Aggressive danio in a cycling tank

[Lome]

Hi,

I set up my 10 gallon (ish) tank 3 weeks ago and after the first week I added 2 zebra danios and 1 leopard danio.

I think my tank is still cycling cos according to tests there is no nitrate or nitrite but there is some ammonia.

Since getting the fish I have read a lot of different opinions mainly saying this tank is to small for danios. But ive got them now.

But one of my danios is being very aggressive with the other 2. Is it too soon in the cycle to get a couple more danios to help solve the aggression? Don't want to overload the tank.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Hi,

I set up my 10 gallon (ish) tank 3 weeks ago and after the first week I added 2 zebra danios and 1 leopard danio.

I think my tank is still cycling cos according to tests there is no nitrate or nitrite but there is some ammonia.

Since getting the fish I have read a lot of different opinions mainly saying this tank is to small for danios. But ive got them now.

But one of my danios is being very aggressive with the other 2. Is it too soon in the cycle to get a couple more danios to help solve the aggression? Don't want to overload the tank.

Welcome Aboard!

Not sure what 10ish gallon means, but danios like room to move and cycling with fish takes a lot more work than fishless, so if you can return them and cycle first, you'll be better off IMO (fish too). How are you testing (liquid or strips)? I think a liquid test kit like the API FW Master test kit is the better choice in the long run.

Here's a couple links that will help you with cycling (with or without fish).

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/fishless-cycling-for-dummies-103339.html

 

[MonsterfishGuy]

If you want to fish cycle you tank test ammo if it goes more that 4ppm the cycle stop and you wait for nothing.
Same for nitrite but fornthe fish better under 3 ppm. Do water change without cleaning gravel if ammo or nO2 ia to high.
Remove the danio who make trouble.

Only 1 danio could have been use to cycle a 10 gal. Just feed him 3-4times a day and he will do almost the same qte of ammo but if it goes to fast you can feed him only once per day then less ammo is release and less chance of dead fish.

Better to fishless cycle but after 3 weeks your half way done so give back to LFS one or two danios and finish with one or if its possible do it fiahless.

And for information, not every one can do a fishless cycling so its the best way but...
Look, where i live they cant sell ammonia, its the law so you need a contact to have some, so its not possible everywhere to do it.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

You don't "have" to use ammo for fishless cycling. You can use fishfood, raw shrimp, even a chunk of raw meat wil cycle a tank, although I don't recommend the latter and I even finished a cycle with raw peas in one tank lol. Point is anything that rots will produce ammo and feed the bacteria.

 

[MonsterfishGuy]

Yes but Po4 is a pain in the a*s too!!!

 

[librarygirl]

Danios are schooling fish so you need higher numbers to stop the aggression, at least a school of 6. But given your tank size that might not be the best idea for them, not sure (let someone more experienced chime in lol).

Also fish in a new tank can be trying to set up dominance. When I bought my first tank (and listened to the doofus at PetSmart who said to let it "run" for a week, then told me my water was "perfect" and sold me 3 danios), one danio was bullying the other two. It targeted one so much that it stopped eating and kept hiding. After a week, suddenly, the aggression lessened a lot. So they could be just establishing dominance and territories.

The best advice, for you and the fish, is to return them and cycle fishless. I tried cycling with the fish I had originally been sold and it was over a month of daily testing, worrying about the fish, 1-2x daily water changes, etc. and after a month they all died anyway. I'm doing fishless now.

If you're set on keeping them, read this article: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Also watch your ammonia level carefully (use a liquid test kit like API Master Kit, not strips which are very inaccurate). Ammonia levels over 0.25 need a water change ASAP.

Good luck!

 

[Lome]

Just to answer a few of your questions.

By 10 gallons ish I meant roughly. And I've just found out that uk gallons are different to us gallons. So I know it's no a big difference but my tank is 12 us gallons.

I was sold strips to test my water, and Im definitely gonna buy liquid next.

I'm new to all this fish keeping, but I think the thing I've learnt so far is that in the end you have to make ur own judgement, cos everyone has such different opinions. But thanks for all your help so far. There is so much to learn.

 

[librarygirl]

Just to answer a few of your questions.

By 10 gallons ish I meant roughly. And I've just found out that uk gallons are different to us gallons. So I know it's no a big difference but my tank is 12 us gallons.

I was sold strips to test my water, and Im definitely gonna buy liquid next.

I'm new to all this fish keeping, but I think the thing I've learnt so far is that in the end you have to make ur own judgement, cos everyone has such different opinions. But thanks for all your help so far. There is so much to learn.

It can be difficult and overwhelming. I'm still learning but from reading this forum and other articles online I've learned a lot already. You'll get there too. One thing I've learned is not to trust fish/pet store advice without checking it firsts; they're goal is to sell you stuff (e.g. fish) and don't necessarily care about the well-being of the things they sell (unfortunately). Good luck!

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Just to answer a few of your questions.

By 10 gallons ish I meant roughly. And I've just found out that uk gallons are different to us gallons. So I know it's no a big difference but my tank is 12 us gallons.

I was sold strips to test my water, and Im definitely gonna buy liquid next.

I'm new to all this fish keeping, but I think the thing I've learnt so far is that in the end you have to make ur own judgement, cos everyone has such different opinions. But thanks for all your help so far. There is so much to learn.

That's better than smaller, you'll find the test kit a really benefit while you're cycling.

 

[Lome]

That's better than smaller, you'll find the test kit a really benefit while you're cycling.

How often would you expect to do a water change in a cycling tank?

 

[Mr. Limpet]

How often would you expect to do a water change in a cycling tank?

Could be as often as once a day. You'll want to keep testing for ammo and nitrIte (no2), ammo above .50ppm and no2 at/above .25ppm will require a 50% PWC IMO/E.

 

[eco23]

Could be as often as once a day. You'll want to keep testing for ammo and nitrIte (no2), ammo above .50ppm and no2 at/above .25ppm will require a 50% PWC IMO/E.

Agreed. Let your test kit dictate how large and how often you need to do pwc's. It shouldn't be measured by time frame.

 

[Lome]

When I told the lady at the fish shop ( yes I know I shouldn't listen to them) that I was doing daily water changes to get my ammonia down she said that wud be too much as it would stress the fish too much.

 

[eco23]

When I told the lady at the fish shop ( yes I know I shouldn't listen to them) that I was doing daily water changes to get my ammonia down she said that wud be too much as it would stress the fish too much.

They'll prefer the stress of water changes over having their gills being burned and permanently scarred by the ammonia.

 

[Lome]

Thats what I thought (not that my thoughts were so graphic!)

 

[eco23]

Thats what I thought (not that my thoughts were so graphic!)

Sorry. Just trying to drive home the importance. The lfs would like you to come back and replace them. All those $1.99 fish add up on their bottom line pretty quickly.

 

[Lome]

If you don't mind, I've got another question. If my fish do start showing signs of illness, what is the best thing to do. I'd like to be prepared.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

If you don't mind, I've got another question. If my fish do start showing signs of illness, what is the best thing to do. I'd like to be prepared.

A PWC is your best defense to keep your fish healthy. Signs of ammo/no2 issues are, red gills, breathing at/above waters surface, laying at the bottom of the tank (lethargic) among others.

 

[eco23]

If you don't mind, I've got another question. If my fish do start showing signs of illness, what is the best thing to do. I'd like to be prepared.

For the most part, every type of illness has different methods of treatment. At this point ammonia poisoning is their biggest threat. As long as you maintain the best water quality you can, they should be okay. A cycling tank can cause stress which weakens their immune system making them more susceptible to illness, so just keep a close eye out for any strange behavior or appearances.

 

[Lome]

Thanks, u assume PWC means part water change