New Fish Tank

[lunch]

Funniest read I've had for a long time, every1 trying to tell him what to do and what he's done wrong but he stays strong asking bout adding more fish..
Don't let anything deter you Just_doitman! I'm on your side brother

 

[Laeris]

Tetra and sword tails are pretty, they'd get along alright. I'd hold off adding friends, though, until you get the API test kit. That way you can watch carefully for any onset of ERMAGERD and not lose nearly an entire tank. I had established filter media. Didn't stop me losing nearly $100 of fancy shrimp. Confidence is great, certainty is better.


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[GallonsOfFun]

Since you're new to fish keeping and have already added fish, I'd STRONGLY recommend adding Tetra SafeStart. Some have differing opinions on it but according to the masses of research I've done on it, it works most of the time (and it worked for me). It will cycle your tank in roughly 2 weeks and make it much safer for your guppies. If you don't do this, you're looking at frequent water changes for 6-8 weeks and the risk of killing your fish. As some members will likely add, it does not work 100% of the time but since you have already added fish, it's certainly worth adding it anyway. It could safe you & your fish a lot of stress.

As for bottom feeders, you say you don't want any but trust me once you start doing tank maintenance, you will. I would recommend Cory catfish but they need sand or softer, more rounded gravel so that they don't harm themselves. I think the same is true of Khuli loaches. I'd do some research and decide what best fits your tank and you. One word of advice if you chose a pleco, DO NOT CHOSE A COMMON PLECO. They can grow over a foot in length; look into the dwarf pleco' such as the brittlenose. Hope this helps!


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[Coursair]

Test your water
Get root tabs for the plant. It will need them.

Stocking plan ?
Avoid fast nippy fish to keep Guppies safe. If you want to trade in Guppies and start fresh let us know.

AqAdvisor can help you as well.

My choices ?
5 Cory Cats Peppered or Bronze not both

6-8Glowlight Tetra ( red stripe)
Or Harlequin Rasboras not both.

Cories do not eat waste. They eat fish food. They will help get flakes that fall to the bottom, but won't eat rotting food. They also need sinking catfish pellets ( meat based) and love frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp.

For an Algae eater ? 5 Otos once tank is stable and you have biofilm on the walls or a single Nerite snail.

A BN Pleco needs 30g or above and are poop machines.

While you're going crazy waiting for your tank to cycle ,you should buy more plants.... when in doubt add more plants.

Old vid of my Cory habrosus (1" adult size)
http://youtu.be/JrLx1mKDObY




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[just_doitman]

Would gourami's be good in a tank like this as well? I was thinking leaving the guppies doing two different types of gourami's and about 5 bleeding hear tetras and maybe 3 corycats


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[just_doitman]

Yes she is.

Livebearers are always reproducing.. Expect many more.


Caleb

Update she had babies this morning with all the hiding places not sure how many actually made it!


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[just_doitman]

And within the last two days I am having an abundance of snails and advice on the?


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[Fishy Fever]

Guppies may restrict you a little on your stocking choice. They have long fins and some fish may be tempted to nip the fins. Platies are actually pretty nice if you get a good school of them.


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[Fishy Fever]

You may want to put fry into a breeding net to prevent them from being eaten.


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[Coursair]

And within the last two days I am having an abundance of snails and advice on the?


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Put a well rinsed piece of lettuce on a well rinsed saucer, wait till after dark. Check for snails. You can put algae wafer or lettuce in a clean glass jar to make a trap also.


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[just_doitman]

So I have the old and new filter media in my filter but the old filter slows it down so much the bio wheel stops moving any suggestions?


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[just_doitman]

And I'm just curious the fish have been fine all very calm cool and collected but at night they all hangout at top is that typical


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[Coursair]

Fish sleep or at least rest. As long as they aren't gasping at the top that should be ok. Once you have more plants and hiding places they may sleep differently.

Bio wheels are a pain. They do work, but the not spinning is pretty common.

You can squeeze the old filter pads out into the new. Maybe put old pads into a nylon bag and hang inside tank for max BB.


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[just_doitman]

I was worried about my fish so did partial water change we'll see what that does


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[just_doitman]

Fish sleep or at least rest. As long as they aren't gasping at the top that should be ok. Once you have more plants and hiding places they may sleep differently.

Bio wheels are a pain. They do work, but the not spinning is pretty common.

You can squeeze the old filter pads out into the new. Maybe put old pads into a nylon bag and hang inside tank for max BB.


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Tested water levels today everything's good!! Right where it should be!!!


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[Coursair]

That's great !


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[GallonsOfFun]

What were the exact readings?


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[just_doitman]

What were the exact readings?


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I don't remember exactly but there was little to no nitrite and ammonium and the smallest amount of nitrate the only thing that needed the slightest attention is water hardness has to do with where I live next time I do a water change I'm going to put some RO water in there!!


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[just_doitman]

Trying to stay with adding few fish at a time so I just added this gourami hoping to add a blue dwarf gourami but getting conflicting info will they be okay together?


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[GallonsOfFun]

You need to worry about the ammonia and nitrite before you do that. If you are getting ammonia and nitrite readings, it means your tank isn't fully cycled. These compounds are toxic to your fish.

The most important thing with many parameters (water hardness, pH, etc.) is that you keep them constant. Unless your levels are extreme, the fish will be better off being left to adapt to them than if you start tinkering with it and the levels begin to fluctuate.

But before you even think about that, get your tank cycled!


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