Sudden Change

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I just got more guppies from Mt. Vernon and I'm going to put them in my 55 gallon tank. My mom thinks that if I put them in this new tank which has no nitrate, nitrite, or ammonia, they will die. She thinks that the sudden shock of having no toxins in the water will kill them. Is she right, or am I right in thinking that suddenly having no poison in the water is a good thing?

 

[cchase85]

You shouldn't put fish in a fresh, uncycled tank.

Guppies are pretty hardy, but they may suffer permanent damage from the nitrite/ammonia spikes that will occur after they are introduced.

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Really? Six guppies in a fifty-five gallon tank will cause a spike in anything? Wow. I've been cycling the tank for a few days now and that's part of the reason they're in there.

My mom thinks you read the "55" as 5. That would be an enormous spike considering that one or two of them are the size of fancy females.
Oh, and BTW, these are ALL "feeder" guppies. I don't have, buy, or endorse the breeding of, fancy guppies. Therefore, the smallest one I have is about a half of an inch long. He's a male, and all the others are females.

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Oh and I forgot to tell you, there are a hornwort and java fern in the tank. I've read that hornwort are very good at reducing nitrates. One website said that they use it faster than fish can produce it and may die if you don't use fertilizer.

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

One of those guppies is the size of a fancy guppy and she's very fat. How many fry do you think she might have? I've heard that it's usually around thirty or so but I don't know for sure.
I'm asking on this thread because I don't like posting new ones.

 

[usacutie81]

Whether the fish are fancy guppies or feeder guppies doesn't matter when it comes to putting them in a completely uncycled tank, you're taking a risk of running into an ammonia/nitrIte spike. Fish of any size produce ammonia (as does their food) which then turns into nitrItes which will spike and may not have time to adequately turn into nitrAtes. It also doesn't matter whether your tank is 55 gallons or 5 gallons, if it hasn't been cycled, you're going to have a spike while the fish are in there. If you want to keep them alive, your best bet is going to be to continually check the water and keep the ammonia/nitrIte levels under control until you have sufficient bacteria built up to handle the bioload.

Guppies can give birth to 30 fry or so, but a lot of them (if not all) will get eaten if you don't remove the guppy from the tank before she gives birth. I believe the older the guppy is, the more fry it will drop. Young guppies may only drop a few fry.

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I've been cycling it with Bio-Zyme for a few days now. So, it does have some bacteria in it. AGAIN, part of the reason I have guppies in there already is to help cycle the tank.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[Purple]

OK - bottom line ......

That many Guppies in a 55 isn't going to produce a dramatic effect - so as long as you keep an eye on the water and do any changes needed to keep various levels down you'll be fine.

As for them having babies - i doubt that having 10 fry in there around 2mm long is likely to suddenly unbalance anything - and by the time they grow to full size i'm sure the tank will be more or less cycled anyway.

As far as them dying from shock from being introduced into a toxic free environment ???????? - I thought we were supposed to keep them in a toxin free environment (guess I've been doing it wrong).

Go for it - keep an eye on the tank - and don't go chucking any other fish in there and you'll be fine ....

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

OK Thanks Purple.
I was stunned this morning when I went to give the tank its daily dose of Bio-Zyme. When I tried to get some out with a teaspoon, I saw that there was very little of it left. The contents of the whole thing is supposed to treat five hundred gallons, so...I think I've put a few hundred gallons worth of bacteria in there. Do you think I still need to do anything else or is my tank cycled now?
I was pretty surprised too when my mom said that about the toxins. I was right! I knew I was.

 

[MrBungle]

First of all, the only REAL bacteria you can get is Bio-Spira. Unless that Bio-Zyme has been refridgerated from the factory to your house, its not living. What are your current ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite readings?

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I don't know. It just said that the bacteria was in the bran. Since I put it in, whitish clear stuff has grown around the bran. I only have one test strip left but yesterday, as expected, everything was fine. I could probably test the ammonia still though. I'm going to do that in a minute.

 

[bala_aquarium]

test strips arent that accurate i would get a drip test kit with the test tube and stuff

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Oh OK. I tested the water with the ammonia test strips and it was safe. Can anyone tell me, if there's no bacteria in Bio-Zyme, what is this clear stuff growing around the bran? Also, once I'm done cycling and stuff, how can I get rid of the bran? I don't like it covering up my black sand.

 

[bala_aquarium]

I couldnt tell you i dont use that stuff

 

[Avalon]

Oh OK. I tested the water with the ammonia test strips and it was safe. Can anyone tell me, if there's no bacteria in Bio-Zyme, what is this clear stuff growing around the bran? Also, once I'm done cycling and stuff, how can I get rid of the bran? I don't like it covering up my black sand.

That would more than likely be a fungal growth of some sort. As it grows, it will turn whiter, and reveal itself better. Nothing to be alarmed about though. It will go away on its own, or you could simply wipe it off.

I would stop using that stuff, as I seriously doubt it is helping. Bacteria will grow in amounts relative to the amount of "food" or ammonia is available. Keep this in mind when you decide to add more fish, and add them gradually, with a 2 week period in between each significant addition (like a group of 6 barbs now, then 3 clown loaches 2 weeks later, etc.). This will allow the bacteria to grow and colonize, and reduce the chances of a mini-cycle.