View Full Version : I Have some Questions and Need Advice
I currently have 4 corys and a betta in a 20 gallon tank, been set up for about a month. Would it be too much to add 2 more corys and a bulldog pleco? So it would be my betta, 6 corys and a bulldog pleco. Also I am currently experiencing cloudy water even with a nearly 50% water change. I change 25-30% of the water every week. pH is at 7.6, is this a bit high?
First and foremost, add no more fish until you get your water conditions under control. It sounds like this tank is cycling--am I correct?
The bulldog pleco I would not add. Go for a much larger school of corys.
pH--the stability of the measure, NOT the actual number, is the key.
First and foremost, add no more fish until you get your water conditions under control. It sounds like this tank is cycling--am I correct?
The bulldog pleco I would not add. Go for a much larger school of corys.
pH--the stability of the measure, NOT the actual number, is the key.
So should I vacuum the gravel already? Yeah my tank is cycling. I'd really like that pleco though. My cory's are 3 different kinds, should I get a few more equal numbers of each?
Thanks
karbomb
02-13-2008, 02:11 AM
in general when you have a school of any fish you want to stick to the same species. are your corys schooling? sometimes different corys will school as long as they are the same size. i would get equal numbers of each. preferably 3 of each if you can.
don't get any more fish until your tank is cycled. you probably should have fishless cycled or gotten hardier or less fish for the cycling process. you may have some losses before the cycling is over.
owning a tank takes patience and lots of it.
jbeining75
02-13-2008, 02:14 AM
don't clean the gravel it will disrupt the cycling, leave the bulldog pleco at the lfs also. Go for some more cory cats...........
in general when you have a school of any fish you want to stick to the same species. are your corys schooling? sometimes different corys will school as long as they are the same size. i would get equal numbers of each. preferably 3 of each if you can.
don't get any more fish until your tank is cycled. you probably should have fishless cycled or gotten hardier or less fish for the cycling process. you may have some losses before the cycling is over.
owning a tank takes patience and lots of it.
Well I'm pretty patient, I enjoy taking care of my tank and I want my fish as happy as possible. How long does this cycling process take? I really hope I don't lose any fish. My peppered and bronze cory were schooling when I first put em in but when I put the 2 panda's in they stopped. The panda's are not schooling together either. They all seem to do there own thing and occasionally pair up to scavenge or chase each other. Whats wrong with a bulldog pleco guys?
karbomb
02-13-2008, 02:24 AM
the cycling process can take up to 6 weeks.
shalafi04
02-13-2008, 02:25 AM
how long have you been cycling? Are you using a liquid test kit daily to watch for an ammonia spike. I lost 3 cory to cycling (I didn't know any better either) And they're pretty sensitive. I dont think the pleco is necessary and they can all get big. Id say even the small plecos would be happiest in no less than 30g bare minimum. keep a close eye on your betta for changed behavior and/or ammonia burns
karbomb
02-13-2008, 02:26 AM
how long have you been cycling? Are you using a liquid test kit daily to watch for an ammonia spike. I lost 3 cory to cycling (I didn't know any better either) And they're pretty sensitive. I dont think the pleco is necessary and they can all get big. Id say even the small plecos would be happiest in no less than 30g bare minimum. keep a close eye on your betta for changed behavior and/or ammonia burns
shalafi is right, keeo a really close eye on those fish
I don't have a master test kit yet but I'm going to get one tommorrow. What if I get high readings of nitrate or ammonia, how should I treat it? And good thing I asked about the pleco. Thanks
karbomb
02-13-2008, 02:35 AM
there should be high readings on the ammonia if you are in the beginning of your cycle and if you are a few weeks into it the nitrate will spike. (this is normal) if your nitrite spikes that is when you really should be worried.
let us know what your test results are tomorrow when you get the kit.
there should be high readings on the ammonia if you are in the beginning of your cycle and if you are a few weeks into it the nitrate will spike. (this is normal) if your nitrite spikes that is when you really should be worried.
let us know what your test results are tomorrow when you get the kit.
I Shall. But should I stand be and just witness? Regular water changes?
karbomb
02-13-2008, 02:42 AM
if they are showing signs of ammonia burns you should move them to a safer tank, this can easily be done with the betta, the corys you may have to take back to the store from which you got them from.
edit: if you take all the fish out you will need to supply the tank with ammonia to finish the cycle till it is safe for the fish to go back in
Pr0eve
02-13-2008, 02:53 AM
Carlos, you should do some reading, I will give you some links, it will help you a lot.
read this since you have fish in there,
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
then
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
then read this.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
know you will not be able to read all this in one night, but do read this..
this one will help you on what to look for in a cycle
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
I read the first one. So I guess I have the cloudy water syndrome. I'm changing some of the water tonight, can I get away with doing daily water changes so my fish won't die? My Betta I will be taking out but my corys I can't return and I don't have a freind with a tank. I'm screwed, I hate to put my fish through this.
Pr0eve
02-13-2008, 03:22 AM
you'll be ok, get that API kit and test daily, we can walk you though this, just tell us daily what your water lvls are and we well tell ya what to do, until your tank is cycled. you only need to do a water change when your am and rites get to high for the fish, get the kit soon and we can go from there, if you do , do a water change do only about 30% ( just the water, do not clean the gravel ) untill you know what your lvls are. you can over change the water. be sure to use some water conditioner, this stuff removes chlorine, never put stiaght tap water into your tank, and make sure that the water temp is close to the water temp of the tank, if you are using a HOB filter do not clean it yet for a few.
we really need to know what your
AM, Nitrites, Nitrate are...
shalafi04
02-13-2008, 03:31 AM
yeah i totally agree with pr0eve. if you do daily water changes you are going to lengthen your cycle time by weeks if not months. just worry about them when your ammonia or your nitrites spike. trust me, everyone here will help you get through your cycling with fish. they were a God send for me. We got this :)
Ok I'll be keeping you guys posted. My filter media got pretty brown pretty fast.
So I went out today and got a API FW Master Test Kit. Here are my results, I tried doing everything as accurate as possible and reading over the instructions a few times to do the steps properly.
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 20
Pr0eve
02-13-2008, 05:56 PM
ok, with your AM and Rite at 1 do a 50% water change, be sure to de-chlorine the water plus have the water about the same temp as the tank. and retest.
I use start right with allantoin, but if needed just let the water sit for an hr in a bucket to let it de-chlorine it self. keep an eye on your water lvls and do water changes every other day or daily if needed, you can lightly clean your filter foam in used tank water but do it very lightly....
Pr0eve
02-13-2008, 05:58 PM
do not clean you filter foam every day, only if it really dirty other wise leave it along, you will have to do this every day, IE water changes and water testing until your water become stable. it may take 4 to 6 weeks so be ready for this ok.. we all have gone threw it.
Ok I will start doing this. I should get a Vac it would be alot easier. Should I raise the temp? Feed less? I feed twice a day and my temp is at 78 right now
Pr0eve
02-13-2008, 06:31 PM
do not clean the gravel but you can use the vac to take out the water, water temp at 78F is ok. I only feed once a day, but you'll have to judge what the extra feeding does to your water lvl. your tank needs the AM to cycle but to much will kill your fish, so it is a catch 22 ordeal. your water lvl will tell you what you need to know and do...
shalafi04
02-13-2008, 06:57 PM
yeah you dont want to vac your gravel because thats where your bacteria is making its home, if you remove whats there, you're back at square one. I always use the vac to suck out the water for the changes though so you should definately get one
I came up with a possible solution for my fish not to have to endure my cycle process. Tommorrow I'll be cleaning my g/f's stepdads tank since I feel really bad for the fish and it's been a couple months since its been cleaned. I rinsed out the sponge media in his filter today but not too much cause I didn't really know what I was doing. Also theres space for another media, what kind of media could I get for it? He has some noticeable algae on the back wall, should I get it off? He has a couple common goldfish and 2 convict's in it with no decor except the background, a large seashell and a hollow ceramic brick which is home to the mature convict. There is a smaller convict and the goldfish are maturing. So I was thinking after I clean the tank and all the water tests turn out good, could I put my 4 corys in? Btw the tank is 30-40g
AquaBANG
02-15-2008, 03:14 AM
will corys we able to withstand the convicts?
Thats what I'm worried about. The large convict stays at the bottom of the tank in his hollow brick.
Pr0eve
02-15-2008, 03:36 AM
corys, I do not know, I am sure they will be better off then goldfish, you see goldfish are community fish and convicts are cichlids, I am really surprised that the cons have not killed and eaten the goldfish yet.
but you can put a divider in there if needed so they can share the tank with out the cons killing the corys. and tell your step dad that, tanks need to be cleaned weekly. if your not ready for the dedication of a tank then give it to some one else,. not saying that to you Carlos, cuss your on here trying to learn and for that I give you props.
I really do not know if corys can be in with convicts, but a divider is really cheap, and it is good to have on hand. but if you are going to take the fish out, then read up on the fishless cycling, you will have to add AM to the tank to grow the bacteria. mind you pure am only not just any old AM in a bottle,,,
well I am off the bed, it is V-day and I just got back home from being out with my girl. Good luck Carlos, hang in there, see you all tomorrow...
Thanks ProEve. I cleaned the tank as much as I could but there was still clear ish floating in the water till I turned on the filter. Before I cleaned it I tested the water; amm 0 trite 0 trate 5 and the pH was good. Does this mean the water is clean? Some of his goldfish have black or dark brown on the tip of there fintails, rotting? The stripes on the large con are fading to a lighter black. I'd really like to put my corys in this tank but I'm not sure if they would make it cuz of the water. The 2 convicts seem pretty shy and don't show signs of aggression, the little one tries his best to get as much food as possible, the large con doesn't at all.
Pr0eve
02-15-2008, 08:37 PM
some goldfish have different colors on them, so I would have to see a photo to tell if is just a color of the fish or really rot. most of the time you'll know if it is rot..
if the water lvl are at
AM 0
Rite 0
Rate 5
it means that the water is stable, and no high lvl of the nasty stuff. and these are the lvl you want your water at, those are good readings..
clean water is just that, clean looking water, not green or brown, dirty looking water, some tanks will have tannis in them, but you do not have driftwood in the tank so you would not have them.
also convict can lighten and darken them selfs, it show what kind of mood their in, and a defense mode.
all you can do is try, if it worry you to much, get a tank divider. The water will be fine for the corys, just be sure to acclimate them to the water..
keep us posted..
I'll be moving them out tommorrow. My betta will go into a bowl, hopefully the temp change won't affect him. My house is at 73.
My corys are now in there temporary new home. They were a little shy at first but a few hours later they were swimming and schooling. I noticed that the smaller convict is bullying them, I will keep an eye for ripped fins. Now for my fishless cycle, what do I need? Pure ammonia and what else? I noticed a little bit of algae build up in my tank
Pr0eve
02-18-2008, 04:27 AM
Pure AM, ****IE water and AM only**** and read the fish less cycling,
I stopped by a local petsmart today, they didn't have any ammonia. The fish lady showed me a bottle of Seachem Stablity which she said works the best, 1 week to cycle supposedly. Should I check at another LFS?
Pr0eve
02-19-2008, 08:58 PM
you will not find Pure Am at any fish shop.
Seachem Stablity works good, and you can add your fish in at the same time.
I'm on my second day using Seachem Stability, my fish are back in. ammonia 0 nitrite 1 and nitrate 5. Are these levels lethal or unhealthy for my fish? Will the nitrite and nitrate decrease as the days go by with the seachem?
After that one week of having my corys in another tank with 2 convicts they have been nipped at all over except for my peppered cory. The little convict not the large one, did all the nipping. I seen him doing it but I thought the corys were fast enough to get away, the tank was big enough and there was hiding places. Never keep Corys with Convict Cichlids. I felt like stickin my fingers in the watre and flicking the little Con.
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