beginners questions

[froggo]

hi, i have just got my first tropical fish aquarium. set it up two
weeks before adding any fish and took the water sample to shop, the
advised it was ok - a little high on the nitrite side but nothing to
worry about too much.

i have a small tank so started with 3 guppys and 4 tetras. all was
well for 3 days and then 1 one of the tetras died. i have done my own
tests for nitrite and amonia which seem ok. have done water changes of
about 5l from a 35l tank. what am i doing wrong?

I was told to feed the fish only 3 times aweek and as such so far they
have only had two feeds - they seem to eat it really quickly when i do
feed them - am i not feeding them enough perhaps? (they only get
literally a couple of flakes).

any thoughts ?

thanks

[Koi-Lo]

*Note: There are two *Koi-Lo's* on the pond and aquaria groups.

"froggo" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> hi, i have just got my first tropical fish aquarium. set it up two
> weeks before adding any fish and took the water sample to shop, the
> advised it was ok - a little high on the nitrite side but nothing to
> worry about too much.

How can it be high on NITRITES with no fish in it?

> i have a small tank so started with 3 guppys and 4 tetras. all was
> well for 3 days and then 1 one of the tetras died. i have done my own
> tests for nitrite and amonia which seem ok. have done water changes of
> about 5l from a 35l tank. what am i doing wrong?

What does "about 51 from a 351 tank" mean? You did 51 water changes and the
tank is 351 gallons?!?!?!?!

> I was told to feed the fish only 3 times aweek and as such so far they
> have only had two feeds - they seem to eat it really quickly when i do
> feed them - am i not feeding them enough perhaps? (they only get
> literally a couple of flakes).

You were told wrong. The clerks in most fish stores know little about the
fish they sell. Feed them every day. Guppies and the small tetras eat
daily. Just don't feed so much that it falls to the bottom and rots.
Predatory fish that eat huge meals may skip days as they digest their latest
victim. You can Google "tropical+fish" and come up with enough reading to
keep you busy for hours. :-)

Koi-Lo....
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages: http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Disclaimer: Rude, inane or obscene messages are not mine .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<~{@ ~~~~~<~~{@ ~~~<~~{@

[J. Bahl]

"froggo" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> hi, i have just got my first tropical fish aquarium. set it up two
> weeks before adding any fish and took the water sample to shop, the
> advised it was ok - a little high on the nitrite side but nothing to
> worry about too much.
>
> i have a small tank so started with 3 guppys and 4 tetras. all was
> well for 3 days and then 1 one of the tetras died. i have done my own
> tests for nitrite and amonia which seem ok. have done water changes of
> about 5l from a 35l tank. what am i doing wrong?
>
> I was told to feed the fish only 3 times aweek and as such so far they
> have only had two feeds - they seem to eat it really quickly when i do
> feed them - am i not feeding them enough perhaps? (they only get
> literally a couple of flakes).
>
> any thoughts ?
>
> thanks
>

Your tank is still cycling. Ammonia and nitrite should be 0 before stocking
your tank. Any detectable amounts at all of either is NOT ok, and can be
deadly to your fish.

It can take over a month for a tank to cycle. Only very hardy fish, such as
White Clouds, should be added to facilitate the bacteria culture by
providing a source of ammonia. Tetras need excellent water quality and
therefor are definitely not good candidates for the job.

John

[Koi-Lo]

Whats wrong with yuy asshole, did you not see the messages and read
them that this group is closed. u need to go to the Google freshwater
aquarium hosted by those gays and lesbians if your looking for info,
Those jopkers do not bite, but they are kind of narrowminded and
biased.......but I guess its still getter than havingyur meail address
harvested and you getting trashed in the usenet grops..so be gone
with you...Tell em CarolGulley sent you.

On 28 May 2006 06:21:15 -0700, "froggo" >
wrote:
>><>hi, i have just got my first tropical fish aquarium. set it up two
>><>weeks before adding any fish and took the water sample to shop, the
>><>advised it was ok - a little high on the nitrite side but nothing to
>><>worry about too much.
>><>
>><> i have a small tank so started with 3 guppys and 4 tetras. all was
>><>well for 3 days and then 1 one of the tetras died. i have done my own
>><>tests for nitrite and amonia which seem ok. have done water changes of
>><>about 5l from a 35l tank. what am i doing wrong?
>><>
>><>I was told to feed the fish only 3 times aweek and as such so far they
>><>have only had two feeds - they seem to eat it really quickly when i do
>><>feed them - am i not feeding them enough perhaps? (they only get
>><>literally a couple of flakes).
>><>
>><>any thoughts ?
>><>
>><>thanks

[Dick]

On 28 May 2006 06:21:15 -0700, "froggo" >
wrote:

>hi, i have just got my first tropical fish aquarium. set it up two
>weeks before adding any fish and took the water sample to shop, the
>advised it was ok - a little high on the nitrite side but nothing to
>worry about too much.
>
> i have a small tank so started with 3 guppys and 4 tetras. all was
>well for 3 days and then 1 one of the tetras died. i have done my own
>tests for nitrite and amonia which seem ok. have done water changes of
>about 5l from a 35l tank. what am i doing wrong?
>
>I was told to feed the fish only 3 times aweek and as such so far they
>have only had two feeds - they seem to eat it really quickly when i do
>feed them - am i not feeding them enough perhaps? (they only get
>literally a couple of flakes).
>
>any thoughts ?
>
>thanks

Not necessarily wrong unless you are having major problems. One dead
fish in a new tank is not something you did wrong.

However, I sure do things different than you have been advised
regarding feeding (I will ignore the 2 weeks without fish, time
wasted, but over).

I feed my fish twice daily. One rule of thumb I have read is feed
what the fish can eat in 2 minutes. With so few fish in the tank it
wouldn't take many flakes each time.

I gather you mean 5 litres from a 35 litre tank, but you don't say
over what time period. I do 20% changes twice weekly. I have read
others do changes once a week, some once a month. Part of the final
answer must include your filtration. I clean my filters only when the
water is mostly going over the overflow and not through the filter
media. This is easy to see during a water change.

Lots of things to consider in each tank setup. Keep asking questions.

I hope you will not let our troll keep you from posting.

dick

[Larry Blanchard]

"Koi-Lo" <none> wrote:

> What does "about 51 from a 351 tank" mean?**You*did*51*water*changes
> and*the tank is 351 gallons?!?!?!?!

That's "l" as in "L", not a 1 :-). The OP is doing a 14% water change.

--
It's turtles, all the way down

[Koi-Lo]

*Note: There are two *Koi-Lo's* on the pond and aquaria groups.

"Larry Blanchard" > wrote in message
...
> "Koi-Lo" <none> wrote:
>
>> What does "about 51 from a 351 tank" mean? You did 51 water changes
>> and the tank is 351 gallons?!?!?!?!
>
> That's "l" as in "L", not a 1 :-). The OP is doing a 14% water change.
>
> --
> It's turtles, all the way down
===============================
Gotcha!

Thanks.... :-)

Koi-Lo....
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages: http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Disclaimer: Rude, inane or obscene messages are not mine .
The person impersonating me is posting through Earthlink.net.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<~{@ ~~~~~<~~{@ ~~~<~~{@

[Glassman]

"froggo" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> hi, i have just got my first tropical fish aquarium. set it up two
> weeks before adding any fish and took the water sample to shop, the
> advised it was ok - a little high on the nitrite side but nothing to
> worry about too much.
>
> i have a small tank so started with 3 guppys and 4 tetras. all was
> well for 3 days and then 1 one of the tetras died. i have done my own
> tests for nitrite and amonia which seem ok. have done water changes of
> about 5l from a 35l tank. what am i doing wrong?
>
> I was told to feed the fish only 3 times aweek and as such so far they
> have only had two feeds - they seem to eat it really quickly when i do
> feed them - am i not feeding them enough perhaps? (they only get
> literally a couple of flakes).
>
> any thoughts ?
>
> thanks
>


Tough question but here's my take. Guppies and Tetras don't work well
together. Guppies are slow swimming live bearers, tetras are fast swimming
baby eaters and fin biters. Now this doesn't mean that they'll never work
out or self destruct, but it's just not a great combo. Also keep in mind
that fish are not like refrigerators or air conditioners that you plug in
and they go for 20 years. Sometimes these little guys just die. They need to
eat at least once a day. I would feed them tiny amounts several times a day.


--

JK Sinrod
www.sinrodstudios.com
www.MyConeyIslandMemories.com

[-JED]

Glassman wrote, On 5/28/2006 10:02 PM:
> "froggo" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> hi, i have just got my first tropical fish aquarium. set it up two
>> weeks before adding any fish and took the water sample to shop, the
>> advised it was ok - a little high on the nitrite side but nothing to
>> worry about too much.

Alot of hobbyists would say that the Nitrites should have read near zero
when you added the fish.
Sounds like the tank didn't complete it's cycle.

>>
>> i have a small tank so started with 3 guppys and 4 tetras. all was
>> well for 3 days and then 1 one of the tetras died. i have done my own
>> tests for nitrite and amonia which seem ok. have done water changes of
>> about 5l from a 35l tank. what am i doing wrong?
>>
>> I was told to feed the fish only 3 times aweek and as such so far they
>> have only had two feeds - they seem to eat it really quickly when i do
>> feed them - am i not feeding them enough perhaps? (they only get
>> literally a couple of flakes).
>>
>> any thoughts ?
>>
>> thanks
>>
Increase the feeding to at least once a day. Twice a day is NOT
considered over-feeding.
Keep Us Posted.

[stuarth]

So when it was set up for two weeks did it had something in it to
generate Ammonia like a snail or fish?

Because if you didn't then you just had a tank full of water doing
nothing for 2 weeks....

I use one of the modern live bacteria bottles like Stability by SeaChem
or Bio-load by Marine-land which allows you to add fish to your new
tank within 24 hours of setting your tank up.

Does anyone really wait a month before setting up a tank with fish any
more?

Read this:
http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html
if you really want to wait a month.

[dc]

"Koi-Lo" <none> wrote in :

> How can it be high on NITRITES with no fish in it?

Through any already present organic wastes. Maybe it is old or active
gravel. Maybe his cat peed in it. You don't always need fish to cycle a
tank.

> You were told wrong. The clerks in most fish stores know little about
> the fish they sell. Feed them every day. Guppies and the small

Mature fish of almost any kind can go a day or so without food without any
ill repercussions. When clerks give this kind of advice it is less about
misinformation than it is about concern for someone crashing an immature
tank by overfeeding.

A fish introduced into a tank with nitrites present is probably going to
behave lethargically and may not be eager to feed. Unfortunately, out of
misdirected concern many novice aquarist try to compensate for this
lethargy by feeding larger amounts more frequently, making their problem a
whole lot worse.

A healthy fish can easily survive alternating days of fasting, it cannot
survive sky rocking nitrites or a large ammonia spike.

[Koi-Lo]

*Note: There are two *Koi-Lo's* on the pond and aquaria groups.

"stuarth" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> So when it was set up for two weeks did it had something in it to
> generate Ammonia like a snail or fish?

Someone suggested the gravel was unclean. I can't see how he can have
nitrites with nothing alive in the tank...?!?!?!? The store clerk should
have pointed this out and made some suggestions as to finding the cause of
the nitrites before adding fish.
>
> Does anyone really wait a month before setting up a tank with fish any
> more?
>
> Read this:
> http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html
> if you really want to wait a month.

I add them as soon as a tank is set up and everything is running right.
There's no reason not to as long as a dechlorinator was used. Some utility
water contains a lot of gasses I read somewhere and should be allowed 24
hours to stabilize but that has not been a problem were we live.
--
Koi-Lo....
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Reading Headers:
http://tinyurl.com/amm9s
I did not post the rude or obscene messages on these groups.
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>

[Koi-Lo]

Easy take all the ****ing crap back and get a refucnd. Fish are for
loosers and folks that do not have a ****ing friend. Fl;ush em nowe
and save a heap of money on future purchases....... Spend a buck for
a fish, and then spend 20 bucks to save the stinking skany assed
fishes ass when yu **** up and do somehting you should not have done.
Fish keepers are loosers

[Koi-Lo]

NItrates smitrates, **** them do what makes your crank hard or yur
pussy drip, and get over it. I like adding oil of clove to all my
water changes.,,.,.

[Koi-Lo]

Actaully when ammonia is created its from CArol Gulley aka koi lo
sneaking around and ****ting and ****ing in your ****ing tank....That
bitch will do **** like that.

On 29 May 2006 02:01:17 -0700, "stuarth" > wrote:
>><>So when it was set up for two weeks did it had something in it to
>><>generate Ammonia like a snail or fish?
>><>
>><>Because if you didn't then you just had a tank full of water doing
>><>nothing for 2 weeks....
>><>
>><>I use one of the modern live bacteria bottles like Stability by SeaChem
>><>or Bio-load by Marine-land which allows you to add fish to your new
>><>tank within 24 hours of setting your tank up.
>><>
>><>Does anyone really wait a month before setting up a tank with fish any
>><>more?
>><>
>><>Read this:
>><>http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html
>><>if you really want to wait a month.

[Koi-Lo]

YOu would be well advised to go to a web based forum and get sound
answers from established folks not these fly by night clueless
arogant jerkoff, who think they are gods answer to the aquaria world.

On Mon, 29 May 2006 07:31:39 -0500, dc > wrote:
>><>"Koi-Lo" <none> wrote in :
>><>
>><>> How can it be high on NITRITES with no fish in it?
>><>
>><>Through any already present organic wastes. Maybe it is old or active
>><>gravel. Maybe his cat peed in it. You don't always need fish to cycle a
>><>tank.
>><>
>><>> You were told wrong. The clerks in most fish stores know little about
>><>> the fish they sell. Feed them every day. Guppies and the small
>><>
>><>Mature fish of almost any kind can go a day or so without food without any
>><>ill repercussions. When clerks give this kind of advice it is less about
>><>misinformation than it is about concern for someone crashing an immature
>><>tank by overfeeding.
>><>
>><>A fish introduced into a tank with nitrites present is probably going to
>><>behave lethargically and may not be eager to feed. Unfortunately, out of
>><>misdirected concern many novice aquarist try to compensate for this
>><>lethargy by feeding larger amounts more frequently, making their problem a
>><>whole lot worse.
>><>
>><>A healthy fish can easily survive alternating days of fasting, it cannot
>><>survive sky rocking nitrites or a large ammonia spike.

[Koi-Lo]

Who really ****ing cares in these looser groups that are not
patronized by folks that have half a sense of decency when it comes to
advising folks on fish and aquarium care...These jerks in these usenet
groups are loosers from the world of kooks, and info is extremely
sketchy at most. Go to a web based forum and get decent corret
answers.


On Mon, 29 May 2006 09:07:12 -0500, "Koi-Lo" <none> wrote:
>><>*Note: There are two *Koi-Lo's* on the pond and aquaria groups.
>><>
>><>"stuarth" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>><>> So when it was set up for two weeks did it had something in it to
>><>> generate Ammonia like a snail or fish?
>><>
>><>Someone suggested the gravel was unclean. I can't see how he can have
>><>nitrites with nothing alive in the tank...?!?!?!? The store clerk should
>><>have pointed this out and made some suggestions as to finding the cause of
>><>the nitrites before adding fish.
>><>>
>><>> Does anyone really wait a month before setting up a tank with fish any
>><>> more?
>><>>
>><>> Read this:
>><>> http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html
>><>> if you really want to wait a month.
>><>
>><>I add them as soon as a tank is set up and everything is running right.
>><>There's no reason not to as long as a dechlorinator was used. Some utility
>><>water contains a lot of gasses I read somewhere and should be allowed 24
>><>hours to stabilize but that has not been a problem were we live.

[Koi-Lo]

Yea yea yea yet more dump incorrect info by carol gulley in her world
of solitary friends and companionship.

[dc]

"Koi-Lo" <none> wrote in :

> Someone suggested the gravel was unclean. I can't see how he can have
> nitrites with nothing alive in the tank...?!?!?!? The store clerk

You don't need living things in your aquarium in order to cycle it. Any
decaying organic matter or waste will kick start the cycle. You do need a
long-term waste producer to sustain it well over time, but not to get it
started.

Old used gravel or unwashed ornaments will contain trace amounts of dead
organic material which will produce ammonia as it decays.

Bagged store bought live plant sand substrates generally come with a good
quantity of dead organic material including dead bacteria, which will
produce ammonia as it decays.

Some people add pure ammonia directly to their tank to get the cycle going.

Cat **** will cycle an aquarium--not as uncommon as you might think,
especially in aquariums that have been sitting around dry for a long while.
You could cycle it with your own urine if you're vile enough to really
consider it.

Throwing fish food into an empty aquarium will cycle it too, but you'll
have to wait for sufficient digester bacteria to accumulate before their is
significant food for nitrifying bacteria.

Probably none of these circumstances are what the original poster has
experienced, but my point is there are a lot of reasons why nitrites may be
present despite their being no fish in the tank. So long as the levels are
not very high, there is really no reason to worry about where they came
from.