Cycling help

[Aiken Drum]

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

Its stocking estimates are generally considered conservative but it will give a better guide than 1" per gallon.

I would look at the recommended water change schedule. If it says somewhere in the region of 30 to 50% per week you should be able to manage it.

 

[pahunter3]

Thanks for the link and saving me the time of looking for it. I checked the numbers for 6 corys, 8 tetras and 1 dwarf gourami.

Cardinal tetras must carry a slightly larger bioload than the neon tetras. It's saying 92% stocked with the cardinals and only 82% with the neons. Both water changes are right around 25% a week which is manageable.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Cardinals are a little bigger than neons. 1.5" as opposed to 1".

You have taken on board whats been said about dwarf gouramis and understood there is a risk involved, so i would go with what you are planning, and going forward if you arent seeing any issues you might want to consider a bigger group of tetras in the future. 10 or 12 tetras will be a more attractive group of fish, and if you are doing 25% water change every week, a 30% or even 50% water isnt really any more effort and might take 5 to 10 minutes longer.

The only think i would add, and its obviously a little late. Julii corys are going to get considerably bigger than the tetras. Personally i think its more aesthetic to have different groups of fish in a tank to be similar sized fish, with a larger feature fish or pair of fish like the gourami. Panda corys would have been a better choice IMO. Given that i would go with the cardinals rather than neons as a cardinal will be closer to the size of the cory you have.

 

[pahunter3]

It isn't 100% going to be a DG but just based off what he's been saying any time we have been in the store I'm guessing we will end up with one. If it was me personally I'd stay away away from the DG but I think there is something special about letting a kid go into the LFS and build his dream tank (if possible). He's done a good job helping take care of it up to this point and I've mentioned that it could get sick but his eyes still light up when he sees them in the tank. It's a risk I'm willing to take to let him build the tank he wants. Kind of goes along with why we ended up with juliis instead of a smaller cory like the panda.

 

[Andy Sager]

It isn't 100% going to be a DG but just based off what he's been saying any time we have been in the store I'm guessing we will end up with one. If it was me personally I'd stay away away from the DG but I think there is something special about letting a kid go into the LFS and build his dream tank (if possible). He's done a good job helping take care of it up to this point and I've mentioned that it could get sick but his eyes still light up when he sees them in the tank. It's a risk I'm willing to take to let him build the tank he wants. Kind of goes along with why we ended up with juliis instead of a smaller cory like the panda.

While I applaud your thinking regarding letting your child pick their own " dream tank", they need to know that not every decision is a wise one and with fish, one wrong move can mean losing it all. That's not always something learned until it's too late. The good news is that most times, the fish are replaceable but the experience needs to be a lesson for the future so you/ they don't make the same mistake. Sadly, there are just some species of fish these days that are very high risk. The Dwarf Gourami is now in that category ( they used to be so easy and healthy. ) that at the first sign of something being wrong, the fish should be pulled and placed in a hospital tank as quickly as possible then determine what the problem is and if it's treatable. ( Keeping the fish in the main tank while you decide if the fish is sick is how many people lose their tanks. Something in the main tank is why the fish is getting sick so keeping them there longer is not the right move. ). You never want to treat your main tank if it's at all possible.
Hope this helps and good luck with the tank. Fish keeping is a wonderful hobby with lots of education about the natural environment that everyone should learn about. I started as a kid and 50 mumble mumble years later, I'm still at it.

 

[pahunter3]

Yeah it's a shame they are as hardy and healthy as they used to be, they are beautiful fish. But at the same time, they aren't a guaranteed death sentence either. We will be diligent with our water care and keep a close eye on all fish if we do decide to go that route. If we unfortunately have to deal with a sick one that affects the community then we will definitely use it as a teaching moment.

I will keep everyone updated on what route he decides to go. Until then, the corys seem to be settling in nicely. Doing much less glass surfing today but they are still active and playful. I am slightly concerned with one of them though. 3 are constantly shoaling and pretty active looking for food. It seems like one is usually on its own and just kind of hanging out. It doesn't appear unhealthy and is still moving around the tank, just not in the same manner as the others.

 

[Andy Sager]

Yeah it's a shame they are as hardy and healthy as they used to be, they are beautiful fish. But at the same time, they aren't a guaranteed death sentence either. We will be diligent with our water care and keep a close eye on all fish if we do decide to go that route. If we unfortunately have to deal with a sick one that affects the community then we will definitely use it as a teaching moment.

I will keep everyone updated on what route he decides to go. Until then, the corys seem to be settling in nicely. Doing much less glass surfing today but they are still active and playful. I am slightly concerned with one of them though. 3 are constantly shoaling and pretty active looking for food. It seems like one is usually on its own and just kind of hanging out. It doesn't appear unhealthy and is still moving around the tank, just not in the same manner as the others.

I guess that one wasn't invited to the club. Sometimes schooling fish just need a break so just keep an eye on it to make sure there isn't a health reason for the action.
As for the Gourami, no, it's not a guaranteed death sentence until the virus becomes active. To my knowledge, there has been no successful cure for it to date. ( https://avidaquarist.com/gourami-iridovirus/ )

 

[pahunter3]

Can the virus become active at any time? I'm just wondering if I set up a quarantine tank and keep him in there for 45 days or so and he appears healthy then I can transfer him to the community tank.

 

[Andy Sager]

Can the virus become active at any time? I'm just wondering if I set up a quarantine tank and keep him in there for 45 days or so and he appears healthy then I can transfer him to the community tank.

Stress is what seems to activate it. It lies "dormant/ inactive" inside the fish and when the fish is weakened by stress, the virus takes over. As you can see in the link I posted, there are signs the fish is starting to succumb. You just need to be on the lookout for them. A 45 day quarantine is not that unusual as there are parasites with 90-120 day life cycles. They are uncommon but they are out there. This is why doing a 2 week quarantine is basically useless for parasites while effective enough for bacterial and fungal issues. Those tend to be diagnosable within the first week-10 days as they are after effects of wounds or poor water quality during transport. Most zoos and public aquariums quarantine their new arrivals for months not only for disease preventions but so that the animals get used to the new routines and foods and surroundings without the stress from the current occupants in the tank(s).