MyFishFinder.com Just like iceshanty but warmer
OK, this might be a little long winded but bear with me.I've kept aquariums for about 20 years now and the most important thing to learn about is the nitrogen cycle. This is the process where beneficial bacteria build up that consume fish waste. There are 3 major steps to this....1) You add fish and the ammonia levels go way up. Ammonia is toxic to the fish.2) The bacteria that consume ammonia create nitrite. Nitrite is toxic to the fish.3) The bacteria that consume nitrite create nitrate. Nitrate is the end product and NOT toxic to the fish.I would first invest in a cheap test kit to check where your levels are. Water changes with de-chlorinated water are a must! I'd be changing at least 1/3 every other day until the ammonia levels drop to zero. I'd also look into a better filter system. Try a canister filter. While the one you have set up is fine for an established tank, I don't think it'll work for a system that's still "cycling". Run aquarium carbon in a filter sock or nylon bag, that will help remove the waste. Be sure and rinse it well first as it creates a lot of dust. Another product that might help is ammonia removing resin, also available at a pet store. The aquarium salt suggested by Mainehazmt is also a good idea. It stimulates the slime coat growth on fish and will help fight infections.Another issue is that you may be adding the fish too fast. If there are enough bacteria to support 50 fish, and you toss in another 50 at once, there will be a spike in your system again. I'd suggest adding them in smaller numbers, maybe a dozen at a time every couple of days.Anyone who's having issues keeping bait that reads this, feel free to PM me if you need help. I own and operate an aquarium maintenance business and my advice is always free.
Hey gruntngrin - that looks pretty simple and "sweet". If your days (outside) are mostly above 0 deg. F. I don't think you'll have many freeze-up problems. How far away is the creek? Is it "uphill"? If you could get to the creek at an elevation above your tank you could always run a piece of plastic pipe 1/2 or 3/4", start a siphon and circulate the water from the creek like that. No freeze-ups then.
Kinda like my set up now an old hand dug cistern that flows about 5+ gal an hr I enclosed it and insulated it now I just pump air to em (ground water is low in O2 and feed em:) very low cost!
If you are worried about the freezing buy a submersible thermometer available at most pet shops Keith
hate sites that force you to register just to view. I have no reason to join a great lakes forum.
It covers alot more than the great lakes but is mostly southern ontario and its free takes like 2minutes to join