"crystal101" u40127@uwe wrote in message news:7d2d6fefc05a8@uwe...
I just inherited a 55g freshwater tank. I gutted it and started fresh.
It's
been a week, and I started with five 1-2" fish. The water is clear and
the
water tests are all where they should be. I will be adding another 5 fish
in
a week or so. I know nothing at all about aquariums and have done my
homework online and advice of PETCO store. The pet store recommended a
"treat" (orange slice) once or twice a week. I put it on the wall of the
tank and they haven't touched it, lol!! They had an orange slice in every
tank at the fish store and the fish were going crazy over it. Has anyone
heard of this and is it really a "treat" ?


Before you get too far into this, and specifically before adding more
fish, I wonder if anyone has explained the nitrogen cycle to you, and/or
told you that specific types of bacteria must be given time to grow and
multiply in the tank and filter before you add too many fish, in order to
consume the deadly poisonous waste (ammonia compounds) that the fish will
produce. If not, you'll soon be complaining of dead fish and wondering
why... Do a Google search on "nitrogen cycle" and "tank cycling" or similar
keywords and read thoroughly. Fish produce ammonia (deadly poison) as waste
product; one type of bacteria converts ammonia to nitrite also deadly but
less so); another bacteria type then converts the nitrite to nitrate (note
differences in spelling) which is much less harmful and gets removed
(diluted) at regular partial water changes. This process is known as the
nitrogen cycle. I would not add so many fish in such a short time to a tank
that has been recently set up. It takes about six weeks usually to "cycle a
tank" (grow the bacteria) and many people prefer to do it without fish (the
fish much prefer this method also). Google "fishless cycling" for
information about this (even though you already got fish, it is good to
know).

Fedor