I think the 30g might be re-cycling????

[gscorvette]

For those who have been following the problems w/ my little tank here is the current status:

Took out the big sharks and moved them to the 130g tank finally! All that is left in the 30g is 4 neon tetras and 4 zebra danios (what I started with.)

The tank has been running over a month now and for about 13 hours minus the sharks (plus the time in the beginning but I wasn't having problems then either.)
I just checked the levels in the tank and came up with 1.5 ammonia (what it has been since the problems started) and 0.3 Nitrites. Now I should have wrote this down but I'm almost positive the last time I tested this tank Nitrites were less than 0.3 (lowest reading on the test.)

I did a water change after removing the sharks, did not clean the gravel, did not add anything to water. I've been feeding them once every other day. Ammonia hasn't dropped.

This might be a problem but I changed filters the other day. I realize in the middle of an ammonia/cycling problem removing a source of possible bacteria wasn't probably the best idea but that TetraTec was JUNK!!! The other day my bf told me our friend thought the filter wasn't working right and I told him he didn't know what he was talking about. Well I looked at the filter and it wasn't working at all. I have no idea how long it was like that either so I immediately got another (Penguin - good for 70g). I put the ammonia reducing crystals in the Penguin as well as the filter catridges. I still had the UG and a crap load of plants, wood and rocks which have started to build up a slime coat.

I am about ready to move the danios and tetras to the 130g and start over. Okay, I really dont want to do that but I'm out of ideas. I'm just mad because this is all my fault and I new as soon as I bought those sharks that it would happen.

I want to add 3 more each of the tetras and danios and 1 male betta to the tank. I am not putting anything in there though until ammonia and nitrite levels go back down.

So I guess the point of this post is: not that the sharks are gone do you think the cycle is starting over, never finished, stuck, too early to tell, or being sabotaged by something I put in the tank?

Gretchen

 

[FroggyFox]

Hmm...Well....ok I guess I'm thinking that the cycle was nearly finished when your filter stopped working...and now with a new filter the cycle is starting all over again. Either that...or its something you put in the tank...like the conditioner or the ammonia crystals or SOMETHING.

If you want to do a fishless cycle on the smaller tank and put everyone into the big tank until thats finished you could...but the big tank still needs to cycle right?

I guess If I were you, just my opinion I would take all of the fish out of the little tank and do a heavy gravel cleaning and 100% water change (...if the power filter you just got for it covers the full amount of filtration take the UGF out while you're at it) then fill it back up with water dechlorinated with stress coat. Then I would go and get some more biospira and cycle both of the tanks using that.

 

[gscorvette]

So move the little fish to the big tank for a day, change water add Stress Coat and BioSpira, and return them the next day??

I added BioSpira to the 130g the day before I added the sharks.

Also, why do you suggest removing the UGF? Do they not work? The power filter is a Marineland Penguin BioWheel 330 w/ Rite-Size Cartridges and White Diamond Ammonia Neutralizing Crystals. Would this filter alone be enough to keep my tank clean?

Gretchen

 

[gscorvette]

If I start over w/ the 30g I'm going to keep the danios and tetras in the 130g for good. Now, if I add those 8 fish and 1 small Bala this weekend would that be a bad idea????

What would be cool to keep in the 30g then?

Gretchen

 

[FroggyFox]

I might be worried with the neons and the sharks...but I don't know, I really don't know much about the bigger freshwater fish so you might want to get some more opinions on that. I think the danios would be fine...they're generally pretty speedy little guys.

Other ideas for the 30G if you decided to move its inhabitants to the 130....hmm they're endless Might take a look at some other people's signatures about what they have in tanks that size...or give everyone some more ideas about what fish you like. You could do cichlids...puffers...community...pretty much whatever, its even big enough for maybe an angelfish and some cories and something else? You could try a planted tank? OH If Angelfish sees this thread she will suggest rainbow fish, and of course I can't see someone asking for ideas and not suggest more danios

As for the UGF...those things are a major pain in the butt, they get nasty gunk built up underneath them over time I suggested taking it out while the tank is down because I have one in my 10G right now that I'd REALLY like to take out, but technically I have no reason to take the tank completely down like you do, its working like it is and taking it out would be a major undertaking. I think the UGF's are kind of unsightly...plus it takes room out of your tank where you could have gravel or sand, the powerfilters are much more efficient and I've even read/heard in several places that keeping both the UGF and the power filter in the same tank they kind of work against each other. If I decide to put sand in my 10G, then at that point I will take the fish out and take it down, remove the UGF, clean it, redo it in sand instead of the gravel. Right now I have the powerfilter running with the UGF and it seems to be working fine...I just wish I would have started with the powerfilter instead of the ugf.

I'm assuming that the Penguin 330 means that it can filter 330 gallons an hour? If so then it should be fine for your 30 gallon. The rule is usually you want the tank filtered 10 times an hour so 10 times 30 gallons is 300 gph...meaning that 330 would be a good rating.