hello

[gcnadam2906]

hello everyone
im from ohio and i just got my first aquarium. I didnt know anything about keeping fish so i went out and got my aquarium (10 gallon) and my fish at the same time(5 platies, 3 albino corys, 3 ghost shrimp and a sucker fish that i dont know the name of.) well after i did this i started looking up info and i realized i did the wrong thing. i checked my ammonia level and its between 3. to 6.!!!!! anybody have any suggestions on how to save my fish.

[jman]

Welcome I am sure you will be satisfied with this cite!
enjoy your stay

[f1oored]

Welcome to the forum. The only thing you can do now is either take the fish back or do frequent water changes until the cycle completes (this could take some time if doing frequent water changes). I found that pet stores typically know nothing about fish. You are better off asking question here before you do anything.

I'm from Ohio too what area are you in?

[Cichlid_Man]

Welcome...

Don't feel bad about getting fish right from the start.
F1oored said it right. Pet stores don't tell you squat. They know squat.

You have the fish, and in the old days, that's the way I used to cycle a tank anyway.

Just do water changes. Add Stress Zyme. It might help.

Change out about 30% of your water twice a week until things settle down.

[Severus]

Welcome to AC. Everyone told you just about everything you should do. Dont worry, we all make mistakes.

[crackatinny]

Hi there and welcome, this is a great site

[Abbeys_Mom]

Welcome to the forum :)

[jeffs99dime]

welcome to a.c.

[kimmers318]

Where at in Ohio? If anywhere near Streetsboro I could give ya some nice bacteria filled gravel and or filter media! I have a bag sitting in my dp tank that was put in as a precautionary measure when I changed it over to sand.
Getting ahold of some biospira will help tremendously....otherwise, the water changes will be your best bet, although maybe not an ideal solution. The platy's in my experience should be fine.....I have also found cory's to be pretty hardy but mine haven't had to be in ammonia levels. The ghost shrimp probably won't make it, but depending on what the "sucker fish" is you might be okay with that one.
I would also recommend finding out what type of "sucker fish" you have because if it is a type of pleco it could get HUGE and will not make it in your tank. There are alot of smaller plecos but what you usually see in the stores is the common varieties. I have a pleco that I took from someone that was in a 10g tank....wasn't sure BB would make it as bad as she looked when I got her.....
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
She has grown quite a bit since I brought her home July 4th....here is a shot of her around September....and she has grown some since then
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
The rock structure was her home in the 10 gal, now she never even goes in there since she is almost as big as it is.

[Nautilus29]

sorry for some reason my other password wouldnt work, i live about 20 mins from findley if u know where that is. about 45 mins south of toledo. thanx for the help

[Lady Hobbs]

Welcome. I'm in MI so we are neighbors. Really getting off subject for one second but I know a guy that owns a bar in Finley. Jim Altman. Any chance you know him?

[Lady Hobbs]

Kimmers, you pictures are great!

[Nautilus29]

Nope I dont know him. I dont drink so I dont really go to bars. Plus im only 18.

[Lady Hobbs]

I don't drink either but know the guy.

But back on topic.........you need to do water changes to get that ammonia from your tank or your fish will not live. Levels of ammonia at all are lethal to fish. And like the others said, not to worry. Many of us made the same mistakes. You may want to check out the Free e-book in the menu on the left. It's a good start with much information. It may take a while to load-up on slow speeds but give it a few minutes and you'll have lots of information.

Welcome to the site and hope you'll like it here and spend many days with us.

[Nautilus29]

i do really like it here. But anyways how long does it take get the ammonia out and how frequently should i do water changes every day, three days, or every week?

[Nautilus29]

I was looking around in stores and i saw some stones that are supposed to help take ammonia out of the water. Do they work or is it a waste of my money to get some of them?