FAQs About Vacations and Freshwater Systems, Livestock Related Articles: Moving Freshwater Systems, Treating Tapwater for Aquarium Use, General Freshwater Maintenance, Related FAQs: Moving Freshwater Systems, Avoid the "chalky" food "blocks"... they're worse than worthless... No food value and pollute your tanks.

Cycling, on nitrite spike, going out of town   6/18/06
Greetings WWM folks!
<Cris>
I've got a 10g planted tank (w/ Eco-Complete) that is on the nitrite spike part of the cycle, NH4 not all the way down yet. I will be away
for 10 days and have a friend who will stop by to feed the three Corys (C. habrosus) every couple of days. I'm trying to figure whether to
assume that the cycle will complete soon, or to put in some zeolite and risk it stalling/clobbering the cycle, or to ask my friend to
check the Ammonia Alert and put in the zeolite if there's a spike.
<I would just be very, very light on feeding... like "one flake" per, per day>
The third seems like the best plan to me - any thoughts?
Thanks for all the good information,
Cris
<Just good guessing here, but this is what I'd do. These Corydoras won't starve, but might easily be poisoned by over-feeding boosting nitrite concentration (I would not have placed them in an uncycled system). Bob Fenner>

Aquariums During A Vacation  - 02/25/06
Dear Wet Web Media, You have a great website, which  I have been using constantly with my new aquariums.  I have a couple of questions I would like to ask. I will start with my 27 gallon aquarium.  I have a Emperor 280 Biowheel filter, a 100 watt heater keeping a temp. of 78 degrees, and fake plants. Our fish include: 2 Angel fish,1 Powder Blue Gourami,1 Dwarf  Gourami  (It is just a orange-red color with white and orange-red fins.  The LFS said it was a Neon Red Gourami, but while researching I have questioned that it isn't a Sunset Gourami), 2 Guppies, 2 Yoyo loaches, 1 Bumblebee Goby (I know it is supposed to be brackish water.  I was told at the local fish store that they could be either freshwater or Brackish.  I already have the fish, so I am just keeping my husband from buying more -He loves them). We just got done medicating our tank for Ich (Aquarisol), about 3-4 weeks ago, and it appears we lost whatever beneficial bacteria we had.  The tank has been cycling ever since we finished the medicine.  We have been doing a lot of 30-40% water changes (with 1 tsp of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water) at first to keep the ammonia levels down and now to keep the nitrite levels down.  Currently, our levels are Nitrates approx. 30 ppm. Nitrites less than 1.0 ppm. GH   300 ppm. Alkalinity  180 ppm. pH  7.8. Ammonia  0 ppm.
Our tap water is very hard, has a rather high pH and has some Nitrates.  Sometimes we use some R.O. water along with the tap water when we do a water change. We are stationed here with the military and have never lived anywhere with water this hard, so we are trying to cope (The water is horrible, you fill a glass of water and the sediment in the water settles to the bottom).  My husband has been putting a lot of pH down in the water trying to get the pH to more normal levels, but I am worried about the fish and all of the chemical change to the water. (The water levels I gave you are since I changed the water with just tap water and no pH down). We have started accumulating Brown Algae in the tank.  From my research on your website, I gather it is brown and not green because of the nitrites still in the water.  As my nitrite levels get to zero for a while, will the algae become Green Algae?
< It may turn green or stay brown. Either way it is an unwanted plant growth that detracts from the tank.>
Also I am going on vacation in 2 1/2 weeks (going to South Louisiana for a wedding, and I was worried about feeding the tank.  I do not want to use the vacation feeding cubes.  I used them in a 1 gallon with a Betta in college, and my water was gross when I returned.  My husband wants to buy an automatic feeder you hang from the side of the tank.  My concern is the Bumblebee Goby.  I feed once a day.  I give 1/4 cube of frozen Brine Shrimp (are vitamin fortified according to the packaging) and a few flakes.  All the fish in my tank love the Brine Shrimp, so I give enough so that a few will trickle down to the Goby at the bottom.  If I don't, my white Angel fish and the Loach will eat it all, and the Goby doesn't get food.  We will be leaving on a Thursday and returning on a Tuesday.  Do you have any suggestions?  The Goby ate flakes when I first bought him, but recently seems to spit them back out of his mouth.
< Use a combination of floating and sinking pellets in the automatic feeder. The goby will eat if he gets hungry enough.>
Lastly, I am waiting on my nitrite levels to reach 0ppm and nitrates to be 20ppm or less for 2 weeks before I buy anymore fish, but I would like to ask about what else I can put in this tank.  My husband wants a Pleco, and there was another small algae eater at the LFS (I don't know what it is called. It is about 1 inch long, white, skinny, and looks a little like a Catfish.).  Supposedly, they are very good at cleaning plants of algae.  I would like a small school of Tetras, but I am not sure this is wise with the Angels. I was going to buy one of the larger varieties (Lemon Tetras).  Do you think they would become dinner for the Angels?  My daughter already lost a couple of baby Mickey Mouse Platys to my white Angel.  If Tetras would be okay, how many should I get as a minimum.   My husband would like a couple of Mollies as well.  I am worried about overloading the tank.  What do you suggest with this combination of fish?
< The angelfish will pick on slow and small fish. The lemon tetras would do OK but they like to be in schools and your tank is already starting to get pretty crowded and already has high nitrate levels. The albino Chinese algae eater really doesn't do that good a job eating algae. Some Plecos get pretty big and don't even eat algae. Go to planetcatfish.com and check out the Plecos available in your area.>
My other tank is a 10 gallon with 2 Mickey Mouse Platys and a Guppy (He does not get along with the Guppies in my other tank.  For some reason he likes the Platys, so I have left him in this tank).  This tank has been set up for a month and also has a Biowheel.  I had to swap to fluorescent lighting, because the incandescent heated the water by 2 or 3 degrees during the day, while the lights were running.  It is also kept at 78 degrees.  The levels are nitrates 20 ppm, nitrites less than .5 ppm, GH    300 ppm, Alkalinity  180 ppm, pH  7.8
and ammonia  0 ppm. I have a lot of the Brown Algae in this aquarium as well.  When we leave for vacation should I buy a powered feeder for this tank or just feed it well before we leave?
< If I go on vacation for a week or less then I don't worry about feeding the fish while I am gone. If I am really concerned about a tank I will put a glob of black worms in the tank. They will live there in the sand until they are eaten.>
Also, I would like some advice on how much to put in this tank also.  I don't plan on putting anything else in either tank until we come back from vacation and our levels are normal.  I don't want anything to happen with ammonia levels, etc. while we are gone.  It is my daughter's tank and she wants a Betta, a snail, and Tetras (probably Neons).  We also thought about getting her one of those small algae eaters at the LFS to clean her ornamental plants.  I don't want any problems with overloading.  I try to stick to the 1 inch per gallon rule, but I would still like a second and more experienced opinion.
Thanks for all your help, Leslie
< The trouble with bettas is that other fish like to nip at their fins and would eat and kill smaller neons. The key to stocking a tank is compatibility and nitrate levels. Make sure all the fish are pretty close to the same size and have similar water requirements. If the nitrates exceed 25 ppm per week then you need to reduce them with water changes. If you placed a 100 fish in this tank you would probably have to change 100% of the water every day to keep the nitrates levels down. If you had 10 fish in there then you might get by with a 25% water change every two weeks. It all depends on how much time you have available and how much work you can put in to it.-Chuck>

Oh no!  Maybe it wasn't dead!! Ropefish, the lack of utility of "vacation feeding blocks" 6/29/05
Hello, I'm writing on behalf of my husband.  He's really the aquatic
enthusiast.  I've spent the last hour or so reviewing your site and
reading over the BichirFAQ's.  Before I get to my dilemma, I want to
commend you on a spectacular and informative site.
<Welcome>
Also, I am glad to
see someone demand better grammar in their postings.  This is the first
time I've ever taken the time to post on any site as I am usually quickly
turned off by the sheer volume of grammatical errors.  
<Me too... err, I as well!>
My husband and I were on vacation about two weeks ago and had my mother
in law come to feed our pets.  Because his mother would not be able to
feed the fish for the first weekend we were away, we purchased a 7 day
feeder for the fish.
<Mmm, most of these are bunk nutritionally... as well as caustic to water quality>
He has a Bala shark, two bottom feeders, and two
other semi-aggressive fish, but I'm not sure what they are.  Until we
went on vacation, he also had a rope fish approximately 12 inches in
length.  This was by far my favorite fish.  A few days into our vacation,
his mother called and said that the fish appeared dead.  She said it was
floating on the top with its head down and the fins were not moving.  
<Perhaps just "natural behavior">
After reading the information on the site, I am astonished at what hardy
fish they are!  I am afraid that my husband's rope fish was not in fact
dead, but simply ill.  Is there anything you can tell me that would
indicate if this was the behavior of a sick rope fish?
<That it did not move at all... would not respond to the top being lifted, being prodded... That (ultimately) white, reddish marks occurred on its body>
Tragically, she
removed the fish from the tank and disposed of it, so it's too late now
to save it, but we are trying to replace it and wouldn't want to have a
repeat performance.  I was hoping you could tell me the likelihood that
the feeder was the culprit.
<It was at least a contributor, I agree>
The feeder made the water very cloudy.  We
changed the filters right away and this seemed to remedy that problem.  
We usually fed it frozen bloodworms and pellets.  Is it possible it
didn't like the new food and starved?  
<To some extent, yes>
The other fish all seem unscathed.
<They likely just went w/o food as well...>
My husband is very upset because he has only lost one fish in over two
years.  He also changes the water and vacuums about once a month.
Thank you for your help.
Danielle      
<A lesson learned re "feeding blocks"... I will post your input... know that you have saved many other organisms through your writing. Thank you, Bob Fenner>