The Big Upgrade

[J-P]

can you add some foam or filterfloss around that intake?

[Mandabear]

can you add some foam or filterfloss around that intake?

I don't have any of either of those and all of the pet stores close in 9 minutes. . . He hasn't gone near it again since i ushered him away from it. . . Is there anything else that will encourage him to stay away from it or prevent him from getting caught?

[J-P]

just wrap that intake in something porus that will allow water flow but will keep it away ( an unused kitchen sponege cut to fit) until you can get a something better

[Brandon8521]

I would be carefull with useing a unused kitchen sponge some contain chemicals that can cause you some cycleing issues. I thought the other tank was cycled what are the exact parameters from the test you did. If your sponges do contain chemicals (alot of them do) try useing a very thin sock like dress socks or even panty hose.

[SammyDee]

I don't think the 5 gal was even cycled correctly. You need to still keep on your WC's frequent in the 30 g untill your nitrates are showing but below 20 and your nitrite is 0 and your ammonia is 0. Is there anyway you can get your old media back. Why'd you even replace it. Isn't the 5 gal fairly new. If it was getting soo dirty then your probably overfeeding. Puffers need slighly rounded belly not obese round bellys like a golf ball. For I'd test 2x daily and do wc daily until your water parameters are in check. Ammonia and nitrite is highly toxic. So is nitrate but the other two are way more toxic. Ammonia (poop/uneaten food) breaks down into nitrite and eventually converts to nitrate thru your beneficail bacteria. Wc wc wc daily till then.

[Mandabear]

I don't think the 5 gal was even cycled correctly.

I am certain that I cycled my 5 gallon tank correctly. For the first two weeks everything was perfect, until ammonia started to build up from the lack of sufficient space. This is not my first fish tank, only my first attempt to try to keep a puffer (in a tank I could maintain from my college dorm).

Unfortunately, Brutus passed away during the night. I woke up to find him resting on a leaf but clearly not breathing. I think the whole transfer was just too much of a shock to his weakened system. I am quite heart broken.

I do want to thank everyone that has given me helpful advice during this whole ordeal. I really appreciate how much I've learned in the last 72 hours.

[Hilly]

Really sorry to hear that.

[pufferpuggirl]

Awww.... that's sad. I am very sincerely sorry for your loss. At least you're better prepared if you choose to get another puffer.

[Mandabear]

Awww.... that's sad. I am very sincerely sorry for your loss. At least you're better prepared if you choose to get another puffer.

I don't think that I'm going to get another puffer. I'd rather not keep only one fish again because I don't think I want to get this attached.
But, one day I will have more when I have my own place and the space for a larger tank.

[pufferpuggirl]

I can certainly understand that.

[justinaskin]

Well I just was reading throught your thread.

And I was not expecting to read what was on page 3.

Sorry to hear... and I hope you get your tank figured out and get another.

[Pufferpunk]

The toxins must have dome permanent damage to him. Sorry for your loss... I am curious though, how exactly you cycled the 5g?

[Mandabear]

The toxins must have dome permanent damage to him. Sorry for your loss... I am curious though, how exactly you cycled the 5g?

I set it up with gravel and tap water. I tested our tap water before I did anything to it to get an idea of what I was working with. Here, we have almost no ammonia or chlorine and the pH is around 7.2 which is easy to work with. I started running the filter and used a neutral regulator (more like a basic regulator) to remove any ammonia, chlorine, and to raise the pH slightly to around 7.5. I used Nutrafin Cycle to speed up the establishment of the biological bacteria. The product says that it "allows for the immediate introduction of fish", but that's not why I bought it. I simply wanted to ensure that there wasn't a depletion of bacteria. I then let the tank run for three weeks, testing the water every day. I started to add in live plants after I got the temperature regulated (within the first week). At around 2 weeks there was a spike in ammonia (still fishless) up to about 0.5ppm and the nitrates and nitrites were still at 0. I just let it sit and continued to test daily. After three or four days, the ammonia dropped back down to zero and the nitrate level rose to around 2ppm. I waited another week while monitoring the water conditions and then added my GSP.

[lesleyanndunn]

aww im soo sorry you lost your wee fish

i recently went thru a similar thing, and my fish didnt make it either...

[Pufferpunk]

Sorry but your tank was not cycled at all. All Cycle contains is dead bacteria, it's junk.
For future reference: library/category/water-filtration/