PH, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Amonia

[Fishstix]

Hi ,
I bought a 30 gallon tank last week and have been trying to get it balanced all week. I got some bad information from Petco. I was told to fill it up with water let the filter run for 24 hrs then come and I can get some fish.... So I did Bought 5 fish and asked if I could by a test kit and repeatedly was told just bring in the water and we will test it for you. So I got fed up with that answer and went to tropic Isle a local place in my area. I pretty much got schooled. So now I have a test kit, my starter bacteria Safestart (Tetra) my acid, alkaline, neutralizer etc.... what I need to know is when I do my test I have a good Ph but my Ammonia,Nitrite, And Nitrate have been hard to control. now I am guessing it has to do with the premature inclusion of the fish I got from Petco and also the over feeding ... I was told to feed them 2 times a day so they would grow and be healthy... Once I started understanding the whole concept I removed 30% of the water and started over with Spring water I added Prime to it.....How often can I add the prime to is it something I can add daily. On the bottle it says in emergency situations I can double the dose.... But I have not noticed any erratic behavior by the fish...I have been adding Acid to the water daily and finally got the ph in a good area the Nitrite is almost their .... the Ammonia and the nitrate are the ones i am having trouble with... does the prime work over a 24 hour period or is it something i will see in a couple of hours.... I have been doing tests every 2-3 hours. any thing else I should do... what am I doing wrong.... I am the type of person that I wont stop until I know I got it right....

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

WELCOME! *celebrate

Don't worry about PH, don't mess with it by adding any chemicals. What are you exact readings for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate? What are the 5 fish you have? Do you understand the cycle? 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and under 20 nitrates (but over 0).

 

[Fishstix]

I have actually 7 fish they gave me two then next day when I came back because they over charged me and I complained....

2 Red wag Platies
1 King Beta
1 Golden Molly
1 Red Tail Shark
1 bala
1 black Molly

they all get along and they all have their spots they hang out in... they said I could have up to 15 fish in the tank

 

[Newman]

get rid of the bala as soon as it starts showing stress (because i know you wouldn't let a cool fish go just cuz someone told you lol) and eventually move the red tail out if he starts getting aggressive or too big for the tank. otherwise your fish are good.

if you research balas a bit more you will find that they are schooling fih, grow huge and will need a big tank eventually. same story with the red tail, its more suited for an aggressive tank thats much larger than yours. i think people keep redtails with african cichlids but im not sure...

 

[Fishstix]

so how do I get rid of them can I donate them or something... Those are the coolest fish in the tank right now they are each about 2" long

 

[Thyra]

In the next couple of weeks do a lot of research about the fish you have - nobody is going to get that big, that quick and you will learn a lot. Then make a decision about what you really want to do and you can sort things out.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

Will the LFS take them back on trade?

 

[aakaakaak]

Even though a fish may be cleared for "PH 6.5-7" you can frequently acclimate them to a different PH without much adverse effect. The major key in PH is to keep it S T A B L E. You can't keep your PH stable if you have to add acid every day. Those constant changes will possibly kill your fish. If you end up with a fish that absolutely needs softer water you can fix it naturally with things like peat.

Here's what your bala shark will become:
Bala shark, Balantiocheilus melanopterus Profile, with care, maintenance requirements and breeding information for your tropical fish

Here's what your red tail shark will become:
Red tail black shark, Epalzeorhynchus bicolor Profile, with care, maintenance requirements and breeding information for your tropical fish

Edit: almost forgot. You can use aqadvisor.com as a tool to help you stock your tank. IT IS NOT PERFECT, so don't use it as "the gospel". Just use it as a general tool to better guestimate what will work in your tank.

 

[Fishstix]

why would all my fish be swimming along the top of the water eating bubble.. all my levels are good ph. nitrate, nitrite,amonia..... I fed them earlier..... wierd