help with transferring dwarf platys

[Cho89]

Hi everyone. I am newbie at fishkeeping so please bear with me.

my girlfriend bought two dwarf platys from petsmart about three weeks ago. She has been keeping them in a 2 gallon fishbowl, making 100% daily water changes (is this dangerous?). I am worried that the stress from poor living conditions of the fishbowl and water will eventually kill them. Ever since we got them I have been eager to find them a better home.

my problem now is that I just obtained a 20 gal tank from my friend, but am not sure what steps to take first. I know I must first cycle the tank, but was wondering if they will have trouble adapting to the tank water since they have been living in that bowl for three weeks with 100% water changes. Also do I need to let the tap water sit out for 24 hrs before treating it?

Any help will be great, Im really worried about the little guys.

 

[unwritten law]

100% w/c aren't that bad since it is such a small tank and no bacteria is accumulating anyways... basically the changes are better than no changes. but daily changes seems like a pain. Get that second tank up in running and you can treat the water right as it comes out of the tap.... With my python (w/c hose joint) I treat the water as it is being added... so don't worry about letting it sit..

 

[Cho89]

Thanks a lot.

Since I only have two dwarf platys to put in that 20 gal tank, there wont be much waste being produced. Does that effect how I should cycle the tank?

 

[unwritten law]

umm well you can cycle fish-in....and then you wont have to worry about the 2 gallon anymore but probably do a 2 gallon w/c on that every 2-4 for about a month or 2... about the same for what the 2 gallon tank is....Or do a fishless and use ammonia to cycle the 20 gallon and keep up with the changes on the 2 gallon...that'll tank about a month

If I were you I'd do the fishless cause its easier, safer, and if I had 2 fish in a 20 I'd want to add more too fast.

 

[homebunnyj]

Since you're at this point, I think I'd just put them in the 20 and cycle fish-in. You're right, they won't be very much bioload for a 20. Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, and just be sure to do water changes if ammonia or nitrite get up to 1.0. (I don't even know if those two small fish will produce enough ammonia to push it up that high before it peaks and subsides to zero. If after a couple of weeks your ammonia readings are still negligible you could probably add a couple more of those little guys, but you'd still have to be diligent.) And remember, even after your tank is cycled, add just a couple or three fish every couple of weeks.

 

[Cho89]

Thanks guys

I took homebunnys advice and put the two little ones in my 20 gal tank today after getting it up and running. After being transferred into their bigger home they explored and playfully surfed the current of bubbles produced by the filter.

I couldn't test the waters today because the test strips were missing from the stupid package I bought at petsmart. Seems like I need to invest in the drop kit. I think they will be okay till tomorrow. The employee at petsmart advised me to do a fishless cycle by adding a little fish flake in there everyday. Is that a common method?

 

[unwritten law]

its a slower method... pure ammonia is faster and doesnt make any debris...

 

[1077]

I agree with those above. The fish are in the tank so you will need to feed them sparingly. I would take about a dime size amount of flake food and place it in the palm of my hand and use my thumb and forefinger to crush it into almost a powder. I would take a pinch from this and feed the fish only once a day. You want to keep ammonia levels as low as possible so as not to kill the fish. I would also use a water conditioner such as PRIME that detoxifies ammonia,chlorine,and chloramines. Some water conditioners address chlorine and chloramines by breaking the bond of chloramines with the ammonia but they leave the ammonia for the tanks filter to deal with. In a new tank there is not enough good bacteria developed to do this efficiently. That is why in my view,, you want a conditioner such as PRIME that clearly says it will address all three. Chlorine,chloramines,and ammonia. If the conditioner doesn't address all three ,I would not use it.
You will want to leave the filter alone for the next month. Don't change it or clean it under tapwater. The filter will begin developing the beneficial bacteria needed for your tank to mature,or (cycle). If the filter becomes clogged,(shouldn't if you don't overfeed) You can simply rinse it in a bucket of old aquarium water that you take out during water changes. ALWAYS clean the filter material this way. Should you need to change water (probably) always add water that has been treated with dechlorinator ,and try to make new water close to same temp of water in the aquarium so as not to shock the fish with sudden temp changes. Hope some of this helps.

 

[Cho89]

I tried to find pure ammonia but petsmart did not carry it. As for the conditioner I use the top fin brand which doesn't say anything about treating ammonia. Maybe I need to go buy the prime conditioner.

I also bought a bottle of top fin bacteria supplement which claims to reduce fish loss in new aquariums. Will this bacteria supplement aid my cycling process?

 

[jo3olous]

I tried to find pure ammonia but petsmart did not carry it. As for the conditioner I use the top fin brand which doesn't say anything about treating ammonia. Maybe I need to go buy the prime conditioner.

I also bought a bottle of top fin bacteria supplement which claims to reduce fish loss in new aquariums. Will this bacteria supplement aid my cycling process?

It would be a terrible idea to use cycling products when you're already doing a fish-in cycle. It's either/or, not both. I would throw all your chemicals except your dechlorinator out the window at this point.

 

[Cho89]

since i already put some of that bacteria supplement in last night am I in big trouble?

 

[RexyTexel]

I wouldn't say you're in trouble but those "bacterias in a bottle" don't usually do much. It's best to just let a tank cycle on it's own.

Oh and you can find pure ammonia at hardware stores and such. Pet stores wont usually, if at all, carry it.

 

[MissFishy]

Hey Cho, sounds like you are on the right track. You may want to familiarize yourself with the whole cycling process a bit more. There are some great explanations in the stickies and I also wrote out a simple explanation on the website linked below. Keep up the good work and welcome!

 

[Cho89]

cant tell my arse from an airstone

I feel so stupid ... my friend who gave me the tank stopped by today and said he found out today that the tank is actually only 10 gallons. Yesterday when I was treating the water I put in enough to treat 20 gallons. Is that bad for the fish?

I can imagine this changes how much room I have for error. Is it still safe to try and cycle the 10 gallon tank with two dwarf platys?

 

[Cho89]

Hey Cho, sounds like you are on the right track. You may want to familiarize yourself with the whole cycling process a bit more. There are some great explanations in the stickies and I also wrote out a simple explanation on the website linked below. Keep up the good work and welcome!

Thanks a lot. your website was very helpful.

The two are searching for food and look very hungry. I am tempted to feed them again but I already gave them their 1 small pinch of flake food for the day.

Can I feed them bloodworms and other stuff while cycling?

 

[1077]

Platys will do much better with vegetable based flake food. Foods similar to that which goldfish need. I would hold off on offering blood worms which could be given once a week as treat until the tank has matured or, (cycled). Platys I have at the moment, High fin blue,, Do well on veggie flakes and spirulina flake with occasional freeze dried brine shrimp maybe,once a week. Stick to the once a day feedings for now and after the tank matures or (cycles) you can feed them small amounts twice or three times a day. Keep a close eye on ammonia readings with test kit. If they rise above .25 perform a two gal to three gal water change with dechlorinated water.*SUNSMILE*

 

[MissFishy]

You can feed them other stuff while cycling, but fish will eat even when they're not hungry. I would limit feeding to once every other day.