Tetra

[Glofish09]

I bought three glofish tetras today and followed the advice of the clerk at the pet store. I let the 10 gallon tank cycle for nearly 24 hours and added the water conditioner. I rinsed off the gravel and decor just with water and didn’t use soap.
The clerk tested the water and said it was ok.


I floated the bag of fish for 20 minutes like they said and then scooped the fish in without adding the water from the store. I added a little food in and within the hour they all began to swim erratically and then die. What should I have done differently?

 

[SaraB]

Your tank wasn't cycled. Cycles can take a couple of weeks to complete. You can find articles on this website that will explain how to cycle your tank properly.
The glofish tetras also need a 20 gal tank with a school of at least 6. If you have a glofish tank with the black lights I'm sure you can still find something that will look nice in there. A white or other lightly colored betta would work.

 

[Barliman]

The clerk gave you bad advice, I'm sorry to say. Your aquarium's filter wasn't ready for fish. Don't feel too bad, though, we've all been through it. There's a good article here on getting started with freshwater tanks:

https://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

...and...

https://www.aquariumadvice.com/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling/

And don't be shy about asking for help! That's what we're here for.

 

[Glofish09]

Cycling tank

Thanks for the feedback. I only have a ten gallon tank so I should not being trying to introduce glofish tetras?


Another clerk told me to let the tank cycle without the filter because the filter absorbed the water conditioner. I tried letting it cycle this way but unfortunately this didn’t work for the new fish. They lasted longer than the first group though. I am afraid to get any more fish.

I am a little confused about the fish less cycling. I am not certain about testing for ammonia and nitrates and how to know if I am doing it correctly. I read the article but it left me more confused. Is there a cheat sheet I can use or something?

 

[SaraB]

No they get too big/active for a 10 gallon tank. Is your tank a glofish specific tank? Black lights and all that?

Ok, yeah I'll do my best. The easy way to do it is to buy a test kit since the store obviously doesn't know what it's doing.
Strips work fine but liquid test kits are more accurate.
-Add a bit of fish food to the aquarium to introduce ammonia
-Add beneficial bacteria in a bottle (you can buy it just make sure it's live). Make sure you follow the instructions on the bottle.
-You should see a bit of an ammonia, nitrate and nitrite spike. Do a water change.
Repeat if necessary

Your end goal is for you to have
0 ammonia
0 nitrites
5-20 nitrates

What that means is that your beneficial bacteria is doing it's job. Without cycling a tank you gen an ammonia spike from the fish and it will poison them unless you are doing a fish in cycle.

 

[Glofish09]

Glo fish

No it is not specifically a glofish tank. What fish do well in a 10 gallon aquarium that can also eventually be with a betta fish? I have a betta fish in a separate fish bowl currently.

I will have to try those recommendations for cycling my tank. I may have more questions. Thanks for your help!

 

[Lokilow]

Rasboras do well in a small tank and would be fine with a betta too. However they can be pretty sensitive fish due to their size.

 

[Glofish09]

The article says to use pure ammonia. Is it better to use pure ammonia or fish food as a source of ammonia? Is it ok to use a bottle of bacteria? The article suggested not to do that.

How often should I be testing the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?

 

[SaraB]

Ember tetras might be the easiest to fine. There are some smaller species of rasboras that would work, as well as pygmy corydoras. None of those fish get above 1" and are good betta tankmates.
If y added your betta now (nothing else) you can do a fish in cycle. Basically feed sparingly and lots of water changes while testing the tank.

 

[Glofish09]

Update:

I have been doing fishless cycling for the past two months or so and my nitrites are at 0, ammonia is at .25, and nitrates are at 5.0. I have been doing 50% water changes every couple of days or so. Would it be safe to introduce fish to the 10 gallon tank at this point? Thanks.

 

[Barliman]

Update:

I have been doing fishless cycling for the past two months or so and my nitrites are at 0, ammonia is at .25, and nitrates are at 5.0. I have been doing 50% water changes every couple of days or so. Would it be safe to introduce fish to the 10 gallon tank at this point? Thanks.

What you want to see is the conversion of all ammonia to nitrites and then nitrates in 24 hours. Do you have some pure ammonia (no additives) at hand? Add 1 drop per gallon (this assumes there are no animals in the tank!), measure the ammonia, and then come back 24 hours later and take another reading. It should be 0/0/[some number of] nitrates. That's when you know the tank is cycled.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Update:

I have been doing fishless cycling for the past two months or so and my nitrites are at 0, ammonia is at .25, and nitrates are at 5.0. I have been doing 50% water changes every couple of days or so. Would it be safe to introduce fish to the 10 gallon tank at this point? Thanks.

I cant work out from your post history if you have been adding an ammonia source during your fishless cycle. If so how much?

Assuming you have been doing, and it looks like you are getting down to 0.25ppm ammonia i would just do a test of bottled water to compare your 0.25 against a true 0ppm reading. If looked at in bad light against a non-white background a 0 can look like a .25