The Puffer Forum

As far as the B-S to use, your tank is still basically FW. don't worry about making it BW right now. Get the tank cycled for a week or 2 1st.

Lisa, Please do! Then they won't need me.

just to be clear, i was talking about WWF... the forum i dont visit WWM unless i check out a FAQ

as for the parasites... what would i treat that with? just to be forwarned?

so i stuck some filter media from one of my other tanks into this one... heading out today to get more ( i KNOW the bacteria cant handle the bioload from these three....) and then i will slowlyy work on changing the media to what i want it to be.... so the difference between FW and SW bacteria is ONLY the salinity? the difference in minerals between marine salt and aquarium salt has no effect on the bacteria?

to them 1tbs/5g is the same if its marine salt or if its aquarium salt...

duh... sorry... so if i get this cycled with seeded media (faster that way right?) and then take a month or a month and a half to raise my salinity to BW... my bacteria will adjust?

i would really really like ot do this as humanely as possible LOL

thanks for being so patient!!

want4rain wrote:just to be clear, i was talking about WWF... the forum

Yes that's what I meant too. I'm at WWM several times a day returning emails, but I've never gone to the forum.

The fastest way to cycle that tank is w/Bio-Spira (highly recommended). With that extra bioload in the tank, it could take a really long time any other way.

Refresh my memory--WWF?

Please go to our Library & start reading. Most of your questions can be answered there. Great article on salt.

WetWebFotos

Duh... yeah.

gotcha. Freshwater Bio-Spira. NOT Marine......

Correct

bio-spira for 90g on its way!

any advice on how to best do this? i ordered "the big box" to be able to double up on doses..... will it last through that?

What do you mean by "double up"? Are you gonna give 2x the dose, or dose twice? Be sure to pour it directly into the filter & refrigerate any left over.

dose once when i get it, half the contents for a 90g tank.
regridgerate.
24h later dose the second half.

and yes, straight into the filter. im reading about filtration from your library (fantastic by the way).

i picked this tank up from a friend, so all of the equipment is hand me downs (in great shape) not entirely sure what KIND of HOB filter this now how many g per hour BUT id really like to hunt around and figure out what kind of media i want to put in it. was never an issue with my guppies.... they arent as demanding

some finer points of bio-spira.... had another woman using it. when she added it to the tank, there was NO ammonia. she ended up having a 2.0ppm ammonia spike shortly after adding the fish(not unusual i hear). will the small amounts of ammonia help work this faster?


also *dismayed* of my 3:
1of3 is thin and not eating. he doesnt seem to be very good at catching shrimp. but he trys. will not eat flake food... he has stress circles near his anal fin.
2of3 is fat and wont or simply HASNT eaten any shrimp. has eaten flake food. he has stress spots near his anal fin.
3of3 ate a shrimp yesterday. ate some flake food this morning. has no stress lines or spots. is looking fat and happy.

i see NO fin nipping (would almost feel better if they were a little annoyed at each other)
i put two more ghost shrimp in the tank last night. hard to find but last i checked (this morning) both were still in the tank. 1of3 made a jab at a shrimp earlier tho.
heading out this morning to get some snails to see if that doesnt go over a little better. i dont plan on feeding again until atleast one of them poops. unless you tell me otherwise.
im treading as carefully as i know how here

thanks guys, i really appreciate the quick response

-ash

If your friend didn't add the fish immediately after the B-S, the bacteria will die off. Adding the fish later, will then cause ammonia.

I would stop feeding flakes (not very nutritious) and pick up some frozen foods i.e. bloodworms. My old Fig 8s loved them. this will get their appetites going. They are easier to catch (they are dead so they don't run away as fast ) I would continue feeding them and see if you can get the thin one the eat. then watch to see if they poop. if they don't have anything in their them, there is nothing to poop.