Here is my new tank

[bluemax01]

Hello

I am new at keeping an aquarium and have established this tank. Its been up for 3 weeks. However, I upgraded the filtration on Monday so its like starting over. The tank is 20 gallon with an Aqueon 20 (125gph) filtration system. The upgrade was from a 100 gph filtration. The fish..

6 neon tetra 1 inch each
2 Dalmation Lyretails about 2 inches each
2 Potbelly Mollies 1 inch each
2 albino cories 1 inch each
3 Rosey Barbs 1 inch each
2 live plants

They all get along well.
I change 10% water each week. Feed 2 times a day.

I am thinking of replacing a ocino sp?? pleco that was ill. I thought he was dead, since he appeared a little bloated, lethargic, and floated on his side and upside down. I flushed him.

Any thoughts... Is it OK to add a new small pleco?

Thanks

[wesleydnunder]

The tank is new so the biological filter is likely still trying to establish itself; what is commonly called cycling. Having the tank fully stocked while the tank is cycling can be lethal to the fish. Ammonia levels can quickly get to lethal concentrations in uncycled aquaria. Do you have a test kit? If not, I'd suggest getting a Freshwater Master Test Kit made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. You will need to test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as the tank cycles. Ammonia should be kept below 1ppm when cycling with fish. This can be accomplished normally with partial water changes. If your tapwater contains ammonia or chloramines then an ammonia neautralizer like Prime or Amquel+ can be used. Sometimes large-scale frequent water changes need to be done to keep ammonia and nitrite in check during cycling. When your tank is fully cycled, ammonia and nitrite will read zero and nitrate will increase. I would not add any more fish until the tank is completely cycled. After that a small pleco species like bristle-nose could be safely added.

Mark

[bluemax01]

Thanks...
I did test strip with the 5 in 1 and everything was fine prior to changing to the bigger filtration. Its just been 2 days so I have not checked it again. I will tonight. The 5 in 1 does not check ammonia so i will pick up some strips. I am waiting for some 6 in 1 that I ordered but they have yet to get here.
My thought was that since I added the new filter, I should not do a water change so that the bioligicals will build in the new filter faster. It sounds like I might be thinking wrong.
Thanks for your feedback.

[supadave]

When you say "upgraded" the filtration....was the old filter broken or did you just want to use a bigger filter . I asked this because if the old filter was not broken...you could have just left it on the tank and that way you would not have to go through another cycle . Also , if you know someone who has an established tank......they may be able to let you have and old filter cartridge . Just a thought .

[wesleydnunder]

Thanks...
I did test strip with the 5 in 1 and everything was fine prior to changing to the bigger filtration. Its just been 2 days so I have not checked it again. I will tonight. The 5 in 1 does not check ammonia so i will pick up some strips. I am waiting for some 6 in 1 that I ordered but they have yet to get here.
My thought was that since I added the new filter, I should not do a water change so that the bioligicals will build in the new filter faster. It sounds like I might be thinking wrong.
Thanks for your feedback.

Your beneficial bacteria do not multiply in the water column. They colonize and multiply on surfaces so adding more water turnover in a new filter won't necessarily speed things up. Also, test strips are not very reliable. A liquid reagent test kit Like the AP I mentioned or a Hach kit will give you more accurate readings. The AP kit will be easiest to find. Not doing a water change to allow ammonia to build to a higher ppm can help the biofilter bacteria grow to levels larger than keeping the ammonia at less than 1 ppm. The problem with doing that is it's not safe for your fish. People doing fishless cycles commonly keep the ammonia in the tank at 3 to 5 ppm to encourage filter growth.

Mark

[jarrodaden]

I would also recommend a 33% - 50% new water during your weekly changes. I assume you know about the drops needed to treat new water.

[bluemax01]

Got an Ammonia Kit

I did get an ammonia kit and tested. It was high 4.0+ so I did a 3 gallon water change. Probably will do another 3 gallons tomorrow. I do have a de-chlorinator that I use for the water changes.
Thanks for your suggests

[Mzungu]

I'd definitely keep up with the small water changes. Ammonia is really hard on fish - which is why so many hobbyists get so discouraged when they first start out and their fish keep dying. But ammonia is simply the first part of the cycling of a new tank.

I'm very glad you got an ammonia test kit - that will be priceless for you, as will the 5-in-one that you also have.

Like I said, keep up with the small water changes. The goal in the first few weeks of your tank's setup is to keep the ammonia low so that the fish don't suffer (or die) but also to keep a small-but-detectable level in order to foster the growth of the subsequent bacteria in the cycle, which will convert ammonia to nitrite, which is a less-toxic substance. In the end, you will end up with 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, which means your tank has cycled.

Like some have said, if you have someone nearby that can loan you some filter media from their long-established tank, that would speed up the process exponentially. But if not, keep up with the small water changes and keep testing the water. Once you see a detectable amount of nitrIte, you're on your way! The ammonia should soon subside to 0, and you should see a rise in nitrAte in the very near future.

Good luck, and please keep us updated!