# beginner dealing with his mistakes



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

This is my first fish tank I just want to say i wish I looked a little harder and found this forum before I started my tank. Plus i also wish i listened to people a little more when giving me information. I know this is more than a hobby to some people and some people might get offended by other lack of knowledge so please go easy on me lol.

I have a 75g with two penguin 350 HOB filters, when i first set it up I did not know about the fishless cycle and was told to just throw in a couple cheap fish to get the bacteria started along with some api quick start. Me being impatient ended up buying 2 black convicts and 2 bumble bees. The tank got cloudy and cleared up ammonia went up and than back down after a two weeks I got impatient and went out and bought 2 plecos, a red jewel, and a salvini. The red jewel only lasted 2 days though, i think the bumblebees took i out because they also tried to bully the Salvini but it was bigger than the jewel so it stopped. I than went to a LFS and told them what i had in the tank and asked what they suggested for bottom feeders and they sold me a couple armored catfish. The last addition to the tank were a dozen tiger barbs.

I realize now i:
1) added fish way too soon
2) added too many fish too soon 
3) over fed them 
4) started the cycle over again by making other stupid mistakes

I now have all the information here now so hopefully the stupid mistakes are a thing of the past and now im trying to play catch up and fix the issues i created by being impatient ie crappy water conditions


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

This is my tank setup currently. This was right after vacuuming the gravel and putting in the new center piece


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What are the test results for your tank for pH and ammonia and nitrite and nitrate? Don't get the LFS to test...buy your own test kit with liquid reagents like the API master freshwater test kit.

Do not buy fish, LOL.

Then, which fish would you like to keep? I would not choose the bumblebees based on the décor.


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

DJRansome said:


> What are the test results for your tank for pH and ammonia and nitrite and nitrate? Don't get the LFS to test...buy you rown test kit with liquid reagents like the API master freshwater test kit.
> 
> Do not buy fish, LOL.
> 
> Then, which fish would you like to keep? I would not choose the bumblebees based on the décor.


Ammonia shot up to 8
Nitrite is .25-.50 
Nitrate is 5-10 
PH I brought down to mid 7 because of the high ammonia.

I just recently swapped the penguin filter cartridges for aqua clear sponges in my filters so I have way more area to grow my bio filter but did it in both filters the same night nor thinking. I did however soak the sponges in tank water for about an hour.

All of the plants in the tank are fake with the exception of 1 anubias that has been left alone so far.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Removing the penguin filter cartridges means you started over from scratch on the cycle. Having more room to grow the bio filter is not all that important. When did you do this? Are the penguin cartridges still wet?

Will the fish store take your fish back until you are cycled?

Change 50% of the water now and 50% again in the morning. That should get your ammonia to 2ppm. Then another 50% water change tomorrow night and our ammonia will be 1ppm...you want your ammonia to be 1ppm or less through the cycle.

Which fish do you want to keep?


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

DJRansome said:


> Removing the penguin filter cartridges means you started over from scratch on the cycle. Having more room to grow the bio filter is not all that important. When did you do this? Are the penguin cartridges still wet?
> 
> Will the fish store take your fish back until you are cycled?
> 
> ...


Ideally I'd like to keep them all lol. I have done close to a 50% water change last week tested the next day and still was around 8 ammonia. I'm so stumped and so is everyone else I talk to. And no they are no longer wet. I shook them off in a bucket of tank water than soaked the new ones in the about a week ago.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Do those 2x daily 50% water changes. You want to be no higher than 1ppm.

Check out the cookie cutter tanks in the Cichlid-forum Library for Salvini options. The convicts and the salvini could make a tank.
• 'Cichlasoma' salvini - 1 pair 
• Archocentrus nigrofasciatus - 1 pair

The bumblebees like a tank filled with rocks and they like to be in groups of 1m:7f to manage aggression.

The jewels would be good in a smaller tank with just a pair.


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

What water conditioner are you using to treat the new water added to the tank?

Test your tap water using the ammonia test kit also and post back the results.


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

DJRansome said:


> Do those 2x daily 50% water changes. You want to be no higher than 1ppm.
> 
> Check out the cookie cutter tanks in the Cichlid-forum Library for Salvini options. The convicts and the salvini could make a tank.
> • 'Cichlasoma' salvini - 1 pair
> ...


So if I was to see if my lfs would possibly do a trade for the bumblebees than what do you think would be a good suit for the tank?


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

Deeda said:


> What water conditioner are you using to treat the new water added to the tank?
> 
> Test your tap water using the ammonia test kit also and post back the results.


I was using the api stress coat but than switched to seachem prime and also use stability. I also did test my tap and that was at .5ppm so even with the size water changes I have do it should have cut the ammonia down with the 25% water changes i have done.


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

DJRansome said:


> Do those 2x daily 50% water changes. You want to be no higher than 1ppm.
> 
> Check out the cookie cutter tanks in the Cichlid-forum Library for Salvini options. The convicts and the salvini could make a tank.
> • 'Cichlasoma' salvini - 1 pair
> ...


I just noticed you suggested a pair of salvini's and a pair of convicts. I thought I seen somewhere not to have more than 1 salvini but I've been plenty wrong so far lol


----------



## hartebreak (Jan 9, 2019)

Water Changes are going to be your life for the next 3-4 weeks. Also, go buy the biggest jug of Prime you can find. Use it at around double what the label says. The only way you are going to limp your fish through this alive is to make the Ammonia and Nitrites less toxic. Keep in mind, the Prime will not REMOVE the Ammonia and Nitrites, (it will only bind to these chemicals making them less harmful for your fish for around 36-48 hours) so these will still show up on your tests. Also, , so be religious on water changes and adding Prime, otherwise it is really doubtful your fish are going to survive the next month.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Doing a 50% change and having ammonia shoot to 8 right after means it probably was 16 before the water change.

If you change 50% you remove half the ammonia so the test should show you that right after. But it also starts to build again immediately so that is why you change 50% twice daily.


----------



## ironspider (Dec 5, 2017)

winslow16 said:


> This is my first fish tank I just want to say i wish I looked a little harder and found this forum before I started my tank. Plus i also wish i listened to people a little more when giving me information.


I know what you are saying, luckily I found this site before I bought fish. I'm not a very patient person either but i remember trying to do a 20 gallon many years ago and it never worked out for more than a few months then i give up, this time I was determined to do it right, now I have a wonderful mbuna aquarium. This site was instrumental in getting it right. Some of the best advice was;

1. Python (I'd be over the hobby if not for this)
2. A second canister
3. PFS and putting rocks on glass rather than sand. These guys dig dig and dig.


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

My wife's grandmom is moving back into her farm house and has well water over there. Do you think that water may be better to use instead of the city water at my house?


----------



## FishKeeperInVT (Feb 4, 2019)

The idea of trucking 20-30 gallons of water between houses is pretty cringe-worthy. Even if the water was better it would be so inconvenient it wouldn't be a sustainable option I wouldn't think.


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

FishKeeperInVT said:


> The idea of trucking 20-30 gallons of water between houses is pretty cringe-worthy. Even if the water was better it would be so inconvenient it wouldn't be a sustainable option I wouldn't think.


true but even if it was to at least get my water parameters straightened out she doesnt live too far i could figure it out if needed.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

.5ppm is not so terrible that I would not use it.

NJ should not have any ammonia in the water...but I would suspect the well on a farm could have problems. It has to be tested for her to move in so you can find out.


----------



## winslow16 (Feb 27, 2019)

DJRansome said:


> .5ppm is not so terrible that I would not use it.
> 
> NJ should not have any ammonia in the water...but I would suspect the well on a farm could have problems. It has to be tested for her to move in so you can find out.


the .5 ppm was from my city water. I was just asking if using her well water would be a better option.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Agree. I am in NJ and know the water authorities. If you call them they should address the problem.

Also same answer on well water. You have to test it. It could be better or worse. My NJ wells have always been perfect. My sister has a bad well in PA (2 hours away).


----------



## hartebreak (Jan 9, 2019)

winslow16 said:


> My wife's grandmom is moving back into her farm house and has well water over there. Do you think that water may be better to use instead of the city water at my house?


The well water may be better or maybe not. However, I wouldnt go that route because do you really feel like packing water every time you do a WC? I would use your tap water and make adjustments with buffers etc as necessary.


----------

