New RIO 300 tank

[MatsP]

Hmm. Seems like the transfer of mucky filter media didn't work perfectly then. Keep the feeding low and wait for those levels to come down.

--
Mats

[racoll]

Best keep the lights turned off until levels settle down.

Ammonia + new lamps = ALGAE

[slakey]

First feeding went down a treat, I didn't add any flake food or anything they just fed off the whiteish shield around that piece of wood, it's now gone

Also them seem to be pecking at the wood, so maybe their getting fed from them...

[slakey]

Ok I've had 2 recent loses in the rio 125 a male guppy and my male ram

In fear that it may be a disease should I move all the fish into the 300?

This means the male zebra danio, the female ram and my 4 corydoras?

Tested water in the rio300 and both ammonia and nitrite are 0.25ppm.

Or would it be too risky for the rams and corydoras in that kind of water?

[Bas Pels]

obviously the 300 is not cycled yet, and in fact the water is poisonous

Thus you better keep the fishes where they are

A trick I once read about was the following:

fish dying of nitrite poisoning turn very rapidly brouwn inside. However, dead fish do get brown anyway. This is because the way nitrite poisones - by binding to the red stuff in blood (hemaglobulin) making is brown and useless (it is supposed to pransport oxygen to the tissues)

Still, a fresh body which is red inside will suffice to exclude nitrite as couse of dead, and if you are really fast, if it is brown, nitrite can be the cause of dead

[MatsP]

Aside from the good advice given by Bas, do you have any idea what is killing your fish in the 125? If the fish are dying, then a) they won't be feeling better by being moved (particularly not to a cycling tank), b) if it's contageous, you don't want it in your BIG tank - some deceases are not visible, so it may be that ALL have it, but it may also be that you are fine.

--
Mats

[slakey]

nope not sure what killed my ram and guppy.
but rest seem fine.

most of the guppies in the big tank are just laying on the bottom, im guessing shortage of breath from the toxins?

should I be doing water changes will this cycles?
i have a hydor ario 4 working in the big tank at the minute, anything else I can do to help?

[MatsP]

Water changes during cycling isn't ideal.

"Shortness of breath" in the guppies would be an indication of nitrite and/or ammonia poisoning.

--
Mats

[slakey]

Ok so just sit it out, or should I add more air pumps?

Or a water pump?

[Bas Pels]

I'm afraid opumps will not do so much

nitrite attacks hemoglobin - the stuff which makes blood red, but also the stuff which transports oxygen to all tissues. Assuming your fishes were attacked by nitrite, part of the hemoglobin does not work - at all

Do the blood capacity may be reduced by, say, 50 %.

Assuming you have a few fish in the tank the water will be quite saturated - over 90 % - and aeration will only help te reach 100 % - never more

And as this 100 % is guite nicely approached, I don't think aeration will help much.

However, I don't agree fully with Matts regarding to water changes

I conclude your fishes are in a tank which was not cycled properly. If you change water, the cycling will not go as quickly as possible, but the fish will be exposed to less nitrite - however, this water changing will only be effective if you remouve over 50 % a day - for a fortnight or more

and than the interval may grow to every 2 days for a week, 3 days for a week

So it would be an awfull lot of work - and thus Matts approach is much more practical

[MatsP]

As a human equivalent, think of it as carbonmonoxide (CO, not CO2) - it also attaches to the haemoglobin in a way that makes it ineffective in it's oxygen transport purpose.

--
Mats

[slakey]

I done a water test earlier, and forgot to check the readings after 5mins, just now checked them and it reads

Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm

And I've noticed a fry swimming up front on the sand!!!

Surely these are good signs, no?

[MatsP]

Guppy fry presence is an indication of female guppy (and at least some presence at some point in time of a male guppy) - nothing much else. They can live in pretty bad water, and the fry aren't (much) less sensitive than the adults. But it's certainly not a BAD sign. You test kit is a much better indicator.

--
Mats

[slakey]

Ok well I'll be testing the water for the next 2weeks? Then if it's the same should be all good to add the rest of the fish from the 125?

[MatsP]

Ok well I'll be testing the water for the next 2weeks? Then if it's the same should be all good to add the rest of the fish from the 125?

Assuming your fish in the 125 are showing no health problems, I think you can add them now - assuming your nitrite and ammonia levels are still zero.

--
Mats

[slakey]

Went out and bought some plants today

Got 13 in total

Shall get pictures up later when theirs no reflections (y)

Looks alot better now though, still tanned but oh well, that'll reduce with future water changes.

[slakey]

Done a water test, got the same 0ppm for both Ammonia and Nitrite.

Added the rest of the fish from the 125L, but in the process have lost one of my three-lined corydoras, as in I can't find him/her :S

I've up ended all the plants taken out the wood pieces and the rock and kind find him/her.

Could it be possible it's jumped out of the tank?

I'm completely baffled.

It's either hiding in a really well, or it's died and someone else has taken out before I got the other fish and not told me about it.

[MatsP]

Fish can hide pretty well if they want to, but usually getting all the stuff (sometimes including most of water) will find most fish - not Banjo cats, but cories aren't banjo's.

It is not very fair to remove dead (or alive) fish from a tank without telling the owner of the fish

--
Mats

[slakey]

Shall try and drain most of it tonight and see if he comes out of his hidy hole...

Unless it died last night or a say ago and i didnt notice it and the other fish ate it?

[MatsP]

Shall try and drain most of it tonight and see if he comes out of his hidy hole...

Unless it died last night or a say ago and i didnt notice it and the other fish ate it?

Fish do "recycling".

--
Mats

[slakey]

Sorry that I haven't spoke of whats happened recently.

But most of the water is out of the 125 now, no sign of the corydoras.
The 300 is coming along fine, I have added plants and I've recently had 2 dead guppies, the one with the cist type thing, well I think that popped, another one I'm unsure of.

Pictures:










Water Results:
Ammonia: 0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0.00ppm

When do you think I'd be able to buy fish to put in the tank?

[MatsP]

I'm quite surprised that you see any ammonia in the tank. You should have a mature filter now. You may want to check that result again (perhaps take a sample to a local shop and ask if they can test it for ammonia).

--
Mats

[slakey]

Okay will do.
If not I'll wait another week and see what it's like.

As soon as it hits 0ppm can I buy more fish?

[MatsP]

Okay will do.
If not I'll wait another week and see what it's like.

As soon as it hits 0ppm can I buy more fish?

Yes, but I would make at least two measurements on different days, just to make sure.

And of course, don't go load up six big bags of fish all at once - stocking a tank is a gradual task.

--
Mats

[slakey]

Yeah I know, I think my first purchase will either be more Kuhli Loaches? Three-Lined Corydoras? Black Peru Corydoras? 1 Male German Blue Ram?

[MatsP]

I'd wait with the Ram - they tend to be quite sensitive.

--
Mats

[slakey]

Ok well its either the Three-Lined Corydoras or kuhli loach.

As my name has been down for Black Peru's at my local garden center for ages and they haven't been able to get any in :/

Although I do like another loach by the name of YoYo Loach.

[MatsP]

I'd be a bit wary of mixing too many loaches with corys - they compete for the same food, and loaches generally growing bigger would probably "win" in a fight over food.

--
Mats

[slakey]

Hmm ok then.

If I buy more Kuhli Loach will that raise the chance of them coming out more?

It'll either be 3 Kuhli Loach

or

4 Three-Lined Corydoras

also want to get some more big plants and lil grass at the front and maybe 1-2 more moss balls.

[MatsP]

I've never kept kuhli loaches, so I don't know. From what I hear, they are about as outgoing as my Banjo cat (that is, invisible most of the time). They do a good job stirring the sand in the tank tho.

I personally would go for the Corys. Although if you intend to keep Ram's (which like quite warm water), you probably should consider a different species than C. trilineatus. C. sterbai is probably the best "warm" species. I have C. similis too in my big tank, and they are happy in the warm water too.

I've got some Amazon swords in my tank - the bigger one is about 30-40 cm in diameter and about 25cm tall. Need a fair bit of light and a lot of fertilizer.