Boyfriends new tank...

[Mr Pril]

Hey everyone...newbee here so need some advice!

So my boyfriend recently went out and bought a new tank, he bought a fluval chi 25 litre tank ( English by the way) and set it up to house some tropical fishys.

So he set the tank up (gravel bottom, with some plants) and let it cycle for a week before getting any fish, we got the water checked and it was all perfect and good to go.

So we got 1 blue betta, 2 black mollys and 6 neon tetras. The fish are all happy and seem healthy enough.

Now my only worry is the heater, the tank is open topped so has no lid and he is losing water each day through condensation and also the heater is set to 25C but the thermometer is saying the tank is only 21C. (not too sure what that is in Fahrenheit)

Does anyone else have an open topped tank or trouble with heating? I keep goldfish myself ( I know it seems kiddish but I just love them!) so I don't really know too much about tropical fish.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

( also would the tetras be happier in a bigger group or is 6 a good number? We haven't overstocked the tank have we)

And also I am female! 'mr Pril' is an inside joke!

Thanks!

 

[i3k]

What kind of heater is it? Brand/model? How many watts? A lid of some type would definitely help keeping the heat in the tank. But it might be that your heater doesn't have enough wattage for the size of the tank.

 

[Mr Pril]

What kind of heater is it? Brand/model? How many watts? A lid of some type would definitely help keeping the heat in the tank. But it might be that your heater doesn't have enough wattage for the size of the tank.

25 watts I think, the make is deltatherm, thing is even if we wanted to put a lid on the tank it would be really difficult because of the design of the tank. Not sure if you've seen one but the filter is at the top of the tank and kind of above the sides if you understand what I mean?

 

[Vircomore]

This is one of the main complaints people have had with the Fluval Chi Aquarium, and why I passed on it when I was looking to get another small tank.

Not only is the tank open-topped, but the filtration operates by spewing the water out of that box in the middle and running it down the sides - which magnifies the evaporation.

Unfortunately, increased evaporation = cooler temperatures, and there's almost no way around it without building some sort of "glass enclosure" that includes the integrated "box filter" up top.

 

[Mr Pril]

This is one of the main complaints people have had with the Fluval Chi Aquarium, and why I passed on it when I was looking to get another small tank.

Not only is the tank open-topped, but the filtration operates by spewing the water out of that box in the middle and running it down the sides - which magnifies the evaporation.

Unfortunately, increased evaporation = cooler temperatures, and there's almost no way around it without building some sort of "glass enclosure" that includes the integrated "box filter" up top.

I did tell him just to get a normal tank with a lid, but he complained that the lids looked 'too bulky' and wanted something 'pretty' (don't ask...I also wondered why!)

Do you think another/bigger heater would help? Like I said the fish seem happy and everything but I'm worried about the temperatures as tropical fish like a steady temperatures.

Also has anyone got anything to say about the neons or will they be happy enough?

 

[jenatron]

I personally had a Chi, granted the smaller model (5g or ~19L), but you're overstocking regardless. The tetras shouldn't be in a Chi because they dart back and forth, and we both know there isn't much room for that.
I'm not familiar with what mollies need, so I can't comment on that.

Anyway, I had a Hydor Theo 50W in mine and it kept it at 78F (~25.5C). So no, no problem with proper temperate, although yes I did have the evaporation problem.

 

[Vircomore]

You could try another heater, but then you may end up with another situation - because warmer water is just going to evaporate faster - you may find yourself having to dump more water into the tank several times a week just to keep the water level up.

As far as the fish go - the Neons and Betta may be OK, but I would keep an eye on the Mollies. Mollies are very active, and can sometimes come into conflict with the Betta if the Betta confuses them for female bettas.

Also, I hope the mollies are both female, because if they are both male then they will definitely fight each other - and if they're male/female, the male could possibly "chase and sex her to death".

 

[i3k]

21c which is right around 70F, is a bit low. Need to get the temp. up to at least 75F (23c). As you said, the fish are doing fine now...but this might become a problem in the long run.

Another problem with open top aquariums is that some fish are jumpers and just might jump out when no one is around.

 

[jenatron]

You could try another heater, but then you may end up with another situation - because warmer water is just going to evaporate faster - you may find yourself having to dump more water into the tank several times a week just to keep the water level up.

Yes, they'd have to top off more frequently, but to keep it at 21C (~69/70F) is just too cold.

 

[Mr Pril]

The mollies are both female so they should be fine, also we got told that the fish were the right amount for the tank so maybe we need to have a rethink on that.

I said that he should just keep the heater he has but maybe turn it up to 26 or 27 to compensate for the open topped ness etc.

 

[jenatron]

The mollies are both female so they should be fine, also we got told that the fish were the right amount for the tank so maybe we need to have a rethink on that.

I said that he should just keep the heater he has but maybe turn it up to 26 or 27 to compensate for the open topped ness etc.

The majority of the time, the people at the pet/fish store are either ill-informed or will lie to get a sale (if that's who you were referring to.)

And yes, the tetras fit and won't outgrow the tank. But there isn't ample swimming room for their activity level. I've done much worse, I once had 3 glofish in less than a gallon because I thought the same thing, so don't feel bad.
(Like I said, can't comment about the Mollies.)

 

[Mr Pril]

The majority of the time, the people at the pet/fish store are either ill-informed or will lie to get a sale (if that's who you were referring to.)

And yes, the tetras fit and won't outgrow the tank. But there isn't ample swimming room for their activity level. I've done much worse, I once had 3 glofish in less than a gallon because I thought the same thing, so don't feel bad.
(Like I said, can't comment about the Mollies.)

Yeah I was referring to the guy at the fish shop, I hate the fact they just do it to get a sale, they should have the welfare of the fish in interest. And I do feel kinda bad in case the fish aren't happy, but I just don't want anyone to think I'm stupid, you know haha.

But I think we're just gonna whack the temperature up abit and just gonna have to keep topping it up! I don't want cold fishies cause then they really wont be happy!

 

[jenatron]

Yeah I was referring to the guy at the fish shop, I hate the fact they just do it to get a sale, they should have the welfare of the fish in interest. And I do feel kinda bad in case the fish aren't happy, but I just don't want anyone to think I'm stupid, you know haha.

But I think we're just gonna whack the temperature up abit and just gonna have to keep topping it up! I don't want cold fishies cause then they really wont be happy!

No one thinks you're stupid. We're all new to this, and we all make mistakes (no matter how many people here don't want to admit it. ).
But if you are going to keep those fish in the tank just watch out for the things we've mentioned and the usual:
-make sure they all get along (aka the betta gets along, lol)
-the temperature is good
-check levels at least weekly (do you have your own test kit?)
-keep an eye out for normal behavior

And my personal suggestion is to keep decorations to a MINIMUM. Make sure all those fish have as much swimming room as possible in that little tank.

 

[Mr Pril]

No one thinks you're stupid. We're all new to this, and we all make mistakes (no matter how many people here don't want to admit it. ).
But if you are going to keep those fish in the tank just watch out for the things we've mentioned and the usual:
-make sure they all get along (aka the betta gets along, lol)
-the temperature is good
-check levels at least weekly (do you have your own test kit?)
-keep an eye out for normal behavior

And my personal suggestion is to keep decorations to a MINIMUM. Make sure all those fish have as much swimming room as possible in that little tank.

Yeah we have a test kit, every time we have tested it it's been fine and the fish seem to be getting along fine, there's been no chasing or nipping so far so hopefully (fingers crossed) they'll carry on being fine!

Thanks so much for the help

 

[glassbird]

Just curious...what does your "test kit" test for? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH?

Letting the tank run for a week before addidng fish is not cycling the tank. Do you know about the nitrogen cycle? If your tank is new, and your "test kit" only tests for one thing (like pH, or ammonia), you may be getting into a tricky area and not even know it. Can you test for all 4 parameters, and post your actual numbers? Then the people here can help you get thru the cycle with minimum stress (or death) for your fish.

 

[Mr Pril]

Just curious...what does your "test kit" test for? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH?

Letting the tank run for a week before addidng fish is not cycling the tank. Do you know about the nitrogen cycle? If your tank is new, and your "test kit" only tests for one thing (like pH, or ammonia), you may be getting into a tricky area and not even know it. Can you test for all 4 parameters, and post your actual numbers? Then the people here can help you get thru the cycle with minimum stress (or death) for your fish.

Yes it tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Gonna test the water tomorrow so I'll post the results then.

 

[mudraker]

Glassbird is correct, one week is not long enough for that tank to have cycled. You will probably start running into probelms soon.

If there is anyway to take the fish back until it cycles properly, that is the kindest course of action. If not, be prepared to do massive water changes (at least 50%) daily until your cycle completes, which can be several weeks or even months with fish.

Also, Mollies are a brackish fish and won't thrive in freshwater.

No lid won't hurt unless your fish are jumpers. Two of my many tanks are topless and I love them. Just crank the heater up a little and top off the water as needed.

In the meantime, do consider rehoming the fish until the tank cycles. It's the kindest thing for the fish.

 

[glassbird]

...and another thought...does your test kit consist of strips, or do you have the bottled drop type?

 

[Mr Pril]

...and another thought...does your test kit consist of strips, or do you have the bottled drop type?

We have two, one is the bottled drop type (if we're talking about the same thing) and one has tablets that dissolve in the water

 

[adeebm]

Glassbird is correct, one week is not long enough for that tank to have cycled. You will probably start running into probelms soon.

If there is anyway to take the fish back until it cycles properly, that is the kindest course of action. If not, be prepared to do massive water changes (at least 50%) daily until your cycle completes, which can be several weeks or even months with fish.

Also, Mollies are a brackish fish and won't thrive in freshwater.

No lid won't hurt unless your fish are jumpers. Two of my many tanks are topless and I love them. Just crank the heater up a little and top off the water as needed.

In the meantime, do consider rehoming the fish until the tank cycles. It's the kindest thing for the fish.

I've had tanks cycle in around a week. It depends on many factors like pH, temp, etc. But if liquid tests are showing 0 ammonia/nitrates and nitrates are rising then it should be cycled.

For the heater, it could be one of two problems. Either the internal thermostat is off a bit in which case just crank the dial up to adjust the temp. THe other case is that the heat loss is more than the heater can replace in which case the heater will be on all time but the water will be below the set temp. This is bad for the heater because it is constantly on and will shorten it's lifespan or cause it to break. The best thing to do is get a higher wattage heater, probably 50W if yours is 25W. You'll want to keep the tamp at around 75F, not too high since it seems you have evaporation problems.

To counter evaporation, you can top off daily or as needed. Since you can't fit a cover on there, you could also use something like saren wrap to cover the top.

Like people have said, you have a bit too many fish for that size tank. Molly's can get pretty large, and neons like swimming space. If you can, it would be better to return them and perhaps get some small fish like ottos or dwarf corys.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your fish!

--Adeeb