Mollys?????

[dataz722]

I just got an orange molly a couple of days ago and it is not eating. I fed them this morning and it went to the top but didnt eat anything, then as one of the flakes started to fall she took it in her mouth but spit it out twice. I dont know if there is something wrong with her or she just dosnt like that food and also i only have one do they usualy school and if so how many more would i need to get, i have a 10 gallon with one orange molly 3 zebra danios and a small pluco.

[CrazieEddie]

She may be a bit nervous in the new surroundings. It may also be used to the food when it was at the LFS. Most livebearers are grazers, so it will eat food where ever it can find it. Just keep an eye on the fish for any signs of illnesses just in case. It's normally best to isolate the fish first in a QT tank prior to placing it in your main tank.

I suggest also feed frozen bloodworms on occassions. Most fish LOVE bloodworms and it's a good source of protein.

[dataz722]

Thanks ill start giving them some bloodworms once in a while. I do have another question though, i got a pluco the same day and he is acting weird, he will just float belly up at the top of the water and ill think he dead but as soon as i touch him he swims away. Is this the sign of something being wrong or is he just weird and for reason likes doing that?

[CrazieEddie]

This is rather strange behaviour. Do you test your water for ammonia & nitrITEs? If so, please post the results. If you don't have a test kit, you can bring a sample of your water to your LFS/LPS and they should be able to test it for free. Please post the ammonia, nitrITEs/nitrATEs, & pH.

Do you know if your water contains chlorine? If so, do you treat your water for it?

How often do you perform gravel cleanings & water changes? About how much of the water is removed during the water changes?

What type of filter do you have?

How much do you feed your fish? How many times?

Please keep in mind that most pl*cos can get large, about 12" or more. It may take some time to grow them at their full length, but they will reach at least 5" or so rather quickly, depending on how much they eat. Therefore, it will soon be too outgrow your tank. It's best to look into getting a larger tank or maybe getting rid of it as soon as it gets too big.

Pl*cos also produce alot of waste. It's best to get a filter at least 1.5 your tank size. I would suggest a filter rater 2-3 times the tank. You can never go wrong with a larger filter. Also, filters always have a way to adjust the amount of filtration so if it's too much, you can easily do so. If you plan to buy a larger tank, get a larger filter that will support that.

[dataz722]

I check the Ph, Ammonia, and nitrITES at least twice a day. I dont have a test for nitrATE but im getting that sometime this week. 3 days ago i came back from vacation and the ammonia was at 4 and the nitrites at .50 ( i think). I did a 50-60% water change they each dropped one level, 2/.25. I then added ammo lock the same day and the levels have stayed the same since. I had a fish die while i was on vacation and i think thats the reason that the levels jumped like that. Im not sure if the water contains chlorine or not but i still treat it for it with every water change. I do about a 25% water change every two weeks or so.
Im really not sure what kind of filter i have, someone gave it to me. Its the walmart one that is made for a 10 gallon tank. Im going to be getting a emperor bio wheel in the next couple of weeks. I know that the pl*cos get pretty big, im going to be getting a 55 gallon within the next couple months.
I feed the fish twice a day but very little each time. Maybe 10-15 flakes each time. The danios eat most of it and the pl*co and molly eat the rest.
Oh by the way, the molly started eating when i fed them before i left for work!!!! :D
I just have one more question now, is it neccasary to use those algae "discs" for the pl*co. I had a trial size pack and dropped one in and he didnt touch it.

[Lucy]

You need to get the ammonia down to 0. Try doing 10% water changes every day. A 10 gallon also needs to be changed every week. It's too small to go two weeks.

As for the pleco, if you don't have algae for it to eat then you do need to supplement with something. I've read that plecos tend to be more active eaters at night, so try dropping in half of a disc before you go to bed and see if it's still there in the morning.

[dataz722]

I just did about a 25-30% water change about an hour ago and the ammonia and nitrITE levels are still the same: Ammonia is 2ppm and nitrITE is .50 ppm. I havnt added ammolock again since this water change since it didnt seem to do any thing last time. Should i do another water change? Or would that possibly remove too much good bacteria? Is there any other ways of getting the levels down? I have stress zyme, but ive only used it once becuase right after i got it i read on here alot of negative things about artificial good bacteria.

[Lucy]

If you do the smaller changes every day, or even twice a day, it should get the levels down. Don't do more than 10% or you will disrupt the good stuff as well. You never actually said if you clean the gravel. Do you have a gravel cyphon? If you don't that would definitely explain why the levels are staying high. How long has this tank been up and running? How often do you clean/change the filter media? It would be a good idea to get another filter that has room for at least 2 different types of media. They're fairly inexpensive to get something rated for a 20 gallon. If you do this, leave the old filter running as well as the new filter for at least a couple weeks.

[dataz722]

Yes, whenever i remove water no mater how much or little im always cleaning the gravel or sucking up debris that has been stirred up and floating in the water. The tank has been running for probobly 4 or 5 weeks, i was pretty sure that it was cycled or at least close to being there. I just ordered a penguin bio-wheel 170, its rated for 30 gallons. I should have it in a couple of days. Im not sure if it holds multiple media or not, i just got it becuase of the bio filtration and the one i have now is only rated for 10 gallons and i wanted something a little more.

Tomorrow ill do another water change but ill make sure that its only about 10%. Would it be a problem to do multiple 10% changes a day or would that take away good bacteria too?

[CrazieEddie]

If possible, you should return the Pengiun 170 and exchange it for the Emperor Biowheel 280. The Biowheel on the Penguin series spins with the water running underneath it. I have seen complaints from other forums that the wheel often sticks. The Emperor biowheel turns with both the water underneath and water falling above it, so it WILL turn. I never owned a Penguin, but I have both the Emperor Biowheel 280 and 400.

The Penguin Biowheel 170 and Emperor Biowheel 280 both support a media tray, where you can insert carbon, zeolite, etc. There is filter sponge tray, which needs to be replaced. This is rather expensive, so what a few people have been doing is buying a larger filter sponge and cutting up to fit in it's place. This serves as a cheap replacement.

Would it be a problem to do multiple 10% changes a day or would that take away good bacteria too?
10%-15% is prefered if done on a daily basis.

[Lucy]

Actually, if it's a wal-mart one from a kit, it's either a 5-15 or a 10-20, so it's still overrated for the tank. The problem with them is that they only hold one filter media, so when you change the filter pad, you're getting rid of most of the good bacteria and have to start over.

Some people have advocated doing a change every 12 hours when levels are really high, but I don't recall if they recommended a smaller change, or if the 10 % was ok. If you're just changing the water and only cyphon the gravel every other day then you wouldn't be disturbing much of the bacteria, as the bacteria mostly populates on surfaces. I wouldn't do it more than twice a day though, otherwise all the other chemical parameters will fluctuate and that might stress the fish.

[CrazieEddie]

Actually, if it's a wal-mart one from a kit, it's either a 5-15 or a 10-20, so it's still overrated for the tank. The problem with them is that they only hold one filter media, so when you change the filter pad, you're getting rid of most of the good bacteria and have to start over.
I have a Regent filter 5-15 from Walmart for my 5.5 gallon QT tank. I actually removed the filter that came with it and placed a sponge filter (made for the Whisper filter) and cut up to fit in there. I also use one for the Tetra Whisper 10 in my 2.5 gallon fry tank. The sponges fit with the standard filter media that comes with it, but I removed them anyways. The sponges I use work great as mechanical & biological filtration. Easy to clean, last long, and provide an area for benificial bacteria to grow on. I don't really care much for chemical filtration becuase I perform water change every 2-3 days and gravel cleanings every 5-6 days in both tanks, so no problems with water smelling or discoloration. I also have sufficient amount of gravel in both tanks for bacteria to colonize and I make sure I clean the sponges on the days I DO NOT perform the gravel cleanings.

[dataz722]

i have been doing daily water changes for the last week and the ammonia still has not dropped. Everything else is where is should be...
ph-7.2
nitrITE-0
nitrATE-15
but the ammonia is still at 2 and has been like that for a few days now. It dosnt seem like the water changes are doing anything for the ammonia. Should i just keep up with the daily water changes or do i need to try something else?

[CrazieEddie]

The water that you use, it is well or city water? If it's well, it may contain some ammonia, which is probably throwing off your test. Test it anyways.

If you do daily water changes, make sure it's only water changes and not gravel cleaning. Performing gravel cleaning on a daily basis will disturb the bacteria colony on the gravel. Just perform the gravel cleaning on a weekly basis.

Did you get your new filter already?

[dataz722]

Im not sure if its city or well but its a fairly large apartment complex so i would imagine that it is city water. I actualy got the filter the day after i ordered it, i wasnt expecting to get it for about a week but im not complaining. I have it in there along with the old one. When i do a water change it is mainly just a water change but if i see anything laying on the gravel i suck it up but i dont disturp the whole gravel bed.