|
 Larrythescaryrex
teardrop on the fire
Registered: 07/20/00
Posts: 10,720
Loc: further down the spiral
Last seen: 5 days, 18 hours
|
 50 gallon fish tank 
#16752287 - 08/29/12 05:01 AM (8 months, 14 days ago) |
|
|
so I recently got a 50 gallon tank I found at the second hand store with a nice wood stand for like 15 dollars, so I had to buy it.
About a month has gone by and the water chemistry is all wacked out still. I have a betta in there because I know they can hack it, be he's even been acting weird for the last 24 hours or so. My issue seems to be be nitrates and nitrites.
Any idea on how to take care of this, I am using a product called prima already. Sometimes I think that fish tank chemicals are crap.
--------------------
Sunset_Mission said:
"larry the scary rex
verily scary when thoroughly vexed
invoke the shadows and dust, cast a hex
mercifully massacring memories masterfully
relocate from Ur to 8th density and become a cosmic bully
mulder and scully couldn't decipher his glyphs
invoke the shadows and dust, smoke infernal spliffs"
April 24th 2011
|
Sundrop
Registered: 01/23/05
Posts: 1,833
Loc: tennessee
Last seen: 1 day, 11 hours
|
|
Look up fishless cycle..or you can cycle with fish. You just need to start the cycling by introducing a source of ammonia, which your fish will do. It will take awhile to cycle it with just one fish, though.
|
Larrythescaryrex
teardrop on the fire
Registered: 07/20/00
Posts: 10,720
Loc: further down the spiral
Last seen: 5 days, 18 hours
|
 Re: 50 gallon fish tank [Re: Sundrop]
#16764113 - 08/31/12 06:03 AM (8 months, 12 days ago) |
|
|
I put a betta in because they don't have gills and thus are hardy against bad chemicals. My nitrites and nitrates are still to high. I've put a bottle of beneficial bacteria in it.
--------------------
Sunset_Mission said:
"larry the scary rex
verily scary when thoroughly vexed
invoke the shadows and dust, cast a hex
mercifully massacring memories masterfully
relocate from Ur to 8th density and become a cosmic bully
mulder and scully couldn't decipher his glyphs
invoke the shadows and dust, smoke infernal spliffs"
April 24th 2011
|
Mycowlogist
Freethinker
Registered: 06/29/08
Posts: 525
Loc: in a galaxy far far away....
Last seen: 3 months, 16 days
|
|
I would go to your local fish store and buy some feeder goldfish. Spend $1-$2 and buy 10 feeder goldfish. Since you can test the water, do partial warter changes when the water starts looking ugly. Once done set the feeder goldfish free somewhere or give them away whatever.
Do you have any gravel in the tank? Just making sure you have something for the happy bateria to grow.
What are you going to put in?
--------------------
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Honest Abe
|
fungiamongi2
pharmer
Registered: 03/10/05
Posts: 1,042
Last seen: 1 month, 15 days
|
|
run the fishtank water through some plant roots to filter. aquaponics. easy
--------------------
gonna bring her a kiss, make those blues run
|
 ToiletDuk
Give me Librium or give me Meth!
Registered: 05/17/03
Posts: 81,198
Loc: Earthfarm 1
|
|
Might I suggest a good water change?
--------------------
|
Larrythescaryrex
teardrop on the fire
Registered: 07/20/00
Posts: 10,720
Loc: further down the spiral
Last seen: 5 days, 18 hours
|
Re: 50 gallon fish tank [Re: ToiletDuk]
#16775138 - 09/02/12 08:24 AM (8 months, 9 days ago) |
|
|
NITRIATSSS
I know what I must do. Live plants.
--------------------
Sunset_Mission said:
"larry the scary rex
verily scary when thoroughly vexed
invoke the shadows and dust, cast a hex
mercifully massacring memories masterfully
relocate from Ur to 8th density and become a cosmic bully
mulder and scully couldn't decipher his glyphs
invoke the shadows and dust, smoke infernal spliffs"
April 24th 2011
|
Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!
Registered: 01/22/03
Posts: 168,340
Loc: Pvt. Pubfag NutSuck 
|
|
Quote:
Larrythescaryrex said:
I put a betta in because they don't have gills
they do have gills but like goldfish they can make use of air above the
waterline so it allows them to live in oxygen depleted water
--------------------
there are 923 words in the english language that do not follow the "I before E"
rule, there are 44 words in the english language that follow the rule. this is
the shit our education funding is paying for and these liberals want more money
for education to keep making students stupid
|
Yrat
Hello
Registered: 11/08/07
Posts: 2,030
Last seen: 1 day, 1 hour
|
|
this should go without asking, but... you never know..
do you have a filter on the thing?
1 beta in 50 gal? and high nitrates? how much are you feeding the thing?
go buy yourself a canister filter. if you don't have one running yet, you need to do some research on what it takes to keep a fish tank.
--------------------
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil
to one who is striking at the root."
-Henry David Thoreau
Strike The Root
|
One Love
Shroomie Student
Registered: 07/02/12
Posts: 124
Loc: SW FL
Last seen: 1 month, 24 days
|
Re: 50 gallon fish tank [Re: Yrat]
#16808464 - 09/08/12 12:40 AM (8 months, 4 days ago) |
|
|
You haven't told us - how is your betta acting? :o
|
Shins
Fun guy
Registered: 09/15/04
Posts: 11,272
|
|
you need your tank to cycle for a but to build up the ecosystem. get some live plants from the pet store and add a little bit of fish bit of food in there every day. Since your tank is so large, it might take a couple months for the microbes to multiply to a healthy level.
dont use any of that starter liquid you can buy, its all dead and useless. all you need is a little bit of live microbes from somewhere and some shit from them to eat to get the cycle going.
You could also use a couple "starter fish" to speed it up, but they might die, so make sure they're tough.
|
Shins
Fun guy
Registered: 09/15/04
Posts: 11,272
|
Re: 50 gallon fish tank [Re: ToiletDuk]
#16813214 - 09/08/12 09:33 PM (8 months, 3 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
ToiletDuk said:
Might I suggest a good water change?
You should never do a 100% water change or 100% cleaning of the tank, 50% at most.
the algae and gunk are a part of a healthy tank.
Also watch out for snails on live plants you buy, i got some snails for fun and they ended up reproducing very fast and i had hundreds in no time.
|
Larrythescaryrex
teardrop on the fire
Registered: 07/20/00
Posts: 10,720
Loc: further down the spiral
Last seen: 5 days, 18 hours
|
Re: 50 gallon fish tank [Re: Shins]
#16838510 - 09/13/12 12:54 AM (7 months, 30 days ago) |
|
|
betta still swimming around. nitrates still high.
Hooray for labrynth organs.
--------------------
Sunset_Mission said:
"larry the scary rex
verily scary when thoroughly vexed
invoke the shadows and dust, cast a hex
mercifully massacring memories masterfully
relocate from Ur to 8th density and become a cosmic bully
mulder and scully couldn't decipher his glyphs
invoke the shadows and dust, smoke infernal spliffs"
April 24th 2011
|
Larrythescaryrex
teardrop on the fire
Registered: 07/20/00
Posts: 10,720
Loc: further down the spiral
Last seen: 5 days, 18 hours
|
|
its all about live plants. works better than any chemicals or bacteria you can buy
--------------------
Sunset_Mission said:
"larry the scary rex
verily scary when thoroughly vexed
invoke the shadows and dust, cast a hex
mercifully massacring memories masterfully
relocate from Ur to 8th density and become a cosmic bully
mulder and scully couldn't decipher his glyphs
invoke the shadows and dust, smoke infernal spliffs"
April 24th 2011
|
distortion
Registered: 12/11/02
Posts: 595
Last seen: 1 month, 16 days
|
|
DO NOT do a water change until your water is completely cycled!! Meaning wait for the nitrates to spike then fall, then the nitrites to spike and fall, and then the ammonia to spike and fall. ONLY THEN are you allowed to do a water change, otherwise you're only prolonging the initial cyling process.
I believe 100% that bottled beneficial bacteria from a trusted brand is completely effective. I always start a new aquarium by adding a bunch of dr foster & smiths Colonize, then I immediately add a few fish. I've been doing this for years with absolutely not one problem.
As someone mentioned, live plants will eat some of the nitrates. Although, regarding your initial cylce, you actually want the nitrates to spike, so it's not a concern to try to lower them, so long as you're providing beneficial bacteria. Forget the plants until after you're done cycling.
And I agree you'll want sufficient filtration to circulate and oxygenate the water.
I personally dont like putting feeder fish in my aquarium, because many of my local fish store's feeders tend to carry parasites, and I suspect other stores may be similar.
You could go to your local fish store or even better a friend's (healthy) aquarium and buy a few pounds or more of their gravel to put in your tank to help establish the healthy bacteria colony naturally.
And as someone mentioned, be sure that you have gravel in your aquarium to provide surface area for your bacteria to colonize. I would also recommend putting in some decoration rocks or fake plants or whatever decoration you like for added surface area.
|
|
Images only 
Threaded
Previous
Index
Next
Edit 
Reply 
