Angelfish Irregularity

Re: my angels

Is the tank going through a cycle ?

 

Re: my angels

How long was the new tank up and running before you put the fish in there, also were the filters brand new, if not did you clean them really well before moving them to the new tank etc?

 

Re: my angels

When you cleaned everything you might have lost all the beneficial bacteria, causing your tank to lose its stability. Basically, your tank cant convert the bio load of the fish yet. How long were the guppies in there before the angels and after the cleaning?

 

Re: my angels

A "Cycle" is what is known as the Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate cycle. Here is how a tank starts:
Step 1 - First fish added to a new tank/filter, Fish eat and poop. Their poop releases nitrites and ammonia into the tank.

Step 2 - Ammonia/Nitrite elevates into the tank to a high lever (dangerously to most fish)

Step 3 - Your filter media (filter bag, bio-wheel, filter or whatever you have in it) starts growing good little bacteria

Step 4 - That good bacteria feeds on the ammonia and the nitrites.

Step 5 - Those good bacteria "poop"/release nitrate as they reduce nitrite and ammonia . This lowers nitrite/ammonia (REALLY BAD toxins) but spikes nitrate (sorta bad toxin... not good but better than nitrite and ammonia)

Step 6 - You do a water change and lower the ppm (parts per million) level of the nitrate toxin (without plants and even with THIS is where water changes are VITAL)

Step 7 - The bacteria lives in the filter til you get rid of it (ie: removing all filter media from your filter and changing, rinsing your filter out in chlorinated water, rinsing your substrate in chlorinated water, if you have a bio wheel rinsing your wheel in chlorinated water or changing it (NEVER do unless necessary) and I know there are a few other things I have missed.

Point - If your tank is new it is going to go through this cycle almost no questions asked. If you changed all of your filters at the same time you will probably start a cycle (assuming you have a HOB (Hang on Back) filter like a Whisper and you have 2 filter bags and you changed both or if you only have 1 and you changed it - danger in small tanks with the little filters), a Bio-wheel is a HOB filter but has wheels that spin that grow bacteria.... that is good.

So when they ask if your tank is in a cycle they mean is it new or did you do some HEAVY cleaning to it all at one time? Another bad thing is to change 50% of you water, change your filters AND vacuum your substrate all at the same time.... stage it..... one day change a filter, next day vacuum, wait a few days change some water.... then a few days later change the other filter bag..... this is a long way of doing it but it does make cleaning safer on the fish. Of course you can vacuum and change water together but my point is do NOT clean everything at once.... that WILL start a cycle

I hope that this clears up the "cycle" of a tank

 

Re: my angels

lol, its ok.... I have read WAY too much about fish over the years and asked tons of questions myself.

Just wanted to answer the question thoroughly. If you have a question you can PM me and I can describe a smaller section if you want or whatever you do not understand.

It takes about a week to get to the bacteria growth after adding fish UNLESS you cleaned the filter.

 

Re: my angels

they are probally getting used to the new tank...start feeding Blood worms every other day and do water change every three days lots of food and clean water brings mine into breeding