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Re: newby needs help with tank
Sounds like a healthy, cycling (even if it is WAY to small for your fish) tank going through an algae bloom. As the bacteria does it work, it should clear on its own. 50% weekly water changes and gravel vacs are a must, especially for your maturing small tank and its large bio-load. Fish produce lots of waste and they can't just "flush" it away so we have to do it for them. Not only will it help control algae, but most importantly it dillutes any toxins (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates) and helps prevents diseases that can and will kill your fish if not controlled.
changing water...
So I know everyone always says to change the water every so often, but I havent and though my tank does go through 'green cycles' my fish seem to be thriving better now then they ever did when I changed the water. It just seems like if you can deal with the green for a bit and your fish dont mind it, you should let it cycle by its self so long as there is decent filtration it should be fine.
Re: changing water...
unless disease is what you are looking for, don't listen to this.^^^^cichlids can live for 10+ years and there is no way the fish in this guys tank will last anywhere near that. dirty water and high nitrates are toxic and are a factor in many diseases like hole in the head, intestinal parasites, flukes and many others. the easiest way to avoid learning the names of fish disease is to do weekly or biweekly water changes.
the "green cycles" are algae blooms from high nitrates. green water is also another symptom of high nitrates.
water changes are very important and your tank is way too small so that makes it even more important. smaller tanks are much harder to keep because the water can change dramaticly in a short period of time. for new fishkeepers, you should always get the biggest tank you can afford and have space for. it is even safer in a power outage. the water temp will take longer to drop and it will take longer for your water to get foul.
Fish is breathing Hard
I have four BP and just afew days ago I saw one of them breathing very hard the mouth is always open.Patchie eats well and she keeps chasing the other ones away.
I have made out of beer glasses, two down and one on top ( like a prymid) of it with aquarium glue, so that the blood parrots can go in the glasses when ever they want to hide.I have two pyrmids.I was told it was not healthy to use glasses to make the tank look nice and a nice seperate room fo each of them. Please help
Re: Fish is breathing Hard
almost all bloodparrots mouths are always open. they cannot close them. glasses are fine to use, you just need to rinse them very well to make sure there is no soap on them. there is a 90% chance that your tank is made of glass. who told you it was bad? what was the reasons they gave for it being bad? when fish are active their gills move faster. check for ammonia and nitrite in your water. how big is your tank? how long has it been setup? how often and how much water do you change?
tank size
you are going to need a bigger tank, one BP needs 30 galls
Easy does it!!!let bacteria& oxygen do the work for you!
if you don't have to many fish, and you don't over feed your.... fish you need to do very little.
Cloudy/smelly water is normal for a new tank. The nitrogen cycle has to be established. You shouldn't even have to test your water unless it is a new unestablished tank. just add tap water, a water conditioner to remove chlorine, and something with "live bacterica" such as niroban, a fliter with carbon, stone(oxygen pump...tubbing..air stone.), and fish!
if the ph is wacky try a chemical called "bulls eye 7.0"!
test the water if the amonia is really high you can add an amonia remover. if the water is really foamy on top for days do a partial 25% water change once a week for the first month. don't vacum the botttom yet, because his is where the bennificial bacteria live(also live in filter). after the second month you can do th 25% change monthly and replace the filter bags every 90 days or longer if your fish don't look like they are breathing hard or your water doesn't stink badly.
patience is key! It'll look cloudy and stink for the first month or two...that is normal!
The more you try to fix it yourself the worse it''ll get your fish will probubally die. Just let it go. the key is to not over feed!!!!
Let natural bennificial bacteria and oxygen do all the work for you.
Newby needs help with tank
Hi welcome to our world!Keep testing and doing water changes, its all a learning curve, I suggest a partial water change every third day until clear and stable
Sounds like your tank is
Sounds like your tank is still going through the nitrogen cycle since the tank is newly set up. The cloudiness is probably due to a bacteria bloom as previous poster said. Test your water for ammonia and nitrites so you know when to do water changes. A build up of either of these will kill your fish. Once your tank is fully cycled there will be no presence of either.
newby needs help with tank
Water changes are good 20% at a time and make sure your adding declorinator like stress coat. Just a bit takes out chlorine. Sometimes cloudy water is bacteria bloom if you want to research it.
New Book to recommend ( available online and at petsmart that is so good to explain on important water changes are and all questions:
The Simple guide to freshwater aquariums by David Boruchowitz. So good I really learned a lot from it.