are the fish unhappy with the strong current the filter makes?

[mustangsali88]

ok so i just got my first fresh water tank. its full of about six different kinds of small non aggressive fish. the tank is about ten gallons. the filter seems to push the fish to one side of the tank and they dont swim alot. so i turned the filter off and now they are all swiming happily around. the filter says its for this size of a tank. am i just being paranoid? or are the fish unhappy with the strong current the filter makes?

 

[mudraker]

Welcome to AA Mustang.

We'll need a lot more information from you before anyone can help you.

What is the make and brand of the filter?

Is the filter cycled?

And what are the exact types of small non aggressive fish you have?

 

[mustangsali88]

the filter is an aqua tech power filter for 5-15 gallon tanks. umm... guppies, crab thingy, sucker fish that sticks to the side of the tank, tetras, rainbow shark, molly fish, sword tail...

 

[jenatron]

the filter is an aqua tech power filter for 5-15 gallon tanks. umm... guppies, crab thingy, sucker fish that sticks to the side of the tank, tetras, rainbow shark, molly fish, sword tail...

The rainbow shark needs to be returned ASAP. Also, the "sucker fish" more than likely needs to go also, depending on what type it is. They will grow way too large for your tank.

 

[melosu58]

Moving this to the FW general discussion forum where more people will see it. Also I changed the title so people will know what they are dealing with.

 

[ejaramillo01]

I have a similar situation with my quarantine tank, and you right, for small fish the current looks strong, but mine (some tetras) have been there and fine for at least two months. I don't think that they are unhappy.

If the lack of swimming of your fish in the middle of the tank bothers you, try to add an ornament just below the current, trying to break it a little bit.

Also with the time, your filter will slowdown the rate, just due to the build up in the filter itself and the current will be reduced a little also.

I agree with Jen, you need to plan for the shark, either return it or a tank upgrade, because it will grow fast.


Hope this helps

 

[mustangsali88]

thanks guys your help is much appreciated! this site is great im so glad i found it.

 

[cwt]

the 'sucker fish'... pleco, or otos? It will make a big difference as to whether you can keep them in this size of tank.

 

[Tropical boy]

The fish u own and the amount of fish u own is going to cause you problems. My advice is to( if you have the space and money) gat a larger tank. This will mean not only will you not have to return fish which I hate when people advise as I get very attached to my fish, but it will solve the filter problem( had a 10 gallon and is not the easiest to filter as they all seem to create to much flow in the tank. The other plus to this would be that small are hard to run even for experienced fish keepers as the water levels are extremely hard to keep stable and things can change very quickly. Hope to have given another option and good luck with the filter. One last thing if you attach a spray bar to your filter it will slow down the flow and oxygenate your water more.

 

[mustangsali88]

the water in my tank is very cloudy. i was reading on another site about how the tank needs to cycle. they were saying that i should start out my tank with only a few fish... well the lady at the pet shop sold me about 8 fish and said it was ok. i really like the fish i have and dont want to take them back. so will this mess up the cycling process having alot of fish to start out with? i have started taking out 15% of the water every few days and putting in new like the site said. will the cloudiness go away in time?

 

[glassbird]

The lady at the pet shop was out to make a sale...and she did. You are not the first person to be mislead by the supposedly helpful person at the pet store. She has set you up for disaster...now you have to step up and get educated, fast, or your fish will not survive.

Read up on the nitrogen cycle of a fish tank. Get a test kit (drop type) NOT test strips (they are very inaccurate), and test your water for pH, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia. Post the numbers here, and we will help you thru the cycle. Get ready for lots of water changes to keep the ammonia in your tank low enough to (hopefully) not damage or kill your fish. Taking out 15% every few days is NOT going to do it. Most likely you will need to do 50% or more EVERY day, until the cycle is done. Which will take several weeks. Fewer fish, or a bigger tank, (or both) would be easier on you and the fish, but if you want to save them you must get busy and get educated. Do you know about chlorine removers? Get some Prime (it helps neutralize some of the ammonia, and is less expensive than many others).

Do a large water change now (at least 50%) with a chlorine remover, and be sure to match the temperature of the new water to the temperature in the tank, everytime. Get the test kits and post your numbers here. Get educated QUICK about the nitrogen cycle. And consider giving the lady at the pet store a serious piece of your mind...she has done you NO favors!

 

[Stefan....]

I have s honey gourami witch is starting to turn black on the belly and tail. Can anyone help me with this thanks

 

[Tropical boy]

Ignore my previous post as i was unaware you hadnt cycled your tank. Ok I'm afraid the lady at the fish store you got your fish at is only out to take your money and that you now have a real problem. This can be overcome but you will have to test your water everyday and be doing 10-15% water changes everyday to keep the ammonia below <25 ppm. This can be done usually even though it is not ideal and puts your fish in a lot of danger with regard to their health, but the bad news is that you have the wrong fish to cycle with and far to many. You need to take, in my opinion at least 90% if not all of the fish back. No fish is ideal to cycle with but these are definitely not the species to try as they are not strong enough to survive. You need to run your tank for at least 4 days ( I do mine for 10 minimum) with no fish to build up the needed bacteria to brake down nitrates. Let me no what you plan to do and if you need any more help. And sorry some people working in these fish stores haven't got a clue, hunt around for a good one and someone you can trust is my best advice.

 

[The_Desacrator]

The cloudiness is most likely a bacteria bloom and it should go away in time. If it bugs you that much you can do water changes to speed up the progress.

 

[mudraker]

You have a lot of conflicting advice here. Your fish will continue to die unless you do at least a 50% PWC daily until the tank is cycled.

It takes 3 weeks to do a fishless cycle. It takes 6 weeks to several months to cycle with fish, if the fish survive.

Ammonia is quite toxic to fish. What fish will survive the cycling process may not live a full life.

Your really should take the fish back and let the tank finish cycling before adding more.

I too am sorry to see the bad advice from an LFS waste your money and the life of pet fish.