Hi to all

Hi Guys,
I'm just starting off with a new Lido 120ltr tank. Tropical fish have always fascinated me and finally I have the opportunity to start this hobby.
I am now 5 weeks into trying to establish the tank, I had 2 small goldfish in the tank to start, (as advised by retailer) and introduced 5 Mollies after the one week. I have a gravel sobstrate, but had pur in some beautiful rocks from the beach, which I had boiled & scrubbed, however, after about 2 days, the 2 goldfish and 5 of the 5 Mollies had died. After 3 weeks of getting the water tested it is still very high in ammonia, so eventually, in consultation with the retailer, I took the plunge and emptied the whole tank to start again.
What have I learned so far?
Lesson No 1: It's not as easy as it looks!!!!
Lesson No 2: Do not add rocks from unknonw sources.
Lesson No 3: Ask people who know (you guys) for advice.
Regards,
Eddie

hey eddie
welcome to the forum, nice thank your starting of with, sorry to here about your loss after a few weeks.
well if there is anything you need to know just ask and someone will know
all the best
regards
karlo

Hello !

When starting a new tank, you should not put fish inside before the fifth week, the time the cycle is done. There will have nothing for the two first week, and if u put fish inside the tank they will be ok. However, the tank is not balanced, there is no bacteria for disintegrating the fish and the plants waste. This is called the nitrification process in a new tank. Ammonia is transforming in nitrites (NO2), and there after nitrates (NO3). The nitrates is the end result, and it means when u have after 6 weeks only nitrates and no more nitrites than the bacteria’s cycle is ok.

After those 6 weeks, you can start to introduce some fish, 1 or 2. As the fish are in the tank u will need more bacterias for the waste.
At this level there should have no problem to handle the waste.

If u introduce suddenly a lot of fish after the week 6, there will have not enough bacterias in a new tank, and will be back to ammonia, nitrites who are poisons. As u introduced so many fish in a so little time, the bacteria were not enough.


- No “fish test”, like ur gold fish and mollies. Run the tank empty for 6 weeks.
- Do a test for nitrites on week 3 and 4 to be sure that u have nitrite in the tank. It means the cycle is on is way.
- On week 6 u should have no nitrites.
- Start to introduce 1 or 2 fish. Feed them once every day or 2, and only what they can eat in 1 minute (no food remaining on the ground)
- Every week after, u can continue to add fish, on the base of one or 2 a week.


It is only after 3 months than the tank is balanced enough.



So, on those basics, as you have clean ur tank…(all the cycling have to be done … again) :
Never ever, change and clean all the material in your filter (you will kill all the bacteria developed inside). If the filtration material is dirty, just wash it in a container full of the tank water, and not under the tap water who will kill the bacteria.

- In Ireland, the water is soft (acid or neutral, with no minerals) so for a beginning the best choice would be to go to the species who need a neutral soft water (Cyrinidae : Barbs, Characidae : tetras, and eventually Cyprinodontidae like guppies and platies).

Mollies need high temperatures (28 degrees), alkaline and hard water (They need salt), and would need 200 litres and more to be maintained usefully on the long term.

- Never ever, buy a fish if there are dead bodies in the tank. If there is a dead or sick fish in a pet shop, and the fish are for sale, it’s not good. A fish should look healthy, swimming all around, if u play with your fingers in front of the tank they should come to u.
- Never get a fish alone. Most of the fish need to be in a group of 4 to 6 to feel well. The goal is to learn about how they live, and if possible to bread them.
- In your 120 litres tank 20 fish of 4 cm adult, divided in 4 species for example. A couple of little Cichlids like Mikrogeophagus ramirezi at the top.
- Get a book like the mergus who is very well done. U will learn wich water quality need a specie, the tank size, at wich level of the tank this specie is, and how is the specie easy to keep.


Sorry my english is not perfect, I just hope it is clear enough

Hi Lido,

Welcome to the forum. Yes, fishkeeping might sound/feel complicated to start with, but, once you are up and running, it just becomes totally addictive !!!

\"Merci\" Sagwadloup for your explanations ! They are perfect !

Just wanted to add that for a fishless cycle, you need to regularly 'feed' the tank with food (small prawn or flakes) so that upon decomposition it creates ammonia in the tank and gets the cycle started. There also is some liquid-in-a-bottle available at shops which promote the development of these beneficial bacteria.

Some people get a few fish in the tank while not cycled, but it is not quite fair on the fish as you inflict them with some level of ammonia.

Again, welcome to the forum.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask !

Valerie

Thank you all for for your valued advice, yes it is addictive, unfortunately, I have lost the last Molly, but the only consolation is that I'm starting with a fresh tank, the 1 lesson I have learned is to ask advice here, altough the guy in my local retailer is very helpful and enthusiastic, I should never have introduced fish so early in the cycle. Time is of the essence, DO NOT RUSH the cycle.
Is it advisable to introduce live plants at the start or should I stick with the \"regular\" (false) ornaments to start?
Regards,
Eddie

Introduce the plants 1 week after the tank is set. tap water is very aggressive (chloramine).
Be sure that the plants u are buying are really aquatics plants... so see the mergus book.
give me address in pv that i can send u some Cryptocoryne and Echinodorus only when ur tank will be balanced.
Anyway, be sure that u are buying real aquatics plants

NO Plastic plants

Thank you Sagwadloup, your advice is very valuable to me, by the way, your english is perfect, so no need to apologise for that.