Hello,
I am new to this forum and new to aquarium/fish care in general. I got a tank for my birthday on March 1st it was a surprise bday gift. I currently have a 20 gallon tank with 2 spotted puffers. I really didn't know what I was getting into when I purchased the little guys. I have actually enjoyed them a lot more than what I though I would have. I definitely want to do things right. I have done a lot of research on diet, cycling, and filtration. I'am a little worried though, of course I was not able to perform any type of fishless cycling, and I am really looking to make sure my bacterial growth does suffice for my bio-load. I am looking for several tips to start things off.

1. What steps should I take to increase and maintain bacterial colonial growth with fish currently in the tank?

2. I hear plants help break down ammonia and help kick start the cycling process: Is this true? If so, what plants are low maintenance? Maybe some that don't require C02 and expensive lighting?

3. As stated the puffers are really messy: How frequently should water changes be performed? I also have a siphon for cleaning gravel: I have read many different arguments on cleaning the gravel. Specifically that it disturbs the bacteria, BUT the uneaten food particles are starting to build and annoy me. Any advice on this would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Cvas

Hello and welcome to the forum Cvas! Congrats on the new aquarium as well!

1. What steps should I take to increase and maintain bacterial colonial growth with fish currently in the tank?

As I'm sure you already know, the bacteria colonies will grow and shrink based upon the amount of food available, in this case the food being ammonia and nitrite. I'm not 100% sure of the exact time frames but the bacteria we rely on in our tanks does reproduce relatively quickly so in reality, all you have to do is wait. The problem, as I'm sure you already know as well, is in the meantime you might be faced with is if ammonia and/or nitrite is being produced faster than your current bacteria colonies can consume it, your fish are at risk. This is where test kits come into play because...

3. As stated the puffers are really messy: How frequently should water changes be performed?

...the test results will be the best way to show you when to do water changes. For example, in an new aquarium, you might have to remove and replace some water every day in order to reduce the amount of toxic ammonia. Eventually, when your tank is well established, your ammonia and nitrite tests will always show 0 and you will be able to tell how much water you need to change and how often you need to change based upon the nitrAte test kit.

I also have a siphon for cleaning gravel: I have read many different arguments on cleaning the gravel. Specifically that it disturbs the bacteria, BUT the uneaten food particles are starting to build and annoy me. Any advice on this would be appreciated.

This is a very good point. I've read some articles recently that suggest that you really can't "uncycle" an aquarium via a gravel vacuum because the bacteria clings to surfaces such as gravel...which makes sense because they thrive in areas where water is moving (e.g. filter media). So, IMHO, I would say that there is a greater chance of having a problem if you leave all of the detritus in gravel in fear of killing bacteria rather than vacuuming thoroughly.

2. I hear plants help break down ammonia and help kick start the cycling process: Is this true? If so, what plants are low maintenance? Maybe some that don't require C02 and expensive lighting?

Actually, I believe the plants actually absorb and "eat" the ammonia which, like nitrIte and nitrAte, is just another form of nitrogen that plants can use easily. There are some good "low-tech" options for planted tanks but unfortunately I wouldn't be the best person to help you out with that as my "expertise", if you could call it that, is limited to land based plants.

HTH,
TG

Thank you so much for the info. I am going to get a testing kit today.
I'm guessing logically this would reduce ammonia levels produced by the fish am I correct to assume this?

So would my best option at this point be to limit the amount of feedings per day?
Another question I did have in your experience what is a safe nitrate level. Or, in other words, at what level of nitrate should I change the water? and When it does begin to build how much water should be changed?

In your opinion do you know any particular testing kit brand that works best?

Thank you so much for the info. I am going to get a testing kit today.
I'm guessing logically this would reduce ammonia levels produced by the fish am I correct to assume this?

Yes...you would be concerned about both ammonia and nitrIte levels in a new aquarium as they are both very toxic and the test kits will allow you to regulate those levels by doing water changes. Obviously you can lower ammonia and/or nitrIte levels by a quarter by replacing a quarter of the water, half by half, etc.... You might also want to test your tap water as well just to make sure that you are starting from zero.

So would my best option at this point be to limit the amount of feedings per day?

On a similar note, all of that detritus like uneaten food and fish wastes also contribute to ammonia levels and subsequently, nitrIte and then nitrAte levels so preventing how much detritus can accumulate is also going to help you out now and in the future. Over feeding your fish is bad because some of that food is likely to go uneaten and pollute the water but it also means your fish will produce more waste. I know it is hard to do but sometimes you have to ignore your fish when they act like they are hungry. Just like Pavlov's dog, your fish start to learn we are their food source and can get excited and act hungry every time someone walks by. Likewise, many of our fish are opportunistic eaters so they are going to eat whatever they can when they can because unlike us, they can't predict when the next meal will come 100% of the time. For these reasons, I suggest feeding your fish once a day within a specific time frame to help control water quality. For example, I feed my fish around 5 to 5:30 daily and now they have gotten to the point where they ignore me during the day. I also suggest feeding your fish slowly...meaning, give them a small amount of food, wait until it is all gone and feed a little more so less food goes uneaten.

Another question I did have in your experience what is a safe nitrate level. Or, in other words, at what level of nitrate should I change the water? and When it does begin to build how much water should be changed?

The answer to nitrAtes is a little subjective but the good news is that nitrAte is much less toxic than ammonia or nitrIte so you would be dealing with much higher numbers on your test kit. One thing to keep in mind is that we actually use nitrAte tests to monitor other water quality aspects as well. For example, it is sort of an assumption that aquarium water which contains higher amounts of nitrAtes also contains higher amounts of phosphates. This is important because just like plants, algae requires nitrogen (in an aquarium, ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte are the major nitrogen sources) and phosphates in order to thrive. In other words, we assume that reducing nitrAtes also reduces other problems and so you can adjust your water changes on a sort of case by case basis. If you see a lot of algae, then maybe you do water changes when you see 80 ppm of nitrates rather than 150 ppm nitrate.

However, this can be tricky in a new aquarium because the ecosystem you are trying to create isn't very balanced so until your tank is well established, you might find it very hard to stop algae growth and in reality, none of us can completely stop algae growth but it does get easier as time goes by.

In your opinion do you know any particular testing kit brand that works best?

I personally feel as though the liquid test kits are your best bet because unlike the paper "dip" tests, the liquid tests aren't as easily tainted by storage issues and hence, seem to be more accurate. In general, you can also perform more individual tests with the liquid test kids than you can with test strips so even if they are more expensive right now, they are probably the better value. Along with an ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte test kit, you might also want to look into picking up a pH test kit. The "goal" you would be shooting for as it relates to pH is a bit different from the rest because you don't necessarily want to shoot for a specific number (e.g. changing water at 80 ppm nitrAtes) but instead, you want to ensure that the pH remains constant but we can cross that bridge when if/when you have the ability to test for it.

As with most things in life though, there is a lot of opinion you can factor in to the answers to most aspects of this hobby and I am by no means an expert so I'm 100% sure that is you ask enough people or do enough research, you will find something that disagrees with me. I point this out because it is easy to get confused but in general, success in this hobby lies heavily in picking the right fish for the right aquarium and maintaining the right water quality. In fact, water quality really plays a huge role because poor water quality places a lot of stress on your fish and when stressed, they are much more susceptible to illness, parasites and a whole host of other problems. For 99.999% of us though, maintaining water quality is really quite easy and gets easier as our aquarium(s) become more and more established which means a lot of time for the best part...sitting back and watching our fish.

Okay so I was able to find an ammonia liquid test kit made by API, I was initially looking for some type of all in one kit ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, ph, etc. but local Wal-mart and Petsmart do not have these I couldn't even find a nitrate, nitrite liquid testing kit only dip tests, which even before reading your post I was reluctant to buy but I may end up having to go with these or I'll have to search the web do you know of any reliable online pet websites? As far as ammonia levels it looks like at this point I am at about 1ppm ammonia. I did about a 35% water change BEFORE the test siphoning gravel and uneaten debris. It surprised me how much the water cleared just from this water change it was my first one. I know it is very little information but I really appreciate your help. If you can give any tips about how many water changes or how much testing should be done ie, daily, bi weekly...etc that would really help me out. I defiantly appreciate all your help.
cvas

UPDATE*** I tested my tap water and I don't believe I did anything wrong but it turns out my tap also has 1PPM ammonia! I will try bottled water and post results soon.

I tested my tap water and I don't believe I did anything wrong but it turns out my tap also has 1PPM ammonia!

Sorry about that...I should have said test your tap water after you add whatever product you use to remove chlorine to it. It is possible that your water is being treated with chloramine which is a combination of chlorine and ammonia. If that is the case, just make sure you de-chlorination product also removes chloramine, which I believe most of them do nowadays.

I will try bottled water and post results soon.

Believe or or not, while we spend a lot of our time trying to maintain the highest water quality possible, there is a point where using completely pure water could do more harm than good because pure water often lacks vital electrolytes and nutrients that your fish rely upon. If it turns out that your tap water isn't going to be an option at all, you can use pure water but you would want to add a product that would replace those missing essential elements.

do you know of any reliable online pet websites?

I really like www.liveaquaria.com but you may also be able to pick up a test kit at a mom and pop type pet store for a reasonable price. If all else fails, I think you can also go to walmart.com and have them ship directly to the store nearest you.

It surprised me how much the water cleared just from this water change it was my first one.

This is good to hear but don't be surprised if the water clouds up again quickly. Even in well established aquariums, cloudy water is a pretty common occurrence but because a new aquarium is an unbalanced ecosystem cloudy water is almost expected. If the water is greenish, you would be seeing an algae bloom caused by a single celled algae that is thriving off the extra nutrients in the water. If I made a guess though, I'd think you are probably seeing a more milky-white cloudiness which is a bacteria bloom caused by the type of bacteria that is responsible for breaking down organic matter into ammonia - another type of benificial bacteria that we rely heavily upon but usually the population is much lower. Both algae blooms and bacteria blooms pose little, if any real threat to your fish so there is no need to panic. Also in both cases, the algae and/or bacteria can reproduce very quickly so it is possible that the water in your tank could cloud up again in a matter of hours. Like I said, this is a very common problem that can occur on day one or day one-thousand but in new tanks, the problem will most likely solve itself after your tank is cycled completely.

If you can give any tips about how many water changes or how much testing should be done ie, daily, bi weekly...etc that would really help me out

Based upon my observations on forums like this one, it seems as though most people wind up doing weekly or bi-weekly water changes in a FW tank BUT there are a lot of "ifs" to consider. For example, if you have 3 fish as the sole residents of a 100 gallon tank, you would probably wind up doing less-frequent or at least much smaller water changes than you would if you have 3 fish in a 10 gallon tank. As you point out though, some fish are more "messy" than others and this would also play a role when trying to determine the best water change routine.

IMHO, your best bet right now would be to perform testing frequently - perhaps once or maybe twice a day - because you need to see and prevent the rapid build up of highly toxic ammonia and nitrIte. You may also want to test for nitrAte relatively frequently as well because the accumulation of nitrAte means that you have a growing colony of the bacteria which "eats" nitrIte. In other words, you will be able to know when your tank is fully cycled after you see:

1. A rise and subsequent fall of Ammonia which leads to...
2. A rise and subsequent fall of NitrIte which leads to...
3. A steady and constant rise of NitrAte while both ammonia and nitrIte levels remain at 0

Once your tank is cycled, you would want to continue testing, especially for nitrAte, and perform a water change when nitrAte levels reache your predetermined "threshold". Eventually, you will be able to see a pattern in how fast nitrAte is accumulating and simply perform water changes based upon a time line (e.g. one week) rather than a test result. Make sense?

Thanks for all the great info! Yes, everything makes perfect sense everything you have explained coincides with my research. So I can defiantly understand how the accumulation of nitrate points towards a growing or striving colony of bacterium.

I have limited feedings to 1 around 2 PM and maybe a 2nd feeding later in the evening every other day. Ammonia levels show still around 1 ppm it is a little lighter than before (using liquid test kit). Still working on getting nitrate and nitrite test kits will try local pet stores tomorrow, but I don't believe any in my area have fish products (small town). I did upgrade my pump, it is running a volcano deco that has an air stone underneath and also a "bubble curtain" in the back area of the tank. It gives the water some really good circulation and the fish really enjoy it swimming down towards the bubbles and back up.

You are correct in your assumption of the "milky" cloudiness that is what I am experiencing at this point. It really doesn't bother me I assumed it wasn't harmful to the fish but good to hear that it is a sign of activity.

I want to invest in some lighting that will simulate night/day cycles. I can not find very much in this area on the web. My budget is not HUGE at this point I have a clip on lamp with a fluorescent bulb. Any tips you can give on lighting would be great.

Once again thank you so much,
Cvas

I want to invest in some lighting that will simulate night/day cycles. I can not find very much in this area on the web. My budget is not HUGE at this point I have a clip on lamp with a fluorescent bulb. Any tips you can give on lighting would be great.

In general, lighting a freshwater tank is relatively easy but can get a little more complicated with the addition of plants for obvious reasons. The real "trick" here would be to use the right bulbs so IMHO, the best thing to do would be to find a light system which will keep your options open and since you've mentioned plants, I think you might have a similar outlook on things. Once again this is only my opinion but I think most people would agree with me when I say that using T5 bulbs is a great option for FW tanks (and even in many SW applications as well). I also believe they might be the more "green" option as they are more efficient than the more common T12 bulbs. One option for creating a day/night effect would be to use a multi-bulb light system that allows you to control the bulbs independently. Because I've had saltwater tanks in the past, I'm using a light system with 8 T5 bulbs with two switches so I have four "white" bulbs and four actinic bulbs which allows me to use timers to create a reasonably good dusk/dawn feeling. IME, this is a great option because the actinic bulbs aren't going to help algae out all that much so I can control photo-periods while still being able to see my fish. My light systems also have moon lights built in but you can also find independent moon light systems if you want. In freshwater tanks, the moon light systems have the added benefit (IME anyways) of coaxing usually nocturnal or to some extent skittish fish into feeling more comfortable with spending time out in the open during the day. I believe the "holy grail" of lighting at the moment would be the new LED light systems which can be controlled so much that you can reproduce everything from dusk/dawn to moon cycles and even lightning! The problem with LED is that they are still very expensive right now.

As far as budgeting goes, I guess the saying "you get what you pay for" applies heavily here. Of course, there are some very cheap hood lights available and for the most part, they are perfectly fine for FW tanks and even the T12 systems give you some leeway in regards to different bulb options so you can find something that looks good in your eyes. The T5 light systems are starting to become more affordable and provide more options for people like us who might be a little more serious and focus on things other than just fish like plants. As you are shopping around for light systems, my advice would be really pay attention to the description of T5 light systems because you are going to see a lot of set ups that can be used for freshwater tanks but designed with saltwater tanks in mind and hence, the price tags can be mind boggling sometimes. Point being, don't get too discouraged by the big price tags because there are some very reasonable systems available but you might have to look a little harder for them.

Speaking of budgets, one of the reasons I brought up "mom and pop" type stores is because, in my own experience and from others' accounts that I have read on forums, these stores are usually more flexible. For example, the smaller stores usually seem much more willing to order items upon request so you aren't necessarily stuck with choosing from what is currently on the shelves at one particular moment. These smaller stores also seem to employ people who share similar passions as us so IME, you can get a little farther with them than you can with most Walmart employees. Point being, if you can find one, they are usually worth checking out. I'm definitely a biased but I'd also suggest "networking" on the forum here as much as possible as well, even when it comes to pricing because someone might be able to help you find a more budget friendly store or website.

It gives the water some really good circulation and the fish really enjoy it swimming down towards the bubbles and back up.

Sounds great...it is important to keep the water moving, especially when it comes to having movement at the water's surface as this will help release CO2 and replace oxygen; both because your fish need the oxygen and a lack of CO2 makes things more difficult for algae.

Thanks for the lighting tips I will def look into T5 lighting, and you are correct my plans in the near future are to add a few plants so that sounds like the lighting I will need. Ammonia levels did rise to about 2 ppm when I tested Saturday morning. I then performed about a 50% water change, testing later in the evening after a feeding showed levels at around .50 PPM.


So it looks like water changes are controlling ammonia levels quite well I have had no luck finding nitrite or nitrate liquid testing kits so I will most likely purchase a few dip tests soon.

The fish seem really happy eating when fed and are very active. I have a variety of food that I have been cycling so that seems to keep them interested.

Once again thanks for the help
Cvas