Beginner Help

**fishmommie** · 11-18-2012, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by CrunchyLeaf

Hey Webs!

I too began my foray into fishkeeping at the beginning of this year by taking on a tank that was in dreadful condition that nobody else would save. (If you're super bored read that story here http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ad.php?t=88162)

I can't think of anything that you have done that would cause the death of all of your tiger barbs. All I can say is this. Even though your Aunt surely loved her fish and took as good care of them as she knew how, they were kept in such a small tank that the long term ramifications may have been irreversible. They could have been in a severely weakened state and the stress of being first moved from her home, then moved again into a new larger tank was just too much for them to handle. If that is the case, then nothing you could have done would have prevented that outcome. I have had my tank for 8 months and all of the original fish that came from the bad situation have passed on including my beloved frog Dewey and my little boy Otis the Oticinclus.

The positive thing is that you have been introduced into a hobby that I think you will flourish in. The effort you put into saving those fish, financial output included, tells me that you will be an excellent fish parent.

My advice from here is to take good care of the pleco with the information that you have. While you wait until your tank is stable and cycled research what types of fish you like or might want to keep in your new aquarium. There are endless threads here in the forum that you can locate using the seach feature on different stocking options for various tank sizes. Come up with an aquascape that is pleasing to you whether that's gravel and plastic plants or a nice earthly aquarium sand and lush green plants (lighting may need to be upgraded if you want live plants). Then once your tank is fully cycled and stable have fun adding a few fish at a time until it is stocked how you want it.

It is so thrilling to see your completed little ecosystem and a beautiful healthy aquarium gives a real sense of pride and accomplishment.

well said, Crunchy. And I'm sorry about Dewy and Otis.

**webs5361** · 11-18-2012, 10:06 PM

Thanks for all of your help folks. This has been a truly trying experience for me. Although all of the Tiger Barbs have passed, it was much, much worse for me to watch them each get sick and pass. I can't stand to see any animal sick/die. And for a while here, I was absolutely sure it was my fault and was something I did, and have just been simply mortified. However, you all are probably right and the stress from multiple moves was just too much them, in their probably already weakened state.

So starting from this point. I just want to make sure the pleco stays alive. He is mine and my daughter's favorite. I have some algae wafers and we bought some fresh zucchini as well, as another poster mentioned to me. We also picked up some driftwood from a local aquarium shop. I have not placed the driftwood into the tank yet, as I have been a little preoccupied with testing the water constantly and trying to save the barbs.

So this is what I am thinking now. I think I want to try to get the pleco healthy and happy and wait for the tank to become fully cycled before I try and repopulate the tank with new fish. Would this probably be a good idea? What are your thoughts.

And once again, this community has pretty much helped me to maintain my sanity over the last few days. So thanks again.

**fishmommie** · 11-18-2012, 11:28 PM

You're going to have a very happy pleco with his fresh zucchini and driftwood. And you're going to enjoy watching him eat away.

Normally, a pleco or other bottom feeders would be the last fish you would put in your tank as toxins settle at the bottom. BUT, your circumstances are different so we'll go with what you've got.

I couldn't tell how large he was - I'm thinking not too big. I'm not all together certain 1 small pleco would produce enough ammonia to cycle a 26 gallon tank, so you may want to get 2 or 3 other hardy fish that will do well while cycling (getting a bottle of seachams prime as i suggested earlier will help the fish through the cycle)

maybe 3 platies? the kids would like them because they are very colorful and pretty hardy. If you go that route try to get 2 females to 1 male so the male will have more than one female to focus on LOL but do be prepared for babies as platies are live bearers and almost as prolific as guppies. most fry get eaten by the parents - natures way of population control.

You could also get all males or all females.

Others may have some better suggestions for fish to get you through the cycle or other thoughts that might help. While your tank is cycling you can study fish profiles and decide what others you want to add after the tank has completed its cycle and has been stable for a month or so

Good luck and I promise, there will come a time when you will sit back and look at your beautiful tank and just enjoy watching it knowing your fish are in great shape thanks to you

**webs5361** · 11-19-2012, 12:41 AM

The Seachams Prime is what I have been using. I just turned the light off on the tank and placed a slice of zucchini in the tank for the pleco. I am hoping that he will at least eat something. I think my daughter would be devastated if he were to die as well. So far he seems to be okay. He is stuck to the front of the aquarium.

One last question, and I think I will try to leave you guys alone for a while. I am sure you are tired of hearing my never-ending stream of questions, haha. When the tiger barbs started getting sick they started either swimming on their sides or upside down. What do I need to look for with the pleco to determine if he is getting sick?

**fishmommie** · 11-19-2012, 01:29 AM

don't worry about the questions. that's what the forum is for.

As for the pleco - it's tough to tell with these guys if they're ill because they aren't the most active fish in the tank. In fact, I lost a pleco this past week. broke my heart. still don't know what happened. All you can do at this point is keep the water at .25 ammonia and nitrites, make sure he has food and keep your fingers crossed.
if there's no algae growing in the tank then drop in an algae wafer as well as the zucchini. And in your case, you don't have to worry about doing it at night because he has no competition in the tank. my pleco in my 30 is out eating all day long ... but then he's a little pig. each pleco is different. some are very secretive and you never see them move. if you see him in the same spot for several hours though, well ... you might want to give him a nudge to see if he's still alive. I have a feeling he'll be just fine!

oh and don't be disappointed if he doesn't figure out that the zucchini is food for several days. just keep replacing it. he'll find the algae wafers. sometimes I've tucked pieces of the algae wafer into the meet of the zucchini to draw the pleco to it. Or rubber banded it with the zucchini to a rock so he figures it out.

keep us posted

**webs5361** · 11-19-2012, 01:37 AM

Sounds great. I have the algae wafers but I dropped one in earlier and he never touched it. I took it out after about 2 hours. I thought I would leave the zucchini in overnight as was suggested by another poster and see if he ate it when no one else was around. He had me worried a bit earlier as he was just laying on the bottom of the tank and not moving at all. But now he is attached to the wall of the aquarium and moving up and down the side. He hasn't touched the zucchini yet, but I have my fingers crossed. Hopefully all will be well.

I think I will take your suggestion about grabbing a few hardy fish to help the cycle along. I would hate for something to happen because the little pleco wasn't quite enough to maintain a good cycle. Thanks again. This community rocks. I think I have been constantly glued to this forum and watching the tank for changes from the pleco all day. If he isn't sick and all is well he is probably thinking.... "Dude, why do you keep staring at me??" Haha.

**fishmommie** · 11-19-2012, 04:05 AM

yes, they must wonder what in the heck we're thinking

and you can leave the wafer in the tank, not a problem. sometimes they like them to soften up and break down a bit before they munch on them.

hope all goes well when you add a very few more fish to help the cycle. you might ask the LFS what the PH reads in their tanks. If it's vastly different than your tank PH then you should drip acclimate the fish before adding them.

Which means ... put them in a container with the water from the LFS. use a 4 - 5 foot length of narrow tubing, tie a knot in it tight enough so that when you siphon water from the fish tank to the container with the fish, it very slowly drips tank water into the bucket. this gives the fish a chance to slowly get used to the difference in the ph instead of being shocked by going directly from one to another. I think there might even be a stickie on the site with more fleshed out instructions.

many would also suggest that you put the new fish in a small quarantine tank before adding them to your existing tank but under the circumstances, i think you have little other option than to just add them.

before you buy any fish, watch them for a while. make sure they're active, have no lesions or tiny white spots, torn fins or bulging or sunken eyes. you might even ask the store how long they've had the fish. the longer the better - two weeks should do it but that may not be an option. new fish are stressed and often end up with ich - something you don't want.

**webs5361** · 11-19-2012, 04:11 AM

Thanks. Never heard of drip acclimating before now. Doing some research on it now. Well it is good to know that I can leave the wafers in there. I was told if they don't eat it within an hour or two to take it out. But, at this point everything I have been told by the local aquarium store staff has been not very accurate.

Now, mentioning pH. Being that my pH is ~7.5, that is kind of at the top of the range that i was given as a safe pH for the fish. I was told 6.8 - 7.5. Do I need to lower the pH in the tank? if so, how does one do that? Or do I just do as you said and drip acclimate the fish and leave it at that.

**fishmommie** · 11-19-2012, 04:24 AM

Originally Posted by webs5361

Thanks. Never heard of drip acclimating before now. Doing some research on it now. Well it is good to know that I can leave the wafers in there. I was told if they don't eat it within an hour or two to take it out. But, at this point everything I have been told by the local aquarium store staff has been not very accurate.

Now, mentioning pH. Being that my pH is ~7.5, that is kind of at the top of the range that i was given as a safe pH for the fish. I was told 6.8 - 7.5. Do I need to lower the pH in the tank? if so, how does one do that? Or do I just do as you said and drip acclimate the fish and leave it at that.

many would take the wafer out. I've always left them and they always end up gone ... so ... make of that what you will

as for the PH - most fish will adjust to whatever your tank's ph is. sometimes, yes it can be too hi or to low for certain fish but during a cycle the ph is generally a little unstable. once the tank is cycled and seasoned if the ph is still running hi there are things you can do to adjust it if necessary. best to leave it alone though, if at all possible

**webs5361** · 11-19-2012, 04:33 AM

Sounds great. To a point I have an engineers mentality. If I have a range that I need to be within, I try to be as close to the middle as possible. i.e. 6.8 - 7.5 -- the middle of that is ~ 7.15.

But, on to the point of the post, I will head out to the fish store in the morning and try to get a couple of platys as you mentioned. I am terrified of putting more fish into the water but I can overcome that. You said 2-3, would it be better to get 2 or 3? I just don't want to add too much.