Bottom Dweller Stock for 75 gallon Central/South American Tank

[EccelaEkaj]

That’s similar to a mini cycle, the original amount of bb in your filter was enough for the amount of waste your original fish were producing. Now with larger fish creating more waste your bb colonies are not big enough to hand the additional waste being created, hence why you have seen a spike in ammonia. It could take a weeknor two for you bb to catch up to the new bio load. I would hold off as long as you can to get new fish.

Or if you don’t want to wait go get the fish and do daily 50% water changes until you get constant 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite readings.

If I went that route and went and got the fish tomorrow and did daily 50% water changes how long would you think it would
take roughly to get the levels to
0, because I am leaving for vacation in about a week and a half and the person taking care of my fish while i’m gone will not be able to do the WC’s.

 

[Zanzag]

I would strongly suggest waiting then

 

[EccelaEkaj]

do I still need to do daily 50% water changes since I am not getting the fish or will the ammonia naturally go down with weekly 50%. Jack dempsey and Jewel are gonna have their territories marked. not gonna be happy when i add the rest in a few weeks

 

[Rocksor]

If I went that route and went and got the fish tomorrow and did daily 50% water changes how long would you think it would
take roughly to get the levels to
0, because I am leaving for vacation in about a week and a half and the person taking care of my fish while i’m gone will not be able to do the WC’s.

Never have someone else take care of the fish. Most of the time it ends in disaster. There's no point in feeding the fish if water changes cannot be done while you are gone. Hide the fish food.

 

[Niki_up]

If I went that route and went and got the fish tomorrow and did daily 50% water changes how long would you think it would
take roughly to get the levels to
0, because I am leaving for vacation in about a week and a half and the person taking care of my fish while i’m gone will not be able to do the WC’s.

I would wait if your going on vacation, it just seems careless to get new fish and dump them all in a tank without proper care while you go on vacation. I think you should wait to get more fish until you can properaly care for them.

You said the fish you wanted were all nice, well dead fish are never nice fish.

 

[EccelaEkaj]

Never have someone else take care of the fish. Most of the time it ends in disaster. There's no point in feeding the fish if water changes cannot be done while you are gone. Hide the fish food.

Well If i can get the ammonia back down to 0 I’ll let the person feed them daily i’m only gone for a week i can do a water change when I get home but If the ammonia is still up by the time I leave i’ll let them know not to feed the fish

 

[EccelaEkaj]

I would wait if your going on vacation, it just seems careless to get new fish and dump them all in a tank without proper care while you go on vacation. I think you should wait to get more fish until you can properaly care for them.

You said the fish you wanted were all nice, well dead fish are never nice fish.

Yep they are nice so they will most likely be gone by the time I get back from vacation but what can I do. They’ll get new ones

 

[EccelaEkaj]

Let’s say I can get the ammonia down to 0 in the next day or two, then get the remaining fish and continue to do daily 50% water changes until I leave. Or should I just stop being impatient and wait till I get back to get the fish

 

[Zanzag]

It was already advised ypu wait. Probably should have waited on what you already have as well knowing youre going away

 

[Rocksor]

Well If i can get the ammonia back down to 0 I’ll let the person feed them daily i’m only gone for a week i can do a water change when I get home but If the ammonia is still up by the time I leave i’ll let them know not to feed the fish

You're fish will survive not eating for 1 week. The tank will be cleaner too. If you search various threads about vacation and fish sitters, the common theme is overfed fish with ammonia levels in the tank. Since the tank is iffy with the cycling process right now, don't chance it.