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Hi! My name is Julia and I am new to having fish as well as to this Forum. I love pretty much all animals, yet never really wanted fish. I would admire other people's tanks, specially salt water tanks, but that was it. Then I ended up Betta-sitting for a friend while she was on vacation. Next thing I know, I found myself quite fond of the little guy. When my friend returned, she decided that I should keep the Betta.. which was delightful news to me! That took place in April, and for Mother's Dad I was given a cute little 5gal tank. Seveal days after setting up the new tank, my daughtetr picked out a Dalmation Molly for me and named him Pongo. (The Betta is Emilio -sp- by the way.. only becuase my friend thought that "he" was a "she" and called her Amelia..so I changed "her" name upon realizing that she was actually a HE..lol.)Anyway, the Molly and the Betta quickly became the best of friends and all seemed well. We were doing all that the pet store people told us to do, and testing the water regularly. Then a little under a month after introducing the Molly, he passed away. We're new to having a fish tank and though we had been doing research along the way, trying to do everything right, we were shocked to loose the Molly. We started digging more for info on what could have gone wrong. Once we decided that we had a pretty good idea of what we messed up on... we moved the Betta back to his original bowl for a while and cleaned the 5gal tank out completely and began to start everything over. (Vowing not to make the same mistake twice! Which meant not believing everything people at the pet store tell us!)
Anyway, we took our time making sure all was done right. Then after everything had been set up and running, including a live plant, for several days.. we brought home 2 platies. A Sunburst and a Twin Bar and put them in the tank with the Betta. (We moved the Betta over earlier that day if I remember correctly.)After the initial couple days of getting used to each other, all 3 fish seem to be well adjusted and very happy with one another. (My Betta sulked after the Molly passed.. it was so sad. I had no idea that fish could become lonely!)

Two weeks into the new tank set up, we noticed that the Nitrites were evelated. We had both read that this can be normal for a tank that is new, but having already lost one fish earlier, we wanted to be absolutely sure everything was ok. We bought a new testing kit.. the liquid master kit kind. We re-tested hoping that things looked better.. since we had also, in the course of two or three days, taken out and replaced about a gallon of water. These were the results from last night:

Amonia NH3/Nh4 0.50
Nitrite NO2 2.00
Nitrate NO3 5.00
PH 7.6
PH -High Range 7.4

After checking the PH and seeing that it was on the high side of that scale, we then tested the High Range and found that it was slightly lower.

Now, bare in mind, that we are NEW to all this and much of what we're reading in these tests doesn't do much in the way of explaining WHY things are the way they are and if things are ok. We understand that the amonia is turned into Nitrites.. and that in the course of cycling (which is yet another term I don't completely understand.. but am slowly catching on.)that the Nitrites can raise and eventually go back down as the tank is becoming more established.

My questions are these:

Are these water readings ok for a tank that is a little over two weeks old? (two weeks 4 days to be exact.)The nitrites have been higher than normal for almost a full week. How long does this normally last?

I have one living plant in the tank currently. It's not thriving as well as I had hoped, but my Betta loves this plant and rests in it often. So, all it's little leaves have been knocked off. The tips of the plant are now above the water level and are turning brownish. What can I do to help my plant? Also, in a 5gal tank, would it be ok to add another plant? If so, when would be a good time? Oh and I have fish tank gravel, is this ok for live plants? And sorry, I don't recall the name of the plant any more.

How long should I leave the fish tank light on daily? Does this help or harm the fish in any way? The light that we have is the one that came with the tank, so I'm sure it's nothing special.

Is there a way to feed my two Platies in which I can contain the flakes in a certain area longer while they eat? As it is now, I have to be very careful when feeding them because the food automatically starts to float over to the filter... even if I feed them in the opposite corner. Also, I have to feed my Platies prior to my Betta.. otherwise my Platies will snatch the Betta's pellets right out from under him! They normally spit it back out.. then chase it down..only to spit it back out.. and though this can be amusing to watch, the Betta's food will end up at the bottom of the tank. So I keep them entertained with their own food then feed the Betta. However, the Betta really likes their flakes too! I don't want him to over eat, anyone know of a trick that I don't know yet?? Feeding time is lots of fun!!! LOL!

I've been informed that we should set up a larger tank and that it would be easier than my 5gal tank. If I were to do this.. when should I do it and what steps would I need to take in order to make the transition non-stressfull for my fishy?

Also, we have the three fish in our tank currently.. when is a good time to add a bottom feeder. (I am thinking about small abino catfish?)Do I need to wait until my tank has cycled? Or would putting in another fish help right now? Not sure that it matters but my male Betta is a normal sized guy.. my two Platies are quite small.

Now, I'm not in any kind of rush, but I figure since I'm asking a ton of questions I might as well ask this one too. When should I consider adding another fish, other than the bottom feeder I menitoned above?

Well, I think that pretty much covers all my lingering questions... thank you for taking the time to read through and attempt to help me. I am looking forward to learning as much as I can here.

Thanks so much!!!










Julia

This article was written by Fish Tank in 2003. I think every question you asked is here or the reason for your concerns. I suggest you copy and paste it then print it it will become a very helpfull article for you.

Starting a new aquarium is an exciting experience, if you do it right. There are many things you have to do to make your aquarium stay healthy and your fish happy. First lets go through the things you will need.

1 Tank
2 Stand
3 Filter
4 Heater
5 Light
6 Aquarium safe gravel and Decoration

Of course there are many other things to buy but these are the most important so lets go through each of these pieces of equipment separately.

1. The Tank: This is obviously the most important pieces of equipment since, if you don't have a tank, where are you gonna put the fish? There are several things to consider when purchasing your tank.

Size. This is very important as it governs the amount and size of the fish you can put in it. The size of the tank is also governed by how much room you have in your house. I say get the largest tank your house and your budget will allow you. You'll never regret it
Weight. A fully setup fish tank with water, gravel rocks and ornaments weighs a lot. Make sure your floors will hold the weight. For larger tanks, it is a good idea to get your builder to check you floors to make sure they will hold the weight. Of course, this isn't a problem if you have concrete floors.
Budget. You may have a huge house and concrete floors, but if you don't have much money, your not going to get far are you? A large fish tank can initially cost a lot to set up, but after that, is very cheap and highly satisfying. If you don't have a lot of money, I suggest looking through your local classifieds paper or joining a local aquarium society or club. There is always someone wanting to sell his or her tank for various reasons (i.e. moving house etc)

2. The stand: This is a very important piece of equipment. The aquarium you buy may already come with a stand, you may want to build one yourself or you might even have something you want to put your new aquarium on. Just remember, what ever you put your aquarium on, make sure it can hold the weight. Most household furniture isn't strong enough to hold an aquarium and may bow or even break under strain; also, Your stand needs to be level, so keep that in mind.
3. The Filter(s): Filters are very important, they are a piece of equipment no aquarium should be without (excluding tanks under 5 gallons (~20 liters) as these sized tanks are quite hard to keep cycled (i.e. To maintain a balanced micro-flora ecosystem within your tank). Basically a filters primary job is to filter particulate matter out of the water column and provide ample space for nitrifying bacteria to grow, which metabolise ammonia and nitrite. When buying your filter, you need to make sure it is suitable for your size tank. No point in owning a six foot tank and using a weak and small filter is there? When you buy your filter, take a look at its flow rate and divide this into your tanks total volume. This will give you the turn over rate. It is a good idea to aim for around 7x turnover rate. For very large tanks, this may require 2 or more filters. Dont worry about going over as you can't really have too much filtration but you can have too much current. Stay away from under gravel filters (UGFs). Unless maintained properly, these filters are time bombs, the gravel clogs up with waste matter, current is slowed down dramatically in areas of the gravel, and anaerobic bacteria start to thrive in these places as oxygen levels are minimal, and this could cause many major problems such as disease or an unstable pH. I recommend canister filters. Although they are generally more expensive, it gives exceptional filter media volume compared to most other types of filters. Whatever type of filter you get, make sure it is the right size for your aquarium.

4. The Heater: This is only needed if you are making a tropical aquarium. Fully submergible heaters are recommended. Cheaper brands might not last as long as some of the more expensive brands leading to disastrous results. When purchasing your heater, again there are guidelines to abide to. A general rule for the size your heater(s) should be is 5 watts per gallon (e.g. A 20 gallon tank this would be one 100 watt heater or two 50 watt heaters). Keep in mind different fish species require different temperatures, and it my recommendation to research specific fish requirements before buying them, in order to know if they are suitable for your aquarium.

5. Lighting: Apart from helping you see your fish, this also helps your plants grow. If you don't have any plants, then one full-length tube should suffice. However, if you have a planted aquarium, you will need a certain amount of light. A good level of light for most beginners plants is 2-3 watts per gallon of lighting. In a 30 gallon aquarium, that would a total of 60 to 90 watts worth of light tubes/bulbs. Plants also require a certain band of spectrum in their lighting in order to photosynthesise properly. 6700 kelvin tubes should fine with most aquarium plants.

6. Aquarium safe gravel and Decoration: The most important thing is to make sure they are aquarium SAFE. If you buy your ornaments etc from a pet shop, they should be safe. Make sure there are no sharp edges on the gravel and the ornaments. To make sure your gravel won't change your water chemistry, drop a few drops of vinegar on your gravel and see of it fizzes. If it does fizz, this means the gravel probably contains calcium carbonate within it, and this will raise your tank water pH, so it may be best to replace the gravel with another type.


So, you have all your equipment, your tank is full of water and everything is going so now your ready to go to your pet shop and buy a whole lot of fish and dump them in. WRONG. There is one important step in starting an aquarium that most beginners don't know about. The nitrogen cycle. This basically means the conversion of ammonia, to nitrite, to nitrate by tiny bacteria in your filter, gravel and on the glass and ornaments. What? youre saying, I have to be a bio chemist as well? I am afraid you do. Luckily for aquarists, these bacteria are already in the water; we just have to help them grow. Lets take a trip to the pet shop and have a look at the fish. WOW you say, look at all these exotic fish. Lets take a look at the Danios first. These fish are very hardy and active and make good cycling fish, assuming you have a decent size tank a group of 6 of these will cycle your tank. There are other cycle hardy fish but these fish are known to be very, very hardy. So, you walk out the store proudly carrying your new Danios, hop in the car drive home and dump them in. WRONG. You need to acclimatise them first. You can this by floating the bag in the water of your tank for about half an hour, then slowly let some water in. after that you can let them swim out of the bag and into their brand new home. Or you can do it by pouring the water in the bag and the fish into an appropriately sized container, and using air-line with a knot in it, to siphon water into the container, and having it at a flow rate of a drop a second. Do this for an hour, and the pH, GH, KH and Temperature should be approximately the same, and then it is time to put the fish into the tank, I recommend catching the fish in a net and placing them into the tank, as there may be water borne diseases in the water from the pet store. I also recommend having the tank lights off when introducing a new fish.

So, it's been about a month, you've been taking your water to the petshop to get it tested (or using your own test kits) and there is no ammonia and nitrite, and nitrate is showing and your Danios are still alive and kicking, I mean, swimming... Now you want some more fish? Well, just remember, research, research, and research! Use the Internet, books, magazines and make sure the fish you like are compatible and don't grow huge. Stock your tank slowly with 2 week waits in between buying 2-3 fish (with the acceptation if you are buying small schooling fish, then I recommend buying 6 at one time as they may become stressed if in smaller schools and be more e to disease). Don't overstock your tank and you'll have a successful aquarium. Now hopefully you'll have researched enough to know what a safe stock level is. It is important to remember that fish do grow. And small aquariums DO slow their growth (in some cases their internal organs may continue to grow!), and shorten their life so the die a slow and painful death. Remember that, and your fish will remain healthy and live long, active lives.

I should mention maintenance of your aquarium. It is a good idea to change the water. This does not mean all the water, but PARTIAL water changes. I recommend changing 10% 20% per week, or 20% - 30% every two weeks. It is also recommended to gravel vacuum half your gravel every week.

Bye for now and look after your fish .



p.s thanx gomer for your help



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Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
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From all I have read here and online your betta dosent need a friend or company and is quite happy and content being alone. I myself thought my betta would like a friend but after all the reading I decided he is fine alone and he is thriving and very active and he has even come to know me and enjoys it when I pay attention to him.
A big bonus of leaving him alone in his 5 gallon tank is that the tank dosent get all yucky so fast.
I have a Eclipse 5 gallon hex with a bio wheel and all is going well.
Maybe just let him live alone and you become his friend.
Also, to keep him occupied make sure to change his tank around often, rotate decorations, move plants etc.
Bettas are cool. I love my lil guy.

Keithgh, thank you for your response. I had already searched through several of the older posts, including the one you suggested, looking for detailed answers to my many questions. I read it, even sent a copy to my husband. Yet, I still have many questions, which is why I wrote such a lenghty post. (In fact after having read that very post, I was left with even more detailed questions.) I'm new, and as helpful as a post like that can be, it also used words that I have no understanding of at this point. Take for instance the below:

*3. The Filter(s): Filters are very important, they are a piece of equipment no aquarium should be without (excluding tanks under 5 gallons (~20 liters) as these sized tanks are quite hard to keep cycled (i.e. To maintain a balanced micro-flora ecosystem within your tank). Basically a filters primary job is to filter particulate matter out of the water column and provide ample space for nitrifying bacteria to grow, which metabolise ammonia and nitrite. When buying your filter, you need to make sure it is suitable for your size tank.*

Wonderful, yet I have no idea what "a balanced micro-flora ecosystem" is, let alone how to achieve such a thing. And as for picking out the right size filter for your tank... well, my tank kit came with a charcol filter.. while researching and talking to people on other forums like this one, I am learning that this isn't what a tank needs.

So, can you see how even though that post is helpful in many ways.. if a person is truely new to all this, and desperately trying to get a good understanding of it all... it just doesn't answer everything. Great start though!! It helped me know what kind of questions I really needed to ask actually.

Thank you though.


Julia

Zookeeper... hi there. Thanks for your advice. My Betta had been by himself and seemed happy, but he truly enjoys other fish company as well. He still comes to the sides of the tank to visit me, just as he did before. I really don't have any concerns with where he's at.

You mentioned a bio wheel.. can you tell me more about
that? Such as how it works or what it works with? Is it an actual filter, or does it work with a filter?

Thanks again!!



Julia

To get a filter for a 5gl tank I would sugggest you go to a good LFS and see what they have.

Yes charcoal filters are not the best for a long term they can be used to help remove any medications after treatment has finished.
Is it possible to remove the charcoal and put in a sponge or filter wool? If you have to buy a new filter or replace the charcoal with filter wool there is a good chance you will go through a mini cycle. This can be prevented by placing the new filter wool into the tank for at least a week. You would also have to add a good Bacteria starter I Sera Nitrivic.
Some one here could suggest the type of filter that would be best for you as I am in Aust I cannot help you as type/brand name filter to use.

As far as a balanced tank it is basically the filter, heating, plants, substrate, water and the fish all work together to form a happy home. It only takes one or more of these to upset the balance of the tank.

I have read much about tank kits and reading between the lines many leave much to be desired. They usually are made to a price not to a quality tank.

Finally be carefull at some LFS being a newbee they can tell you many (untruths) and this will cause you many more problems have a good look around and find a reliable LFS. If you tell us where you are some one in area could help you that is if any FP members live in the same area or state.

The best thing to do is ask and keep asking as many questions as you want to.

I have had aquariums for 35+ years and been interested for over 60+ years. There are several members here also with similar experience also some members have excellent knowledge.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Keithgh.. I just noticed your latest reply.. sorry, some how I missed it earlier. (I've been at my computer for many hours now and I'm a little on the tired side, sorry)

Thanks for your info!! I think I fully agree with your statement about the kits being made not so much for quality as for a price range. My kit came with a carbon filter insert, so when it was time to replace it, we automoatically bought the same kind.

I live in Georgia -United States. We have several stores around here that sell fish, though I have not been impressed as to their knowledge. I've been given wrong info from several different people in two different stores already.

And by the way, if my earlier reply to your first response seemed blunt or rude, I am sorry. It was not my intent, I'm just flat out flustrated & desperate to get the answers to my questions. And I am bound and determined to keep on asking until I get the answers I'm looking for.

Now back to my filter issue.. thank you again for your help. I will continue to look into everything.

Have a great evening!


Julia

Okey dokey, I'll keep it simple.

The cycle , the process of bacterial maturation of the filter to the point where ammonia and nitrite are eliminated as a detactable toxin and nitrate is produced takes on average 21-28 days, and its better not to include any fish in the tank until that time is up, complete the cycle using chemical aids or pure ammonia if you can rather than using the fish to do it unless you want a risk of the fish dying from ammonia and nitrite exposure. 14 days would on average be far too soon to add fish unless you are using bacterial aids added to the water to complete the process early, and even then sometimes they dont take. The 14 day quote is your average level of fish shop BS, you learn to ignore such advice. To preserve this bacteria it is better to wash filter media in tankwater, not tapwater, and to not swap out all the media at the same time. Always use water conditioner.

The micro flora stuff just means have a cycled filter to reduce the ammonia and nitrite into the least toxic form, nitrate,and chuck some suitable plants in. They may help to reduce nitrate a little.lol

That cute little 5 gallon tank is not suitable for much more than a betta if the truth be told, its ridiculously easy to overstock, and liable to be fairly unstable as regards water quality, especially if any overfeeding, powercuts, late water changes occur etc.

The plant probably needed fertilizer, light, and a decent fine grade gravel for the roots to grow. It might also have been overtaken by diatomic algae. An algae shrimp like an amano might help keep the plant clean enough for it to survive, and it will eat leftovers from the fish too.You can add plants whenever you like as long as you use ferts.

Cories are shoaling fish, and that means that tank will be too small to house enough of them to have happy lives.

If you want a community have at least a 20 gallon, it will be much more stable and easier, and you might as well get onto setting it up straight away, since it will take as previously stated near on a month to cycle before the water quality is truly suitable for fish.

Beware that if you keep bettas with other fish they arent always the best competitive feeders.

Adding that many mollies that early on might have forced an ammonia spike, and that may have killed them, the betta is a tougher fish, capable of taking atmospheric air thanks to its labyrinth organ, thusly not as likely to die if ammonia damages gill tissue. Some mollies are a little overbred though, and consequently can be a bit fragile, it may not necessarily have been your fault.They are also a loosely shoaling fish incidentally.

As for a filter, try an eheim aquaball because the flow is adjustable, and if you want to run up to a 30 gallon tank, all you have to do is keep adding filter modules. Plus its really quiet, and food often just gets picked off the inlet surface, giving the fish a chance to feed.and you can put just about any media in it you like, sponges, carbon, active media, whatever, and its in sections so you can clean out a section at a time without killing all the filter bacteria. Sorted.

Fish like a photoperiod, ie: lights on for 12-14 hours a day, get a timer, set it up, and forget it.

For maximum success, add the fish last. Patience is a major virtue in fishkeeping.

Hope that is all clear and easy.

Part of your problem is your nearly overstocking your 5g and your missing the nitrate part of a cycle. Nitrites disapear because they get turned into nitrates. Then you need to test for nitrates and do water changes when they get too high for the rest of the time you have the tank setup. Nitrates are always present but plants will use up some of them and the rest are diluted by water changes.

5g tanks are not suitable for community tanks(which are basically any tanks that contain multiple species). Mollies are definitely too big and probably died from overstocking. Too much fish in too little area can cause various complications. No bottom feeders except possibly shrimp will fit in your 5g. If you want bottom dwelling and top dwelling fish your best off getting a 20g. If you just want to keep a couple fish like the 2 livebearers and your betta a 10g would be your best bet. You could have some shrimp or an applesnail for cleanup on the bottom, the betta, and 3-4 male livebearers. Don't get females or you'll be overstocked. With your 5g I probably wouldn't add anything else or you might risk water quality issues.

Bettas can eat tropical flake foods fine if necessary. I got a beat up betta left to die in a cracked, leaking cup at the store and he lived over a year in a 29g tank with various other fish all eating tropical flakes with occasionally some frozen foods. If feeding 2 different foods means overfeeding the tank you can skip out on the betta pellets or use betta flakes so even if the platies get to them first they actually eat them instead of leaving it behind. Platies will remain healthy on pretty much any type of food so you could also just feed betta flakes if you wanted. If you really have issues with the filter during feeding then just turn it off. Unplug it for a couple minutes but make sure not to leave it that way. The bacteria in the filter will start to die after 30-60mins ruining the cycle and the water inside the filter will turn toxic.

My favorite filters are aquaclears and penguins. The filters that come with kits usually aren't the best. Your better off replacing it with a better quality small power filter/hob. If you get a new tank or just a new filter you need to make sure to keep all the old filter media and everything currently in the tank for at least a few weeks. Either run both filters for a couple weeks or put the old media in with the new media in the new filter so the bacteria can establish on the new media. For moving to a new tank first fill it with enough water to make up for the amount not in the old tank(ie add 5g to a 10g), add water conditioner/dechlorinator, and bring the water temp up equal to the old tank. Then move everything from the old tank. Keep all the gravel, filter media, etc... and don't rinse it in plain tapwater. If you really need to you can rinse media or gravel in a bucket of dechlorinated water. The chlorine in tapwater will kill the bacteria and ruin the cycle. After you move all the gravel(add more of the same gravel if necessary), filters, and have the temp in the new tank equal to the old tank then drain all the water from the old tank into the new tank and move the fish. It should just seem like a big water change to them.

Julia
Not a problem at all.
By the look of the infomation you are now receiving it should set you up along way to be a happy fish keeper.

I had a Eheim Aquball and was not actually happy with it I now have the Eheim Click On/In 2008 it has a two flow system which is easly adjusted also it has a rotating directional head ( meaning the flow can be directed to where you want) The 2006 is good but does not have the same features. You might also find that some good filters like Eheim can be a costly as a package set up.
They both have sponge filters and are very easy to clean I do mine weekly I just wash the filter and sponge in the old tank water

Keep asking that is the only way you can learn. Sera have free booklets do a Google on them and see if they will send you some. They also did produce a FREE CD

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

WOW!! Thank you all sooo much! I am honestly starting to understand more and more with each new post. Some of the stuff that was so unclear to me is now making sense! Thank you!!!!

Let me make sure that I am clear on something though.. when setting up a new tank, I should have waited four weeks before adding fish? Yikes.. if that's the case, then I messed up both times. I thought that fish HAD to be IN the tank for the correct bateria to grow. In fact the LFS people told us we only needed to wait 48 hours before adding fish. We were also told that we could have 1 fish per gallon of water in a tank. So, I never once thought that having a Betta and 1 Molly (for the first month) would be a bad thing. And after the Molly died, and we set the tank up again, I still felt comfortable with having the Betta and the 2 Platies. (Now just in case there was any confusion, I have never had more than 3 fish in my 5 gal tank at one time.) So, is my tank, with the 3 fish in it now, overstocked? They all have so much room and the tank looks so empty.

My husband and I went to the petstore today to look at bigger tanks and stand... along with different filtering systems. We have a 10 gal here at home, but we're both thinking that we should just fore-go that one and get a bigger tank. (Maybe use that 10 gal tank as a quarantine or hospital if ever needed?)

Mollies are schooling fish? I didn't know that.

Thanks for all the information. I will definately refere back to it in the next few days.

Thanks again!!!!


Julia

Cycling times can vary a lot depending on how you go about doing the cycling.
BUT regardless of which method you use it is not safe to add anyfish until all the peramiters are correct.

Several points you have learnt extremly quickly dont always listen to advice from LFS unless you can fully trust them, also come here and get get good honest advice.

One thing I have done over the years is just walk around and look atb the tanks and listen to the salesperson if they are trying to sell fish or aquarium set ups.
Another thing I have done is ask several simple questions that they should know and if the answer is totally wrong go some where else or ask for someonewith more experience.
I think you will find that privatly owned LFS are usually the best as many chain type stores just place any person they can get to work in that area.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

You're so right about the LFS comment! I have gone in to a certain store several times, each time I have talked to some one different, and received completely different information. Very upsetting. Which is just part of why I went looking for forums like this.

Don't worry, I will NOT be adding anymore fish for a while. Besides, we're working on getting a larger tank as it is now, so no more fish until we all that situated. So, it's gonna be a while.

I am happy to report that my test results are looking much better these days!! We picked up a bottle of stuff that promotes the good bateria as well. My fish are happy looking, and doing wonderful from what I can tell anyway.

Thanks for all the great information. I feel alot better about everything.



Julia