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First Guppy tank in 30 years | 6 comments (6 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Will post online for some "starter" bact (none / 0) (#2)
by sfguppy on Mon Oct 13, 2003 at 05:16:05 AM PST

Uncle Scott, We have a wonderful posting board in San Francisco: craigslist.com. I will post on there to see if anyone has some starter bacteria to help me get it going. I will try to get by a pet store tomorrow to see if I can get some of the products you suggested. Oh, the size of my tank - only 2.5g to start - - wanted to get the hang of it before I invested more money and possibly killed fish unnecessarily. I have a Whisper charcoal filter thingy - - one the side of the tank, runs water over a charcoal filled bag. As far a heater, I bought one, have gotten the temperature stabilized at a little over 75F thanks, Joey

[ Parent ]


There are some commercial bacteria (none / 0) (#5)
by unclescott on Mon Oct 13, 2003 at 09:10:58 PM PST

starters. However they may cost mucho dinero and several people (I have no experience here) worry about the "freshness date" factor - that those products may have stayed on the shelf at the wholesaler and retailer too long to be as effective as they initially would be.

I suppose it would be fairest to contact a manufacturer and ask them.

In the meantime, the gravel, "slightly driven" filter floss or water from an established, healthy tank might be easier to come by. Somewhere in this world I have about 7 three gallon carboys. One is at home. The others were filled with starter water or R.O. water which I sent home with friends. In time I know they will be returned - maybe when more water is needed. ;)

That does me a service too in that by giving away water from that tank, I have to change in some more clean water. :)

It is almost impossible to do a partial water change too many days.

The activated charcoal is good for a few days to two weeks as an "Adsorber" of ammonia. As surface area gets taken up, it become ineffective for that purpose. The charcoal could help by providing surface as a biological filter or as drainage at the bottom of a flowerpot.

I'm a bad influence in that I keep suggesting ways for people to spend more of their time and money. (Ya shoulda see me at this auction yesterday.)

But a 10 gallon (really a little over 8.5 gallons or a little over 30 liter) tank or (even better) a "20" gallon tank are better starter tanks. They are much more stable and less likely to get polluted, chilled, too acidic, or otherwise out of control compared to a 2.5.

The smaller the container, the easier it is to kill fish.

I still have about a dozen 2.5s in service, but my fish are much healthier in larger tanks. They are less aggressive in larger tanks. Their movement in larger tanks verges upon the poetic. Plants grow better in larger tanks. And many more fry survive and grow proportionately larger, more quickly in those larger tanks.

And here is the really startling part: because of supply and demand in most American markets, a 10 gallon tank costs about the same or even less than a 2.5 or a 5.5!

[ Parent ]



Another item I suggest... (none / 0) (#3)
by guppygirl on Mon Oct 13, 2003 at 11:15:15 AM PST

is a water test kit.  Something that tests for nitrite, ammonia, and pH, at least. This will help you watch the nitrite cycle develop, and help you in the future.

Actually, the smaller tanks are harder to maintain, water chemistry wise, I find. But once they are established, they are as good as any.

I am mostly worried about the amount of the ammonia building in such a small tank though.
You will need to ack quickly to quell that.

A friend of mine puts ammo-chips in her bags of fish when she ships them.  It maybe worth a shot to add some in a net bag, or piece of cheesecloth to help for a week or so.

Best of luck,
and welcome to Guppylog!!!
:-)

[ Parent ]



First Guppy tank in 30 years | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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