!!!! Urgent Post !!!! PLEASE REPLY!!!!

[timsedwards]

hI GUYS,
You may rmb from an earlier post I am changin my substratem well i am in the midst of putting the sand in and the water is not clearing and the I found all sorts of rubbish like leaves in there!!
The surface hasna slight foamy residue in places, the result of adding sand and will clear quickly or what?
The main issue here is how long will my fish and corals last in plastic bags with ample air?
Please guys im desperate here!!!

 

[buzz]

Well, I don't know about the leaves and such, but the cloudiness will go away. I don't supposed you rinsed the new substrate first, did you? If not, that would account for some extra cloudiness. It should go away. That also is not necessarily harmful to the fish. What kind of substrate did you end up going with?
Just net the leaves, etc...
I would be more concerned with a lack of swimming room and air for the fish. I wouldn't think more than a few hours in those bags, as if you were acclimating a new fish.

 

[timsedwards]

Yes it seems to be clearing slowly, froth seems to be sediment, leaves have been netted.
They have been in bags for coming upto 2 hours now, but I dont know when it will be ok to put the fish in? Will they mind the cloudiness? Should I leave it as loing as possible? Is there anything I can do to the fish in the bags to make them comfier? " perculiars are in polystyrene contained with quite a bit of room, can they last longer?

 

[jarvis]

run some carbon for a few hours. It should work like magic. How did you get leaves in there?

 

[timsedwards]

God only knows but I am not impressed, they were just in this bag. The other bag was fine however. I have some carbon somewhere but I have no bags or anything to put it in?!?!?

 

[timsedwards]

damn it! I have no carbon.

 

[buzz]

The cloudiness won't necessarily hurt the fish. Don't panic. The carbon isn't mandatory. It will just speed up the clearing process.

 

[timsedwards]

OK, my own damn fault for running out. OK, so is the best thing to do is (despite cloudiness) test the water for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and salinity and providing that isnt lethal, put the fish in there? How long will they last in the bags and the polystyrene container is what i really need to know!

 

[timsedwards]

Also how long will my corals last in plastic bags, I presume they are not fussed about how much space they have to swim in

 

[buzz]

It depends. There is no set answer. Re-acclimate them with the water from the tank, so they gradually get used to it again. My tank was cloudy for a good 24 hours with my fish in there, and they were all fine.
Definitely test the water. Keep the mesh bags of the old gravel in there as a bio filter. I would not keep the fish in bags for more than a few hours. If it has been 2 all ready, you may want to start to get the process rolling.

 

[timsedwards]

OK (see posts above you jsut missed)
I have no mesh bags, but there are small amounts of gravel still there. Tests are being done now, as soon as i get all clear I will start mixing the water

 

[timsedwards]

OK cool, not worried about cloudiness at the mo, just annoying
What im more worried about is my water conditions. I also did d 20% water change at same time, and presently the results are:
Nitrite - 0.1-0.3mg/l
Nitrate - 10mg/l
Ammonia - still waiting (takes 10 more mins)
Salinity - 1.019-1.020
Any suggestions?

 

[buzz]

Well, I hope you have enough in the tank that has beneficial bacteria on it to keep the tank from spiking. That is why I recommended keeping some of the gravel in bags in the tank.
The corals me be able to last longer, but they are still alive, so they can't be there indefinitely.
You probably still have some time left before it becomes crucial you get everything back in.

 

[buzz]

You have nitrite levels? If so, you may have ammonia too. Could just be a small spike. You remember that liquid cycle stuff everyone said to stop using? IMO, I would use some now to help speed up any spiking and keep it to a minimum. Then discontinue after.
It may just need a little time to settle down...wait a little while longer before starting to add fish back. And, if your ammonia comes back high, and you are near an LFS, maybe they can babysit your fish and corals for a few days until all settles out.

 

[timsedwards]

OK i hope so too
What about my results? baring in mine i have literally just changed water etc, i know a lot lies on ammonia, but should i start mixing? I am going to check ammonia results now.
Oh yeh, what is spiking exactly?

 

[timsedwards]

OK sorry Buzz, what does IMO and LFS mean? Im not up with this talk!
When you say babysit my fish, do you mean taking them to shop with a begging mat?

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

IMO= im my opinion
LFS=local fish store

 

[buzz]

Sometimes major changes like this can cause a mini cycle. A spike is simply an increase in levels.
LFS is local fish store.
IMO is In My Opinion.
I mean that sometimes, fish stores here in the US will keep your fish in an established tank for you until your tank is ready for them.

 

[timsedwards]

OK thanks for that guys, now i know
I will certainly contact my local fish store tomorrow very first thing (may have to pull a sicky at work tomorrow!), ammonia levels are through, not quite as bad as i feared, 0.1 maybe 0.2 mg/l
Start mixing water?

 

[buzz]

While all ammonia levels and nitrite levels are bad, those may subside fairly quickly as they are low. I would still add some of the liquid bacteria now.
I can't say that these levels will definitely not harm anything, but you may be OK. Maybe just wait a little while longer for things to settle a bit more.