrites and nitrates the straps aren't registering anything tomorrow I'll go get the liquid test kit. I also just realized I haven't posted a picture yet so here's a picture of what the tank looks like as of tonight. 

[TheChunkyFish]

Aww I love your cat!

By the way the cloudy water is to be expected it’s 100% normal. It’s called a bacteria bloom. So your tank is doing something, congrats! 
 

Oh are those live Java fern? If so they really don’t like being placed in the gravel, they are called rhizome plants, very hard by the way, and you can get away with putting the roots in the soil but not the long stick bit or it will possibly melt away.

But other than that looks great I’m sure your future fish will be super happy to live there!

[Charestv]

I didn't realize she was there till after I posted the picture lol. 

Looks like I'm making progress finally then that's good. 

Oh thank you for letting me know I honestly dont remember what it is lol. That's another thing that I guess that would have been nice for the pet store to explain. I'll probably just take it out and go get something else then. 

[TheChunkyFish]

No need to get rid of it they are perfect beginner plants very hardy and forgiving, but what you can do it superglue a little dot and attach the plant but the root looking thing to the rock and then it will be perfectly fine.

if you want to know more the plant is called Java fern windelov, at least the plant in the front I’m not sure about the ones in the back.

also how long is your light going for? Just curious cause something I didn’t know when I was starting that the lights weren’t supposed to be on all the time. If they are on all the time it can cause stress in the fish so just turn them off at night or leave them on for 8 hours with a timer that can go into your plug. you might already know and I’m just being annoying. 

idk why the video is not a link and it’s the whole video 🥲

 

[jo1414]

On 1/17/2024 at 4:38 PM, OhGee said:

Thank you @Chick-In-Of-TheSea and @Tony s for the advice! Yes I had heard that it was a gamble having snails and betta together. It seems like most fish are a gamble when it comes to putting them together with bettas, and that it ultimately comes down to the betta’s temperament. 

You both have me re-thinking this combo. I’ll take a look at those Prime Time Aquatics videos. I’m sure I’ve likely watched them (I’ve watched sooo much Prime Time Aquatics, KG Tropicals, Girl Talks Fish, and Aquarium Co-Op). I’m just trying to refrain from overstocking my tank. 

I did think I posted a response to this, so pardon if it's a duplicate. I have a betta in a 10G with Emerald Dwarf Rasbora's. pygmy cory, and a mystery snail. I had to put him in because of an emergent tank leak (This is soooo scary when it happens, prepare yourself) I watched them to make sure they were cool. But the betta was having fun and swimming with them, going over and looking at the mystery snail. I moved him back to the 6G once I got things set up and he full-on pouted. I'm talking drooping fins, his face looked even more RBF than usual. He wasn't as active. I just knew he was getting ready to die.  tested everything! I didn't treat him with meds, just a little aquarium salt. I finally was sitting there wondering if I needed to treat for things and I looked up and he was doing an energetic sprint across the tank. Stopped and was all droopy. The lightbulb went off in my head and I was like 'My little dude needs a lot of room to train for the fish Olympics!' I put the net in there and he didn't resist being caught at all. I put him in the 10-gallon and he perked up, started doing laps, and swam through the SeeShelter tunnels. Went to see his friend the mystery snail and stared for a long minute, the Emeralds and pygmies were out and he went over to them and they all started swimming together. He is super happy and active now. He was just missing the bigger tank and all his friends. But, I've also had a murder betta that ate shrimp, ate chili rasboras, and won't tolerate even snails in there. Then my other 2 are in the middle. Don't like fish, but ok with shrimp and snails!

On 2/8/2024 at 5:37 AM, Charestv said:

Thank you for the advice ill look into if there are clubs near me to figure some of this out. There isn't to many freshwater mom and pop stores near me. Most are only saltwater. Or it's a 1+hour drive to the nearest one. I make make the drive out to them when it comes time to restock with fish. But that's not for at least a month at this point is my guess. 

You're at the right place to ask about issues. I found some reviews on the website you're purchasing from. I saw some good reviews on Goggle and the site. Are you part of the Aq Co-Op FB? It's here if you aren't. It's a big mix of experience and the people aren't rude. Huge on the help like the forum is.

 

 

[jo1414]

On 2/8/2024 at 6:25 PM, Charestv said:

I didn't realize she was there till after I posted the picture lol. 

Looks like I'm making progress finally then that's good. 

Oh thank you for letting me know I honestly dont remember what it is lol. That's another thing that I guess that would have been nice for the pet store to explain. I'll probably just take it out and go get something else then. 

Your kItty is super cute!! That expression is killing me.

Don't get rid of it. Use super glue gel and attach it to a small rock, then you can bury the rock a little and still have a happy java fern! It's a great plant to start with. You may see some browning of leaves. This is a normal thing to happen, sometimes the stress of moving one tank to another. If you see little plants start to grow on the leaves, those are baby javas. Let them grow a little then pluck them off and put them on a rock or decor! That big white decor would be great to glue plants on as well.

Ok, with a bacterial bloom... the bacteria feed off ammonia (fish poop). The fact that everything is back to 0 indicates a little bit of a crash, even with the water change. Remember you want to see an ammonia spike, then to zero on the ammonia. With the bacteria converting the ammonia to nitrite, so you should see a nitrite spike and then nitrates should start to appear... they are good up to level 50. Plants eat up nitrates, so the more plants you have the lower your nitrates will run. It is possible to have 0 nitrates, you just have to supplement with the easy green you bought. Try to keep it between 20-50. Easy green is 1 pump per 10g it will raise your nitrates by 3ppm (parts per million). 

With the API Freshwater test kit... I used that and I have 7 tanks so it was very time-consuming and not needed. There are a lot of things you can do wrong with a liquid test kit. Not shaking the bottle for long enough, and leaving the cap off too long, being within 3 months of expiration, can all affect your overall numbers as well. So if you get something abnormal, test it again. I use the aquarium co-op test strips for ammonia and multitest. They have been pretty accurate for me. The nitrate is usually lower with the API kit though. With strips, the key is to keep the top closed and not introduce any water to it, so dry hands (PITA when you have a lot of tanks. LOL.), Cory has used the tetra strips in the very distant past. If I am having issues. I use the co-op strips as my preference. I will use tetra strips and document it because I will go have a second set of eyes. They test it on their strips I have mine written down. Then we troubleshoot. I have a wonderful PetS and PetC fish person that have helped me through a lot of issues.

Edited February 9 by jo1414

[Charestv]

@TheChunkyFish ohh It said hard plants so i was thinking the last thing i need is a dead pla t in the tank haha. I'll get some glue at the store tomorrow as well then. Thank you for the advice. The 2 in back are a baby tear and a pearl weed. I got the aquarium co op easy green fertilizer today to help the pla ts grow. 

 

@jo1414 it's very interesting how fish can have such personalities the guppy tonight seems to be totally fine not nothing the tetra at all. And even the tetra seems to be more lively tonight. Seemlike a step in the right direction at least. I am not on Facebook but my wife is so I'll see if she would like to join maybe. Thank you!!  I'll give the tetra strips a shot then I was wondering if it was bad strips or if I used them wrong or something because it seemed to be alittle different every time. 

 

Edited February 9 by Charestv

[jo1414]

You're welcome. The pearlweed and baby tear are lovely. A little hard to keep planted while they get established!) Other easy plants are Swords of any type. I LOVE swords. (plant the roots, and keep the hub out of the ground. They feed at the roots, so you need root tabs. AQCo-op has some, but I find them difficult to keep planted in the substrate. I use the Seachem Flourish tabs.) Anubias (glue to things), Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus (plant), Bacopa Carolina (plant) Anacharis and Hornwort are super easy (you can float or plant it.) All of those (except the pogo octopus) can be bought at PetC and PetS. I like to buy the submersed ones not in the tanks, but I started my swords and anubias from the round container tubes.

[Whitecloud09]

Hope everything turns out great and I know it will! Good luck 👍 @Charestv

[Charestv]

The last of the tetras was abused enough by the guppy this weekend I guess. I was about to take the guppy out and put him in his own tank. But I guess for now he can have the big tank on his own until I am ready to get new fish. The past few days the water seems to have tested 0 for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. So hopefully this coming weekend we can go get the first wave of fish to slowly introduce fish to everything. 

[jo1414]

Is the nitrate completely white, not even a tinge of pink?

 

[Charestv]

That's what it seems like to me. I took some water to the fish shop as well and they said the water looked good as well. 

[Charestv]

My first official good sign today the fake moss covered driftwood I have has a bunch if seeds in it of something. But if you look closely I can see new growth on them. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/7/2024 at 3:41 AM, Charestv said:

I was looking into used cycled filter media and since I don't have a Facebook I wouldn't be able to go that route. However I found this online store that sells there cycled media. My thing is I question how healthy the bacteria in the media would be. Has anyone considered this route?

 

https://www.sunkentreasureaquatics.com/misc/p/yn5zb260kehgv33r0ky7ye8dlns71q

Prime time has a video on filter bacteria and he talks about a study and the dieoff rates of bacteria.  Basically, if it stays wet, you should be ok.

I would just use something like bacteria in a bottle.  I prefer seachem stability, but there's a lot of options out there.

[Charestv]

one final update before i start my journal on the fourm about it the tank seems to be doing great lots of growth on the plants. This weekend i will be going to get some fish from the local fish shop. thank you to everyone who helped me with my issues. Also unfortunately none of the fish that i had are left by middle of last week the last one had passed. 

Edited February 19 by Charestv

[johnnyxxl]

I got lucky and my grandpa kept fish and my dad knew something about it when I started with feeder goldfish and they got rehomed.  But I remember when I started with tropical fish that the store a chain store tried to push fish on me when I was getting plants this was long ago in a galaxy far far away .  That's when I started looking for a better shop.  Hopefully you can find either a more knowledgeable store or staff member that can become your fish person. Like the cliche I know a guy that can help for everything. That way when you want to expand your horizons and try something new the person can help you migrate right to it smoothly and easily.