So i bought a 35 gallon hex, after many failed attempts of trying to start with a 10 g. Started with the bacterial start chemical ran that threw for 2 months and my levels spiked then settled. went to the store with intetnions of getting all the fish i wanted. But the guy said that it is a good idea to put feeder guppys in the tank for 2 weeks because there are things that the bactera statup doesnt cover. so i bought 10 feeder guppys ( only 19cents). Was that the right move? I tested my water last night everything is fine except for my ammonia which is at .5ppm. will the ammonia settle back down to 0 in a week or did i do something really bad. Also my water is a bit murky. ive tried adding water clearifier to it but it did nothing. What can i add or do to clear up the water? One other question how often should i do water changes? And how much? I apologize for the long post and all the question, but i am very new at this and very excited toget a established tank up and running. Any help would be Greatly Appreciated!

Read up on the nitrogen cycle. There are many posts here that describe how to properly cycle a new tank.

It is possible that because you waited so long to start stocking your tank the bacteria that you seeded it with may have strated dying off and now you're just starting a new cycle with the fish.

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New to this and loving it! 29G all live plants, woood and rocks, 5 denison barbs, 2 synodonstis zebra hybrids and 8 guppies.

There are varied arguements on the bacteria supplements, most agree they don't work. Regardless, the feeder guppies will indeed cycle your tank. Keep testing and when you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite then you can call it cycled and get your fish. I also wouldnt do the water clarifier, it will eventually clear on it's own in time and through water changes.

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"Being ignorant is not so much a Shame, as being unwilling to learn".-- Benjamin Franklin

Hi,

i used feeder fish to cycle my tank too...it is a good choice. the cloudiness is probably from the cycle and it will clear itself up in no time also. i would just test the water and if your levels are high do big water changes to control it.
but if they are good just keep up with a weekly 30% water change and you should be golden

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Tank
125g african cichlids making it work
75g rimless Reef in progress

First off, welcome to the hobby!

1. This is what happened: You added bacteria supplement. The bacteria had no source of ammonia so they died, decomposing and generating ammonia from their deaths. Then, more bacteria colonized naturally and processed the ammonia from the previous die-off, resulting in spikes. Now, all bacteria are dead and it seems by the initial elevation in your ammonia levels after adding fish that the cycle is starting over. In my guestimation, you will get the same spikes, but this time the cycle will become firmly established because the fish you added are generating ammonia. No source of ammonia = no way for the bacteria to survive. In addition, the spikes might kill some of your fish. If the levels of ammonia OR nitrite get over 1-2 ppm, do a 50% water change to lower the concentration, otherwise the toxic levels will kill your fish (unless you don't care about them, but I do).

2. The murkiness is bacteria re-populating your tank. As they settle into your filter and into your substrate the murkiness will go away on its own. Don't worry about it. The other thing it might be is green water-borne algae. Dip a white towel in the tank water and if it's green, you'll need to do a blackout of your tank. Let us know what the white towel test is and we'll go from there.

3. I generally live by a 50% weekly rule. The PWC amount is less depending on whether you have live plants or not. Live plants do just as much (if not more) to improve the water quality as a mechanical filter. So the more plants you have, the less water changes you'll have to do. Also, don't forget to treat the tap water BEFORE you add it to the tank with some tap water conditioner, particularly some that neutralizes any chlorine or chloramine in the water, as these will kill your fish as well.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Wow thankyou all for such a quick response! i never would have guessed that the cylce was starting over. How long do you all think it will take for it to be completed? Should i do a water change now or wait? I put the fish in exactly one week ago. i would prefer the fish not to die if at all possible, but i plan on putting cichlids and tiger barbs in so chances of these fish surviving are small.

1. A fish-in cycle, depending on the number of fish, size of the tank, and frequency/necessity of water changes, can take from 10 days to a month, from what I've heard (I've never done a fish-in cycle myself - I prefer doing them fishless).

2. Test your water. If ammonia or nitrite are over 1-2ppm, do a 50% water change. Also, check your fish for signs of stress. Red, irritated gills, ragged looking fins or scales, and abnormal/neurotic behavior are signs of ammonia and/or nitrite burns.

3. I would advise against tiger barbs - they get BIG and they are also schooling fish, so you would need about six or more for them to be happy. You could buy them small and let them grow for awhile before donating or trying to sell them, but if I were you I would buy the right fish for the right size tank and let them grow old and wise in your tank. Plan long term.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Im not looking for just a few large fish but would like alot of small 2 to 4 inch fish. what would you recommend for a guy wanting fun active colorfull fish? im kinda bummed now i was hoping to have fish in the tank by christmas.

1. Angelfish get up to 4" max and are really colorful and have lots of character. They are schooling fish as well. Dwarf gouramis are also really colorful though more docile, and are also labyrinth organ fishes so you'll have to treat them differently if it ever comes to medication. Lastly, tetras are always a safe bet as well, though they're much more common than gouramis or angels and don't get as big.

2. There are ways to speed up your cycle. One way is if you know of any friends with established tanks or any pet stores that are willing to part with their used filter media, the stuff comes loaded with beneficial bacteria. A mesh bag of some used substrate in the filter does great to seed the tank as well. Bacteria-in-a-bottle is iffy because from what I've heard it's heterotrophic bacteria, whereas the autotrophs are the ones you really want, but I've had success with Tetra SafeStart where I was able to jump-start a cycle in about ten days. You can also add live plants and they'll take care of the ammonia and nitrite for you, plus they lower stress on your fish and are a lot prettier than the cheap plastic knockoffs. They're not nearly as scary to keep as many would tell you.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

I really like the angel fish but my ph is at about 8.2 which is high but was told that that level is fine for cichlids but angels need lower is that true? Also i am alone in the interest in a aquarium. i dont know anyone with a tank. so im stuck for a month waiting for it to recycle? This is awesome and you are helping me out alot more than i ever thought. i really appreciate it. i was a little hesitant to post anything and get made fun of for how inexperienced i am and how uknowlagable i am. Thankyou!!

1. Angels do prefer more acidic (lower pH) water, and cichlids prefer more alkaline (higher pH). I would Google the particular types of fish you'd like to keep - there are fish profiles all over the internet and they all have great info. Here's the two I just Googled to verify my facts:
Cichlid Care
Water pH

2. That's the max. You could still have some bacteria in the tank. It's hard to say, but a month is the max. Test your water, and keep a log. When you start to see the ammonia AND nitrite levels lower naturally, your tank is cycled.

3. I love this forum for that very reason. If you'd like VERY quick responses to your posts, the chatroom is a great place to go too. 2,000 posts ago, I was a novice just like you and many more. It's a steep learning curve initially, but pretty soon you'll be preaching the aquarium sermon just like I am

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

With borrowing substrate and filter media you want to be careful though, because if the original tank you are taking from is diseased, so will your tank and such things. Gizmo is pretty much hitting everything on the head. If you need to lower the Ph in your tank, driftwood and peat moss in your tank will naturally lower the Ph, plus the fish love driftwood(especially plecos and corydoras). I have been told that human bred fish are a lot more tolerant to water conditions though. I currently have an Electric blue ram cichlid in my 7.1-7.3 ph water and she's happy. They do have dwarf south american cichlids like rams that make great fish

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Frontosa Fanatic

At ph levels that high you probably should stick to African Lake cichlids... Malawi, Tang and Vic. FWIW.. Angels, Discus and rams are cichlids and are all LOW ph and soft water fishes. Some of the west African cichlids (Kribensis) will coexist with the prior three. I suggest you work with what ya got (ph 8.0) and select fish suited for that environment. For my African tanks, I have to buffer up hardness (substrate) and ph.. My Angel and Discus tanks on the other hand just love my 7.0 tap added to fully planted tanks with driftwood. Don't fight nature!.. Bill in Va.

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12 Tanks, 900 gallons. Discus/Angels/Malawi/Lake Victorias. Just added a 135 & 2 - 29's..

Im a little torn between the 2 i really like angels but i also like cichlids. well im gonna be doing a water change here shortly. im hoping that the water will clear up and the cycle goes smooth. i did notice that there are a few dead fish on the bottom. its not the end of the world but def. dont like it. any thoughts? all levels are normal except for the ammonia. which is still at .5ppm

I kept Angels in 8.2 water for a few months before the tank was hooked to a CO2 system. I didn't have any problems with them. Angels are cichlids.

1. I would go with willem and say you'll want cichlids with such high pH. It'll make your life a lot easier, and cheaper, and they've got tons of personality. Just be sure you don't mix lakes or you'll have a short and violent battle on your hands.

2. Dead fish always worry me, but with your levels I still think you're fine. They may have been diseased with parasites or something similar. Fish them out (haha) so their corpses don't flood the tank with too much ammonia.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Wll tonight i came home with 2 Kennyi( i believe thats what there called) still have a bit of ammonia but nothing that is going to cause severe harm. gonna let these guys get used to the tank then in about 2 weeks or so go an get 2-4 more and keep doing that till im done. does that sound like a good route to take? ive got my eye on a catfish also. Random question. i was told tonight by the local store that i could keep a newt in the tank is that true? that would be really awesome if i could.

Newt, no, as they are amphibians and need to be out of the water sometimes. Salamander? Yes (Or am I confused and it's the other way around? I should Google that...)

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

I wouldn't add any additional fish until the cycle is complete.

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New to this and loving it! 29G all live plants, woood and rocks, 5 denison barbs, 2 synodonstis zebra hybrids and 8 guppies.

I tested the water last night and as far as i can tell my cycle is done. all levels read 0. PH is high but thats just due to the water. i put the 2 fish in sat. could i put some more in tonight or hold off a while. ive been patient for 2 months now watiting to get fish but now that i have 2 in there i wanna add more. haha