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HeatherW

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
861
Location
Virginia
Hi, I am new to the fish world. My daughter convinced me that she wanted fish so we got her a Betta for her birthday. She then went out (and I forget the order of events) and purchased fish and tanks. we now have two tanks - 2.5 gallon and 5 gallon. she set them up with a Betta and 5 neon tetras in the 2.5 and 2 platys and a dalmation molly in the 5 gallon. To make a long story short the fish ended up getting ick and dying, one of the fish (either the molly or one of the platys) had babbies and in the end we killed them all (probably by raising the temp too fast and possibly the addition of salt into the tank).
Somehow I got into the fish game and now really want to make this work. I have been working on the two smaller tanks but asked for and received a 20 gallon tank for Christmas. I am setting it up and very much would like to add fish to this tank but am a little nervous about adding fish too soon. I have a very solid track record of killing the fish I get. At the beginning of taking over the tanks my fish would not make it more than 1-2 days. I now have fish in the two smaller tanks and they are still living!:fish2: This is a big first step for me. I am now trying to decide what to do with my smaller tanks - keep them or move the fish I have into the bigger tanks.
 
welcome to AA! we all have to get started somehow ;) sorry it had to happen that way though :( the links bruinsbro posted are awesome, definitely give them a read! any ideas as to what types of fish you'd like to put in the twenty?
 
blackmolly - yes! I think I know(at least pretty much) what I want to put in the 20 gallon. the question I have is can I start now? I just read up on the fish -in cyle method and I am much more knowledgable than when I started. I have done LOTS of reading and think I am getting in right now. My new tank has a bio wheel filter and I think this is going to make everything much easier! I am on day three of my nutrafin cyle. my numbers were:
PH - 7.6
Ammonia - .25
NitrIte - 0
NitrAte - either 0 - 5.0
Since there are no fish in this tank I am not too concerned about the ammonia. Should I be? I will check it again tomorrow before I go to the fish store, but if my numbers are the same can I add fish? or should I do a water change to get that ammonia down?
this is what I want to add to the tank:
5-6 cherry barbs
(this is what I will use to establish the tank) then a week later I want to add more. is this too early?
Next: ballon molly, dwarf gourami, maybe move the platys I have into this tank, cory cat. I like the little tetras. I was told that the little neon tetras do not count as a full inch of fish since they do not produce much waste. what does every one think of this. I would love to add some tetras in here too, but then I start running out of "inches" and I don't just want cherry barbs and tetras in my tank
 
Read the links and you will find the cycle will not start until you have an ammonia source from either fish or pure bottled ammonia. The nutrifin cycle bacteria in a bottle can/will give false readings. The tank may appear to be cycled but infact is not. The inch per gallon rule of stocking is an old way of stocking a tank. What needs to be taken into consideration when stocking a tank is: fish size, aggression, if they need a school, bioload, swimming space, compatibility and tank maintenance routine.
 
so does this combination sound OK? I thought I had researched these and thought they would go together
how do you find out about bioload?
 
hold on a minute ;) are you going to fishless cycle or not? it sounds like you are, and if so, you're not quite ready yet... you won't have a totally fish-friendly enviroment until ammonia and nitrite are 0, and nitrate is under 20. it sounds like you've got a ways to go in your cycle based on the parameters you just posted, and it probably wouldn't be a good idea to buy any fish yet. also, yes, you should most definitely be worrying about ammonia. i would suggest dropping a pinch full of fishfood into the tank every night or so to increase the ammonia to help the nitrites and nitrates get on their feet. also, what test kit are you using? as for stock, it sounds like you might be going a little bit overboard on fish. this is what i would do:
5 cherry barbs
5 neon tetras
1 dwarf gourami
and the platys.

now, if you have your heart set on the cories, you could swap either the cherry barbs or the neons for a school of 5 cories. :) also, the one inch per gallon rule is bogus lol, research and posting what you'd like to do here is much more reliable, and your fish will be happier in the long run. you're on the right track, but patience is a must in this hobby.
 
HeatherW said:
blackmolly - yes! I think I know(at least pretty much) what I want to put in the 20 gallon. the question I have is can I start now? I just read up on the fish -in cyle method and I am much more knowledgable than when I started. I have done LOTS of reading and think I am getting in right now. My new tank has a bio wheel filter and I think this is going to make everything much easier! I am on day three of my nutrafin cyle. my numbers were:
PH - 7.6
Ammonia - .25
NitrIte - 0
NitrAte - either 0 - 5.0
Since there are no fish in this tank I am not too concerned about the ammonia. Should I be? I will check it again tomorrow before I go to the fish store, but if my numbers are the same can I add fish? or should I do a water change to get that ammonia down?
this is what I want to add to the tank:
5-6 cherry barbs
(this is what I will use to establish the tank) then a week later I want to add more. is this too early?
Next: ballon molly, dwarf gourami, maybe move the platys I have into this tank, cory cat. I like the little tetras. I was told that the little neon tetras do not count as a full inch of fish since they do not produce much waste. what does every one think of this. I would love to add some tetras in here too, but then I start running out of "inches" and I don't just want cherry barbs and tetras in my tank

School of 6 cherry barbs
Sounds good
Balloon molly (I just want to give you a heads up that the balloon mollies are bred to be physically deformed and can live shorten painful lives).
Mollies have a large bioload (they poop alot) so maybe only one or you won't be able to have many other fish.
Dwarf gourami
Sounds good.
Platys (how many do you have? 2?)
I would definitely add them to the tank because the 5g you have them in is too small.
Cories
The only cories that can go in a 20g are Pygmy cories. All the others get too big.
Tetras.
You have some neons? I would add them in too. The tank is too small.

So......
What u suggest is
The neons
The platys
And the barbs

Or

Neons
Platys
Dwarf gourami
Maybe the pigmy cories

Or

Neons
Platys
Molly

Or return the platys and neons and replace with
Molly
Dwarf gourami
Barbs
Cories
 
HeatherW said:
so does this combination sound OK? I thought I had researched these and thought they would go together
how do you find out about bioload?

The bioload is the waste output of your fish. It's not an exact science but is based on your weekly tank maintenance and you nitrate readings weekly. We know certain fish have higher waste outputs than others. Like neons have a small bioload but mollies and plecos have huge bioloads.
 
are the cories schooling fish? I thought I could get just one. maybe I was thinking of the otocinclus. I did not want a bunch of them. I have a big ship decoration in the tank and was thinking the cories would keep it clean. do I need to worry about cleaning it? I don't want to be taking it in and out of the tank
also are all the tetras equal? for example are neon tetras the same as black phantom tetras or cardinal tetras? I like them all but know that I don't have room for all of them
 
cories and ottos are schooling fish... the cories and ottos probably will clean it a little, but you'll still probably have to clean it. and no... tetras vary in size and behaviour. cardinals are similar to neons, and black phantoms tend to be nippy and need more space since they are considerably larger then neons.
 
HeatherW said:
are the cories schooling fish? I thought I could get just one. maybe I was thinking of the otocinclus. I did not want a bunch of them. I have a big ship decoration in the tank and was thinking the cories would keep it clean. do I need to worry about cleaning it? I don't want to be taking it in and out of the tank
also are all the tetras equal? for example are neon tetras the same as black phantom tetras or cardinal tetras? I like them all but know that I don't have room for all of them

Yes cories are a schooling fish and so are ottos. Cories are scavengers and ottos are algae eaters. If you have a healthy tank you won't have huge algae outbreaks so no need to clean it. Each kind if tetra needs a school of its own kind. So you can't keep 2 of one kind with 3 of another and 1 of a different again. Same with cories IMO. They need their own kind as well.
 
OK, so I think I get it. I have a plan but want to make sure I am not overstocking. can I switch scissortail rasboras for the cories? so I would have

7 cherry barb
1 dwarf gourami
1 molly
3 scissortail rasbora
 
you can switch the rasboras to panda cories and make it a school of five. BUT, you need to finish cycling your tank first. also... where are the platys going?
 
i cannot figure out how to create my own thread so im just hoping someone sees this...i have a new 55 g long tank currently cycling, decemtly planted mainly cambomba(is this okay for the shrimp?) and want to have ghost shrimp, fancy guppies, zebra danios, and another school of fish i was thinking corys or some sort of tetra i have another 2 to 4 weeks probably to make my decision any info will be greatly appreciated
 
you can switch the rasboras to panda cories and make it a school of five. BUT, you need to finish cycling your tank first. also... where are the platys going?

OK I know I sound like such a newbie, but that is what I am!! :lol:

I think I have changed my stocking plan again. I decided to move the platys into the 20 gallon like was suggested and move the Betta and Neons into the 5 gallon. Not sure what I will do with the 2.5 gallon - maybe put some african dwarf frogs in there? that is a whole different topic!! for now I am just going to set it aside unless I should do something else with it - suggestions??

as far as cylcing the tank - can't I do the fish in cycling method? if I do this do I just keep checking the water and do PWCs when my numbers get too high. what is the definition of "too high" when doing a fish in cycling? I know for an established tank I want the Ammonia and Nitrites 0. is this what I still want while I am cyling or do I let the Ammonia and Nitrites go up to .25?
Please help me out - I obviously need lots of advice!! :thanks:

Oh! and I am having so much fun!! thanks everyone!!
 
By now you have probably learned that fish that give birth to live babies eat their young. That being said, both of your smaller tanks are Great for keeping little fishies! Just make sure there are no bigger fish in there. As they get bigger, move to the next larger tank. That will protect the babies and also protect the well being of each tank. A dead fish should be housed in the Septic Tank!
 
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