Total beginner!!!

Hi all!
Just a total beginner!
Started my 54l tank this Wednesday (three days ago) and my question is - when can I put the fish into it? I am for Guppies since as read in the books/internet they are the most reliable for the newbies. Some books say in a week, the guy in the shop said in two weeks after I added the water conditioner (bacteriae), some internet sites say - in a three days. Please, give me your advise.
Thank you in advance,
Andrei.

Hi Andrei,

Welcome to the forum! You will find a lot of information on this website and I am sure you will find here some answers to your questions. However, shall you have any further queries, do not hesitate to ask, someone will be able to help you !

I totally agree with JohnH's post above. It is hard to look at an empty tank for a few weeks!

Your brand new tank needs 'cycling'. Bacteria will need to colonise your tank filter media and decor so that the extremely toxic ammonia can be transformed in extremely toxic nitrite and then be transformed in nitrates, which, within reason, are not lethal to the fish.

If you haven't purchased one already, I would advise you to get as soon as possible a test kit for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and keep testing the water. First, you should get an ammonia spike, and then a nitrite spike. Once the reading of both these is 'zero', your tank is cycled, safe for the fish and you can start adding some fish, slowly. By adding 'conditioning' product and also a small pinch of flakes in order to feed these bacteria, it can take 2 to 6 weeks to build up the necessary levels.

One of the ways to speed up this particular process, is to input some filter media or gunk from an established tank into your new tank. There might be a member on this forum who would be handy geographically to help. Alternatively, you could get a chunk of filter media from your local shop. The bacteria should survive for an hour or two without oxygen flowing through it.

Another way to speed up the process and be a little more satisfying visually, would be to add 2 or 3 hardy fish in the tank (like danio rerios for example). In this case, you would need to keep a very close eye on your water parameters with your testing kit and change some of the water regularly in order not to poison them.

In my short career as a fish-keeper, I found that Patience is the main attribute required for success. There might be of course some heart-breaking obstacles to be surmounted sometimes, but a gradual build up to full stock is the best way to enjoy the hobby !

Best of luck with your project !

Valerie

Hi Valerie and John!
Thank you very much for your answers. They are really helpful - now I know what to have as a milestone.
Cheers,
Andrei.

Hi all,

I have another stupid question:silly::

Should I change the water (10%-15%) while cycling the empty tank? Or this is valid only when there is a fish in it?

Also, in three days I found some white stuff floating on the water and some on the decorations in the tank - looks like dust although the tank is covered with the hood - and to be honest too much to be dust. Also, before filling the tank I washed all decorations and gravel with water.

Thank you in advance,
Andrei.

Hi Andrei,

There are no stupid questions ....

If you don't have any fish in the tank while cycling it, you don't need to change any of the water.
A white dust can collect on the surface of the water. You can collect it by dragging a kitchen paper towel on the surface. If you orientate the output of your filter slightly towards the surface to create a gentle surface movement, this should resolve your problem.

I hope this helps.
Valerie

Andrei,
Welcome along to the site. I think this place will become your bible for the next few months. I was in a similar senario to you not so long back and wouldnt of lasted but for the site here and people like Darragh & Valerie and many others offering their experience etc.
In terms of the new tank,please resist the urge to buy fish early on and also please research the fish you buy before you buy them. Quite often a shop will sell you the fish that takes your fancy,remember its a business to them whereas its a hobby for you,so you will want the right fish. Knowing what type of fish you are after and telling the fish shop that,then they will help you along. Just a word of warning about the guppies you are considering,given you tank isnt overly large,I would suggest you get males only. If you get females and males you could end up with a population boom. Guppys and mollys breed like rabbits,and are livebearing fish so its not eggs but actual life fish being born from the female. I had a similar experience with Molly's and Guppy's and its v difficult to get rid of them. So resist the females (males are far more colourful anyhow) if you feel you dont want to be in that position,the idea of having your fish breed sounds wonderful and exciting but when you have 20 fry swimming around the place you tank can suddenly look alittle overran,not to mention the fact she will probably have more fry in another 30 days again!
Ask alot of questions here,if you dont know the answer to a question then you will have to ask,and as everyone said to me at the start \"There is no such thing as a stupid question\". I remember asking not to long back if bubbles could harm the fish!(hehe - no is the answer!).So definetly no question is silly.
Enjoy the fish keeping and it wont be long before you will have a wonderful tank you can call your own.

Gavin

if your going for male and female guppies and no other fish, then dont buy too many you will only need a couple of males and females, if there are no other fish then soon you will have loads of them, Sucker fish are off and dont seem to eat them, if you have lots of plants then you will end up with even more again, Good luck its great fun watching and finding the 1st lot of babies.

Valerie and Gavin!

Thank you very much! Well, I removed the dust from the water.

Also, I tested it for the first time and the results are as:
- ammonia = 0;
- nitrite = 0;
- nitrate = 5 mg/l.

Several questions though:

1) Can it be the case that there are no bacteria at all? I will go on watching for the next week. And if I am satisfied with pH which is a little bit high for Danio - books say it should be not more than 7.4 - my tank has 7.6, I am going to buy 4-5 Danios rerio. Is that enough? Or I should bring less - like two or three.

By the way, Gavin, thanks a lot, I've read the guppies description again and am not sure that I want them for my relatively small tank.

2) What is a good treat to decrease pH?

Looking forward to hearing from all.
Thank you in advance,
Andrei.

Hi BJHillson,
Thanks a lot.
Just as in my previous message - I changed my mind and going for Danio Rerio - as per description - they are not that rabbity-sh as guppies.
Although, it would be fun to see the fries, etc., but with my next tank.
Cheers,
Andrei.

Hi Andrei,

You can google \"nitrogen cycle\" and see more in detail but you need some ammonia (fish/food waste) in order to kick-start the 'bacteria colonization' process, hence either feeding the tank with food without any fish, or adding ammonia directly or putting some fish in the water...

Your pH of 7.6 is fine for the likes of the Danio Rerios for example. Just make sure you acclimatize them over a small period of time from the shop water to your tank water.
To begin with, I would recommend you get the fish that match the pH of your water rather than trying to change the pH to match the fish you want. It can become complicated quite quickly !

I personally find guppies cool. It's funny to see them giving birth and growing on. Don't let the fact that they reproduce relatively quickly stop you. It's all down to a question of taste/preference.

Regards,
Valerie

Hi Valerie!
Thank you very much indeed!
I am following your recommendations. I put some flakes to the tank - will measure the parameters again tomorrow. Hope, if everything's alright, to buy some Danios - name is funny. My sons were very impressed with the pictures. Although, the youngster said that he liked guppies in any case. I said - next time and if he is not trying to help them to gain more air - well, one morning he tried to get the hood off the tank.
In any case, both are very excited. Although the youngster wants Nemo (clown fish). I told him - next tank.
Good weekend to all!
Andrei.

Well done Andrei, I bet when the youngster see's the fish in the tank then Nemo will be all forgotten about! Also its great that you are doing research,it helps to know whats coming! Finally everyone's choice of fish is to their own taste. Personally I have alot of time for Bronze Catfish,they are bottom dwellers and have a fantastic character about them.I can assure you that you would love them also!
Gavin

Thanks a lot, Gavin!
And thanks to this site - really helpful!
Unfortunately, didn't buy any fish today - they don't have Danios in stock. Although, as we say in Russia, all waht happens is for the best. The lady in the shop promised to order some for me and they are expected by next Thursday. Hope to be more prepared for their arrival.
I'll let you know when they come and what are their first days in my tank.
Best regards,
Andrei.

Hi Andrei, where are you based??? We have 8 types of danios in stock at the moment in Aquatic Village 01-4582522

Hi Serratus,
Thanks a lot!
I am in Carpenterstown.
As far as I understand, Brittas is on N81 - what are the opening hours?
I am very frequent visitor to Citywest and hope to pop in this week.
In any case, I will call tomorrow.
Once again, thanks a lot,
Best regards,
Andrei.

Yeh on the N81, 10.30-6.00 7 days a week, 10.30-8.00 on Thurs!!!!

Hi all,
I bought 6 Danios Rerio (Zebra) - my first fish. Very funny fish. But again, I have several questions:

1)Some books say that if this is the very first fish in the tank, it is better to wait for 24 hors before feeding it. Some books say nothing. What is the best?

2)Lights. When I switched them on, the fish went down to the bottom as though were scared. What is the best way? Should I leave it on till they get used to it?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks in advance,
Andrei.

Hi Andrei

Don't feed them today, probably they are too stresed to eat anyway and u can leave the lights off as well till tomorow so they get used with your tank. I got fish that after months they still get scared sometimes in the mornings when lights came on so don't worry about that.

yeh above good advice, also keep testing your water!!!

Hi Xeon and Serratus,
Thanks a lot!
No lights and food today - and they are doing well.
Thanks,
Andrei.

Hi all,
Please, help.
Danios are doing alright - two days in my tank - very funny fish.
The only problem that happened today is - this evening I found that the water became cloudy in the tank.
I measured it and:
- ammonia - 0 (better than yesterday (was 0.6);
- nitrite - 0.3 mg/L;
- nitrate - 7 mg/L.
What happened???
Going to change 15% water tomorrow and clean the tank.
Another question - how do fish cope with cleaning?
Please, help.
Thank you in advance,
Andrei.

Hi Andrei,

Your tank is in the process of cycling at the moment. It is good that you keep an eye on your water parameters. This is one of the problems of cycling a tank with fish in it as they can be exposed to ammonia and nitrite which is not good for them. As soon as you spot that the levels of ammonia or nitrite are not equal to zero, you should do a water change to make sure your fish do not suffer.

The cloudiness might be caused by a bacterial bloom. It is quite frequent with new tanks and should resolve by itself. If you have an air stone, turn it on or move the filter output towards the surface to oxygenate the water a little more.

The fish will cope with the cleaning and water change without any problem. Just make sure that the water is to a similar temperature to the one in your tank so that the temperature doesn't drop too much for them. Also make sure to use water dechlorinator in the water (before you add it to the tank) to remove any trace of chlorine from the tap water.

Some other people here might have additional comments. Esp. on the bacterial bloom as I have been lucky enough to suffer it only once in my tanks!

Hope this helps.
Valerie

Hi Valerie,
Thanks a lot!

I am checking the water every day.

Yesterday changed it - 15%.

Today the cloudness' gone. Although, noticed that the fish gills became red inside. Checked the books - looks like poisoning with Nitrite. Can it be treated some how or they will stay with reddish like this?
Measured the water again - and correct the Nitrite went up. Changed the water again and added Nutrafin Cycle.

The fish behaves alright. Eat well.

I will keep watching them again tomorrow. And of course, water change if required - since some sources say that the every 12 hour water change required - please, confirm.

Also, could anybody give a good advice how the change water can be heated to the needed temperature? - please, don't laugh - I used the plastic bucket and put the small heater (for 20 l tank) into it. Although, must agree, it is not very convenient and takes time.

Thank you in advance,
Andrei.

Hi Andrei,

Great to hear about your progress. You will soon be there !

If you have nitrite in your tank, it means that your nitrogen cycling has started (ammonia gets transformed into nitrite). It's not quite finished yet as the 'other' set of bacteria has to colonize your tank in order to transform the nitrite into nitrate. I don't know about the frequency but you should check your parameters at least once a day for now. When your ammonia and nitrite levels are down to zero, keep checking for another week or so, just to make sure things are stable in your tank and safe for your fish.

As soon as you spot nitrite > 0, please do a water change in order to bring this level back to zero.

When I change water, I add enough water from the kettle in order to bring the water to temperature. Some people use a container, like you do, with a heater. It is not recommended to use hot water from your tap as the water might be polluted with copper, seeing that most hot water tanks are made of copper (and the pipes leading to/from it).

There is no reason for us to laugh ! Any way that suits you is the best way and everyone does things differently

I hope this helps.

Valerie

hi andrei,would have to agree with valerie on everything there,i use water from the kettle every time i do a water change,and its never done my fish any harm,you'll find your tank is fully cycled in no time,i put danios in mine after a week,that was about six months ago and i never lost one,they're still swimming around like crazy here beside me,i dont think you'll find anyone here laughing at you,we've all been there at some stage

Best of luck with the tank

Paul

Hi Valerie and Paul,
Thanks a lot for your advices and support!
Well, I admit it's easier to use the kettle.
Also, i changed the water again since nitrites are still high althoigh going down compared with tomorrow measurements.
In any case, looks like Danios can survive. Still very full of energy and life - doesn't matter what happening!!!
Sometimes we lack it.
REAL RESPECT TO THE FISH!!!
Sorry for emotions.
And again,
Thanks to the forum!
Andrei.

Nitrite in the water effects the fishes blood's ability to carry oxygen. A bit like walking around with a plastic bag on your head. This is why you see the gill's going red/brown.
Tonic salt avalible from your LFS can reduce the stress level of Nitrite poisoning. 1 level tea spoon per 10 gallons should do. If you have pleco's or catfish use half the amount of salt.

Dont worry all these problems will soon be behind you and you can get on with enjoying your new tank.

Darren.

Hi all,
I am really thankful to the forum - the nitrite went down drastically - only 0.2 mg/L - hope that this is my last water change - well, daily change.
Danios are well - touching wood - really funny fish. The biggest female occupied a spot in the tank and didn't allow to enter anybody.
And while feeding, I found that it didn't allow anybody else to eat until she is full. What an egoist!
By the way, when I am cleaning the tank with the syphon, they are not afraid - looks like they are playing with the syphon - the games is called: Who sucks! - sorry for the calembour - oops, excuse me my French.
Best regards,
Andrei.