1-Sea horses / 2-sick fish
 

I'd like to ask if anyone has any sea horses? In my local pet shop, there are two available. Please tell me how easy they are to care for.

Also, I submitted a post recently about getting a new tank and being a new fish owner. I've had my tank for a week. Regrettably, I've already lost two tiger barbs and now another one of my fish - a platy - has been spending all his time on the bottom of the tank, hardly moving. I didn't know you couldn't just go out, get a tank and put fish in it immediately so I'm cycling my new tank with live fish.

Currently the other fish seem fine. But this sick fish seemed fine too for the past four days. Can you tell me how often can I do a water change? I've done a 25-30% water change today already. I was thinking maybe a 40-50% water change could ease things for the sick fish. I'm not sure he'll make it till tomorrow. Thank you.

sea horses are for salt water not fresh water my friend

Sea horses are indeed salt water, they are very sensitive and delicate.

The more water changes the better, you can't change too much IMO. I had a nitirte spike a while back, killed half the fish in that tank. The only thing that saved the others was the 200% water change I did. Was a 55gal tank too. Drained it as much as I could, filled it, drained it again, then filled it back up. Just remember to use dechlorinator. Ideally if you are cycling you should go pick up some Prime it helps alot.

Wait,, you had to drain and fill the tank twice ,to lower nitrites to safe level?? Did you do this over a period of a few days?

Nope that was done all at once. Took me like 3 hours, Nitrite spiked really really fast. It was 3ppm when I got home half my fish were already dead and the rest looked really close to dying. I netted all the live fish and put them in a bucket of my tap water, which is from a well. Did a 100% water change, tested the water and still wasn't happy with it, so another one followed. I did another 100% water change a few days later, because nitrite spiked again. I eventually figured out the nitrite was being cause by a log of all things. I had added it the day before nitrite spiked and by day three the tank stunk and the log was growing white stuff. The log was put all by itself in a bin of clean water, 24hours later that water had 1ppm on ammonia and 5+ of nitrite, it was also all milky:-(.

That all happened a month ago and that tank is still recovering, it's been stable since I took the log out. I haven't lost any fish, except a few of my adult endler's which are all showing signs of nitrite poisoning. All my favorite fish were dead when I got home, like the one in my sig:cry:. My GBRs survived somehow, they spawned for the first time yesterday in the same tank.

I should probably rephrase my original statement, during a fish-in cycle the more water changes the better. I don't see any issues doing 100% water changes on established tanks, it's just that there isn't much of a benefit compared to 30-50% changes. But they are not going to harm the tank either.

No

mtilton, you'll need to get a water test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate so you know where you are in the cycle. Don't get the test strips as they are not accurate. This one is what most of us use Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit

Have you read up about cycling? Test your water every day or every other day. When ammonia and /or nitrites get above .25ppm you'll need to do a water change.

How big is the tank and how many fish are in it?

mtilton, I read your previous thread. Did you read the info at the link jeaninel gave you? And understand my suggestion there? Your tank will take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks to cycle. As you had two fish in it to start with, you should not have added any more until the tank is cycled. Your sick and dying fish are the result of either ammonia or nitrite poisioning because the bacteria in the tank are not established.

On another matter, tiger barbs are not suitable in a 10g tank, since they should be kept in a small group and need room to swim actively. They are also not good tankmates for other fish in such small quarters. But the first thing is for you to understand the nitrogen cycle and cycle the tank or you will continue to lose fish.

Ahh I see. It was the remaining fish I was thinking about when you mentioned the large water changes. Sorry to hear bout the fish you lost. Sometimes wood that we want to use in the aquarium is too large to boil and other times even boiling cannot ensure that all of that which the wood has absorbed, is removed. I was at Petco the other day to buy some airstones and saw some very nice pieces of wood that they were offering for sale. Given that the wood was in their tanks,and the horrible(my view) care they provide for fish,, I could not bring myself to purchase any of it, boiling,,or not.