newbie has a few more questions....

[goheels1]

a few questions...are you suppose to have a bubble wand in your tank to help the fish survive? i was told by a friend its needed to provide oxygen. i've seen people with tanks that dont have those wands. thought they were just for decoration.

2nd ?....i've had the 55g tank setup for exactly a month now...did my first water change last week when the LFS told me to do a clean b/c the ammonia level was up. i did a 2nd one today, which means two in one week. as i do research, seems like i should of done more cleanings by now. is that true? should i have cleaned the tank at least once a wk?

3rd ?....i have a cousin and a friend who both own 55g tanks. they said they love it b/c the bigger the tank, the less you have to clean. i'm thinking thats not true. my cousin said he cleans his tank once a quarter. my friend has had the tank for several months & has cleaned it once. she said she just puts water conditioner in it to keep it clear. sounds wrong to me. thats probably why she is starting to lose some of her fish.

4th & final ?...after this last cleaning, i put stress coat and Prime in the tank. stress coat for the fish and Prime for the ammonia. is that too many chemicals being used at one time? thanks for your assistance.

 

[OrangeCones]

are you suppose to have a bubble wand in your tank to help the fish survive? i was told by a friend its needed to provide oxygen. i've seen people with tanks that dont have those wands. thought they were just for decoration.

Oxygen is provided by the surface of the water being moved. Do you have a 'hang on the back' type of filter running? If so, that will provide you with the aggitation you need to keep oxygen dissolved in the water.

i've had the 55g tank setup for exactly a month now...did my first water change last week when the LFS told me to do a clean b/c the ammonia level was up. i did a 2nd one today, which means two in one week. as i do research, seems like i should of done more cleanings by now. is that true? should i have cleaned the tank at least once a wk?

Are you doing a cycle with fish in the tank? If so, you should be testing the water daily and doing water changes to keep the ammonia level under 1.0. Invest in a test kit that uses the drops, not the strips. It should test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Some also will test for pH, but unless you are going to breed very sensitive fish, you don't need to be concerned about what the pH is. Just keep it stable and not let the fish store talk you into adding more chemicals to push it up or down. The swings in the pH are very harmful to the fish and your water will just return back to what is natural for your tap water once they wear off.

i have a cousin and a friend who both own 55g tanks. they said they love it b/c the bigger the tank, the less you have to clean. i'm thinking thats not true. my cousin said he cleans his tank once a quarter. my friend has had the tank for several months & has cleaned it once. she said she just puts water conditioner in it to keep it clear. sounds wrong to me. thats probably why she is starting to lose some of her fish.

You are doing the right thing to do research and ask questions. Your friend and cousin are not doing things right (my opinion), but you are, so congrats!

after this last cleaning, i put stress coat and Prime in the tank. stress coat for the fish and Prime for the ammonia. is that too many chemicals being used at one time? thanks for your assistance.

You only need to use Prime to condition the water. Its an excellent product. Prime will keep the ammonia from harming the fish while not interferring with the nitrogen cycle.

 

[goheels1]

thanks OrangeCones; very helpful info. i do have more questions. for the test kit, you recommended drops instead of strips. why is that? one of the LFS told me the same thing but did not explain why the drops were better. i purchased the strips already. it's still showing ammonia. the strips keep showing my ammonia between .25 - .5. and yes, i am cycling the tank with fish & i do have a AquaClear 70 filter that hangs on the back. i have 4 danios, 3 bosemani rainbows, 1 gold gourami & 1 kissing gourami. i will keep doing the water changes as you stated.

as for the Prime, is it ok to use every day until the cycle and ammonia problem has ended?

and lastly, should i reduce feeding my fish from everyday to every other day during the 'cycling'? i mentioned in another post the LFS think my ammonia is up b/c of overfeeding but these fish eat everything before it hits the bottom. i dont think its from over feeding. the LFS is telling me instead of using tap water, to purchase something called "RO" water from them to help with the ammonia. sounds like they are trying to sell me something. my thing is; if it can take 4-6 weeks to cycle, lets see if we can handle the tap water first before purchasing water. agree? don't think there is an ammonia issue with our local tap water.

 

[Ravenstar]

The strips aren't as reliable because (I think) the way they're manufactured doesn't guarantee the same amount of chemicals on the strip, so the readings won't be accurate all the time (though I could be wrong...>.>). The drops are designed so that the tests are the same every time, and even though there may be the occasional "didn't shake the chemicals enough" problem, they're generally much better at giving results.

I haven't used PRIME, but I do use StressCoat. I only use it when I do a water change, which, if you're trying to keep ammonia in-check, should be at least every few days if not every day. Once the tank is established, just at your weekly water change.

I cycled with a betta, and I was told that reducing to every other day wasn't so much an overfeeding issue (though it does help) than an ammonia control issue. Less food being eaten = less poo = less ammonia.

And yes, your LFS is trying to sell you their product. There's no need to buy bottled water for your fish tank. Just use tap water, make sure it's treated before you add it to the tank, and do water changes to keep ammonia under control. You cycle will take longer, but it'll be well worth the wait and it'll save you money.

 

[OrangeCones]

as for the Prime, is it ok to use every day until the cycle and ammonia problem has ended?

The ammonia in the tank will still show up on your tests for ammonia, but if you use Prime, it is in a form that is not toxic to your fish. You should use it everytime you are changing water for the fish.

 

[MadridKid]

seeing that it is summer time, it wouldn't hurt to put a bubble strip in the tank. Also, water conditioner only removes chlorine and a few other harmful tap water contaminates. It won't clear up your water or make it cleaner. And depending on how many fish are in your tank will tell how much cleaning you'll be doing.

 

[goheels1]

thanks all.

 

[goheels1]

one more question

since it's summer time, is it necessary to have a heater in the tank? i asked the store employee who at first said i need one then said since its summer time, a heater is not needed. as mentioned before, the 55g tank has been running for a month. i have a Aqua Culture floating thermometer that is suctioned to the side of the tank. it usually stays set at same temp, which if u're familiar with this type thermometer, it stays in the green area. so is room temp ok or get a heater and set it at the correct water temp? sorry if this sounds like a silly question but the lack of knowledge from the LFS employee has me questioning it. also, my house temp fluctuates bc i have it set w/ a timer that changes temps throughout the day. thanks.

 

[Ravenstar]

If your house's temp is constantly fluctuating, a heater wouldn't be a bad idea since a steady water temp is best. For me, my apartment has no air conditioning, so no heater leaves my tank water at about 82F, which is what it hangs around with a heater when it's cold.

 

[goheels1]

maybe i'm not being patient during the 'cycle' process and pls tell me if that's my problem but the issue with my ammonia is really getting to me. my tank has been up since 5Jul...it's now 6Aug. i purchased the liquid test a few days ago as recommended and it shows the ammonia DOES NOT want to go down. (and the liquid test works great by the way. better than the strips. the strips kept showing i had very little ammonia) i also had one of the LFS test the water since they have been helping me alot and they cannot understand why its still so high.

when i originally set the tank up, they told me to use Stress Zyme for 7 consecutive days to speed up the bacteria build up. after about 10 days, they said the ammonia amount was so small i could go ahead and stock tank with more fish. (they had me start the cycle w/ a few danios). i now have 1 ID shark, 1 gold gourami, 1 kissing gourami, 4 danios and 3 bosemani rainbows. i DO NOT want to lose these fish. i've already lost 4 danios and an opaline gourami. when i went back yesterday for some help, they could not understand why i had the ammonia problem and also wanted to know why i had so many fish if there was ammonia. (duh, your co-worker told me i could get some. i purchased abt $30 worth of fish). i'm starting to wonder about these guys now. i went to Petco today to find something to bring it down...the employee told me i've done too many water changes and that's why my ammonia is up. ok, i've been told by the other LFS, this forum and research online to do water changes to get rid of it. he said don't always believe things online or forums. i have also reduced feeding my fish to once every other day; down from twice daily. i started feeding them less over the weekend. i have done 3 water changes since the tank has been setup. actually, they have all come w/in the past week 1/2. someone please help me. again, let me know if i'm not being patient..but i thought cycling could take 4-6 weeks. it's been 4 weeks, should i not see it starting to go down just a little? i also have a fake plant in the tank. i noticed today that the leaves on it are coming apart exposing the glue. could that be causing this issue? HELP!

and another issue has come up. the tank always seemed just a lil cloudy. after the first water change, the water became crystal clear. after doing the next two water changes, it has gone back to the slight cloudiness. why? with the first water change, i vacuumed the gravel. the 2nd change, i did not. the 3rd change, i just picked up gravel where i saw fish poop. did not do an actual sweep of it. why the cloudiness?

oh and one thing a little off the subject...how do i add a pix to my profile like i see some with? i can't find the edit profile on this forum. thx

 

[Ravenstar]

I did a fish-in cycle, and where forums told me it would take 4-6 weeks, it took me about 9. Just be patient and keep up the water changes; your cycle will take longer but your fish will thank you. Also, the cloudiness you're seeing could very well be a bacterial bloom, which is a very good thing! That means your filter is starting to get some good bacterial growth, and your cycle will really get going. (However, if the cloudiness is green, then it's probably algae and you should take proper steps to reduce it. A slightly milky cloudiness is alright, just leave it be.)

 

[goheels1]

thanks Ravenstar; will be patient.