Can I do this?

[strokinbyeu]

im just gona say there is more than 1 way to do somthing and end up with the same result. not every1 does things the same way "you" do them. give your advise and let the poster decide what they want to do, even if your advice is contrary to some1 else.

 

[strokinbyeu]

I recently got a 20 gallon tank which I made into a freshwater tropical tank..... Added a male crowntail betta and a common pleco. When I set the tank up I ran it for 24 hours after adding tetra safestart and then added the fish. My question is.....(drum roll) can I add 1 cory catfish, 1 platty, and 2 cherry barbs And still be okay?

there r several threads on here about cycle with fish. just read thoes and try ur best to understand them and you should do fine.

 

[libbyb]

7enigma has written an excellent article on "quick" cycling w/o fish. I say "quick" b/c it may shorten the original time from 6-8 weeks to about 4-6 weeks. I copied it to my documents but only the parts I needed. If you go to the members list and look him up I'm sure you'll find it.

 

[Newtankin]

Okay...... So I have made my final decision.... I am keeping the betta,pleco,and all 5 cherry barbs because the betta don't mess with them and they don't mess with him..... I will be putting the pleco in my pond when he gets too big......now, does anyone have anything to pick and fight about over what I have posted?

 

[Jason7894561230]

No lol good choice

 

[mgamer20o0]

Okay...... So I have made my final decision.... I am keeping the betta,pleco,and all 5 cherry barbs because the betta don't mess with them and they don't mess with him..... I will be putting the pleco in my pond when he gets too big......now, does anyone have anything to pick and fight about over what I have posted?

its not a fight its trying to make sure whats best for the fish. each person has their own standard based on their experience.

how cold does the pond get during the winter and how big is it? lol not a fight just questions lol

 

[HyperionLore]

Lol That sounds like a plan. And I'm glad you've found a fish that is holding its own against the betta. Although I am curious about the size of the pond too.

For everyone else, I never meant to offend and wasn't trying to belittle, I just thought the first couple posts sounded so discouraging I had to say something. I didn't want Newtankin to get frustrated and just give up on forums.

 

[Newtankin]

Lol everyone... Ummm my pond is abount 30 feet wide and about 17 feet deep and I'm not sure how cold it gets but bass and catfish are able to survive. Even the little ones such as perch. And again I won't release him untill he is too big for my tank. Or if I get this job I've been trying to get, I am buying a 75 gallon for the living room, so he might be able to fit in there.

 

[HyperionLore]

I think your pond might get too cold for him. I don't know the exact temperature range for Plecos but I believe its somewhere in the mid to upper 70s. That aside, a 75 gallon would be big enough for him, and even if you had to save up your money, you could probably get one by the time he was big enough to need it.

 

[XimeD]

As a newbie myself, I can offer some advice on what's its been like the last 3 months. I cycled with fish because I didnt know any better and my LFS sold me all the wrong for my 20g tank 1 common pleco, 3 red tail tinfoil barbs (I lost one while cycling so now I have 2) and 2 giant danios.

They also told me doing PWCs would stall cycling, thats about the time I lost my RTTF and found this forum. All in all my tank took 1 month to cycle and I had to do 50% PWC daily (you might not need to if your bioload is lower than mine was)

I would recommend that if you are going to cycle with fish you should definitely get a master test kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrates and pH) and do a PWC every time ammonia goes above 0.5ppm (try to keep ammonia around 0.25ppm or less). Also I was only feeding my fish once every two days while cycling to keep the waste down.

Things I've learnt that I wish someone had told me from the beginning:

1)PWC will not stall cycling (I have read that ammo-lock and very high ammonia above 4ppm will)
2)Do not vacuum your gravel and clean your filter on the same day (this will take out too much of your good bacteria)
3)Unlike what the filter manufacturers want you to believe, you do not have to change your cartridges every month, just rinse in old tank water and put back in (I have a penguin biowheel 150 filter and keep two cartridges in there, I rinse the one in the front then take the one in the back which is cleaner and put it in the front every 2 weeks)
4)Stable levels in your water are as important as "ideal" levels (pH, temp, hardness and alkalinity). Try not to mess with these water parameters too much and if you do any changes they should be very gradual.

Here's a couple of links to threads I found useful
Common newbie pitfalls:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/common-newbie-pitfalls-67468.html
Cycling with fish:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

Regarding your fish, I think keeping the pleco is fine if you are planning to upgrade. Not sure about the cherry barbs with the betta but you can always keep a very close eye on them and take them back if your betta is very aggresive towards them.

Hope some of this helps, others feel free to correct me if I said anything wrong.

 

[IdahoSue]

Learned a lot!

XimeD, Thanks for your last post. Your info will help me a lot!

I am also a newbie who was never told by the lfs about cycling or that 2 plecos are too big for a 16gal tank. I am slowly learning, mostly by trial and error, which is unfortunate for the poor fish I've lost (6 and 2 plecos) and a bacterial infection with my last two Rosy Barb survivors.

But I do have a question about rinsing off my filter. I should rinse the filter in the water I'm cycling out? Crap! I've been rinsing it out with hot tap water!

 

[Deep Seven]

But I do have a question about rinsing off my filter. I should rinse the filter in the water I'm cycling out? Crap! I've been rinsing it out with hot tap water!

oops. You are correct, use a bit of old tank water to rinse your filter. Tap water can kill the good bacteria on the filter and you want to keep that.

 

[XimeD]

+1 on deepseven's post. Sorry I wasn't clear about that.

I am glad I could help, been through the same recently. I don't trust my local Petco/Petsmart one bit.