Continuing Fry Saga

Ten of the fry are still alive. I put them all into the tank with their momma, and they seem to be thriving. I was going to give away the boys since I didn't think it would be a good idea to have opposing (gender) siblings all living together. I took each individual fry out and looked it over only to discover that all I have are girls!!! LOL I guess there will be no need to worry about keeping them all together! They do like being in the bigger tank and having more room to dart in and out of all the plants.

Older Fry back with Mom

These are the pix I promised of the older fry in with their Momma. They have a long ways to grow!

Momma, Auntie & 6-9-09 Fry

More Frys?

I thought I would be able to find the time to post some pix, but life got too busy this month to do much but simply "keep up." In the meantime, Minni had another batch of frys on July 18/19. We pulled out about 16 and put then in with the June 9 frys. We still have about 10 surviving (at least that's all we can find at any one time). One of the older fry died this past week. Yet the older ones have grown so much in the past week, that we have decided to put them in with the momma and other grownups. Before I took switched them to the big tank, I took photos of them along side the smaller fry. My camera is acting up, so I apologize for the quality. The pix still give you a good sense of their size differences.

Born 6/9/09 on 7/28/09	Born 6/9/09 on 7/28/09
Born 7/19/09 on 7/28/09	Born 7/19/09 on 7/28/09
Together - 7/28/09

Five at Four

I don't have new photos of the little fry rascals, but all five of the baby platy are alive and swimming after four+ weeks. They have not doubled in size in the past week, but they have grown quite a bit, and I am close to putting them back into the 10 gallon tank with their momma and aunts. Momma actually looks ready to deliver another batch of fry, by the way. Another platy in the larger tank appears ready to burst as well. I think I will switch her into the 10 gallon and move the two aunts in the small tank back into the big tank with the male.

I'll continue to keep you posted and try to get new photos within the week.

Flash Frys

The Platy fry continue to thrive which seems to indicate that they may actually survive. In the past week, they have doubled in size and are now approximately one-half inch. I placed a ruler on the back of the mini-tank so that the growth can be watched. I have three little rock forts in the tank for them. This actually seems to keep them out and about more as they dart in and out of the mini dwellings. I have included the most recent photos. It is still hard to get good pictures of them as they can move extremely fast. Finding them in the rocks is always a challenge unless an eye can be spotted peeking out. LOL You can click on any of the images below to see a larger version.

Little more than a blur


Sized up


Can you find the fish?


One fish - two fish


Whaaa? Itty Bitty Eye ;^)

GH + KH = TH - Hardness in ppm OR dH

Ode to a Chemist... and I can never remember which letters to cap and uncap!!!

Also, I can never remember which goes to what when it boils down to hardness of water. My water, out of the tap, typically, measures right around 100-120 ppm for TH (Total Hardness). (ppm = parts per million.) GH is the representation of CaCO3 (calcium carbonate). Some countries measure it as dH (degrees of hardness). Most of the measures in the US also measure KH (magnesium) along with GH for TH (Total Hardness). But, of course, most of the really fishly folks frown on combining the two... Here is more information about water hardness that actually made sense to me. Water Hardness

When I read articles that speak to one type of measurement while my measuring stick is marked in another, I start to see why even NASA scientists screw up when going back and forth between two forms of measurements.

So, for my own peace of mind, I will just come back here from now on to get my numbers semi straight for dH 2 ppm in relation to GH and let KH fall by the wayside for now.

ppm	GH	dH
0 - 70	very soft	0 - 4
70 - 140	soft	4 - 8
140 - 210	medium hard	8 - 12
210 - 320	hard	12 - 18
320 - 530	very hard	18 - 30

Fresh Fries

On June 9, 2009, as I was cleaning out one of my tanks, I realized that one of the platies had delivered a new batch of fry. I could only find 5 survivors so I immediately scooped them up and put them into an emergency tank. I have not filled the tank all the way up because I need to clean the tank at least once every other day depending on the water conditions. Since fry need almost constant food, the ammonia levels can quickly escalate. I went out and purchased frozen brine shrimp that I break off a piece, thaw and keep in the refrigerator for feedings every other day just before I clean the tank. I discovered that if I use an eye dropper, I can plop a few tiny shrimp (that are about half the size of the fry) into the water without making a huge mess of their water. I also added a "wonder shell" to the water to add vitamins and calcium since platies thrive in harder water than I have. These two factors have seemingly helped since none of the fry have died yet, but I'm certainly not holding my breath that any will survive into adulthood.


When I discovered them in the tank, they were no larger than the head of a standard straight pin. Now they are about three to four times that size and seem to be growing rapidly. Here are some photos of them. They still do not have any "color" or any wag markings. They blend in to the rocks that I have on the bottom of the tank, which seems to help them to feel a bit more secure. I find it interesting that they do seem to "pop out" from hiding more with this batch, than the last batch. The photos are difficult to take clearly because the fry are so tiny and they dart so quickly, that mostly, all I have left in the photo is a blur.... Considering the fact that they are less than 1/4 of an inch long, here are the clearest of the images that I could get. In the photos, they appear to be an inch long, but in real life, they are one-quarter of the size you see in the pix. Yes, their eyes really are as large as their stomachs, which you can still see through their translucent flesh....

Food Frenzy Plop Flop

I had my first experience of a fish jumping out of the tank and onto the floor. Thankfully, the landing was soft (on the rug) and I was there to immediately attend to the situation. One of my Betta, Cora, got so excited during a recent feeding that she jumped right out of the tank, through the little opening that I had made with the lid in order to feed them.

I had read that they will jump out of tanks and even through small holes in the lid. I have been really careful to keep all the opening of the lid for hoses, cords and filters, covered with the same type of needlepoint plastic canvas as I used for the filter corral. I never expected that any of them would jump out at me while feeding them! They do tend to lung at food as though they are after live prey, so I guess it should not have surprised me. But, I was certainly startled when I saw poor little Cora flopping around on the rug! LOL

I gently scooped her up and plopped her back into the tank. She acted as if she was startled, as well. She immediately swam to the bottom of the tank and hunkered down there while the other three finished gobbling up the food. No amount of trying to coax her back to the top did any good. The next day, she was fine during feeding time, but she does seem to be shying away from the edge when going after her food now.

The Flukes have Flaked

Per my earlier post, I recently purchased a fish that ended up having skin flukes; slightly smaller than the size of a sesame seed and kind of glistened under the lights. When I first saw them, I wasn't sure what they were. I noticed the the fish would swim with a shutter, sputter and shake. I started looking for ich on her/him, which I found, but also saw the larger specks too. After reading that standard ich meds were not likely to impact the flukes, I started doing more research to find a cure, if there was one. That's all in my earlier posts.

The treatment has worked, and I have put in one last QuIck Cure dosage today for the ich. The flukes that were visible have dropped off and hopefully, any internal or gill flukes have also died with the two treatments I have given over the past week. The fish is definitely swimming better and s/he is no longer flashing on the in tank scratching posts. One more week of observation, and s/he should be good to join the others.

Much Improved Black Moor

The PraziPro along with the QuIck Cure seems to be doing the trick for the baby black moor. S/he is no longer rubbing against everything, swimming better and stronger. This is a photo of her/him in relation to the size of my fingers.... She's not very big and a sweet little thing, already. (Click on the image to see actual size & better image.)

PraziPro & QuICK Cure

PraziPro is a fairly new product available through Hikari. I successfully found the PraziPro semi-locally however, the cost of the little bottle was more than twice the price listed online... even with the shipping added to the online price, it would have been cheaper for me to purchase it online. On the other hand, since this situation felt like it needed immediate attention, I didn't quibble with the store owner. I would recommend to any fish owner, go ahead and purchase a small bottle to keep on hand in the fish medicine cabinet.

After considerable reading on the subject of Flukes and Ich.... I'm hoping for the best. I was able to purchase a bottle of the PraziPro to treat the flukes and some other possible buggers, like tape worm. Although the bottle of PraziPro states not to use the medicine in conjunction with any other meds, I have been reading online that it actually works better when used in conjunction with products like QuIck Cure or Ich-X.

I started using the QuIck Cure 3 days ago. The ich is noticably better on the fish. I've done two full tank water changes during that time. Today, I added the PraziPro as directed for the tank size, waited two hours and then added a dose of QuIck Cure. I will wait three days now to do another QuIck Cure treatment and then two more days to do a follow-up PraziPro treatment. Now, if this doesn't cure what ails this itty bitty guy, I'm not sure what more I can do. S/He is still scratching her/himself on the plants, but it is not as frequent as before. Also, s/he is no longer doing the "shimmy shake" dance that s/he was originally doing when I first brought her/him home. The ich spots on her/his fins have dropped off. Now we'll have to wait to see if those dastardly skin flukes drop off in the next day or so.

Based on what I've read, the PraziPro is supposed to kill the parasites (internally and externally) within a few hours. But I always assume that truly means a day or two.... The fact that the meds did not seem to impact the fish (i.e. s/he didn't start spinning or doing loop-de-loops) is a good sign. I did feed the little gal/guy a big meal this morning. I did not know if food with the meds would be a problem. But apparently didn't matter.

Tomorrow, I'll do a dose of Kordon's Fish Protector. I started using this product (Fish Protector) two months ago with each water change. I also introduce new fish to the quarantine tank with a dose of Fish Protector already added. I won't blatantly say that it is a miracle product, but I do notice the fish that survive the first week seem much healthier in the long run after their quarantine is done. My overall fish survival rate has gone up from about 50% to about 75% since I've started using Fish Protector. I recognize that 75% survival may not be a great ratio (3:4). Truth be told, I have not seen a lot written about the "esteemed fish keepers' " successes vs. failures particularly with the new fish additions. Additionally, since using Fish Protector, I have experienced no "mystery deaths" in my established tanks. Even when I have to do larger than normal water changes! Regardless, I feel that the product has helped me to protect my newest fishes along with the established ones.

That's about it for now. I'll try to remember to post the parasite results within the week.

My bettah Betta

A little more than a month ago, I picked up 4 female Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) with the thought that I would add them to my community tank. I have not yet added them to my community tank, but I may, at some point. For now, I'm keeping them together in my 5 gallon tank. You can see a photo of three of the Bettas in the April 24, 2009 post.

Betta is pronounced "Bet ta" and not "Bay ta." They come from warm Asian countries, like India, Cambodia and Thailand. They can live in puddles for extended periods, which is one reason that so many people keep their male Betta in a tiny tank, vase or bowl. Betta's can jump easily out of tanks since they are accustomed to "puddle jumping." In some countries, the male fish are used as a form of gambling because they will fight to the death with other male Bettas. They are bred to do this. In the wild, the Betta is not quite that aggressive unless he is protecting his eggs. They prefer still aged water. I had to jury-rig the outflow of my filter so that the water no longer rushes out, but gets diffused through a thick course filter/sponge. I change the water by 50% once a week since they do appreciate fresh water.

When I first put the four together, I had been told that there would be a hierarchy established by the females. I have Indy, which is a dark blue purple indigo round tail; Corazon, a deep red, almost cardinal red round tail; Pinky, a white/pinkish body with bright red fins crown tail; and spunky little Iris, a purplish iridescent round tail. This is the order of their hierarchy.

You see, when I first got them, they were each in little individual cups/bowls with lids, where they could hardly swim. :^( I placed Iris in the tank with the other Bettas and noticed right away that Iris had swimming issues. She swam through the water in a vertical fashion, like a porpoise doing a water dance for an audience. Iris was chased by the three other Bettas and she would almost drag herself over the rocks, lean on plants, hide in the folds of the plants and under the little bridge. She was simply pathetic.

I learned that Iris had a swim bladder condition brought on by poor diet and constipation. I immediately took Iris out and placed her in shallow water in my little quarantine tank. I cooked some peas, pinched them out of their round coating shell and mashed a half pea for each of the Bettas. After a few days, I noticed that Iris was swimming better and with less effort. I picked up some Bio-Gold Betta pellets which they love! I soak the pellets for a few minutes before feeding them to the fish. They now recognize the red spoon that I use to place the pellets into the tank. I try to space out the pellets so that each fish can get a few each feeding. They chase the red spoon all around the tank!

Eventually, I put Iris back in with the other fish after a week of isolation, and although she is still picked on, she has the strength and vitality to hold her own. Her tail is a bit ragged and chewed from being chased, but she is nobody's push over when it comes time to eat! She lunges for her fair share of food.

I still feed them mashed peas twice a month just before it's time to change their water. I also feed them a treat of blood worms (freeze dried) once a week. Since they are carnivores, I try to make certain that they get enough protein in their diet. They are a little like goldfish in that they will eat and eat and eat themselves sick. So I ration the number of pellets each fish gets per day. Their coloring is good and they seem quite content all together in their five-gallon tank.

Fluke of the Flukes

Until now, I either never realized that any of my fish had flukes, and they simply died as a result of, or I've been lucky that my fish haven't had them... if that makes any sense!

Yesterday, I picked up a little itty bitty Black Moor (not much bigger than my thumb) only to discover that s/he had ich and it also had some other varmits attached to it's side. The parasites are a lot smaller than a grain of rice, but slightly larger than the ich. At first, I thought it was anchor worms, but closer inspection reveals that it is something that certainly resembles all the images of skin flukes that I can find online.

My intent was to add the goldfish in with two other goldfish that reside in my house. I recently purchased a 20 gallon acrylic tank. Shameless ad inserted here - if you want a great looking acrylic tank, built to your specifications, or standard sizes, for only a little more than a glass tank, then contact glasscages.com I ordered the tank for my grand-daughter's two common goldfish that have more than doubled in size in a little more than four months. I decided to get a Black Moor to add some variety to the tank. I already have a 30 gallon in the wings for the inevitable point in time of needing a bigger tank. Anyways, back to the new black goldfish.
I immediately started doing research and found that most ponds that raise goldfish and koi have to deal with flukes on a regular basis.... UGH! Apparently, there is a product that a person can buy over the counter called praziquantel(sp?) that should kill the flukes without weakening the little fish any more than s/he already appears. It took some time to find this medication, but an aquarium supply store in a neighboring town has it in stock. Otherwise, I would have purchased it online and hoped that the fish survived the wait. In the meantime, I have been dosing the quarantine tank (yes, I use it) with "QuIck Cure" and a added some aquarium salt for the ich. I also put in an air stone to help add water movement. The fish is eating, so I believe that as a good sign. Wish me luck on this!

Quarantine Time? Be Prepared in a Pinch

After having several small tanks up and running now for a relatively short period of time, I have discovered that I truly need a "back up" or "just in case" plan of action in the event of a sick fish or observation before adding new fish to any of my mini aquariums. At this point, I intend to maintain fish that are smaller; in that, I mean that none of the fish will ever be over 1.5 - 2 (body) inches fully grown. This allows me to keep more activity within many of my pretty little mini tanks.

Almost all of the major aquarium sites recommend that a person have a 10-gallon quarantine tank up and running at all times in case of an emergency. ummmmm..... But what if you never want to have to maintain that large of a tank OR don't have room for that large of a tank? I have found a viable solution for a "mini" quarantine tank without needing to expend an additional $75 - $100 for all the mini-aquarium materials.

Hagen & Lee both sell small plastic containers with lids that can be used for terrariums and/or aquariums. Hagen's Small Pet containers range in price from $12 to $18 for the 3.3 and 4.5 gallon containers. Lee's Kritter Keepers are approximately the same size with the X-Large container (approx. 4.5 gal.) with the dimensions being 16" x 8.75" x 12"(h) costing about $15. The next size which is actually a little easier to find is the Large (approx. 3 gal.), 14" x 8.75" x 9.5"(h) costing about $12. Both containers have pop-up lids so that you can feed the fish easily and a pop-out opening for cords/hoses. Another option is to get a 5.5-gallon glass aquarium without a lid for about $12 - $15 available in some pet stores. But then, when you add in the price of the lid, you may be adding about $5 - $10 for a plastic or glass hood (without light). For about $1-$2 you should be able to find a small sheet of plastic canvas for needlepoint. It's a good cover in a pinch, as well.

What about heaters? Hydor has a mini 7.5 watt heater for up to 5 gallon tanks that cost about $15. You can also find a small Tetra Whisper heater for 2-15 gallon tanks costing about $12. These mini-submersible heaters are preset to 75 F degrees. There are also some 25 watt heaters that will work for a small space that allow you to regulate the water's temp., but cost about $25.

Next, you will probably need a filter. Yes, those prepared mini-tank kits have the filter included in the price, but are you really saving all that much for a tank that you will probably store away when not being used? Pricing for filters is what can "get" you in the end here! The most economical filter that I have found is the Hagen Elite Mini Filter for about $10.00 - the draw back is that it only filters tanks up to 3 gallon. The PennPlax Small World box filter will work on tanks up to 5 gallon and costs $20. It is a bit NOISY because it uses a little air pump, but I place the air pump on a thick sponge, and that truly cuts the noise down quite a bit. As a temporary filter, PennPlax works great without blasting fish around in the tank. One more option that I have tried is the Tetra Whisper Internal filter 3i (up to 3 gallon) $13, or the 10i (up to 10 gal) $17. You may want to measure these first to make certain that they will fit inside your small tank. They are about 6" tall, and you should be forewarned; they have a tendency to suck in fish from the bottom. That's why I have a little corral around mine as mentioned in an earlier post.

That's really all you need! I keep extra foam/filter material inside of my main cycled tanks that I can use (insert or attach to the filter) with the mini emergency/quarantine container. I also keep a few small plastic plants inside of my main tanks that I can pull and put into the quickie aquarium. I keep a spare stand alone thermometer ($3) that I can plop into the container. There is no reason to put gravel into the tank, unless you want to pull some from your main tank for added established bacterial content. The main reason for keeping spare foam material and plastic plants in your main tank is to have materials that are filled with "healthy bacteria" that will easily go into the tank and minimize "new tank syndrome." Another possible technique is to keep the small filter running inside of one of the main tanks until it needed in the emergency tank.

For less than $30 you can, conceivably have an emergency 3 gallon tank in place for your fish. If you need a couple of extra gallons, then the emergency kit is going to cost a bit more; probably about $50 for a 5 gallon tank. Yet this nominal expense is to protect all your other fish from disease or to pull a sick fish from your main tanks. I have also used my little emergency kit to remove "bully fish" from my tanks until the other fish become better established. A few days of "time out" has saved my other fish a considerable amount of stress from the bully. If the bully simply cannot be reintroduced without continuing to be a bully, then you know it would be better to take it back to the store than to risk it killing/stressing out your main tank inhabitants.

The photo at the top of this article is a Lee's Kritter Keeper (Large) with a Hagen's Mini Elite Submersible Filter, PennPlax Small World filter/bubbler, Petco 50-watt heater, thermometer, two plants, gravel & Seachem Ammonia Alert. I had four small corydoras in the tank for two weeks, and I wanted to make certain that the little guys' water was well maintained during that time. So far, I've had pretty fair luck with new fish survival by using this little home-made aquarium emergency kit. All four fish survived and are happily swimming in the large community tank.

Remember, this is simply a bare-bones set up. There is no light, no pretty case, and minimal decorations. It is easy to clean up, set up and takes up only a little bit of space on the counter. Pull from what you have up and running already, (plants, substrate, & filter) which actually are more for the avoidance of ammonia poisoning while you medicate the fish or watch a new fish for parasites & bugaboos before introducing the fish into your main aquarium. You certainly can't have a BUNCH of fish in these little emergency tanks, but a single fish under three inches long could survive for a few weeks in one of these little containers. When you are done, you can clean up the container and put it away until needed again in the future.

In-tank Filter Corral

I posted earlier this week about the loss of my beautiful platy to the in-tank filter on my 5 gallon tank that sucked her in. The filter is big enough to use in a 10 gallon tank, so it is a bit more powerful than those little box filters or sponge filters that are available for small tanks.

I created a corral to keep the fish away from the filter's intake. I purchased some plastic canvas for needlepoint projects. The size I picked up was the 7 holes/inch. I tightly wrapped the canvas around the base of the filter so that it extended two inches below the bottom down into the gravel of the tank. I used dental floss to sew the canvas together to make a "fitted" tube. I think this will work. I did this on the two small tanks; 2.5 and 5 gallon tanks. I also picked up an HOB filter that I have put onto the 10 gallon for now so that it builds up bacteria. I'll make a little corral around the intake tube for that as well, just to minimize the likelihood of any other small fish being sucked in.

In the meantime, I have moved the remaining platys into my large tank that is just about done cycling. It has been holding steady at .5 ppm ammonia levels for two weeks now.... nitrites come and go, but I just don't think I have the waste load necessary to push it past this stage. I added two platys in hopes of pushing it over into nitrites so that we can finish this chapter.

I picked up 4 small female Bettas to quarantine in the 5 gallon with the new filter corral. They seem fine in there. I need to put together a little Betta condo to give them some space to get away from each other. They certainly do flare at each other, but not like male Bettas. I want to add them to the community tank after quarantine is done and since they need to go in as a unit to minimize stress, I'm letting them pick their "pecking order" out now. One indigo, one red, one pink with red fins and one light purple iridescent. They are all beautiful in different ways.

So Disappointing!

This morning, I discovered that the in-tank filter on my 5-gallon tank took in another fish. The first two fish it sucked up were neon tetras about 5 - 6 weeks ago. I thought it was due to illness, or something. But, now I realize that wasn't the case.

You see, there is about a 2 inch space gap between the bottom of the filter and the gravel in the bottom of the tank. The fish do seem to like to settle under there for the flow of the intake into the filter. This time, it sucked in one of my beautiful platy, and she actually was large for a platy. I'll try not to get too graphic, but it literally ripped her open!

I need to get another filter, obviously! At the moment, I'm in a state of shock! For the time being, I have put an aquatic filter sponge under the filter so that the fish cannot sit/swim under the filter anymore. The filter is produced by a well-known company in the aquatics industry. I don't know if I should write to them, or what. But I'm extremely sad and disappointed at the moment. I don't think I could write to them in a way that the hurt would not show. I don't think that would be useful at this time.

I'll go down to the pet store to see if there is a small HOB (hang on the back) filter that I can use on this mini tank. In the meantime, I'll be watching to make certain that the sponge doesn't get dislodged.

pH, Temperature & Ammonia Effect

Oh yah. I just want to make one simple comment.... I used to think that some folks in the astrology community came across as the most arrogant folks on the face of the earth. I am now learning that fish aquatists may have the astrologists beat, hands down. I have never encountered so many "Do as I say and Don't ask why" people as I have encountered in fishkeeping in such a short span of time. The ones that sit down and explain, walk you through, ask questions and give feedback are a rare find. If you find a seasoned person like this in the fishkeeping community, give that person a pat on the back and a hearty "Thank you" for being unique :) The fishkeeping community is certainly not into "coddling" their newest members!!! LOL And, as a newbie, don't EVER point out to a seasoned fish veteran that he/she has made a mistake! Gawd Forbid. They simply don't make mistakes, no matter how glaring it might be. LOL

Okay, on to what I have gradually been learning. Remember in an earlier post I mentioned feeling like a chemist? That feeling certainly has not stopped, even after having several fully cycled tanks up and running. My 10 gal, 5 gal and now 2.5 gal are fully cycled. Whooo Hoo to that! But, the tests never quite end there, do they? LOL

I'm learning that the smaller tanks really do better with a small fine mist aerator going ever so gently in the corner of the tank. Case in point; I moved my 5 gal to a new location in the living area to free up some counter space, and in the process broke the bubble stone thingy. Since I have two Platys in that tank, and they really don't need all the extra water movement, I decided I would leave well enough alone. Ummmm... ammonia levels started back up and so did the nitrites. I put in a new stone, and everything is back to normal. I also noted that the pH levels are back down to normal (<7.0) p = "potential" h =" Hydrogen."

2-month Nitrogen Cycle

Yep, that's about how long it took to cycle my 10 gal aquarium. On the other hand, the smaller 2.5 gallon tank is also fully cycled and it took a little more than four weeks. What I did in the 2.5 gallon was a fishless cycle, sort of. Let me back up a little.

When I had the bug a boo attacking one of my female platy, I picked up the 2.5 gallon tank and put her in it while medicating her. After she was well enough to go back into the 10 gallon tank, I started putting a few drops of pure ammonia into the tank keeping it at the 1.0 to 2.0 ammonia level. After about two weeks, I thought that another platy was about to give birth. So I cleaned the tank, rinsed the filter bag, removing and adding new carbon and then waiting a day before putting the pregnant platy into the tank. Within a day or two, the nitrites started showing up. I was surprised that the cycle was going so much quicker.

The Meds I had used would have delayed the cycle process. In using the ammonia, I felt that I was essentially starting over. In little more than three weeks, the 2.5 gallon tank is now fully cycled. This was the tank that I was having problems with such high nitrites. I believe the high nitrites were due to the fact that I had used the pure ammonia for two weeks. After I added a bubbler, the nitrite levels dropped and within days, the cycle was completed.

Zonks - Holy Nitrates, Batman!

Yep, that's right. I'm blogging in to let you know one of my mini tanks is FINALLY showing signs of nitrates. Not a lot, mind you, but a few traces of nitrates are showing up in my tests on my 10 gallon tank.

Well, it's been almost two weeks since I last posted. This past week, Hannibell, the lone survivor of the baby fries, has passed on. Not sure if it was the persistant ammonia levels hanging about .50 ppm in her 1 gallon tank, or if it was that dreaded bladder thing that many fries end up developing before they are fully grown. We could tell Hannibell was a female with a red coloring and a double bar unlike the momma which is a red wag tail. That was a sad day around here.

Although I thought for certain that the silver wag tail would be dropping her fry by now, she's still holding out. I placed her in the 2.5 gallon tank last week. The tank has been at the nitr[I]tes portion of the cycle, all week. Which brings me to another subject that I've been pondering. I don't have any aerator in that tank and I'm wondering if I should put one in. The nitrites levels shot out the roof tonight. Yet, the 5 gallon and the 10 gallon, which both have aerators have never gotten over 1.0 ppm. ??? Simply don't know if the water agitation is a significant factor that should be considered when using these smaller tanks. I know I have the 5 gallon over stocked right now which is the main reason I have an airstone in that tank. I am about ready to move fishies around to make things a bit more comfortable for every one now that the 10 gallon is done cycling. I've mostly kept the 10 gallon slightly understocked while trying to cycle it with just the three remaining platys.

Oh, that's another thing. While I had the three platys in the 10 gal, I was using pure ammonia in the 2.5 gal for about 10 days to continue a cycling process, albeit fishless. But, when I thought that Cammi (the silver wag) was about to pop, I cleaned out that little tank's water, and ran it for 24 hours with fresh water while testing several times for ammonia before putting her in that tank. Coincidentally(?) within a day after that, the nitrites were definitely developing, so I've been really careful about including some Prime in the water everyday along with small water changes. When today's nitrite reading was 2.0 PPM, I just about freaked. I did some serious water changes over the span of two hours until the nitrites were down to .50, gave the tank a sprinkle of salt, and think we'll be okay. But I'll need to keep closer watch on these nitrites levels. I don't want to add an airstone at this point since the fry delivery is close at hand. The bubbles are too hard on the babies.

I think the 5 gal will finish up the cycle quickly once I move one of the fish over to the 10 gal, giving it more of a chance to build nitrites without quite so many water changes needed. I'm only needing to do 2 or 3 per week (compared to the 7 per week just a few weeks ago), but if I can drop that down to once a week, I'm certain that tank will kick over into the nitr[a]te stage.

In the meantime, now that the 10 gallon is finally a nitrate producer, I've purchased some of those little filter sponges, and slid them in behind the filter pads of the mechanical filters.... (Yes filter[s]. I have two mechanical filters and an airstone in the 10 gallon tank.) My hope is to have some healthy bacteria seed ready at a moment's notice if I need to set up an emergency tank again in the future.

That's a good feeling! I began to wonder if I was going to have to be one of those 6 months and still cycling types of people. It's been a little over 8 weeks getting there, but I'm finally starting to feel as though I'm doing this thing correctly.

Ammonia / Ammonium to Nitr[I]tes to Nitr[A]tes - The Nitrogen Cycle

Sometimes, I feel like I need to be a chemist to understand all these aquatic terms, test kits and conditioners. During the first 1 - 3 months of initiating a new aquarium, the fish hobbiest is told to test the aquarium water, initially, every day for NH3, NH4, & Ph, then add in a test for NO2, and finally testing for NO3. You should also test, once a week, the levels of acid/alkaline & hardness. I believe that there are more types and brands of test kits available than there are fish in the world! Since I'm still in the basic "non cycled stage" with all four of my mini aquariums, I am still focusing in on the three most "concerning" chemical readings that I test for every day; Ammonia, Ph & Nitrites.

I learned early on that if the NH3/NH4 (Ammonia) levels get above 1ppm (parts per million) then you should do a decent water change of about 20% (i.e. 2 gallons on a 10 gallon tank) and test the ammonia level again. The higher the PPM reading of the ammonia levels, the more water that should be changed out. Some test kits distinguish between NH3 (a toxic to fish form of Ammonia and typically found in water with 7.2+ Ph readings) and NH4 (a less toxic to fish ammonium, the ionized form of ammonia typically found in water with the below 7.0 Ph readings). Most test kits combine the two types together since, if there is Ammonia in the water, it is likely to raise the neutral 7.0 Ph readings into the higher 7.6+ levels rather quickly. Most tap water in the US is in the neutral Ph range, HOWEVER, there are regions that have extreme Ph levels one way or the other. Knowing your base Ph level straight out of the tap is a good idea to start with. AND do you begin to see what I mean about needing to be a chemist?

Yah, yah, yah.... I've read all the articles about getting healthy bacterial seed from reputable fish folks to speed the cycling process along. Yes, I've read all the tips and tricks for speeding up the cycling process with all the wonderful proclamations of completing the nitrogen cycle in less than a week (or two). I don't know any fishy folks in the area and I've read enough horror stories online to dissuade me from asking for the "seed" from the local fish store (LFS). Also, I'm not inclined to join a "fishtank support group" just to get the bacterial seed.

So I set out to make certain I didn't poison my fish with my new little tanks which obviously were not cycled. Although I originally purchased the dip-in test strips, I immediately figured out that these little testors do NOT have a very good accuracy ratio... I can dip three different testors from the same container into one of my tanks at the same time and each will come out with different readings!

Obviously, there are a plethora of testing kits on the market. You are basically at the whim of your LFS as to which are being made available to you. Some kits are super expensive, while others are less expensive. Try to find something that lasts a long time (longer than a month) to get the most value for your testing pleasures. As I mentioned earlier, there are the dip in the water chemical strips (similar to the EPT [Early Pregnancy Tests]) and then there are the water in a vial tests. The vial test involves taking a sampling of water and pouring the water (dribbling) into little vials. Then you add toxic chemicals (liquid or dry powder) into the vials, shaking the vials and letting them stand for a period of time. Next, you compare the color of the vial after the required "waiting period" to a color code paper/sheet to get an approximate reading of "ppm" for your aquarium's water. Finding a way to keep from knocking a row of "test vials" over in a domino effect seems to be my biggest challenge with these tests. Remember to wash hands with soap and vials (without soap) thoroughly after you are done testing.

During the initial cycling through the NH3/4 (ammonia/ammonium) and NO2 (Nitrite) stages, a company named "Seachem" has become my best friend. This is not to say that they are the only or best company to help with testing and monitoring during the nitrogen cycling. I'm just saying that this company has helped me to maintain my sanity. But, then, who in their right mind goes out and gets 4 new little aquarium tanks over the span of two weeks? Okay, so perhaps sanity was not my main agenda. But some of Seachem's products have made the monitoring process a little easier.

First I discovered the Seachem Ammonia Alert Monitor. This great little device hangs inside the aquarium with an easy to read color code ranging from yellow (good) to blue (toxic). The nice little feature with this ammonia monitor is that it mostly focuses on the NH3 (more toxic to fish) ammonia. Seachem has a forum and a FAQ support portion on their site that can help answer questions.

Any way, back to being a chemist. Because of the breaking in the aquarium nitrogen cycle process thingy, I was forever doing water changes on all four little tanks and seemingly getting no closer to obtaining any nitrItes for fear of killing ALL my fish. I read online in a forum the great things that Prime (TM) another Seachem product does to bond with the toxic ammonia and to help detoxify Nitrite levels as they develop. The theory is that the ammonia and ammonium are still involved in the nitrogen cycling process, but the toxic form of ammonia gets "nullified" for approximately 24 hours. The bottle of Prime claims that it "REMOVES" Chorine, Chloremine & Ammonia. Not quite accurate, but it does condition the water so that it is safer for your fisies. On the side of the bottle, it clarifies a little with "Prime(tm) converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed in the tank's biofilter." What I have kinda figured out on my own is the fact that while it makes the ammonia non-toxic and filterable, it seems that I need to add the Prime(tm) again the next day because the fishies do NOT stop producing ammonia (toxic and other wise) in their water. So, each day, I need to add more.

Since I only have small tanks, I needed to figure out the correct dosage of Prime(tm). One teaspoon will treat a whole 50 gallon tank for the day for up to 20 days. But I only need a few drops per day per tank. So I got an eyedropper that I have dedicated specifically for Prime usage. I calculated how many drops of Prime from the eyedropper were needed to make 1 teaspoon. Then I divided the number of drops by 50 (gallons) to come up with the number of drops/gallon. I have learned the hard way, never assume that all "drops" and eyedroppers are equal. Once I had this figured out, I took a permanent marker and wrote the dosage on the top of my Prime(tm) bottle for one gallon. I need to use 2 drops per gallon of water each day to combat the daily ammonia barrage put out by my fish.

Now, I don't change the water every day. I'm doing a once to twice a week water change. Also, I can use Prime with a little salt in the aquarium water (unlike some other forms of ammonia binding products) since my live-bearing water pets really do like some salt in their water. When I add the Prime(tm) to the tank, I hold the dropper over the front of the (outflow) filter and let the drops get quickly flushed out into the aquarium. Otherwise, my fish seem to feel that the drops are intended to be food and will quickly swim to the area where the drops are going in.

Okay, first and foremost, Prime(tm) does stink a little like rotten eggs. But that smell only lasts a few seconds until it is in the water. And the most important thing is.... My aquariums are finally, after 4 to 6 weeks, starting to produce more and more Nitrites (NO2). WOOHOO! Now that I don't have to do large water changes every day, the little tanks are starting to create the bateria that produce Nitrites.... hopefully, within the next 3 to 4 weeks, I'll have Nitrates and the cycling will be complete!!!!

A Full Moon Later

In an earlier post, I believe that I mentioned that the Platy fry were born(kinda) on the morning of the Lunar Eclipse/Full Moon in February. We were able to salvage 15 of them. After a week or so in the nursery cage, I put the remaining survivors into a one-gallon tank with a little box/aerator filter and a mini heater. Over the next few weeks, the survivors dwindled. I truly think that the largest survivor was munching on the smaller ones, one by one. So there is only one left from that original batch. We are naming it HanniBell until we know whether to it is female or male. If it turns out that the fish is male, we'll switch it to Lektor. The survivor has doubled in size (no surprise there) and seems fine being alone at this time.

We're still wondering if the "cycling" process is ever going to end. Yesterday, the five gallon, after 5 weeks had an ammonia level reading of 0ppm.... but there were not any detectable levels of nitrItes nor nitrAtes. Considering the water hasn't been changed in approximately 4 days, I'm not sure what that sudden drop could be attributed to. Could it have been a result of the slice of fruit that I put in?

Tuesday night, I put a thin slice of fruit (a disk) in two of the tanks for the platys and the goldfish. The goldfish totally ate the slice with nothing left within the hour. The platys were a little slower, but did finally take some healthy bites. The 10 gallon tank has been in the nitrItes stage for more than a week, so a low/no ammonia reading would not surprise me there. But since the 5 gallon tank has been consistently ranging in the .5 to .75 ppm range for the week, I was shocked when the ammonia reading was 0. I even retested, thinking I had done something wrong. But, today, the ammonia levels in the 5 gallon tank were back to .25 ppm. Would a piece of fruit really lower the ammonia? I have no idea where to check on that. I may need to do a little experiment to test this out!

Well, my silver wag platy is getting close to birthing within the next week or two. Wonder if this birth(kinda) will be on the New Moon, in about two weeks? I'll keep everyone updated as the events unfold.

4 mini tanks

I have four mini aquariums going at the same time, all of which are at various stages of nitrogen cycling (new aquarium syndrome). To help me keep track of water changes along with the daily Ammonia level and Nitrite level, I created a mini chart based on the great charts available at freshaquarium.about.com. I made my version of the charts in a spreadsheet program. The chart is wide, so I do print it out in landscape and have 35 daily readings available for 5 weeks worth of tests and water changes.

My charts look something like this:

Daily Ammonia Levels
> 4.0
> 2.0
> 1.0
> .50
> .25
> .00 Day #	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
Daily Nitrite Levels
> 2.0
> 1.0
> .50
> .25		[N/A]	[N/A]	[N/A]	[N/A]	[N/A]	[N/A]
> .00 Day #	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
WC	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Today is:	Feb 1	Feb 2	Feb 3	Feb 4	Feb 5	Feb 6	Feb 7	Feb 8	Feb 9	Feb 10	Feb 11	Feb 12	Feb 13	Feb 14

Water Change 10% - 20% (WC) and cut back on fishfood	WC up to 50% + less food + watch for signs of distress	WC 50% as many times in a day as needed to drop the levels below the red levels.
Other tips: To reduce very high levels of Ammonia, consider using an ammonia neutralizer and gradually lower the PH to 7.0 or lower (as appropriate for the type of fish in the tank). To reduce very high levels of Nitrites, consider using ½ teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water in the tank and added aeration either with an air pump or lowering the water level of the fish tank to allow for a water cascade from the filter (with a back of the tank filter system).

These charts help me to stay organized with my various tank tasks and helps me to keep track of days when I have made water changes as a result of high readings after I check the ammonia and nitrite levels.

Small Fries in a Small Tank

Remember in an earlier post, I mentioned that the Platy had babies. Well, after two weeks, these little guys are almost 1 half inch long. Still tiny, but now there's some meat on their bodies. Their eyes are still HUGE by comparison, but the rest of the "fish" is starting to catch up with those big google eyes. Here are two little pix of the little babes.

They don't have much color until they get older and gender will not be visible for some time after that (at least that's what I have been told). The rocks in the 2nd pix are actually small gravel, about half the size of peas, so that gives you a comparison.

I have the fry in a 1 gallon tank with gravel, fake grass and plants, a mini heater and a mini box filter/aerator. They are eating finely powdered fish flakes designed for fry. I've been told that they will grow faster with live food like freshly hatched brine shrimp, etc., but I don't have the capability or knowledge yet to muster that process yet. So, for now, it's a feeding twice a day with baby food along with a 20 to 30% water change each day.

The ammonia levels went up a bit higher than I would like, so I added a drop of Prime along with a drop of PH down. That seemed to do the trick. There are still about 7 or 8 baby survivors, but they typically don't come out to eat all at once. Some wait for the food to sink down while the bigger ones head to the top to eat. It is my understanding that the bigger ones tend to be bullies, so I have a lot of places for the fry to hide and "wait" to get larger.

Since the fry are in a very small tank, I am checking the ammonia and nitrite levels twice per day. I'm trying to keep the PH level around 7 to minimize the effects of the ammonia on these little guys. I'm keeping the temp around 76 degrees F.

This is the first time I have ever tried to raise fish, so this whole experience has been very interesting and intriguing. I'll let you know how this goes and how many fry babies actually survive (if any).

Mini Aquarium Kits + More

Usually, when you buy a mini aquarium, it includes some essentials like a net, a packet of fish flakes, water conditioner for your city tap water, an electric mechanical filter, and a filter bag with carbon. These mini aquarium kits cost anywhere from $20 to $100, depending on brand and size. But you should also consider getting some other supplies. I used about 5 pounds of small gravel in my 5 gallon tank. Most authorities in the area suggest using 2 pounds for each gallon of water. But that really makes for a heavy tank and less water space in the tank. I bought 2 small and 2 medium sized plastic plants. This gives some hiding spaces for the fish and some swimming area too.

The filter works fine, but it doesn't move the water enough through the tank for the type of fish that I have. I ended up purchasing a little air pump, hose and misting stone to help add friction and oxygen to the water. After a couple of weeks, I opened the filter bag and dumped out the carbon when I needed to start adding medication on the tank. I wish I had removed the carbon initially. If you do choose to remove the carbon right away (before using the filter bag), save the clean dry carbon in a plastic bag so that you can use it later after your tank has been adequately cycled and stable.

Some other things I realized that I needed was a good quality water testing kit. The dip in testers are good once the tank is stable, but the testers that give more accurate readings are really needed with the mini tanks. I discovered that I literally needed to change the water at least once a day, sometimes twice a day to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels to a tolerable level during the initial cycling process to prevent new tank syndome. I don't change 100% of the water. I siphon out about 10 - 20% of the water each day and replace it with clean warm water.

We like to keep our house on the cool side, and the fish like temps in the mid 70s (F). So a heater is essential. An adjustable heater is better in the event you want to gradually rise or lower the water temps for your fish. A good thermometer is also important.

A gravel vac is important. Even more important is getting the right size! A mini gravel vacuum/siphon makes water changes easier. Along with a couple of large buckets and a couple of small pitchers to fill from the buckets to pour the clean water back into the tanks after a water change.

Oh, and perhaps not the most essential, but quite important for plugging in the aquarium light, filter, heater and air pump is a quality power strip. It does not need to be the expensive surge protector kind, but something to help you keep all the cords up and out of the water and organized. Remember to create a drip-loop with each electrical cord that keeps any "stray" water or condensation on the power cords away from your power strip!

That's enough to get you really ready to take care of your fishies.

Where to start?

I have never had fish before, and I think I'm learning by trial and error more than anything else. Most of the articles I find online about new tanks are for "real aquariums" and they all seemingly feel that the mini aquariums are toys. But I don't have a lot of experience and don't want to get "burned out" on aquriums before I even have a chance to enjoy the pleasures of caring for fish. I purchased a 5 gallon tank with mini filter included. I also purchased a little 50 watt heater and an air pump. I have the heater next to the filter in one corner and the aerator set on low in the other corner. I wish I had purchased a heater that I could adjust. But this one does keep the tank at 75 degrees F, so that's not all bad. I just can't turn up or down the heat if I need to. I also purchased some gravel, extra filters, dip-in water testers, plastic plants, a small fish net and a small gravel vac.

I had some old buckets that can hold 4 gallons of water. I took a permanent marker and marked the insides of the buckets with 1/2 gallon increments up to 2.5 gallons in each bucket. This way, when I make water changes, I know exactly how much to prepare and put back into the tank. I learned early on, I need to make sure that the water I add back into the tank is the same temperature as what the tank already is. So I scoop out a cup of water from the tank when I'm ready to make a water change and immediately go to the sink and start "temp" testing. I found that if I place my fingers into the cup of water and then into the water from the tap, and back and forth again and again while adjusting the faucets trying to get the same temp, that I'm one step ahead when I do start to take water out of the tank. My waste and refill buckets are interchangable. I make sure to clean the buckets with 10% bleach water (1 cup of bleach with 9 cups of water) on a weekly basis. I always make sure to rinse everything thorough with a bit of salt water afterwards. I use a solution of 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt with a gallon of water to dip nets, cups and gravel vacuums into.

I have read enough to know "don't start with goldfish." So I thought I would try with neon tetras. ummmm... sorry fishies :( I later read that these little guys really need a more stable environment than a new tank can provide and possibly lower PH than we have in our water. So I went back to the petstore, with a sample of my water and got two platy (moon fish) - red wag tails. I also purchased better water testers this time. The type where you need a vial of water to get a more accurate reading.

Again, due to my inexperience, I end up with one male and one very pregnant female. Yep, that's right. She gave birth two weeks ago. 15 of the fry survived long enough for us to get the babies into the little "nursery" container.

I noted immediately after the birth of the fry, the male was chasing the poor tired female all over the tank. Then we experienced popeye and velvet on the female. Based on what I'm reading on the subject, velvet is a opportunistic parasite that can be dormant for some time in the water until a stressed out fish can no longer resist the attack. Kind of like a cold virus. The popeye was probably due to the stress and the velvet. So, I went back to the petstore and bought a 2.5 gallon tank, 50 watt adjustable heater, antibiotics, parasite medication, another net, some seachem prime, more gravel, plants, gravel vacuum. It was suggested that I isolate the female since she was the only one with pop-eye and exhausted. I started up the smaller tank, took the carbon out of the filter, and put powder antibiotics into the water for her to swim in along with parasite meds. I also raised the temperature up one degree per day until it was 80 degrees F. I did a 20% water change every day when I would add new meds. The Prime kept the ammonia levels from getting out of hand.

In the 5 gallon tank, with the fry (which looked like mosquito larva with two big eyes) and the male Platy, I also took the carbon out of the filter but I could not raise the tank temps. I debated whether to use the parasite meds with the fry still in there. But I was noticing that the male was starting to scratch himself on the heater, the filter, the plants and anything else that he could rub on. I figured that the parasite meds would have to be a necessary evil at this point even with the frys.

Here I was with a still fairly new (uncycled) mini-tank, for the most part and trying to figure out what to do next. After four weeks, my five gallon tank is not stable or fully cycled. I wish I had not bothered to use the filters with carbon in them. I should have simply opened up the new filters and dumped the carbon out first. Live and learn. Well, I'll stop here for now.