# MY FIRST P!



## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

i bought a p today with pocket change! its about 1 in. it was 5.99. 3 for 15$ but i didnt have enough change =/. although my tank may not be completely cycled, he looks good. i figured if he lives through this that would be a good deal. and im impatient so i just got him. already ocassionally trying to bite the tails of my goldfish. i got bloodworms. just fed the little bugger. hope he lives. i feed him 3x a day correct? i was thinkin 1/4 of a cube or what? ty! im excited! also he doesnt seem shy when i get close.


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

what size tank you got him in?

Plus you probably would of been best waiting for it to cycle, its no good having a dead P, no matter how little it cost!


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

a 30. i think hell live. i just put a rafael catfish in. hes doing good.,


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## Fresh (Feb 8, 2004)

how long has the tank been runnin


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

since oct 31st. also my p likes to ocassionally bite at my goldfish. but i just fed him. is he still hungry or just feels like biting?


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## rchan11 (May 6, 2004)

What kind of P?


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

just a rbp i believe

he likes to bite tails =)


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## Tinkerbelle (Oct 14, 2004)

if its been cycling since october 31 you haven't hit your ammonia spike yet probably. i hope you have some sort of containers ready with dechlorinated water to put him and the raphael into if they start showing ammonia poisoning. look for rapid breathing, inflamed gills, and clamped fins (can't think if theres anything else you should be on the lookout for).

....really NOT a good idea to introduce new fish during a tank cycling. you'll mess up the bacteria's growth.


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## Phtstrat (Sep 15, 2004)

Good luck putting your p through the cycle. Just make sure you do lots of water changes and keep a good eye out.


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## Tinkerbelle (Oct 14, 2004)

.....you're not supposed to do water changes during a cycle.


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

Phtstrat said:


> the naysayers. Good luck putting your p through the cycle. Just make sure you do lots of water changes and keep a good eye out.


 thanks man. will do. its doable.


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

also i fed him about 1/4 a cube of bloodworms at around 530 and plan to feed him again before i go to bed and when i wake up around 6 30. ill get home from school at around 5ish. can he survive off the food that morning. i figure he could always nip on sum fins. hes very active . nippin. good good.


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## Phtstrat (Sep 15, 2004)

Tinkerbelle said:


> .....you're not supposed to do water changes during a cycle.


 You sure about that? Nope...


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

Phtstrat said:


> the naysayers.


 People post on this site for advice, and one huge bit of advice is cycle your tank before you put your fish in. Even if he doesnt die, you will seriously harm the fish, weather you can physically see it or not.

Most newboes dont reaslise they have to cycle, so its an easy mistake to make. But if you know you have to cycle yet still go ahead and just throw the fish in then dont be suprised when they die, or get ill.

If you persoanlly dont want to take this advice then dont, but dont put other people fish at risk by giving out bad advice yourself!


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## Phtstrat (Sep 15, 2004)

CraigStables said:


> If you persoanlly dont want to take this advice then dont, but dont put other people fish at risk by giving out bad advice yourself!


 Thanks buddy, but I didn't tell him NOT to cycle his tank. I simply said "good luck" with it. I never give bad advice...


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

Phtstrat said:


> CraigStables said:
> 
> 
> > If you persoanlly dont want to take this advice then dont, but dont put other people fish at risk by giving out bad advice yourself!
> ...


 no, you said...


> the naysayers.


Which I, and probably most people will take as meaning no to listen to those (me and tinkerbelle in this case) who say the tank needs to be cycled!


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## Phtstrat (Sep 15, 2004)

CraigStables said:


> Which I, and probably most people will take as meaning no to listen to those (me and tinkerbelle in this case) who say the tank needs to be cycled!


 Edited it so that even you and tinkerbelle can understand.







I agree with both of you, I just don't like it when people put others down who don't know as much about aquatics.


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

Phtstrat said:


> Edited it so that even you and tinkerbelle can understand.
> 
> 
> 
> ...












I agree I dont like people being put down on the site, as we are all newbies at some stange, but people also have to be told or they will never learn!

And some never learn even when told, and then find out the hard way...which this maybe!

I agree though, good luck


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## Phtstrat (Sep 15, 2004)

CraigStables said:


> I agree though, good luck


 Friends again?


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

Phtstrat said:


> CraigStables said:
> 
> 
> > I agree though, good luck
> ...


 oh, go on then


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

can anyone answer questions or what


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## Tinkerbelle (Oct 14, 2004)

oy, i don't like being belittled thank you VERY much.

iwantapiranha: which questions would that be?

phstrat, i've been under the impression that removing water chock full of ammonia/nitrite (food for the bacteria) would slow the process, and thats why you either use hardy fish that can deal with the process or at least not be a great loss, or you do fishless to keep your critters safe from the fluctuating cycle.


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

I'm under the impression that changing water during a cycle also prolongs the process. I can't see how it wouldn't and have yet to hear from anyone as to WHY changing the water doesn't make it go longer.

As for the starter of this thread, what you did is irresponsible but is reversible. Go to your lfs and buy a small bottle of AMMO-LOCK 2 and add 1 teaspoon of salt to your tank. Your fish will make it through the cycle without even knowing he's been through one.


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

ty twitcho. good call. oh my other questions were like y does he nip fins? hunger or just because? and if i feed him @ like 630 tomorrow and since ill get back to school @ like 5:00 will be be straight until then?


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

I fed my fish twice per day only until they were about 3 inches big, switched to once per day after that. You should find a better feeder than a goldfish if you want him to have something to snack on when he's hungry.

He fin nips because that's what juveline piranhas do


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

So, do you have him in a tank with pet golfish, or are you feeding him goldfish?

Either way, he nips their fins because he's a *piranha.* Duh.


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

im not feeding him goldfish. they were just in there first. i feed him blood worms. o yea and how much of a cube of blood worm should i feed him?


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

First thing, get the goldfish the hell out of there, or start calling them feeders.

Feed him as much of a cube as he'll eat in 2 - 3 minutes.


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

elTwitcho said:


> Go to your lfs and buy a small bottle of AMMO-LOCK 2 and add 1 teaspoon of salt to your tank. Your fish will make it through the cycle without even knowing he's been through one.


 Im not sure on this, but wouldnt this be a bad idea?

Sure it would help protect the Piranha, but your tank needs to cycle or you'll always have to add it. The ammonia is what starts the cycle, and if you take it out using Ammo-lock then surely this wont help?


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## vinniegambini (Feb 28, 2003)

Congrats on your new fish! Go to Safeway and see if they have any beefheart. Real cheap. You get a lot for a $1 and then you cut it up and put it in wax paper and freeze it. Then when you want to feed them, take some out, thaw it and feed it to them. That should bulk them up real good. I think you have seen a pic of my P's.


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

Beefheart is not the best idea. Too much saturated fat, and other bad stuff.

I believe AMMO-LOCK detoxifies the ammonia -- it doesn't remove it.


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

CraigStables said:


> Im not sure on this, but wouldnt this be a bad idea?
> 
> Sure it would help protect the Piranha, but your tank needs to cycle or you'll always have to add it. The ammonia is what starts the cycle, and if you take it out using Ammo-lock then surely this wont help?


 You're slightly misinformed on what ammo-lock does. It does not remove ammonia, it converts it to it's non toxic forum. It's still the same thing to your biological filter


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

Heh, I just said that.


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

alright so i added 15 ml of ammo-lock 2. what now?


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## keeper-of-fish (Oct 3, 2004)

when I cycled my tank i used a product called cycle by hagen it worked to keep my gold fish alive while he cycled the tank i did water changes it may prolong the cycle but who care less fish poo/piss to choke your fish to death but still enuff to feed the bacteria i dont have ps but its all the same tho . I still have the gold fish hes 7 inches long and the cyle took a week and ahalf i put media in my filter from another tank try that go to your lfs and ask for some used filter midia then shove it in ur filter it helps seems to speed it up alot. also get a test kill and test ur ammonia and see what happens ammonia-nitrite-nitrate


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

my p has been doin great in the tank since monday. do you think hell stay that way?


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

elTwitcho said:


> CraigStables said:
> 
> 
> > Im not sure on this, but wouldnt this be a bad idea?
> ...










As I said I wasnt sure as I had never used AMMO-LOCK before! Now I know though!!


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## Mr_redbelly (Mar 22, 2004)

Listen to tinkerbelle and Stables they know their stuff. 
Don't be suprised if you find your rbp dead within the next week.
Good luck


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