I have a 28 gallon euro aquarium with marineland stealth pro 150w heater, penguin 150 bio filter, sand substrate, 4 big black stones, glass canopy and 17w strip light. It's been running for about 1 month and I put a female veiltail betta in last night. Today I went to petco and got 3 albino Cory catfish. I just put them in after drip acclimating them and they're doing fine. The betta is at the top and the 3 cories are happily searching for food at the bottom. I know about fishless cycling and I was planning on doing it I bought the ammonia and then my betta got sick and I had to put it in the big tank it's a long story. My temp is 78 degrees what should I be doing to care for them? Tommorow I'm going to petco to buy more supplies what do I need? I plan to get bottom feeder pellets, a siphon, water conditioner, and whatever you guys say I need. Thanks I didn't have a choice about fishless cycling I wanted too but it's a long story it was not possible in my conditions. What should I be doing for water changes and everything else I should know. I've read about the nitro cycle.
New fish please answer
- Thread starter MarkA123
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
adeebm
Aquarium Advice FINatic
If it's not cycled, first thing you should do is return the corys. As far as supplies, hiding spots, decorations, fake/live plants, etc. Do you have a water conditioner? Prime is the best IMO. You should cycle with just the betta, the corys are just going to make things worse. Get a test kit if you don't have one, and check your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. If ammonia is .25ppm or over, I would do daily 25-50% water changes until it goes down. Feed the betta a pellet or two a day, don't overfeed.
--Adeeb
--Adeeb
The tank is not cycled as I've said its a long story I use tetra aquasafe water conditioner I've heard prime binds nitrites. I don't have a test kit I will have one by next weekend hopefully I have to save up some money. 25 to 50 percent water changes daily you mean?
adeebm
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yes, daily. And return the corys. No need to put them through stress as well.
--Adeeb
--Adeeb
They will only let me exchange the corys for new corys if they die within 14 days. They don't do returns or exchange live fish. They only way to get rid of them is to kill them and even then I can only exchange them for the same fish. So what should I do?
IT-FishGuy
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2010
- Messages
- 59
Get the test kit
You'll want to get the test kit A.S.A.P. even if you have to borrow the money. Keep an eye on your ammonia, that will eventually shift to nitrite and then to nitrate. There are bacteria bottle you can buy to introduce the needed bacteria for the cycle. If you have a 28 gallon the corys should be fine if you watch the levels in the tank. Don't overfeed as pointed out or you're in for a mess and there will be a bacteria bloom, which to a greater or lesser degree will happen anyway. You could do a 25% PWC every week and that should work as well.
You'll want to get the test kit A.S.A.P. even if you have to borrow the money. Keep an eye on your ammonia, that will eventually shift to nitrite and then to nitrate. There are bacteria bottle you can buy to introduce the needed bacteria for the cycle. If you have a 28 gallon the corys should be fine if you watch the levels in the tank. Don't overfeed as pointed out or you're in for a mess and there will be a bacteria bloom, which to a greater or lesser degree will happen anyway. You could do a 25% PWC every week and that should work as well.
JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
Definitely save up for your own test kit, but since you are going to Petsmart, take some water for them to test and ask for actual numbers....no "its good". 
I would do small daily water changes for sure now since you don't know what your ammonia and nitrites will be. 3 Cories and a Betta isn't a big bio load for a 28g, but its enough to cause a little bit of ammonia in an uncycled tank. Doing the water changes will make it safer for the fish.
Don't buy any more fish until you know your tank is cycled.
As far as supplies go, you have a good list...some bottom feeder food for the Cories, a siphon for water changes, and some water conditioner...I would get Prime if they have it. Other than that, I think you should be good.
With 3 Cories I would feed only a couple pellets every other day...with the Betta, only feed a very small amount...every other day until the tank cycles.
I would do small daily water changes for sure now since you don't know what your ammonia and nitrites will be. 3 Cories and a Betta isn't a big bio load for a 28g, but its enough to cause a little bit of ammonia in an uncycled tank. Doing the water changes will make it safer for the fish.
Don't buy any more fish until you know your tank is cycled.
As far as supplies go, you have a good list...some bottom feeder food for the Cories, a siphon for water changes, and some water conditioner...I would get Prime if they have it. Other than that, I think you should be good.
With 3 Cories I would feed only a couple pellets every other day...with the Betta, only feed a very small amount...every other day until the tank cycles.
Thanks for all your advice, I'm not going to use bacteria bottles though. And I don't use prime I prefer tetra aqua safe water conditioner. I'm broke so I can't afford a test kit I'm going to work at my parents restaurant tommorow and hopefully earn about 25 dollars more or less. Should I buy the all in one test strips that do ammonia nitrate and nitrite or API freshwater master test kit. I'm short on money so I'm not going to get a siphon ill just use cups to scoop out water and fill it back up which takes a ton of time but it's 10 dollars for the cheapest siphon at petco. So until I get some more money how should I get the poop of the sand there's a ton. *My moms not going to loan me money to buy a test kit because the guy at petco said it's uneccasary and a waste of both time and money that wasn't the usual aquatic specialist, which we know the aquatic manager and he knows a lot he's not the usual chain bran worker. So I'm going to buy the API kit for 30, or should I get test strips for 20 but they only measure 3 things not 5. Also what botttom feeder pellets our petco only has tetra extreme veggie algae wafers and hikari bottom feeder carnivore pellets and algae wafer which hikari contain msg. I'm thinking the tetra veggie is that good? I'm Also going to buy tetra aqua safe water conditioner.*
JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
Get the API kit...even though its more money, its also more accurate.
I would get the carnivore pellets. Cories are omnivores so they like meaty and veggie type foods....but I wouldn't feed them exclusively veggie wafers.
As for getting the poop off the sand....do you have any airline tubing? If not, see how much that is at the store...you should be able to find some cheaper than the siphon. You can use that to suck out the waste from off the sand during your water change. You'll have to start it like a siphon to get it to drain.
I would get the carnivore pellets. Cories are omnivores so they like meaty and veggie type foods....but I wouldn't feed them exclusively veggie wafers.
As for getting the poop off the sand....do you have any airline tubing? If not, see how much that is at the store...you should be able to find some cheaper than the siphon. You can use that to suck out the waste from off the sand during your water change. You'll have to start it like a siphon to get it to drain.
IT-FishGuy
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2010
- Messages
- 59
Test kit
Get a master test kit you can get them for about $20. They are more accurate than strips and worth the money. I'm pretty sure corys are omnivores so regular flake food, or rounds will work. If you get rounds get the one with green stuff and other stuff that way the diet will be balanced.
Opps didn't read that other comment until now. Oh well.
If you have sand in the tank it's going to be tricky to siphon out things so be careful. I had a sand tank once and it got into the filter etc.
Get a master test kit you can get them for about $20. They are more accurate than strips and worth the money. I'm pretty sure corys are omnivores so regular flake food, or rounds will work. If you get rounds get the one with green stuff and other stuff that way the diet will be balanced.
Opps didn't read that other comment until now. Oh well.
If you have sand in the tank it's going to be tricky to siphon out things so be careful. I had a sand tank once and it got into the filter etc.
Thanks I've decided just to order the API fw master 18, tetra aquasafe with bio extract (not sure about the price I haven't decided what size bottle), tetramin 360 tablets 6, *an aquarium siphon and a fish net (what net should I get the one I have my albino Cory cats got there barbels stuck in and my betta is getting to big for it), here's the link to their nets which one should I get, Aquarium Nets at Big Al's Online
Thanks what stuff do I need immediately that I should get at petco in not buying a test kit there it's 39.99 for the API master. I might buy the siphon, net, temporary food until the tetra food arrives through mail, and maybe the tetra water conditioner depending on the price. Thanks I know this is a long question thanks for reading it all. In ordering it from bigals if you know any promos.
Thanks what stuff do I need immediately that I should get at petco in not buying a test kit there it's 39.99 for the API master. I might buy the siphon, net, temporary food until the tetra food arrives through mail, and maybe the tetra water conditioner depending on the price. Thanks I know this is a long question thanks for reading it all. In ordering it from bigals if you know any promos.
adeebm
Aquarium Advice FINatic
For the test kit, get this: Walmart.com: Freshwater Master Test Kit: Fish
$17 from Walmart, and ships free to your store. That should save you $20 for other stuff You can wait on the net, just get the test kit, siphon, conditioner and food.
--Adeeb
$17 from Walmart, and ships free to your store. That should save you $20 for other stuff
You can wait on the net, just get the test kit, siphon, conditioner and food.--Adeeb
Ok thanks I'll skip the net for now unless my petco has it on sale and sometimes they'll just let us have one because the aquatic manager knows us. Its not a new one though it's just an extra they had laying around. I'm going to buy a 17.99 test kit off bigals I have a free shipping coupon so it's the same price it's just bigals is the name brand. Ill buy the food off bigals too but ill just ask the manager if we can have a couple of wafers until our shipment arrives or just buy the cheapest thing they have since they're not going to be eating it permanently. For the siphon I'll just but one from petco or bigals depending on the price. And the water conditioner I have to buy at petco because I'm completely out and my fish need a major water change! What would you suggest I do a 50 percent? More or less? It's 28 gals. Thanks for your help!
For the test kit, get this: Walmart.com: Freshwater Master Test Kit: Fish
$17 from Walmart, and ships free to your store. That should save you $20 for other stuff
--Adeeb
