[kimb]

Hello,

Brand new to the fish game and more errors than I care to count! I set up a 29g around Feb. 22. Waited a few days and added 5 zebra danios. After about 2 weeks had no reading on anything and fish guy kept selling me more. Long story short...
5 zebras
2 beta
5 platys
2 koi angel
2 corys

To add insult to injury, per package inst.) threw out and replaced media cartridge 10 days ago. Ammonia was off charts!. Started daily water changes and fish are still alive. Was advised to add some "Cycle" to help boost bacteria. As of this a.m
ammonia 0.50
nitrite 0
nitrate (I would assume 0, waiting for test kit to arrive)
Anyone with any words of wisdom would be welcome

 

[ncbuckeye]

Sounds like you have to many fish in one tank, but keep up the water changes, that's the most important thing. What kind of filter are you using? I have 60+ platies in my 28 gallon, and everything tests ok. i have two whisper filters, I change the media in one filter and wait two weeks to change the other one. As for the cycle, I've heard good and bad about it, but if it seems to be working keep using it. I prefer PRIME, it saved most of the fish during my last major mistake.

 

[kimb]

Not sure about the too many fish....let me explain.ith n We were sold all of these fish without instructions about cycling. The tank never actually cycled and has just begun to do so. I think the number is easily managed in the size of tank. I am trying to get through this cycle as painlessly as possible. I am wondering if getting a "squeeze" from establisehed filter media may help speed up the process. The filter I have is Aqua-tech 20-40.

 

[Marty]

Welcome to the forum friend I agree with ncbuckeye.seachem Prime is very good!

 

[susankat]

It would help a lot if you can get some used media from someone that has a healthy tank. Make sure to put it in a baggie to keep wet. Do not clean or change out your filter during the time of cycling the tank.

If you can find bio-spira it works a lot better than cycle. Its expensive and must be kept refrigerated.

I am wondering about your 2 bettas though, as if they are 2 males they will end up fighting till one is dead or damaged pretty bad.

The tank may not look crowded to you right now, but when the 2 angels get full grown if they make it that long will really put the waste into the tank along with the others and with 5 platies you are looking at getting fry very soon.

If the angels aren't a mated pair, you will end up with a lot of fighting. I have had angels kill other angels and that would be in a 55 gal.

The cories would do better in groups of 3 at a minimum as they like to shoal. Hope this helps.

 

[kimb]

My beta are female, angels a mated pair. Everyone seems to get along fine.
I have added an airstone today and turned up the heat slightly. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I will NEVER again cycle a tank with fish. Had I known of the fishless cycle, I would have been more than happy to wait out it out with the ammonia.

 

[petlover516]

Welcome to the site! +1 to everything said by fellow members!

 

[Chickadee]

Yes you do have too many fish in that tank but you are doing okay.

I want to welcome you first then we will deal with the other stuff. Glad to have you and you are at the right place to get some help.

First the bettas are really not community type fish and I am afraid since you only have 2 of them that when they try to set up a "dominant" female between the two of them the loser will pay with its life. Generally when we have seen female bettas kept successfully together it is when there are a LOT of them together and some of them will die trying to become the "Boss". Betta nature demands that there will be a #1 female in any group and with only two they will fight each other constantly when they get to a certain stage. Unfortunately if it goes the way it did for me, you will not notice it going on as it will happen mostly at times when you would not notice it. It will start with the stronger one not allowing the other one to have access to the food and chasing her away until she becomes so afraid to come near the food that even removing her from the tank will not help. She will still be too afraid to eat and will starve herself. My suggestion would be to see if you have 2 friends you could give one each to in a small tank as a gift who would like them or see if they could be returned to the store. I am sorry to be so negative but I have never seen this situation work in my years of keeping fish and moderating forums other than when there were many females involved and that is usually just until they are of an age to breed, then all bets are off.

The Koi Angels are great but can be territorial if they feel crowded and they are crowded as angels need a lot of room. Two angels can be pretty much a load for a 15 gallon tank and that does not take into consideration that you have other fish that are schooling fish like the cories who generally do better with at least groups of 3 unless they are Pygmies and then you really need 6 to make a school.

The problem is that most petstores are selling juvenile fish and you do not realize how big they will get when they are full grown until you do the homework and for a 29 gallon tank you should not plan realistically for more than 29 adult full grown inches of fish if your tank is a standard rectangular tank. If it is any other shape, you will not realistically be able to support that much.

Your choice right now is to do one of two things: continue the very frequent tank maintenance and perhaps get an extra filter to help handle the extra load and watch the health of the fish closely; or see if you can return some of the more demanding fish to the store and diminish your population. this will not cut back on the water changes and all until the cycle is complete but it will make it perhaps easier on you in the long run. The cycle can take 4 to 6 weeks to accomplish normally and will take longer with an overstocked tank and undersized filter to handle the load. I would rather you know the truth than expect the cycle to be over in 4 weeks and wonder what has happened and why it is stretching out for so long.

If you bought the fish and the tank the same place, they should be ashamed. They would have known that the number of fish you were purchasing were too many for the tank that size. So they should help you out and take some of them back to help you out. If they will not, then is there any chance you can purchase another tank like at Walmart or somewhere fairly cheap and just give some of them a home in the second tank? The last I checked they had some fairly decent tanks for not too much money and an inexpensive filter like an AquaClear would at least help to keep them going. You do not have to have an expensive outfit to house fish just a tank, filter and heater. You don't even need to have substrate if you cannot afford it. I have seen tanks made out of plastic storage containers with a heater and a few sponge filters in them. They are not pretty but they work. Just do not snap the lid on them to allow for light since most are not clear. and air at the surface.

Rose

 

[MediaHound]

:welcome:

 

[JIM]

*w2 Nice to see you here, and it appears your making friends already, but that is just how our members are...friendly and helpful

 

[Joey]

:welcome: