Possible crash?

[taxidermynerd]

So as of maybe a week or so ago, my last guppy died in my 10g community. I kept telling my dad that we needed fish in that tank to keep stuff in check, and he kept putting it off. Well, now it's cloudy as all heck, and I think the tank might have crashed.

I'm gonna be setting up a 5g qt tank, for until I get this worked out. I don't think it is overstocked, I have 6 pygmy cories (teeny tiny fish) 6 platies (new addition) and a single ghost shrimp (hitchhiked in with the platies) in there, along with some ramshorn snails and Malaysian trumpet snails. I moved the 2 java fern over to another tank, and I corralled the shrimp into one of those breeder boxes. I'll start working on the 5 g in a few hours.

Ugh. I remember way back when I started fishkeeping, everyone said bigger tanks are easier to maintain. I blew them all off, but they were so right. Maybe if we move I'll upgrade to a 20 for the livebearers.

 

[taxidermynerd]

The tank and all the accoutrements are clean and ready. Also topped off all the tanks and replaced the canister filter on the 40, there were only two prongs (?) left on the impeller.

 

[finchly]

That does sound like a crash! It doesn’t sound overcrowded to me, and you do periodic water changes right?
Wonder what caused the crash.

 

[taxidermynerd]

That does sound like a crash! It doesn’t sound overcrowded to me, and you do periodic water changes right?
Wonder what caused the crash.

Yep. I don't what happened. The 5 Gal is all set up, just need to fill it and plug everything. I'll give it a while and then start moving everyone over.

 

[finchly]

Very odd. I’ve only had “small tank” problems with 2.5 and 5 gallons, though I suppose a 10 could act the same way. Good luck! You are such a worker “Bee.”

 

[taxidermynerd]

I think I worked out how to post photos on mobile? Anywho, here's the qt tank.

 

[taxidermynerd]

Everything seems to be okay with the 5gallon. The 10 gallon is still gross. So now I have a dilemma, do I completely strip down the tank, and start from scratch and have is cycle and everything, or do I just leave it and hope it comes back around? I don't know. I'm debating whether I should just tear it down.Ugh.

I think I might keep the 5 gallon up, as a quarantine or for fry if the platies breed. Or maybe in the future it could be a tank for the cories and shrimp? I might have to move it into my room if I want to do that, but I think I have the outlets for it.

I don't know. I think next house I might have one or two 'display' tanks, but the rest will probably get put on one of those heavy duty shelf sets, the ones that hold like 3000 pounds per shelf. It would save so much space.

 

[taxidermynerd]

I think I've worked out what want to do.

So I'll tear down the 10 gallon, clean it out and build it from the ground up. I think I'll move just the platies back in. I'll run it bare-bottom, because platies can be pretty messy. And I'll throw in some plastic plants (I've had bad luck with live ones) so if they breed, the fry have somewhere to hide.

Then in the 5 gallon, once the 10 is back on its feet (so not for at least 3 weeks) I'll put a thin layer of sand in, and I'll keep the pygmy cories in there and get a few more shrimp (need to see what kind my local fish store has) and probably a couple of platies or something in there, just to have some movement in the top layers.

Eta: Actually, maybe instead of throwing in platies, maybe I'll grow out fry instead.

 

[finchly]

Excellent plan. I would have chosen to tear it down/start over if it was mine - especially since you don't know what caused the crash in the first place.

 

[taxidermynerd]

Oh boy... Do y'all know what I found in the 5 gallon? Platy fry!!! 3 of them! The adults are already chasing after them My plastic plants are getting here tomorrow, as soon as I get them I'll put them in.

 

[taxidermynerd]

When I got up this morning, I checked and the fry are gone... The parents must have gotten to them. The plants are here though. I'm hoping to get that tank cleaned up soon.

 

[taxidermynerd]

Spotted a baby MTS! That's great! Snail breeding has been a success! All of my tanks also have ramshorn snails, but for some reason in my glofish tank (10 gallon), they're so much bigger! Maybe it has to do with the fact I hardly mess with that tank, I just recently changed the filter pad after close to a year of it being in there. And it was still pretty clean!

 

[finchly]

For future reference. If you don’t have a tank where you can move the fry, I used to cover the bottom of the tank with plastic canvas, the needlepoint canvas you get at the craft store or even Walmart. Leave about 1/2” space below it. Then over that I put tons of java moss. The fry either went down below the canvas or hid in the plants.

Show us your plants once you get them put in!

 

[WallyLoopey]

Our snails reproduced like crazy a few months ago. The kids were so excited when they saw that huge ‘alien’ egg sack!

It’s amazing how fast the baby snails grow! I think we have some as big as a fingernail now..and they were about pinhead size when they were ‘born’!

 

[taxidermynerd]

Lost a platy today. Don't know why, My guess it did the fact the tank is cycling.

The tank is empty now, I just have to rinse it out and then I can get it going again!

 

[taxidermynerd]

Gah. Busted the tank. Buying a new one tomorrow.

 

[taxidermynerd]

Tank has been up and running for a few days now, so I moved everyone back over! They're all very happy!

 

[Robert Schulz]

Do you have a water quality testing kit? One that includes an ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test. They are very helpful in keeping your fish from ammonia poisoning when the tank is first cycling. It's also great to monitor the nitrates to help gauge when you need to do water changes, generally when the nitrate level is above 40ppm.

 

[taxidermynerd]

Do you have a water quality testing kit? One that includes an ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test. They are very helpful in keeping your fish from ammonia poisoning when the tank is first cycling. It's also great to monitor the nitrates to help gauge when you need to do water changes, generally when the nitrate level is above 40ppm.

I do, yeah. The Api master kit, with ph, high range ph, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite. I've found in the past, that about 24 days is right for a tank to go from uncycled to cycled, ready for fish.