Guest gldfshkpr Posted November 29, 2003 The bio-bugs you're concerned about keeping are in your filter, gravel, tank walls, driftwood, etc. There are some free floating in the water, but the Nitrites out-weigh them. Most excess waste and food will end up in the gravel. Even though the bio-bugs use the waste and food to multiply, you want to strike a balance and keep the waste down. Too much waste is going to convert to Nitrites that your bio-bugs can't handle. It's much harder to cycle a tank in cooler temps. Bio-bugs thrive in the warmer waters. You might consider putting a heater on there until your tank establishes itself. If I were you, I'd be doing daily water changes of 25% as long as the Nitrites are over 1.5. Yes, this will prolong the cycle, but it will keep your fish alive and well. koko and jetman make an excellent recommendation about adding a bio-wheel. I did a little research on that filter you have. It can accommodate two! Unless there's excess junk on your filter material, don't rinse it. Keep feedings down to once a day as well. Sorry if I've repeated a few points already made. My educated guess at this point is the cold water is not allowing your bio-bugs to multiply at a rate that keeps up with the waste. A heater will do wonders toward achieving the cycle. Once the tank temp reaches 75 degrees Fahrenheit?or so on it's own, I'd take the heater out. Goldfish are cold water creatures in nature. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessicaandMarshall 2 Posted November 29, 2003 Hi, Thank you. My nitrites are not over 1.5 yet though, they are only at 0.8 which is still pretty high I suppose. Should I still do a 25% water change? As well, should I gravel vac tomorrow, as it has been a week? If I am supposed to gravel vac tomorrow, how big of a water change should I do tomorrow? Should I just vac half the tank? I seem to be having another problem now too! None of the fish appeared stressed. But I noticed Woogie the Oranda, had two splits in his dorsal fin. I didn't think it a big deal, as he was chasing Whitie earlier and I thought he might have tried to squeeze between an ornament or something, but then I noticed The lionhead, and the Black Moor both had a split in their tails, and now Woogie also has a split in his tail. I have never dealt with fin rot or anything like that before. I imagine the splits in the fins are due to the nitrites....right? Whitie had split in her dorsal fin once before, and I didn't do anything for it, and it was healed by the next day. What should I do for these fish. I really don't want them to die. This hobby is MUCH harder than I thought. Thanks a million jessica 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessicaandMarshall 2 Posted November 30, 2003 Instead of doing a water change today, and then possibly gravel vac tomorrow, should I just do a gravel vac tonight? Sorry if I keep asking the same things over and over....I really don't mean to. I'm trying to figure this out, really! LOL Thanks Jessica 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest gldfshkpr Posted November 30, 2003 Jessica, if fins are splitting, I'd definitely be doing DAILY water changes of 20%. You're right, .8 is pretty high, especially considering this has been going on for two months now. A gravel vac is going to take approximately 20% out anyways. During the cycle, you probably want to only vacuum half of it once a week instead of all of it. BUT, if your gravel seems very dirty with lots of debris coming up the tube, I'd vacuum the whole thing now and then only do half once a week from here on out. My advice is to do the daily water changes and get a heater if you can afford one. If not, do the water changes and weekly gravel vac and eventually your tank will cycle. Then it's once a week maintenance of vacuuming and water changing. Using the water conditioner is a very good idea. Your water may contain chloramine and that could have contributed to killing off your bio-bugs in the past. Kirk 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessicaandMarshall 2 Posted November 30, 2003 Thanks for all your help Kirk. I'll get a heater for sure. And I'll have to look into getting a bio wheel for that filter asap. Split fins should heal with good water quality right? I was doing water changes daily for two months, up until the last two weeks. The daily water changes were keeping my nitrites at 0.1 and my nitrates at 4-5, so I stopped doing the water changes daily LOL I get soooo confused. I still consider myself a newbie. So now I'm back to daily water changes. I think I will go vaccum half the gravel. I was waiting for someone to reply before I did my water change/gravel vac. Thanks again Jessica 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest gldfshkpr Posted November 30, 2003 Glad to help! To me, fishkeeping is part science, part instinct and part love. Figuring out what part to emphasize at times is the tricky part. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessicaandMarshall 2 Posted December 3, 2003 Well my nitrites dropped back down to 0.2, and my nitrates are at 5.....and the water is horribly cloudy...... The tears in the fins were all healed the day after they ripped, the didn't get fin rot or anything... I think I'm just going to forget about my nitrates, keep my nitrates at 0-0.1 and get get an aquaclear 500 on that tank. My 20 gal is pretty close to being cycled...when I put the AC 500 on, I will use some filter media from the 20, and some water from there..................... I don't want my fish to get sick........ Thanks Jessica 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites