New 55gal.

[ruman]

Anyway to soften an ammonia spike to fish? I didn't cycle appropriately ahead of time and have a few fish in. I am afraid the spike which is slowly growing(although I have a small spike in nitrite and nitrate already), will hurt/kill the fish.
Also, going to be cycling a 35 gal and wanting to use it for something else, such as an eel, or something interesting that has to be by itself. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Chase

 

[misfit]

welcome to the boards

!!!How big is the tank?What kind of fish are we talking about?I would do large frequent water changes,outside of taking the fish out of there, I think that is all you can do.

 

[alyssia]

You might want to try amquel to help your fish.
I'm not sure if a 35 gallon is big enough for an eel.

 

[alyssia]

I forgot, if you do too many large water changes if will mess up your cycle.

 

[cain420]

Originally Posted by Ruman
Also, going to be cycling a 35 gal and wanting to use it for something else, such as an eel, or something interesting that has to be by itself. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Chase
you will want to do some research on the eel you would like to keep. See what the special needs may be (certain water perameters, diet, water flow, filtration, etc). Local libraries have FREE books to read and there are lots of internet search engines.... knowledge on the type you want will help you raise him happily and successfully!

 

[ruman]

Yes, I have heard 35 is a bit small for an eel after the first year or two at which point I'd have no problem upgrading. Just bought a 55 gal for a species only tank and have an old 35 gal lying around from an old freshwater tank that I'd like to put to some use.
I am going to do a water change tomorrow and have the stupidest question ever. What is the best way you guys have found to do water changes? I have always done it using a gravel cleaner for awhile and that removes quite a bit of water, but I do not think it would work the same considering it's sand in my saltwater.
My ammonia is currently 1-2ppm, nitrite is about .5ppm, and nitrates are 20-40.
I really would like an octupus though and have been reading a lot on TONMO.com so may do that instead. Who knows, but I want to make sure this one is done right as I did spend a little bit in fish.
Thanks for helping to correct my mistakes,
Chase

 

[turningtim]

First make sure that your change water is identical to that in the tank. (Temp,salinity) Run a powerhead and airstone to mix the salt/water for 24 hrs befroe putting it in the tank.
Same deal as fresh water, just don't vac. siphon old out into buckets or python and replace with new.
Your trates are up there, I said do 15% tank volume and keep a close eye out on the tests.
HTH
Tim

 

[irish rage]

I use the hose off my old gravel filter and just start a syphon into a large rubber maid container I use only for this. Takes only a few minutes to syphon the 10-15 gallons I remove for my changes (55 gal tank). Then I begin to slowly pour the new pre-mixed water in being careful to not disturb the sand bed. Then if I accidently removed to much water I will top off with the water I originally removed. Once done I pour the old water down my toliet =)
Just make sure you use RO/DI water and not tap. Tap is one of the biggest mistakes a new person will usually make. It's a pain but find a store by you with a machine and invest in some large water storage containers. Carrying 15-20 - 1 gallon jugs gets a little ridiculous =)

 

[ruman]

Could you please reexplain what you mean by how to siphon out the water? Is there any problem just scooping it off the top?
So I should use a kind of manual gravel cleaner on the bottom of the tank to clean up the bottom and change the water?
Originally Posted by TurningTim
First make sure that your change water is identical to that in the tank. (Temp,salinity) Run a powerhead and airstone to mix the salt/water for 24 hrs befroe putting it in the tank.
Same deal as fresh water, just don't vac. siphon old out into buckets or python and replace with new.
Your trates are up there, I said do 15% tank volume and keep a close eye out on the tests.
HTH
Tim

 

[irish rage]

Do you have a sand bed or crushed coral? If you have crushed coral you will need to vaccuum it out during your water changes. Use the gravel cleaner and just dispose of the water when you are done.
By syphon we mean...stick the one end of the hose in the tank about half way and suck on the other end to get water flowing down. Just as it hits the 3/4 way point, point it at your bucket/container and bam instant drainer. Much quicker then emptying it pitcher by pitcher =)

 

[ruman]

Good call. Actually I'm not sure exactly what I have. I have 32 lbs of live sand and then 16 lbs of this stuff they sold at ***** that still had water in it with the stuff, and full shells also. I'm think thats crushed coral? Thats my mix. So basically, yeah I have sand so I do not think I can do the syphon that way. If thats the case, shall I just put the siphon in the middle of the tank and suck out water?
Thanks,

 

[turningtim]

Yes you may use the vac but I use just a pc of 3/4 tubing about 4-5" long. Put it in the tank and siphon to a bucket. this will cause less stress on your fish. You don't want to bail out the tank with a bucket. I don't think your fish would be in to that and there may be contamination on the bucket. get in the habit of keeping everthing as clean as possible and use things only for your tank. Don't put ANYTHING in there that is not nessasary.
HTH
Tim

 

[ruman]

Excellent, thank you. Lastly I have a 5.5 gal sitting next to my 55 gal. I put water, salt, water conditioner in, adjust salt to appropriate level. In the tank is also a very small Rio 90 to mix the salt/water, and also a heater to keep at the same level. As long as temp/salt matches, is this the way to make the water and put it in my tank?
Thanks.

 

[turningtim]

Yup! thats it. But I would suggest getting a decent size trash can to mix in. I use a 22 rubbermaid with 2 heads, heat and airstones to mix. Mix at least 24 hrs and test salinity again. If its good, change away.