55g help

[Coyote5]

Hi guys, first off I would like to say I have recently found this site and think its awsome!

here is my dilema... I bought a used 55g tank about 2 weeks ago. Had it up and running and everything the same day. Penguin 350 Bio-Wheel filter. I also have a underground setup that has circulation going in the tank pretty good.

About 5 days ago I added 10 fish (before I Found this site) I understand cycling and everything now. I bought 6 cardinal tetra's, 3 Serpae Tetras and 1 Cory Cat.

The lat 2 days I have lost all 6 cardinals. It appeared they had ich... the white dots and everything I turned the temp up to about 82* but still lost them. The 3 serpaes and the cory are doing just fine... So im thinking the cardinals died off from stress? If anybody has any other thought of why they died I would appreciate it! again Im knew to this, but have been doing a ton of reading the past week.

I bought the AP master test kit. here is what I currently have as of about an hour ago:
temp- 80*
PH- 7.0
Ammonia-0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0

I am testing 2ce a day.. once in the morning and once at night. Im wondering if my tank hasnt cycled yet because I havnt seen any kind of spike in anything. But I have been adding Stress Zyme and bacteria supplements just about every other day since I have had the fish and I had some in there right after I filled it. (after I put the water dechlor in it)

Am I doing things wrong or am I on track? I added some salt in the tank too to try and help with the Ich (if it was Ich) I think that could have hurt my Cardinals even more...

I eventually want to have about 6 angels, a school of cardinals, 1 red tale shark, and 1 pleco and probably a few other misc fish... but Im scared to really add anything untill I know my tank is stable. I buy my fish from a reputable private petstore, and my chemicals and such from the local petsmart.

My levels are good and the Serpaes and Cory are doing well... I have no idea what to think. Any advice would be really helpfull!

-Ben
Webster, NY

 

[Big Dog]

If some of your fish had ich. That still means that ich still can be in your aquarium. I would treat the whole aquarium sa soon as you can. Other wise you could have more fish not making it.

 

[Coyote5]

I treated with Rid-Ich for 3 days. I know how ich is 3 stages and stuff. but im hoping the fish were just stressed. I also havnt done any PWC. I would like to do one but the fish are doing good and im showing no ammonia/nitrites/nitrates..

 

[mommytron]

you probably aren't showing any ammonia yet because it is such a small bio load for a 55g. since there are only 4 little fish in such a large tank, they are not producing enough ammonia to cycle the tank. your best bet now is to take the fish back and start a fishless cycle. it sounds like you aren't planning on keeping the kind of fish you have right now so that would be your best bet. with a fishless cycle you can dose the ammonia up relatively high, and by the end of the cycle, you will be able to add a large number of fish without having a mini cycle.

 

[Coyote5]

Well I do plan on keeping these ones, I wanted to grab some Hardier fish to help the tank cycle.. and I dont really have anywhere to put them for a few weeks while the Tanks cycling. If I added more serpae's or fish simular that seem to be doing well would that increase my levels. I have some Ammo-Lock.. Im ready for the cycle, but as of now removing the fish isnt really an option. Should I continue to add a bacteria supplement daily? would that get stuff moving a little quicker?

 

[mommytron]

you need more of an ammonia source. more fish would produce more ammonia, you will just need to be prepared to do daily PWCs to protect your fish against poisoning and death. ammonia levels above .25 will burn their gills and nitrite above .25 will poison their blood. i guess you could use all sorts of chemicals to detoxify the nitrites and ammonia, but personally i would just stick with daily PWCs to keep the levels safe until the cycle finishes. if you have an LFS nearby, they might be able to give you some seeded material (some gravel or filter media from their established tanks) which would speed the cycle up considerably, depending on the amount you get.

 

[Coyote5]

also the tank i bought was used... I know it dired out but the gravel, filter, decor and everything came out of a cycled tank its not brand new, I will see what I am able to do..

 

[mommytron]

if it dried out then any bacteria that was left, died. defnitely see if you can get some seeded material, it will make your cycle go by much quicker, which means less water changes, and also less stress your fish will have to go through. have you thought about planting your tank? a heavily planted tank will sometimes exhibit a "silent cycle" where your tank cycles but you will not see any readings because of all of the plants.

 

[Coyote5]

I have two Amazon sword plants in there now... the tanks been up for 2 weeks and I havnt seen any readings yet. I havnt done any PWC's because I havnt seen any readings... maybe the plants are helping. Im just afraid to start stocking my tank if its not ready...

 

[dkpate]

The Rid Ich will most likely kill any bacteria you had started anyway, and with that small bio-load from your fish, the cycle might take a while.

 

[Coyote5]

alright thanks guys.. any suggestions on a stock list. I want to have about 6 angels as my centerpiece.

6- Anegels
3- Serpae Tetras
1- cory catfish
1- pleco
1- redfin shark

any other fish that would catch your eye to go with the angels? I would like a school of cardinals but I think they would end up snacks

 

[mattrox]

If you had 6 Angels it would be better if they were 6 of the same sex.... but to get them identified you be near impossible... Because with 6 you will get atleast one pair, and when paired the pair will become agreaaive towards the other 4.


Or go with a pair.

 

[Coyote5]

alright if i get one pair then I can add more fish to the tank... anybody have any suggestions of neat fish to go with the angels?

 

[taylorodw]

More tetras, more cory cats! Both are schooling fish. The cory cats especially are happier proportionally to their school size. The more you buy... the more fun they are supposed to be!

Plus you should have at least 6 tetras, you could get 11 though if you wanted a "large" school.

You could definitely have more species in there than just those three, others will have good ideas as well.

 

[Coyote5]

As of now i was planning on getting one more cory cat and 2 more serpaes and no angels... heres what my build is looking like so far... well what I want to eventually have.

2 cory cats
5 serpae tetras
2 ram's
1 clown loach
1 pleco

I might add some more rams, preferably females with 1 male. I know the pleco and clown load can get pretty big so we will see what happens.

 

[krap101]

Loaches also like to be in schools, so maybe more of a smaller loach?

 

[Coyote5]

thanks for the help guys, im waiting for my taank to finish cycling before i add anymore fish

 

[taylorodw]

That's a good idea Coyote

With a 55gal tank, you could (and should) push up the numbers of the tetras and cory cats. Minimum 6, in your tank you could do 10-11 of each.

As for the clown loach, it will far outgrow your tank someday, just FYI. They also live for more than a decade.

Otherwise, your stock lists sounds good

 

[Coyote5]

I am aware of the clown loach. I would like ot upgrade my tank to say a 125 or 250 someday down the road.... the clown loach would make the move as well.

 

[taylorodw]

I am glad you understand the commitment of the fish