Is my tank ok?

[John h]

Hi all, it's a pity I didn't find this site before I set up my tank. It seems I haven't done everything right.

My tank is an Aqua One 850, which is about 165litres. At the moment it has been running for a week and I have 5 blue tetras, 1 catfish & 1 plant.

After reading some posts here I got an API test kit and these are my readings

PH 8.0
Amonia 0.25
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 5

I got the tank second hand so the filter and gravel was still wet from the previous owner when I set it up.

Is my tank ok to add some more fish or should I wait?

 

[nereksnad]

greetings john;

unfortunately i do not agree with the majority of the forum users here, as they all seem to suggest using various chemicals and constantly testing for PH, nitrates, etc. and not using plants, gravel, and make overall decorative aquariums.

off the bat, the only thing i can recommend you is definitely buy more plants than that. preferebly some easy to keep alive, and that grow semi-rapidly.

sincerely;
nrk.

 

[Nivi]

Sorry my bad ill take back my words. Seems lil ammonia still bad for fish, im still learning. If you want more plants i think u should do some research b4 u buy them.

 

[tyspot1000]

Welcome to AA!

What kind of catfish do you have?
You could some more fish, but I would recommend doing a few partial water changes to get that ammonia down.

 

[hdultra]

Welcome to AA!

What kind of catfish do you have?
You could some more fish, but I would recommend doing a few partial water changes to get that ammonia down.

I agree with tyspot1000 get control of the ammonia. As far as using chemicals most of the users here do not reccomend chemical, unless it is the last resort.

As far as I know plants need nitrate levels around 20 .

You will gain alot of good knowlege from this site. the people here know the science of fish keeping.

Here some info I found on your fish:

Blue Tetra
Boehlkea fredcochui

SYN: Microbrycon cochui
PD: An elongated, laterally compressed species with a forked caudal fin. The back is dark green to olive while the flanks are blue-green. The flanks are marked with A broad blue stripe that runs from the gill cover through the caudal fin. The belly is lighter blue. The upper part of the iris is bright orange. The fins are colorless.
SIZE: To 2” (5 cm)
SS: None
HAB: South America; Peruvian Amazon
S: middle, top
TANK: A 24” (61 cm) or 10-20 gallon (38-75 L) tank is suggested. The tank should be arranged in dark colors to bring out the Blue Tetra’s attractive coloration. Use heavy plantings along the sides and rear, but leave open swimming areas in the center. Use dim lighting and provide a cover of floating plants. The water should be well-oxygenated.
WATER: pH 5.5-7.5 (6.8), 2-15 dH (8), 73-79°F (23-26°C)
SB: A small, peaceful community fish that should be kept in schools of five or more. An active species.
SC: Tetras, Corydoras, Apistogramma, small Loricarids
FOOD: Flake; live; insect larvae, small crustaceans, white worms.
SEX: Females are plumper and less colorful.
B: Few details are available. Use soft, acidic water and condition the pair. Females are said to deposit their eggs on the underside of broad leafed plants. Remove the eggs to a rearing tank having soft water. Raise the fry like other tetras-on paramecia.
BP: 8. Although few details are available, breeding is feasible.
R: This species does not ship well. Use a good water conditioner before adding new water.
DC: 5. This delicate species requires well-maintained water to survive and develop its stunning colors.



Good Luck

 

[BigJim]

Welcome to AA! My comments below.

My tank is an Aqua One 850, which is about 165litres. At the moment it has been running for a week and I have 5 blue tetras, 1 catfish & 1 plant.

After reading some posts here I got an API test kit and these are my readings

PH 8.0
Amonia 0.25
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 5

I got the tank second hand so the filter and gravel was still wet from the previous owner when I set it up.

Is my tank ok to add some more fish or should I wait?

Good work getting the API kit. A good test kit is crucial to diagnosing problems in your tank. If you're absolutely sure that your ammonia readings are correct, it looks like your tank may be experiencing a mini-cycle. Take another reading today. You want to see zero ammonia, zero nitrite, and zero to 20ppm of nitrate.

If you do get the readings I listed above, you can add more fish. What kind of catfish do you have? If it's a cory, I would add 3-5 more cories as they're schooling fish. I would also add some more blue tetras. I love the visual of a school of brightly colored fish. Even after that, I think you'd have room for a centerpiece type of fish or another school of something.

 

[John h]

I'm not sure what sort of catfish it is. He's just a little fella that scoots around the bottom sucking on the gravel.

I've had those same readings for two days (today will be the third). I kept thinking something is wrong. But I'm sure the Amonia readings are correct. The only one that is a bit off is the nitrate reading as the colour is in-between 0 and 5

 

[Homedog98]

Can you take a picture of the catfish and post it? Then we might can identify it for you!

 

[John h]

Here is a bad photo from my iPhone. He is sitting right at the back of the tank

 

[hdultra]

Welcome to AA! My comments below.



Good work getting the API kit. A good test kit is crucial to diagnosing problems in your tank. If you're absolutely sure that your ammonia readings are correct, it looks like your tank may be experiencing a mini-cycle. Take another reading today. You want to see zero ammonia, zero nitrite, and zero to 20ppm of nitrate.

If you do get the readings I listed above, you can add more fish. What kind of catfish do you have? If it's a cory, I would add 3-5 more cories as they're schooling fish. I would also add some more blue tetras. I love the visual of a school of brightly colored fish. Even after that, I think you'd have room for a centerpiece type of fish or another school of something.

Do as big Jim said. I would go a couple days to see what you get.
and also it looks that your PH may be high. Thats why I posted the parameters for the fish above.

WATER: pH should be in this range 5.5-7.5 (6.8)

 

[Jason7894561230]

Thats a bronze corydoras catfish

 

[John h]

Thats a bronze corydoras catfish

Thanks, that's the one.

 

[John h]

Out of interest I tested the ph level of the water straight out of the tap. It reads 8.0 the same as my tank. Should I worry about the ph level as the fish seem happy?

Still showing 0.25 Amonia, 0 nitrites & 5 nitrates. So that is day three with no change (I did a pwc this morning).

I'll see how it is tomorrow. Should I do another pwc?

 

[hdultra]

out of interest i tested the ph level of the water straight out of the tap. It reads 8.0 the same as my tank. Should i worry about the ph level as the fish seem happy?

Still showing 0.25 amonia, 0 nitrites & 5 nitrates. So that is day three with no change (i did a pwc this morning).

I'll see how it is tomorrow. Should i do another pwc?

yes, get that ammonia down.
PH IS HIGH SHOULD BE REDUCED TO AROUND 6.8
MID RANGE OR BETWEEN 5.5-7.5 REDUCE PH SLOWLY

 

[dkpate]

Most fish can adjust to pH, I wouldn't mess with it, pH swings are WAYYY worse.

As for the ammonia, I wonder why it's not going down after a pwc. What kind of test kit are you using?

 

[dkpate]

greetings john;

unfortunately i do not agree with the majority of the forum users here, as they all seem to suggest using various chemicals and constantly testing for PH, nitrates, etc. and not using plants, gravel, and make overall decorative aquariums.

sincerely;
nrk.

Are you on the right forum? As far as I know most of us have plants in our tanks and recommend them. The only chemical we say to use for the tanks is Prime water conditioner. If the fish is sick, that's a different story.

 

[John h]

Another pwc this morning and still no change to the test levels.

Amonia 0.25
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 5.0
Ph 8.0

I'm using an API Freshwater Master Test Kit

 

[hdultra]

Dang john those ammonia levels should come down with PWC's. How big is tank again and how much water are you taken out ?

You got the best test kit.

Are you overfeeding your fish ?

Have you rinsed your filter ?

Is you substrate really dirty?

 

[John h]

Dang john those ammonia levels should come down with PWC's. How big is tank again and how much water are you taken out ?

You got the best test kit.

Are you overfeeding your fish ?

Have you rinsed your filter ?

Is you substrate really dirty?

Tank is 165 litres.

Only feeding once a day and they clean up the food quickly.

The filter and gravel are from the previous owner. The gravel doesn't look too bad. Perhaps I should give the filter a rinse?

 

[dkpate]

Try rinsing the media in old tank water.

Are you shaking the testing bottles? I know you are supposed to shake the crap out of the nitrate tests, but try it on the ammonia ones too, just an idea.

Have you done a good gravel vacuum? If you haven't, only do 1/2 at a time.