Cycling My Aquarium

[Sofia]

Hi Matt. Sorry for the late reply. I had gone to Aquacadabra and spoke to the guys there.
I have got Platies now and they seem to have settled in fine. After hiding initially for a short period they came out and checked their tank. I feed a few flakes earlier and they seemed veryu hungry.

So far the water has stayed the same and as I said they seem fine. Most of the time they are all together, but at times one seems to enjoy being by itself between plants. They are all otherwise active and swim a lot.

What do you think?

Oh, another thing though. The water has gone slightly cloudy. Is that normal?

[Matt]

How many did you get and what size are they? The water is probably undergoing another minor bacterial bloom. Get some pictures up and I’ll confirm if you like. Congratulations on your first fish!

[Sofia]

I got 4 and they are each about an inch in length. Head to fin that is. Nitrite reading was 0.25 this morning, Nitrate still between 5 and 10 and ammonia 0.
Will do a partial water change tomorrow.
I attached two pictures.The fish are all still alive. I have three females and one male.
I have put up a photo taken yesterday and the ‘peatier’ looking one from today.

Thanks. I love them to bitys already.

I got a hexagonal tank for the bedroom to host my siamese fighter. It’s a 15l tank and I have started cycling it

Attached files

[Matt]

Haha only just got your first fish and the second tank is already installed. Be careful, I ended up with almost thirty tanks at one point

#304754

[Sofia]

Hi Matt,
thanks for the response. I hope to keep the hobby at bay <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[galilee]

good call on that tannins issue matt. that wood can be boiled to remove the tannins faster than soaking it for months. it can also stain some decorations as well. the early pioneers colored their buckskins with tannin.

[Matt]

Actually your platies might be ok with the fighter. The only issue you may have is when they start to breed in a small tank. Perhaps Galilee can advise further? Welcome to the wonderful world of fishkeeping dilemmas!

#304759

[Sofia]

#304760

[galilee]

tough call on the betta. some people have reported keeping them with endlers and not harming the fry. these fish (bettas) seem to have different characteristics. you get an adult that was raised in a bowl, which i think should be outlawed as inhumane, you don’t know how they are going to interact being subjected to other fish for the first time in their lives. they may go into defense mode. the best chances are to raise a young one in a community tank. remember sofia, fish keeping is all about common sense, to many people want to make it harder than what it is.

[Sofia]

Hi Galilee,

Thanks for your response.

QUOTE(galilee @ Mar 29 2008, 06:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

you don’t know how they are going to interact being subjected to other fish for the first time in their lives. they may go into defense mode. the best chances are to raise a young one in a community tank. remember sofia, fish keeping is all about common sense, to many people want to make it harder than what it is.

What do you mean by ‘a young one’? Or more to the point, where would I gewt a young one, as I would love to have one and got the small tank especially for him

#304766

[galilee]

i walked into a local pet shop one time and the owner who i have had several conversations with, saw me and said come and look at these head and tail lights i got in. have you ever seen any so big? i said yes when they get old. places like walmart ect, sell big old bettas knowing they are going to die and you will want to replace them. if you can find smaller ones (which means younger) that is what you want. there are a lot of breeders out there. you may find some locally. sometimes you can find them in the pet shops.

[Sofia]

Thank you Galilee. I will look in the fish store that I go to when the time has come

#304771

[Matt]

Just do 10-15% Sofia. You don’t need to change large volumes, little and often is best. You might need to perform a couple of small water changes a week until your water chemistry settles, eventually reducing this to once a week. As for Bettas, try sending Keith a pm. He breeds some really stunning ones and might be able to help you out. Personally I wouldn’t keep a fighter with rams for reasons already discussed.

[Sofia]

Thanks Matt. I have changed 10 litres. That’s, erm…about 15% of water. They have coped with that change quite well. I haven’t tested the new water yet, but will do a bit later on.

I am so happy that they are all still happy and healthy

#304782

[Matt]

No problem Sofia. By the way, if you want to keep the platies you could try the Bolivian ram, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus. These are a bit more adaptable in terms of water chemistry and should be ok in your tank. Beautiful, too.

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