CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Hey guys, I need a few questions answered so here goes.

Well for the intro I have a 90gal fish tank and I have let it sit for approx. two weeks (since oct 28) with no fish so the water treatment could kick in. Recently my dad started to buy african cichlids, so far I think we have 10-13 cichlids, one goldfish and 3 little "typical aquarium fish" they've been doing great so far. As for the filtration setup, we have two emperor 280 w/ biowheels, extra carbon and filter pack and a eheim canister filter system, a very nice light unit (forgot the name but it's a really nice expensive one) and all the other things (heaters, air etc). Also the tank has two limestones (one big as center piece) and driftwood(?) as props.


So here are the questions: *NOTE: I have not done a water change yet.

Did we add the fishes too early?

I currently turn off the light at night to mimic "night time" for the fish, is it necessary? and is it bad for the fish?

It has been approx. 3 weeks since I first started the aquarium, has it cycled yet?
I did a water test today, ammonia is 0ppm but nitrite is .25ppm and theres brown algae appearing on the limestone and the filter tubes.
I know nitrite has to be 0ppm but how do it get it down? I also added amquel (5 teaspoons) in today.
Would doing a 20-30% water change help this?

We used tap water, could it be due to that?
I did add tap water treatment at the start, will check on the brand tomorrow but its a red bottle, "prime" something.

Also is it true it takes longer for the tank to cycle if you overfeed the fish?

Well whenever the tank cycles how much water do I change? I hear anywhere from 20-60%

Current the heater temperature is set at 76c but is it enough to heat up the entire tank? The heater is located on the very far left of the tank.

I think thats all the questions that I can think of right now, off to bed I go (3am).

Thanks in advance!

Current the heater temperature is set at 76c but is it enough to heat up the entire tank? The heater is located on the very far left of the tank.

The temperature you set the heater at is what the water will heat to before the heater shuts off.(and the whole tank should hit 76 before the heater shuts off)

  The wattage is what matters as far as being big enough for the tank or not.
If it's big enough to let the tank heat then  shut off your fine.
The rule of thumb most people go by is 3-5 watts per gallon.

Current the heater temperature is set at 76c

76c I hope not! Thats about 160F,about double what fish should be at,if your heater is set that high and it ever fully heats up  all the fish will die.

two weeks (since oct 28) with no fish so the water treatment could kick in.

During that time the tank did nothing,no cycleing,no nothing.
Without fish (waste/amonia) there was nothing to start the cycle or start bacteria in the filters.

Did we add the fishes too early?

Adding them slower would have made monitoring the cycle a little easier and been less prone to spikes in nitrite or ammonia.

Also is it true it takes longer for the tank to cycle if you overfeed the fish?

Yes, waste is waste eventually it all becomes part of the "cycle"

I currently turn off the light at night to mimic "night time" for the fish, is it necessary? and is it bad for the fish?

No and No

I know nitrite has to be 0ppm but how do it get it down?

Let the tank cycle <--- is the only way
(if it keeps going up,do a water change to bring it down so you don't loose fish,but that will likely slow the overall cycle)

theres brown algae appearing on the limestone and the filter tubes.

Brown algae is common in new setups

I also added amquel (5 teaspoons) in today

Watch testing when your useing Amquel.
Amqual gives false posatives or false highs,if you use a Nessler reagant type test kits.(Nessler reagant kits are usually the type where you don't mix anything, like you add # drops of a single test to a vial and wait for the color chane) It should warn of that on the Amqual bottle also.

If you started with Prime,Amquel likely done nothing good.
Prime netrualizes amonia,so does Amquel (personally I think Prime is better at it)

Your tank you call. But if you keep useing Prime and Amquel,it may never cycle correctly.

For a proper cycle you need ammonia to feed the bacteria (Nitrosomonas) to convert it to nitrites.Then you need nitrites to feed the bacteria (Nitrobacter) so they can establish and change that into nitrates.

Nitrates is the end product, the less lethal one that  we use water changes to remove/dilute from an aquarium.

simxeon wrote:I have let it sit for approx. two weeks (since oct 28) with no fish so the water treatment could kick in...so far I think we have 10-13 cichlids, one goldfish and 3 little "typical aquarium fish" they've been doing great so far....Did we add the fishes too early?

As stilllearnin stated, having the tank run with no ammonia source doesn't really do anything (you might as well have added the fish the same day the tank was set up). How large are the cichlids you've got and what species? Off topic, but eventually you'll want to remove the non-cichlids from the tank (or the cichlids you have will eventually do it for you).

simxeon wrote:It has been approx. 3 weeks since I first started the aquarium, has it cycled yet? I did a water test today, ammonia is 0ppm but nitrite is .25ppm

Not cycled until both ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm and there is an accumulation of nitrate. What test kit are you using, I'm suprised the ammonia spike hasn't occurred yet. Monitor both for the next couple of weeks (maybe ever other day) so you won't get blindsided by a spike (i.e., 4+ppm nitrite).

simxeon wrote:Well whenever the tank cycles how much water do I change? I hear anywhere from 20-60%

It depends on your overall bioload, the rate of nitrate accumulation and your preference of acceptable nitrate levels.
Many consider to not allow nitrate get too and will do water changes whenever nitrates attain/exced 40ppm (so prefer to keep nitrates at 20ppm or less). If you decide on 40ppm as being your max, start with a 25% water change and see how long it takes for it to return to 40ppm. If it takes a week, then 25% weekly will suffice. Some tanks may require more water changes (both in terms of frequency and percentage changed out, i.e., 50% weekly), or less (some tanks might get by with 25% bi-weekly. Use your nitrate level to determine which water change plan works best for you.

In regards to lighting, the fish will appreciate the lights turned off at night (they need to sleep too). In all actuality the tank lights only need to be one when the fish are viewed (I typically have my lights on from dusk to when I go to sleep; they're off for the majority of the day, though many keep the lights on 8-12hrs a day).

In all actuality the tank lights only need to be one when the fish are viewed (I typically have my lights on from dusk to when I go to sleep; they're off for the majority of the day, though many keep the lights on 8-12hrs a day).

I turn my lights off between about midnight and 6am, but leave them on all other times. With species of Cichlids that destroy plants, some cichlid-keepers like extra lighting to encourage algae growth, softens the nitrate attack a bit. With Oscars, the more the lights are on, the better because of algae/nitrate; but the less the lights are on, the better also, because dimmer lighting seems to dull aggressiveness in Os. So I guess it's "fishkeeper's choice" as far as lighting goes ----