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Post by cashay on Jan 5, 2009 13:47:40 GMT -5
I want to add gravel again to my tank, It seems like the water parameters are staying in check.... At least for about a month now, except of course for the Nitrite spike... which Carl, you told me this is a normal process.. so Im not going to sweat over it right now.... But should I rinse the gravel first? add slowly? And what kind of changes to the water parameters am I suppose to expect? so I don't wig out again....
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Post by murdock6701 on Jan 5, 2009 14:07:21 GMT -5
DEFINITELY rinse the gravel 1st, especially if it's colored! sometimes 2 or 3 times til the water is clear
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Post by cashay on Jan 5, 2009 16:03:50 GMT -5
Will my water parameters change just because i add gravel? and if so how much can i expect?  I don't sound paranoid do I?  |
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Post by murdock6701 on Jan 5, 2009 16:32:07 GMT -5
not immediately IMO - I have read thru Carl's articles and can't seem to find anything that addresses your issue at this stage....guess you'll have to ask the boss.....
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Post by Carl on Jan 5, 2009 17:06:29 GMT -5
not immediately IMO - I have read thru Carl's articles and can't seem to find anything that addresses your issue at this stage....guess you'll have to ask the boss..... Sorry I did not chime in earlier, however I felt John (murdock) was handling this VERY well.  Adding gravel should not interfere with your Nitrogen Cycle (only subtraction would interfere). So basically as John noted, the important issue is to not add any foreign particles, or similar via the new gravel. So rinsing is the main concern. Carl |
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Post by eve on Jan 5, 2009 20:51:40 GMT -5
out of my own experience replacing or exchanging gravel ( i had a phase where i did that a few times) it won't change your parameters
why?
because the main bacteria IS in the filter not the gravel
you can replace your complete gravel without doing any harm to fish or the established tank
the way i did and also recommend doing gravel changes is the following:
if you wonna replace the complete gravel
you need
2 buckets
1 cup (best a cup full size)
strainer
gravel of course (or sand or whatever else you might choose to put in)
steps to go
* make sure you rinse your gravel very very well
best in a strainer until you see no more dirty water coming off and the water is clear
* put it all in a bucket, but only as much as you wonna put in, and wash only as much as you want
*take the other and place it next to your tank
* take the cup, and slowly start scooping out half of the site of the gravel
* if you have plants in therer, uproot them, and place them loosely on the other site of the tank
just be careful you don't hit one of your fish
*once you have half of the gravel out, start filling the cup with the new gravel, and submerse it slowly in the tankwater
* go down to the bottom and empty the cup out
* do that until you have put in all the gravel you needed
* even out the gravel, and replace your plants
* then wait a week, and do the same with the other half of the tank
* you will experience cloudiness for 1-2 days, however it will clear on it's own
no chemicals needed or anything else
* I also recommend doing the gravel change at a time you would do a partial water change
there, easy and quick
no harm to the fish or your tank, and especially no need to take them out
and you have a new look in your tank
if you wonna just add new additional gravel
same percedure as above, just that you don't take anything out
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Post by kagome on Jan 5, 2009 23:31:15 GMT -5
For rinsing I usually put the gravel in a clean bucket and then repeatedly stick the garden hose down in it with the water running until the water runs clean. Also, I know that the colored gravel is pretty, but eventually the paint flakes off and it can clog your filter and sometimes fish even try to eat it. So in general I just don't recommend it. I also have used bags of pea gravel from the hardware store with great success and many times it is cheaper. I am so glad to hear that you have gotten your parameters straightened out. I know that you were really struggling there for a while.  |
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Post by cashay on Jan 6, 2009 9:32:23 GMT -5
I am very glad also! I didn't ever think I was going to get to that comfortable relaxing place!  But whoo hooo, i added the gravel last night it is the brown color... I don't know if it has paint or not, but it looks kinda natural, I was a little scared with using sand, although I think that would have looked awesome, but how would you use a syphone vacumme with out sucking all the sand up? but anyway i added the gravel and more fake plants, just incase I dont get the mamma mollie moved quick enough, before she has babies!.. But again I thank all of you for your imput and suggestions, now I just hope everything stays ok in the tank!
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Post by kagome on Jan 6, 2009 9:47:23 GMT -5
You're more than welcome for the help. If the gravel is brown then more than likely it is natural river gravel and not painted. That is what I have in my tanks. Not paint and it works just fine. I hope all is well with your tanks.
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Post by Carl on Jan 6, 2009 9:57:52 GMT -5
Really not much I can add here (you have received excellent help already), but I thought that I would note that there are many natural gravels/substrate available nowadays. Often the best place to find these gravels is not at a LFS, but at decorative rock businesses. This article has a link to one such place: Aquarium Answers; substrate, GravelCarl |
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Post by cashay on Jan 6, 2009 10:32:48 GMT -5
mine actually looks like the second one. In the link
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Post by murdock6701 on Jan 6, 2009 10:37:35 GMT -5
good luck Sherry! you have received some good sound advice as Carl mentioned - better keep an eye on your mollie - gonna be tough seeing babies in that natural gravel - I can attest to that and so can Demfish......
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Post by cashay on Jan 8, 2009 15:05:58 GMT -5
well I am hoping I still have about three weeks to move here, I'm thinking in the lines of 4-6 weeks for pregnacy, so it's a little over a week since I noticed the hank panky! Sooooooo I will just keep watching very carefully and hope she has them while I'm home... Also if i am not home or watching maybe it will be easier to hide from the other fish in the natural gravel...
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Post by cashay on Feb 3, 2009 14:08:43 GMT -5
Still no babies, But i dont think it has been even four weeks yet, she is getting FAT though, I have placed a lot of fake plants in the tank, to help protect them , But the others are hanging out in there too! So they aren't going to be safe anyway! I don't think I am going to have room for them all anyway, If they have 30+ even 10 once they start growing .. hmmmm maybe theywill eat some but while I am not around because i will feel sorry for them and start getting them out, and regret it afterwards.. hahaha
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 3, 2009 15:42:34 GMT -5
Good luck with the babies Sam! Once the babies are born though, beware, there will be more on the way and within 2 months the babies will be able to have more babies! Try to make room ahead of time if you can. Count your chickens before they hatch. XDD
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Post by cashay on Feb 4, 2009 13:05:03 GMT -5
nah maybe the others will just eat them. I guess I could always try to sell them once they are big enough, But the store's here seem to have full tanks, I will just have to wait an dsee what happens |
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Post by murdock6701 on Feb 4, 2009 13:27:51 GMT -5
Sherry, we're still talking dalmation mollies right? have you considered a birthing box? do you have extra tanks to keep fry? keeping live bearers requires lots of tanks, or a market for them or food for the others in the tank.....choice is yours, just letting you know, mollies are known as one of the more prolific species of live bearers as mentioned in a previous thread I believe - whatever you decide, have fun!
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Post by cashay on Feb 6, 2009 15:31:27 GMT -5
Yes we are still talking Dalmatian mollies, And no I don't have the room! i may try and keep two or three babies but i guess the rest will be food for the others. I didn't anticipate alot of fish! But even though she is close to giving birth the stupid males keep getting her! I wanna just scream! I need to take the females out but I really don't have an extra tank for them, i have the 2.5 gallon that i have the mean male in but I am going to give the mother Mollie about another week and separate her from the others so she can have her babies in peace.. OR just let her have them in the big tank and if one or two are smart and hardy enough to survive the others then they will be the ones i keep. |
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Post by murdock6701 on Feb 6, 2009 15:46:29 GMT -5
this "problem" will not go away as long as there is a male around - it will happen every month - in fact it may occur twice after the male is gone as mollies store sperm fot a while.....if you want to keep mollies, maybe just keeping the females is a good idea - it is also stressful for the females to give bith every month, stressful in terms of longevity or lifespan IMO - good luck!
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But whoo hooo, i added the gravel last night it is the brown color... I don't know if it has paint or not, but it looks kinda natural, I was a little scared with using sand, although I think that would have looked awesome, but how would you use a syphone vacumme with out sucking all the sand up? but anyway i added the gravel and more fake plants, just incase I dont get the mamma mollie moved quick enough, before she has babies!.. But again I thank all of you for your imput and suggestions, now I just hope everything stays ok in the tank! 
