Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 Several people have had fish nearly choke on gravel. If you want something on the bottom of your tank, get something waaaay too small to choke them (sand) or waaaay too big to fit in their mouths (large river rock for example). Yes, they do love to eat but keep it light. (I'm starting to feel like a broken record. ) I don't have any personal experience with cycling and plants but I have also heard that they will help. I believe aquarium plants prefer ammonia as their food source whereas terrestrial plants (such as pothos or bamboo, people have them sticking out of their filter) prefer nitrates. I don't know how much they help as far as cycling though. And no worries with the questions. That's why we're here. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 10, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) Several people have had fish nearly choke on gravel. If you want something on the bottom of your tank, get something waaaay too small to choke them (sand) or waaaay too big to fit in their mouths (large river rock for example). Yes, they do love to eat but keep it light. (I'm starting to feel like a broken record. ) I don't have any personal experience with cycling and plants but I have also heard that they will help. I believe aquarium plants prefer ammonia as their food source whereas terrestrial plants (such as pothos or bamboo, people have them sticking out of their filter) prefer nitrates. I don't know how much they help as far as cycling though. And no worries with the questions. That's why we're here. When I feed them, they usually finish eating within 30 seconds, with these little guys, and only a 2-3 pellets per fish usually definitely nothing is left in the water. Going to see about plants and see if i could get some duckweed and Java fern going just to be safe for these guys. Edited January 10, 2014 by WeeBeyPrice 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 The duckweed will most likely turn into a snack. Java fern and just about any Anubias should be goldfish safe. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 10, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) Thanks. I have read that Prime detoxifies ammonia by binding to it so it its no longer harmful for goldfish, but it will still show up in my water reading. Is this true? If so, is it safe to say that my fish will be safe from at least ammonia at the moment? (don't worry I won't let this make me get lazy, will still do daily water change) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H7UuyYh1QU&feature=youtu.be I shot a video, do not know if it could be played yet. Does anything seem abnormal? The larger red one (I really need to name these guys soon) sometimes will stop moving for a couple of seconds and just sit there then move again. And as you can see, Ryukin is the only one that will even move out side of this third of the tank. Edited January 10, 2014 by WeeBeyPrice 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 Prime will detoxify both ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours but only about 1 ppm total (of ammonia AND nitrites) so it helps but once ammonia is over 1, it's affecting the fish. And, yes, the total ammonia and/or nitrite with still show up on your drop test. Nothing looks abnormal to me. How are the water parameters? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 10, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) Prime will detoxify both ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours but only about 1 ppm total (of ammonia AND nitrites) so it helps but once ammonia is over 1, it's affecting the fish. And, yes, the total ammonia and/or nitrite with still show up on your drop test. Nothing looks abnormal to me. How are the water parameters? Just did my WC. Will wait a bit to do the test then post the result. Another development is that the orange oranda (one without the black fins) is a male and every other fish are females in the tank. He's been going at them crazy all morning. Should I stop this or separate him? Or should I just let him be? The male did not eat much during feeding time and kept chasing the females... Edited January 10, 2014 by WeeBeyPrice 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 I would let him be. How many females do you have? If one seems exhausted from the chasing, then you may need to separate him but if he's chasing them all he should get tired before they do. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 10, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 He's chasing every other fish...so I assumed they are all females But there's two he really goes after...the white and chocolate one you see in the vid Water is between 0.5 and 1 ammonia. Rest are the same as before 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 OK, let's retest ammonia later tonight . . . 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 10, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 Will do. This guy is still going at it, and is somewhat affecting the other fish when I feed them. He would still take a bite and then start chasing them around causing the other fish to not be able to eat as much. Maybe I am being overprotective but how long does this sort of behavior last? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LisaCGold Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 Will do. This guy is still going at it, and is somewhat affecting the other fish when I feed them. He would still take a bite and then start chasing them around causing the other fish to not be able to eat as much. Maybe I am being overprotective but how long does this sort of behavior last? Maybe he needs a bit of training to stop chasing others around during feeding time. I don't if this will work, but you could separate him in a colander or in tank breeder box or something else and feed him separately. Not the most convenient, but if he is trying to hog the food all the time it is not fun for the other fish. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 10, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 I would like to know what constitutes "red gills" because when my fish are eating i can kind of see inside of their gills and it looks red. That means they are irritated from ammonia right? I just did a test and it shows up between 1-2, 75-80ish water change this morning, should I do another one soon? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member dnalex Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 Well, fish gills are normally pinkish red. If they are inflamed by ammonia, they could be swollen to varying extents, and you would also see signs accompanying decreased gill functions. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 Yes, do another large WC as soon as you can. And feed lightly. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LisaCGold Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 Wow, you did a 75-80% water change this morning and you are registering between 1 and 2 ammonia already? Here is what I can remember of your setup: Your tap water registers about .25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate. You have 6 goldfish in 75 gallons. Not too sure on the size of the fish. You are now using Prime. Lisa (not me but the other Lisa) and Alex are best with water quality issues so they are best to help. So just some thoughts from me: Are you using enough prime when you do the water changes? Although, I think it is weird to have such strong ammonia spikes in so short of a time unless you are overfeeding which makes the fish overpooping. But I think Lisa has asked you to reduce the feeding. I'm wondering since you didn't disinfect the tank initially before setting it up, could something tucked away in the tank edges be the ammonia spike problem? This is really a question for Lisa to respond to. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LisaCGold Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 Yes, do another large WC as soon as you can. And feed lightly. Bey, when you do the large WC can you do an ammonia test right after? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 10, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 10, 2014 I think with 6 fish in a 75 gallon in the midst of a cycling a tank, those ammonia levels are not shocking. He was registering between 0.5 and 1 this morning and now between 1-2. I would do as large of a WC as you can. I typically drain the tank til my largest fish is resembling Jaws with her dorsal fin just about sticking out. Wait a bit and test again. And double dose the Prime again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 11, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) Doing a water change now, nearly 90% this time like Lisa said. Also, i just realized I have a small faucet for drinking water and when I tested the Ammonia on that it is 0. I used this water (don't know if the filter in that thing could really keep up some may just be regular water), anyways did a water test and it is showing mostly yellow with a tint of green, I would say definitely under 0.5 probably just a bit over 0.25. The tank also look REALLY clear compared to before after my water changes. Edited January 11, 2014 by WeeBeyPrice 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 11, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 11, 2014 Still keeping up with the water change as I just did another one this morning. It registered again somewhere under 1. I am also beginning to get VERY VERY slight coloring for Nitrite, so that's good news I guess? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 11, 2014 Yep that's great news. Test again later today (evening) and let us know where ammonia and nitrites are. You're doing a great job. How much are you loving that Python right about now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 12, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 12, 2014 Did a water change earlier tonight, forgot to post. Ammonia was ~0.5ish again. However, when I came home (it's around 2:30 am here) one fish was sitting very still in the corner, barely breathing, rest of the fish all swimming around/albeit slowly. Is she resting? She usually display this behavior after 9-10 o'clock every night and sometimes after water changes. I know the tap water is slightly colder so I put in a heater and keep it at 68 degrees. Is she okay or should I be concerned? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LisaCGold Posted January 12, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 12, 2014 Did a water change earlier tonight, forgot to post. Ammonia was ~0.5ish again. However, when I came home (it's around 2:30 am here) one fish was sitting very still in the corner, barely breathing, rest of the fish all swimming around/albeit slowly. Is she resting? She usually display this behavior after 9-10 o'clock every night and sometimes after water changes. I know the tap water is slightly colder so I put in a heater and keep it at 68 degrees. Is she okay or should I be concerned? Can you post a picture or, even better, a video?? It will help the mod . 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fantailfan1 Posted January 12, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 12, 2014 How cold is your tap water? She may be just resting. Is she hovering in the water or is she sitting on the bottom? Fish do rest. I see mine do it often, especially at night. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member *Amanda* Posted January 12, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) So you got a water changer? Is it saving you time or just effort? I'm considering getting one but only if it reduces time spent on the process. Carrying buckets around is not a big deal to me, so I won't get one if it only saves effort. I would also recommend not adding anything to adjust the pH or help with the cycle, as others have said. A pH of 8 is fine for goldfish. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Edited January 12, 2014 by *Amanda* 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member WeeBeyPrice Posted January 13, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 13, 2014 So you got a water changer? Is it saving you time or just effort? I'm considering getting one but only if it reduces time spent on the process. Carrying buckets around is not a big deal to me, so I won't get one if it only saves effort. I would also recommend not adding anything to adjust the pH or help with the cycle, as others have said. A pH of 8 is fine for goldfish. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Well previously, i had to use vacuum to vacuum out all of the water into buckets, and carry those out one by one. Then get water from hose to bucket and carry those to the tank one by one. So the water changer definitely saves time AND effort. I don't know what your currently doing in terms of water change so I can't really say. I can say that, it's definitely made water change more enjoyable for me (and I actually do not mind doing daily WCs now) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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