# air in tank



## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

first of all i did not cycle my tank properly 2 months ago, i was doing regular water changes of 1\3 of the water every week then was told in this forum to do water changes every day or 2 as i had a nitrite problem. i feed my 6 p's some beef heart one day and a little piece was left over all night the next day i noticed my water a bit cloudy and almost all of the red on my rbp's was gone did a water change and that night they got there color back and then the next day did another water change and fed them some salmon, next day water was a bit cloudy and there color was dull again, another water change and color was good again, for now the p's are in a 30g tank from wal-mart could my filter be the problem (i'v heard there not good at all) or is it a lack of oxygen they dont go to the surface gasping for air so i would assume its the filter i plan on getting another filter for now as they will be going into a 200g tank in about a month or when the tank gets properly cycled. any help would be great

i never had this problem untill i started doing daily water changes and now i have to do them or there color disapears


----------



## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

You cycle your tank properly... It's really not that hard and your tank should be cycled after 2 months. Water changes should not hurt your water parameters unless you are not using a water conditioner.

The problem is, you are over-feeding your fish, in what seems like an overstocked tank, and it "might" be under filtered (you did not mention the brand of filter nor the size of your p's). Leftover food in the tank for a prolonged period of time can also deteriorate water chemistry.

If your fish are small and need to be fed daily, it's better to feed them smaller amounts and maybe twice a day (if needed) to make sure everything is eaten. If they are larger fish, they do not need to be fed daily. I feed my large pygos (8-12") every 3-4 days. Keeping up with weekly water changes will also help.

*moved to water chem*


----------



## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

clycling tank: i'v had 0 ammonia and 1.6 nitrite since my ammonia was at 0 (for 6 weeks or so and it hasent droped) my rbp's are 2"at the time.

i am using water conditioner and leting it sit for 24h

as for over feeding i feed the ever 2 days with 1/2" - 1/2" cubes of beef heart salmon and 2-3 small pieces of shrimp( not all at the same time but 1 (1/2" - 1/2" )piece of food every 2 days is that over feeding? i thought i was under feeding them as they usually eat all that i give them and some say to feed them up to twice a day

brand of filter is an aqua-tech came with the tank set up (20/40)

when i do my water changes every second water change i clean the gravel as well sould i do that every time


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

rbdemon said:


> when i do my water changes every second water change i clean the gravel as well sould i do that every time


 Are you vacuuming it or taking it out and washing it?
If you are washing it you would be removing most of the useful bacteria, which could mean the tank hasnt properly cylced.


----------



## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

i vacuum it out but i do get right in deep and stir up the gravel to get all the sh*t out should i stop for a while


----------



## rbdemon (Mar 10, 2004)

tryed a test last night and fed my p's a small piece of beef heart and they ate it all 2h later there color was dull again left them over night to see if it was the food or the water this morning the color was back

my question is do i have bad food or should i feed them every 3 days as donh thought i might be over feeding them in an over stocked tank

6-2" rbp's in 30g tank (dont worry there going into a 200g tank soon







)


----------

