New Member- Troubles

[shallowwater]

Hi Guys! Very excited to dip my toes into the "waters" of aquariums! I got a Fluval Chi- 5 gallon- cuz A: not much space B: Not much money
SO I went to this store in the city (NYC) which is supposed to be great at showing newbies how to get started- plus I did some research earlier. But now I got my tank set up- two weeks of cycling first with conditioner/ filter.... Added the fish today-1 betta 3 white cloud mountain minnows and 3 Red tail ? platys.

The betta and Minnows- seem to enjoy the new tank- but the platys are very listless- staying behind rocks and barely swimming. Not sure if i did something wrong and how I should correct it. Any Help for a newbie?

Thanks

 

[Aces11]

It sounds like a lot of fish for a 5g tank. What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?

**oh and welcome to AA!**

 

[shallowwater]

Thats the problem- the guy at the shop said i don't need the testing kit- SO I can't test it. Will get one tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[Aces11]

Pet stores usually test your water for you, but they use very unreliable test strips. The API Freshwater Master liquid test kit is what most members on here recommend. Did you cycle your tank by chance?

 

[shallowwater]

I did. I added the water and followed the instructions on the chemical bottle. Kept the filter on for one and half weeks. Does that qualify or did i miss a step (or two)?
Thanks!!

 

[Aces11]

Cycling is the process of introducing ammonia into a tank. Beneficial bacteria then begin to grow and convert ammonia into nitrite. More beneficial bacteria then grow and convert nitrite into nitrate. It is our job to remove nitrate with water changes. Although you prepared the tank water by removing chlorine and chloramines from the water, I don't believe your tank actually "cycled". When you get your test kit, the important tests are ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite should be kept below .25 ppm and nitrate below 20 ppm. You can lower these levels by performing water changes.

 

[shallowwater]

opps. Will get a testing kit and will touch back tomorrow with the results! thanks so much

 

[Aces11]

Sure no prob! Touch back with your results tomorrow!

 

[librarygirl]

Sorry you were misinformed by the fish store, but it happens a lot.

Letting the tank run doesn't properly cycle it. Cycling means growing the beneficial bacteria needed that will essentially "eat" the ammonia and toxins your fish put out through waste. You can cycle a tank fishless but you'd need to add an ammonia source to do so.

First you'll need to do daily 50% water changes for some time. Get the test kit ASAP (a liquid kit, not strips as they are inaccurate. The API Master kit is best) and test your water daily. Any time ammonia and/or nitrite get above .25 do a water change to get them down to as close to 0 as you can; this may mean more than one water change per day. Same with nitrate over 20.

Your other issue is the stocking. The 5 gal is too small for the Minnows and Platys. And they're going to add massive amounts of ammonia to that tank. I'd return them ASAP. Keep the betta, he's fine in a 5 gal; in fact, that's about the only fish you can keep in a 5 gal. The Platy are already showing signs of ammonia poisoning.

Until you get the test kit, do 50% water changes with a dechlorinator daily. Test the water as soon as you get the kit and post here if you have any questions. Again I'd return the Minnows and Platy; they are too large for your tank size and they will not be happy in there, not to mention their waste production is too much for that tank size.

 

[shallowwater]

Thanks. Do you think the tank is too small for any of them, or both together? If I remove the Platy and leave the Minnow will that be ok? I really want more than just one fish- and can't work out a bigger tank right now.

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks. Do you think the tank is too small for any of them, or both together? If I remove the Platy and leave the Minnow will that be ok? I really want more than just one fish- and can't work out a bigger tank right now.

Unfortunately no. The Minnows need space to swim and they can grow up to 1.6", it isn't fair to cramp them in a tank that small. It may result in stunting which is painful for the fish.

For the 5 gal the Betta would be it, I"m afraid. You could maybe try some shrimp with it, some bettas are fine with shrimp and others attack them, depending on the bettas temperament. you could also do a nerite snail.

Either that or return the betta and do a school of nano fish like ember tetra, glowlight tetra, chili rasbora, celestial pearl danio, Endler's livebearers (not all of these of course, just a small school of one type). They can't go in together with a Betta though in a tank that small.

So, for now, just the betta OR a school of nano fish. Then maybe in the future you can either upgrade the tank and add more or get a second tank.

Also remember to test the water daily and do water changes; cycling with a fish is very hard on the fish and water changes and testing the water daily is the only way the fish is going to survive the process.

 

[shallowwater]

Hi- Got home a couple of minutes ago. Changed 40 percent of the water and fish definitely perked up. Will get a testing kit when I pass the pet store when I go for my run later on today. Hope I can fix this.

 

[shallowwater]

Ok. I got the testing kit. I posted the results because Im not completely sure if it means .25 or 1.5 Can anyone help me determine that?

Either or- its too high- Do I need to remove the fish and introduce an ammonia source or is there another way- which will work and not harm the fish hopefully/

I am also working on figuring out which to remove and what to do with them.

Thanks!!

 

[Aces11]

I'd say it looks closer to .25. You can remove the fish if you want, but they are an ammonia source. You should do a water change to get the ammonia levels down. They should always be kept below .25 ppm with fish in the tank.

 

[librarygirl]

It's hard to tell from the lighting, I'd say at least .25, maybe a bit more. I'd do a 50% water change now, wait a half hour and then test again and see where it is. The Minnows in there are going to contribute a lot to the ammonia levels, I'd really try to return them and keep the Betta. Even with just the Betta though test the water daily and do water changes to keep ammonia and nitrites under .25 at all times. You probably won't see nitrites for a little while yet but when you do they will rise fast. If you're not up for the all the water changes, return all of the fish and cycle it with pure ammonia.

IMO the Minnows need to go regardless; they're too large and active for a 5 gal tank.

 

[shallowwater]

Thanks= I did a 50% water change- waited and the levels dropped- not completely ) but looks less than .25
I don't know if my LFS will take them back. Do most stores have such a light return policy?

The Minnows- are the smallest of all my fish- they are barely an inch and maybe 1/6 of an inch wide. The Platy look the most "depressed" .
Thanks for so patiently helping me, Aces11 and Librarygirl- this whole thing is completely new and i would like to do it right.

 

[Aces11]

Love to help! I had a terrible start so I'd rather help others so they don't end up like I did.
Most pet stores have some type of return policy. Some up to 30 days I think. How long have you had the fish?

 

[shallowwater]

Two days- And I already feel like they are my little babies- I actually called home today while working to hear if they are ok!! Will see how returns work with the store I used.

Is it really impossible for me to keep the fish I have in my tank right now- Will they definitely be unhappy?

 

[Aces11]

Unfortunately in a 5g yes. If you can maybe upgrade to a 10g you might be able to get by but the bigger the better.

 

[librarygirl]

I know it's hard to return fish you get attached to. But ultimately it's better for the fish; they won't be happy in a tank that small. If you can upgrade to at least a 10 gal in the near future then maybe keep them, but you'd really have to be serious about upgrading. Even keeping all of them in a 5 gal while it's cycling is going to be hard though with the ammonia they are going to put out in such a small tank.