Beginner Help

[fishmommie]

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.

you will be fine with 3 platies. :o)

[ameliaaahx]

I don't have anymore help to offer, as the wonderful guys here seem to have already covered all the bases, but I just wanted to congratulate you for trying so hard and for everything you're doing! I know it can be disheartening to lose your first fish and many of us had rocky starts to the fishkeeping hobby but it's great to see how dedicated you are. :)

You're already doing great and seem to be really grasping everything really well, which many people don't. Great work! Good luck!!

[webs5361]

Well, it's morning now. I am a little worried about the pleco. He is still moving around a bit and stuff, but he never even touched the zucchini i put into the tank last night. I am not sure if he is sick or just not hungry. I am a little leery about putting any new fish in the tank until I know if he is going to make it or not.

Also, after countless hours of reading articles and such about cycling your tank, I ran across a few articles concerning fishless cycling. Is this hard to do? By hard, I mean harder than cycling with fish. Is there benefits to cycling with fish rather than without? The only reason I am even asking about fishless cycling is that I am worried the pleco might not make it either. I can't really tell whether he is even eating. I know he didnt eat the zucchini last night and I just put an algae wafer in there for him and he hasn't touched that yet either. Poor little guy :-(

[fishmommie]

Well, it's morning now. I am a little worried about the pleco. He is still moving around a bit and stuff, but he never even touched the zucchini i put into the tank last night. I am not sure if he is sick or just not hungry. I am a little leery about putting any new fish in the tank until I know if he is going to make it or not.

Also, after countless hours of reading articles and such about cycling your tank, I ran across a few articles concerning fishless cycling. Is this hard to do? By hard, I mean harder than cycling with fish. Is there benefits to cycling with fish rather than without? The only reason I am even asking about fishless cycling is that I am worried the pleco might not make it either. I can't really tell whether he is even eating. I know he didnt eat the zucchini last night and I just put an algae wafer in there for him and he hasn't touched that yet either. Poor little guy :-(

plecos are always tough to call. Some are very active and some are like slugs. they just lay around or hang around. If he's hanging on the side of the tank and moving about now and then, he's most likely fine. and it may take a while before he discovers the zucchini or wafers are food. but he will. just keep trying.

As to fishless cycling - it's is easy! no water changes. no stress. but you have a fish ... and the critical issue is what to do with him until you get a tank cycled because you can't leave him in the 26 if you dump ammonia into it.

I guess you could try putting him back in the 5.5. Just put a filter and a heater on it, keep feeding him and change water religiously while you wait for the 26 to cycle fishless.

It's a crap shoot either way. Would the stress of moving him back to the 5.5 be hard on him? Most likely. But, his longevity is suspect at this point anyway because there is no way to know what kind of shape he was in when you got him.

Wouldn't that just be your luck? You're not a fish keeper but you inherit some fish, get a bigger tank just so they'll be healthy, all of them die on you and now ... you have a new accidental hobby with none of the fish that brought you too it. Sorry... but there is a bit of ironic humor here :o(

[imma24]

Also, after countless hours of reading articles and such about cycling your tank, I ran across a few articles concerning fishless cycling. Is this hard to do? By hard, I mean harder than cycling with fish. Is there benefits to cycling with fish rather than without? The only reason I am even asking about fishless cycling is that I am worried the pleco might not make it either. I can't really tell whether he is even eating. I know he didnt eat the zucchini last night and I just put an algae wafer in there for him and he hasn't touched that yet either. Poor little guy :-(

Benefits to cycling with fish? Many - You grow bacteria faster (hence cycling is faster) because you start off with high ammonia, rather than need to keep ammonia low for a fish's sake.

Many types of fish are sensitive to living in a cycling tank because they have to live with ammonia until enough bacteria grows to process it down to 0. This sensitivity can lead to fish stress which leads to illness.

[webs5361]

That sounds just about like my luck actually.....I swear no luck would be better than my luck most of the time. And no, I don't think I want to put him back in the 5.5 gallon. The only reason I asked about fishless cycling is if something happens to him. (fingers crossed, i REALLY hope not). I just don't think I have the heart to put anymore fish through this if I have a choice. This time, the choice really wasn't mine to make. But for the next round, if something does happen to the pleco, I have a choice, and I believe I would choose a more humane cycle; more humane for the fish and less stressful on me, I swear I have lost a few years off my life worrying about these fish since I adopted them.

[fishmommie]

all of us here on the forum understand. we do get attached.
Go ahead and get 3 platies and give it a whirl. They are tough little fish and your daughter will love them. It only get better from here, right?

(ps - I cycled my 30 gallon with 3 platties and 3 dwarf gouramis. they came through it just fine. Do NOT however, get 3 dw gouarmis LOL. One DW gourami per tank is the best rule of thumb.

[webs5361]

Sounds great, and just to make sure before I go and add any of the platys that we have talked about. This is how I will be adding the fish to the tank, is this an accurate description of how it should be done? I got it from an ebook on this site.

As soon as you get home, float the bag in your aquarium for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will allow the temperature within the bag to equalize with the temperature in the aquarium. You should thereafter add about a cup of water from your aquarium into the bag and wait another 15 minutes. Repeat this last procedure 4-5 times before releasing the fish. NEVER put the water that you brought from the store in your aquarium. It may contain diseases, parasites or other unwanted passengers such as undesirable bacteria and snails.

There are certain things you have to avoid while transferring the fish into your aquarium. Avoid using your hands while transferring fish. Net them out gently into the aquarium. Avoid putting in all the fish at once. Transfer the fish one by one, and leave a gap of 15 to 20 minutes before adding each fish.

[imma24]

I don't necessarily think you have to wait so long in between fish to add them to your tank. What I read about acclimating which I do myself is, after adding a bit of tank water to the bag over several minutes, you empty some of the bag water and continue to add tank water a little at a time - I probably don't wait as long as many people do to put the fish into the tank due to my impatience but I do net them one at a time and then turn the lights off.

[webs5361]

Okay, that is cool. I am just trying to be a cautious as possible.... Also on a side-note my pleco just ate an algae wafer. Maybe he is going to make it after all.