Me, who I am, Yeah!

[StartledMoose]

An aquarium newbie but not an idiot. Got meself a lowly 35l tank. Trying to set up a sustaining ecosystem. Hello all.

 

[MrComrade]

35 liter? Or did you mean gallon?

What kind of fish do you have?

Welcome to the site btw

 

[StartledMoose]

cheers!

I'm very new to the world of aquariums. I'm a week and a half into a brand new 35litre tank (7.8gall-ish). Room temperature tank. One very small fantail goldfish and seven minnows introduced two days ago. I'm using a supposed bacterial cullture starter but I'm not convinced by it. I'll stick to 10% water changes daily until my filter is content.
Anyone done similar in terms of a fantail and minnow?

 

[StartledMoose]

Oh, and thank you! It's a pleasure to be here!

 

[Maxkolbe]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but those fish are going to end up needing larger tanks. However there are lots of cool fish that would work and the members on this forum are always willing to help. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

 

[CharlieKlein]

Yes the gold fish alone is too much for that tank. The minnows I believe won't work either. I can't think off the top of my head and cold water fish for this sized tank. Of you had a heater it would open it up to a betta, 6 galaxy rasboras, or 6 ember tetras

 

[Maxkolbe]

Or a shrimp colony. There's lots of inverts that easily fit in a tank this size AND would be compatible with the fish charlie listed.

 

[StartledMoose]

Surely my seven white cloud minnows will be quite content in a 35l? I'm aware in a couple of years my fantail will need a significant upgrade (depending on how active he is (stunting woule be bad!))

Anyone got any advice on when I could put amano shrimp in?
Do I need a bigger tank for my minnows?

P.S. I'm keeping a very close eye on ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

 

[Fresh2o]

If you want to stick with cooler water fish, perhaps White Cloud Mountain Minnows. Not sure how many are appropriate for the tank though. But they are small, attractive and hopefully have a low bioload.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

:Welcome: to AA! We hope ya enjoy

 

[StartledMoose]

Sit rep

3 weeks in.
PH 6.5
Ammonia 3ppm
Nitrite 0.37ppm ish
Nitrate 0.25ppm ish

I'm doing 50% water changes daily. Does this chemical content sound about right for where I am in the cycling process?

 

[StartledMoose]

P.S.
These were the results I got just before I did a water change.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

You need to do water changes more often it shouldn't build up that high during a fish in cycle

 

[StartledMoose]

At what ammonia level should I panic and do an immediate water change? This is gonna cost me a fortune in dechlorinator!

 

[Andrew McFadden]

At what ammonia level should I panic and do an immediate water change? This is gonna cost me a fortune in dechlorinator!

Anything above .25

What test kit are you using?

 

[StartledMoose]

I'm using API's Freshwater Master Test Kit.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

I'm using API's Freshwater Master Test Kit.

I'd test again and do another pwc of 50% if it's still above .25. You should test several times a day and do water changes as needed. If it gets that high your probably going to need to do more or bigger water changes to get it down low enough out of harms way.

The tank look really nice.

 

[redsea]

Welcome to AA! Thanks for joining us!

 

[StartledMoose]

PWC? I'm guessing the WC stands for water change?

Don't I need to allow the ammonia level to go up a bit? Surely the ammonia eating bacteria won't culture unless their food is available? I know I'm playing a tightrope game between a bacterial colonies growth and the health of my fish.

Am I gonna kill my fish or worse irreperably injure them?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

PWC? I'm guessing the WC stands for water change?

Don't I need to allow the ammonia level to go up a bit? Surely the ammonia eating bacteria won't culture unless their food is available? I know I'm playing a tightrope game between a bacterial colonies growth and the health of my fish.

Am I gonna kill my fish or worse irirreperably injure them?

Pwc = partial water changes
With ammonia and nitrite as high as they are it's very toxic to fish. Do you have another tank that's running and cycled?