tetra schools

[Soni]

Re: tetra schools

Mzungu-is it safe to buy fish sunday??ray:

[Soni]

Re: tetra schools

When we went to Fish Gallery yesterday, they had 10 small tetras for $25-is that norm price??

[eklikewhoa]

Re: tetra schools

Depending on what kind of tetra.....need to be more specific.

It could be safe for sunday if you use the filter/media from the other tank to seed the new filter. The little water that comes out of the filter is not going to change the water params much if any. Are you adding anything to the cichlid tank to make the water harder?

Have a run down of those test numbers?

[Soni]

Re: tetra schools

they were blue and green cardinal tetras

[Darbex]

Re: tetra schools

Yes I am adding Kent minerals to make the water hard for the Cichlid tank. I do not recall the readings off the top of my head. I used one of those 5 in 1 test strips to test the water. Can you explain to me what cycling is then? I thought I knew but maybe I dont. What we did was add the dirt and rocks ran the pump for a day without a filter to allow the water to settle. Then we put the filter in on Tuesday and have let the pump run ever since. Is that the proper technique? Usually what I do when i do a water change is I suction the water out using a suction that attaches to the sink. I usually do about 50% or so and change it to pour in water from the tap and add the chemicals that are supposed to rapidly remove harmful chemicals from the tap then I add a few ounces of the above mentioned Kent to make sure that the water is hard enough.

[Darbex]

Re: tetra schools

They are Cardinal tetras

[Darbex]

Re: tetra schools

I think we figured it out and I think it should be set up. We took some live plants that i tried out in my Cichlid tank and driftwood and set it up in Soni's tank so I think we should have the materials to have it established.

[AK-71]

Re: tetra schools

May be I missed a post, do you have any fish in a new tank?
Or you are doing a "fishless cycle"?
Everything will be in safe range if tank doesn't have any source of ammonia (fish waste or you adding it if cycling "fishless"), right?
I am asking just because it looks like it normally takes people ~3 weeks to cycle a new tank (at least it took me about that long).
About cardinals:
I bought mine there - I thought the price was a bit high, but after reading how sensitive they can be and looking at them I bought them anyway because they looked very healthy. And every one of them still is. I had very good luck with fish from this store.
Bought them when I was sure  my tank  was cycled for them (even though I moved everything from an old tank).

[Soni]

Re: tetra schools

Fishless tank cycling....I was going to buy fish this sunday at the auction

We added three more plants yesterday....do you think it will be okay to start buying fish sunday??

[Soni]

Re: tetra schools

I have a pic of the set up in "New Tank" under the plant forum

[Mzungu]

Re: tetra schools

Cycling is the initial period of setting up an aquarium. In short, over a few weeks (or much, much less if you use established filter media) bacteria develops in the filter media/substrate/decorations/etc. First, ammonia has to be present. Many use fish for this, but recently fishless cycling has been advocated because no fish are harmed. The ammonia feeds the beneficial bacteria, which in time will convert the ammonia to Nitrite. A little more time, and the Nitrite will be converted to Nitrate. When no nitrites are detectable, your tank has cycled.

Cycling is very easy to monitor by using a test kit, like the 5-in-1 you mentioned. There is no ammonia test on that one (as far as I know) but there is a nitrite and nitrate pad. An established tank should have zero nitrite.

It would be really helpful for us if you could post the numbers you got from the tests. If you can't remember them, could you retest the water?

[Darbex]

Re: tetra schools

I can give you the numbers when i get off of work. I do recall that the nitrite and nitrate where within safe levels but I will let you know this evening

[Mzungu]

Re: tetra schools

I don't mean to be a pain, sorry! But if nitrite is present at all it is not safe for the fish. Neither are ammonia or nitrate, for that matter, but nitrate is the least toxic and signals the end of a cycle.

[Darbex]

Re: tetra schools

Not a problem I would just like to make sure I understand the whole thing. Well from what I can remember according to the test strips that I have there are 5 levels of Nitrite. Soni's tank was in the second lowest which it says is safe. There are 6 levels of Nitrate hers were second lowest which is safe the next level is stressed.

[Cameo]

Re: tetra schools

If you have no fish yet and no established media, your water will test fine now since the ammonia stage hasn't started. If you just throw in some established media, you s/b ok. Once you have fish in, closely monitor the ammonia, nitrites, & nitrates. Your fish will tell you when they're getting stressed. If the ammonia or nitrite does get too high, do a 20-40% water change.

Also, most of the fish you buy in Houston have been raised or acclimated to our hardness and pH. So leave these parameters alone unless you specifically know the fish you're buying are being raised differently (for instance, some store's Cardinal tetras).

c u at the auction