| Cycling a tank |
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Many new fish keepers usually go to a fish shop and buy a tank, the needed supplies, and fish. Taking the advice of some fish store employs they go home, set up their tank, and add their new fish or purchase fish right after set up .
A week or so later, they are back at the shop buying more fish to replace the ones that just died for no reason. Many new to the hobby have no idea why or how to cycle a fish tank. Firstly, the Nitrogen Cycle
A new fish tank needs to go through the Nitrogen Cycle to be considered cycled (AMMONIA to NITRITES to NITRATES). CYCLING WITH FISH To establish beneficial bacteria in a tank,we must first supply something for them to “feed” on. FISHLESS CYCLING The benefit to FISHLESS CYCLING is that it grows bacteria in the tank before any fish are injured or killed. When ammonia and nitrite levels fall to zero, beneficial bacteria will be established to break down the waste. There are many different opinions about/ ways to do a FISHLESS CYCLING. Using household ammonia (no perfumes/coloring/etc.) Add 2-3 drops of ammonia per 50 litres of water everyday until ammonia reaches 5ppm (no water changes). After reaching 5ppm (maintained) add the same amount of ammonia daily until nitrites are detected. As the nitrites increase, and the ammonia decreases at a faster pace, decrease the amount of added ammonia in half. As the nitrites increase, the ammonia levels should decrease rather fast (even after adding ammonia daily). It takes about one month to complete a FISHLESS CYCLE. Just like cycling a tank with fish, when the ammonia and nitrite levels show zero, and nitrates are detected, the tank is cycled. Established tanks with AMMONIA, NITRITES and high NITRATES An established tank can have an ammonia or nitrite spike, usually because something has killed off your beneficial bacteria. These are some of the possibilities that may have caused it: 1. Lack of oxygen (pump/air flow to small for tank, power outage, etc). |
Catching fish
Its unavoidable in this hobby. Some of the reasons are: when giving away/buying/selling a fish, moving a sick fish into a quarantine tank, moving parental fish together with their fry/eggs into another tank, trying to get the aggressive fish back to the pet shop, etc.
One thing you should avoid is lashing with the net around the tank in pursuit of the fish. It will harm/stress all the inhabitants of your tank. And it is very possible that you will end up not catching the fish you want.
The best thing to start with is to empty some of the aquarium water. The less space for the fish - the greater possibility for you to catch it in a short time. Here are few tips on how to get your beloved pet out of the aquarium as painlessly as possible.
Catching with a net
is the most common way among aquarists. Nets come in many sizes and colors. White nets are not as affective as the black or green ones, that give the fish a false feeling of security. But since a fish would rather swim away from a white net, it can be used for directing the fish towards the other black/green net where the fish is going to seek refuge. When doing this, moves must be gentle. The fish will eventually go into the black/green net by itself, guaranteed! This way the rest of the inhabitants are spared of being stressed out as well as the caught fish. Note: if the fish's fins get entangled in the net, don't panic! The best thing to do is put the fish back into the tank, hold the net with one hand and let the fish free itself. If this doesn't happen, the only solution is to get sharp scissors and carefully cut out the net.
Catching with your hands
is another method used with larger fish. This has to be done carefully, because some species - like Loaches or Catfish - have spines for defense. Don't get spiked! With one hand, gently grab the fish just before the tail while the other hand (flattened) is supporting the fish from underneath. All this has to be done with enormous patience.
Catching with a bottle
is one of the ways to catch certain smaller bottom dwellers like Kuhli loaches, shrimp, and snails. The bottle should ideally be light-green so you are able to see what is inside and the color will provide false security for the fish. Before placing it in the tank, the bottle has to be rinsed well in warm water. The bottle should not be cleaned with detergents of any kind! A glass bottle is a better choice than plastic, as it will readily sink to the bottom. Place a sinking tablet food inside the bottle and sink it, by slowly allowing the water to fill it up. Once at the bottom, lay the bottle on the side so that the opening is touching the gravel surface. After that, all we have to do is switch the tank lights off and wait for the desired fish to enter the trap. It is good to have some kind of room-light on. If you have live plants, then the best time to switch off the lights is the evening hours. When the fish is trapped, approach the bottle gently not to scare the fish, and close the entrance with one finger. This method requires patience and it might take a few days to catch the desired fish, but will definitely save your fish from stress. With this method the aquarium water depth can stay as usual. There is no need to remove water. NOTE: be careful not to hit the aquarium glass while handling the bottle.
It takes time to become a skilled "fish-catcher", but it is not impossible.