Bad advise please help

Ive posted to a different forum and they dont seem to help much hoping you guys can assist as to how im to solve my dilemma

I went to a local petstore to get advise as to how to start my 1st aquariam

I went home that day with a 60l tank with a 100w heater and a fully submersible filter (substrate and decor as well)

I set up my tank with gravel and 2 live plants (the pet store couldnt give me the species of plant i was buying). I ADDED ANTI-Chlor and 14 in 1 nitrifying bacteria to the tapwater before filling the tank.They said i should test my water with a 5 in 1 test strip and when my parameters are "ideal" accoring to the strip i can come and choose fish.

I researched gouramis and angwl fish as that was going to be my main focus of specoes at first.

I went to buy fish and the employee helped me choose the "correct fish" for my tank...he did infact give the worst advise and im stuck please assist.

My tank is 60L with a heater and filter as ive said.

5IN1 TEST:
1.
NO3 : 8mg/l
No2 : 1mg/l
2.
Gh
>6°d
3.
KH : 4°d
Ph : between 6.8 and 7.2
4.
cl2 0mg/l



I cycled my tank for 3 days as instructed and added

2 golden gouramis
1 bala shark
1 fire eel
1 rainbow shark
1 angelfish
2 julii corys
2 broze corys

After quickly realizing my tank might be to small i went to a bigger more respected fish store in my area and they told me the advise i received was absolutely wrong.

My tank is to small i know i have a 250L tank on the way and will be setup with the help of the bigger fish store employee.

2 of corys were showing signs of stress and were laying still for long amount of time. I KNOW THEY DO REST AND LAY STILL FROM TIME TO TIME but this was very concerning. Over the past week both julii corys and 1 bronze cory has died.

When adding my fish i acclimated them well by slowly adding tank water to the containers every 10 minutes for a total time of 40minutes.

Al other fish are eating moving and acting normal except my corys.

I am buying an ammonia test kit tommorow to test all aspects.

I did a 25% water change after 10 days of the fish being in the tank.

The new tank will be setup and ready only kate next week.

What do i do in the mean time to make sure no one dies and i can fix this mistake ASAP.

Thanks.

 

Im no expert, but i would keep up with more regular water changes, like 25% every second day even daily, dose with seachem prime/safe, stabilty daily, and stress guard maybe as well twice a week or so.

Definitely too many fish for that tank and too many at once, the bacteria you need takes some time to develop and then more to colonise fully.(anything from 4-6 weeks, can be shorter can be longer, depends highly on set up)

Do you also have some form of bio media in your filter? If not would br a good idea as the sponge along doesnt give a great amount of surface area.

 

Hi thanks for the reply ill start doing the water changes i bought a 400litre tank its arriving this thursday will be setup and cycled with no fish for atleast a week


Ill do 25 to 30% water changes daily or ecery 2nd day and im doing a fish med haul tommorow.

Should i squeeze my already in use filter into the new bigger tank once its setup?

The tank already includes lighting ,airpumps and a canister filter as well as the heater.

Should i remove some decor like small hides and plants that dont get used often to create more swimming space in the mean time?

 

I wouldn't move the running filter while you keep the fish in the 60L, you will just crash your current tank and make it worse.

What you can do though on the new tank is transfer a small amount of your current filters bio media to the new filter, all be it small it does help cycling. And then in the new tank dose with seachem stability, or if you want ADA start up bacteria (more expensive, but worth it).

What sort of subtrate is going into the new tank?

 

Oh and no, keep the decor tue bacteria you want grows on surfaces of stuff, not in the water. And right now you need all the beneficial bacteria you can

 

I currently use organic complexes its a dark brown almost black soft gravel for live plants. Was thinking ill add the same because i want the live plants replanted they are currently only in baskets ontop of the substrate. Should i do a sand mix?

The eel seems to enjoy digging in the gravel and pokes his head oit of the decorations. Its not to loose that a piece of decor or rock cant squeeze him underneath

 

Okay ill keep the decor in the tank should the be transferred to the new tank afterwards?

Thanks so much for all the help you have no idea how much it helps!

 

Theres a variety of options for substrate, if you research abit you will see, im just curious on the route you going, dont really have too much advise there, i have a basic tabk with compost, potting mix and pete, capped with pool sand, and another with aqua soil, both doing well, all have their pros and cons, just try read up on it and you can decide whats best for r you

 

And yeah i would say for now do ot when you move your fish, and once your new tank is cycled properly you get rid of the decor if its not part of the look you want, main thing is to get the bio media in the new filter fully colonised with all the nitrifying bacteria you need

 

Thanks again im watching a bunch on youtube since yesterday ive been going crazy just trying to make the best plan so everything survives and nothing goes wrong any further! Thanks again

 

You will be needing another 1 or 2 cory's. They don't do well in 1's and 2's and just to remember that Angel fish need a tank with Hight more than length.

 

Hi i have settled for a 400L tank so i can house them comfortably

The tank is the same height and width to ensure the angel fish can be housed as well

Ill cut the current filter sponge seeing as its a big sponge and the fish would have to stay in the old tank while the new one cycles properly...just to ensure they still have enough filtration while at the same time the new tank can build up the good bacterias ill add small pieces of the sponge/filter media into the new canister filter

Alot of fishkeeping websites suggest i take small amounts of my current substrate and add it to the new tank to speed up the cycle.

 

I have tried returning al the big fish and only keeping the gouramis and 1 angel but the 1st store that sold me the fish doesnt want to or cant help me...so they keep telling me

 

For the water changes, if possible prepare the new water atleast 24hours in advance, dosing the chlorine and add in an airstone. Its warmer so the water should be at room temperature after standing overnight.

Check the instructions on the bacteria bottle. It may be possible to dose it daily.

Try to keep the 60L running once all fish are moved to use it as a quarantine tank.

Substrate with sharp edges should be avoided, since you have Cory's and the Eel.

Good luck and post some pics once all is running smooth.

 

Thanks will do im shopping for some stress tonic and stability chems.

My substrate is fairly soft to the point where the eel can burrow

Thanks for everyones help!

I use a temp gun to make sure the water changes i do is the same temp as the tank by using luke warm water and letting it cool to the exact temp of the tank before adding

Ill dose the new water with chems over night to make sure its dechlored and full of nitrifying bacterias.

Doing another water change later tonight after testing the current water for toxins and ammonia etc. Making sure its necessary and i dont stress them too much but to ensure fresh water.

Im adding aqua soil to the new tank for the plants and will add a coarser gravel in some
spots?

 

Sorry that you were sold such inappropriate fish. Absolutely terrible on behalf of the store.

Take everyone's advice and you'll be on your way to understanding and enjoying this hobby in no time !

 

Aquasoil, depending on what kind, has its own cycling requirements. Suggest checking the packaging for guidelines, but likely to be a few weeks. You may need to acclimate the fish when transferring to the new tank, since the aquasoil may lower the pH.

 

Any update on your situation on Aarmand, curious to know how your fish are doing and how your water parameters are progressing?