I have a tank problem.....

[midwestsmoke74]

I'm still pretty new to having an aquarium. I think I probably made a few mistakes and did not let the cycle complete before I put the first fish in. I've had 2 guppies and plecostamus die and another guppy is sick right now. My PH is about 7.0 or a little higher (Isn't This too high?) , my water temp is 78-80 degress. It is a 10 gallon tank with undergravel filtration. I now have 2 guppies, 2 plecostamus, 2 tetras (Were labeled "Fruit Tetras at store"), and 2 neon tetras. I would like to know why I cant get my PH more balanced and lower? Also my Fruit Tetras are fighting and biting the guppies fins, is this normal behavior? I thought they were compatible. I need some advice in a major way on what to do next? How to fix PH? Are my fish compatible? Do I need to change or add fish? Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[EmptyH]

I am not an expert, but I would guess that the PH is not the problem. Most fish seem to be able to adapt fairly well to PH. Do you know what your Ammonia and Nitrites are? They are probably the cause of you problems. Do you have a liquid reagent test kit? If you don't you might want to buy one, the test strips are notoriously inaccurate.

In the short term you could do a 30% water change. That should help reduce the toxins in your water.

MTH

 

[rich311k]

1. The PH is fine leave it alone. A little higher than 7 is perfect.
2. Take the Plecos back. They will get far to large for that tank. Get yourself some cories.
3. Those tetras are dyed white skirt teras. They can be nippy especially if they are not in groups of 6 or more. I would take them back as well and get yourself a smaller tetra.
4. Are you cycled what are your ammonia and nitrite levels? Dont add anymore fish until you are cycled.

 

[DepotFish]

Guppies don't seem to be too hardy. Ph is perfect. Dyed fish is not a good thing, maybe there is another store in the area that you can take your business to? Tetras are nippy fish and do better in bigger groups as said above.

 

[midwestsmoke74]

Thanks everybody for the help. I recently found out that they dye fish but I didnt know thats what I bought or I definitely wouldnt have. I've definitely found another store, the one I was going to gave me a bunch of crappy info. They told me Plecos would be fine in my tank! I had no idea they got that big! Unfortunately my sick guppy looks to be getting worse. It looks like they ripped his tail fin so much it doesnt really work anymore and he's having trouble swimming properly. I've heard guppy tails can grow back but will it grow back if it's in that bad of condition? Also since I may only have one guppy left and the Tetras dont seem to bother him, should i get more tetras?

PS. What the heck is the trick for catching these quick little tetras?

 

[Skyrmir]

Most fish fins grow back remarkably well if the water is kept very clean and the fish isn't stressed. Wich is going to mean seperating the tetra's and the guppies. I'd suggest pick the one you like the look of better (tetra/guppies) and return the other. There are a variety of fish that can be kept with either, but a 10 gallon tank is going to mean sticking to smaller types of fish.

Most likely your water is not going to be very clean for a while since your going to need to cycle the tank.

As for catching the little buggers, the trick I like to use is to put the net on one side of the tank and wave your hand on the other side (outside) of the tank. The fish run from your hand into the waiting net.

Also as otehrs have said, your PH is great for guppies/livebearers, and fine for tetra's. It's FAR more trouble to adjust your PH than it's worth most of the time. Stability is the goal more than a particular number.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I agree, leave the ph alone. A stable ph between 6.5 and 8.0 is better than trying to keep adjusting it up or down. Only causes fluctuations, which can be deadly. Just do your PWC's daily or every other day til you are cycled. What killed the fish was probably either the Ammonia spike or the Nitrite spike.