Frozen Fish Food - Feeding help

Xathine

So I decided to try and give our fish a frozen treat.

I went to the LFS and they gave me something.

There are no markings on the package, it comes in tiny cubes.

Anyways, I did a water change tonight, and a little while after I let the cube thaw and chopped it up and put it in.

It was WAYYYYYY to much, and out of my 3 fish, only one decided to eat :(


Anyway, should I do a water change again? Or just wait until next week?

Also, I have a Rainbow Shark, Upside Down Catfish, and a dalmatian molly.

The molly is the only one that every goes after the food. The other two normally just hide, and I haven't seen my shark eat in a few days.

What else should I try feeding him? I also noticed tonight that his colors are fading, and his fins are turning clear and are no longer the orange color :(

I'd post up my tanks ph rating and all that but I don't have a tester :(

Twistersmom

If you do not have a test kit to check ammonia and nitrite levels, I would do a water change.
I am thinking that your tank is a newly setup and posible not cycled?
Fading colors can be a sign of stress from poor water conditions. I would take some tank water to the store to be tested or buy an API test kit.

Xathine

Alright I'll do a water change in the morning.

Our tank wasn't cycled before we put in fish (LFS advice) So I've been doing 15% water changes every couple of days. And every other change I vac the gravel.

When I do a change I put the de-chlorinizer in and some "cycle" stuff that helps establish the good bacteria needed to finish the cycle.

I'll get the water tested tomorrow as well.

Twistersmom

When doing a cycle with fish, I try to keep ammonia and nitrites under .25 ppm.
Sometimes I have had to do daily 50% water changes to keep everything under control till the cycle kicked in.
The water change and water test tomorrow sounds like a good plan.

Xathine

So should I change the water more often?

Or is 2-3 days with a 15% change good?

I won't be able to pickup the home test kit for a few weeks.

Xathine

Should I continue putting this "cycle" stuff in?

Or should I just do stright water?

Mikaila31

I would do 25% daily until you get a test kit. You want ammonia less than .5 and nitrite less than .25.

Twistersmom

The cycle product is said to sometimes be helpful but not always.
It will not harm anything buy adding it, so the choice to use it is yours to make.
Milkailas water change schedule sounds good. If you get your water tested today, try to post your results.
If ammonia or nitrites are extremely high, a larger water change may be needed.

Xathine

Alright thanks guys.

I ended up doing a 50% change last night, and a 20% change this afternoon.

I'll continue doing 25% changes daily until I can get the at home test kit.

I took my water to the LPS, they didn't give me any numbers just told me I was low on good bacteria and needed to add my of the product "cycle" when I do my water changes ><

Oldman47

If they are telling you the bacteria is low, they mean the water quality is terrible. A 50% daily change until you get your own liquid type testing kit. I expect that you will see your fish perk up quite a bit very quickly. The cycle product is a waste of money for you but a real income producer for the LFS. You need a good dechlorinator for water changes and try to get a reasonable temperature match with your tank water.