campo
New Member
I have cycled my new tank for about 3 days now and i have read that neon tetras won't like new tanks and i am unsure if they will survive in my tank and also will neons go well with platys?
Neon Tetras and Platys
- Thread starter campo
- Start date
Hello and welcome 
Cycling a tank refers to the ammonia cycle and routinely takes several weeks.
www.fishforums.net
Neon tetra won't like an uncycled tank but nor will any species, ammonia and nitrite are toxic.
Platies are hard water fish and neons are soft water fish so they are not an ideal combination. Check your water providers website for water hardness and choose species accordingly. A good research site is:
www.seriouslyfish.com
Cycling a tank refers to the ammonia cycle and routinely takes several weeks.
Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!
Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...
www.fishforums.net
Platies are hard water fish and neons are soft water fish so they are not an ideal combination. Check your water providers website for water hardness and choose species accordingly. A good research site is:
Seriously Fish — Feeling fishy?
www.seriouslyfish.com
campo
New Member
thank you i will wait a couple weeks and i will probably just stick to some neon tetras and go from there
Did you read Naught's link?
Cycling does not mean leaving the tank to run. Cycling means growing two colonies of micro-organisms which 'eat' the ammonia made by the fish (it's their equivalent to urine) and the nitrite the first colony makes from the ammonia. Both of these are poisonous to fish and will kill them quickly if they are allowed to build up.
If you add neons in a couple of weeks you'll be doing a fish-in cycle. That's a lot of hard work with daily testing for ammonia and nitrite and doing water changes every time either reads above zero, probably large daily water water changes. And potentially a lot of dead neons.
Using a bottled bacteria product can help speed things up but won't cycle a tank instantly. And most of the products on the market contain the wrong species of nitrite 'eaters'.
You also need to check how hard your water is. Neons are soft water fish and if you have hard water they won't live as long as they should due to calcium deposits in their kidneys.
Cycling does not mean leaving the tank to run. Cycling means growing two colonies of micro-organisms which 'eat' the ammonia made by the fish (it's their equivalent to urine) and the nitrite the first colony makes from the ammonia. Both of these are poisonous to fish and will kill them quickly if they are allowed to build up.
If you add neons in a couple of weeks you'll be doing a fish-in cycle. That's a lot of hard work with daily testing for ammonia and nitrite and doing water changes every time either reads above zero, probably large daily water water changes. And potentially a lot of dead neons.
Using a bottled bacteria product can help speed things up but won't cycle a tank instantly. And most of the products on the market contain the wrong species of nitrite 'eaters'.
You also need to check how hard your water is. Neons are soft water fish and if you have hard water they won't live as long as they should due to calcium deposits in their kidneys.
Waiting will not cycle the tank, it needs an ammonia source. The cycling link is heavy going, a video is a better introduction. Just ignore the marketing (bacteria additives, fertilizer etc.) and check information with other sources.
When platies and neons are kept together, the best option it to keep them at an pH of approx. 7. That works for both of them. I don't know your pH and gH. But if the water is harder (not higher than 7,6) and you really want neons, use very young ones. For they adapt better. But of course, it's better to keep soft water fish in soft water and hard water fish in hard water.
I won't say anything further about the tank cycle. For sufficient info has already been given overhere by my fellow members.
I won't say anything further about the tank cycle. For sufficient info has already been given overhere by my fellow members.
Hello. Platys will go well with any other peaceful fish. As long as you're keeping up with your water changes, there's no reason why the fish won't do well. Don't over populate the tank. Keep the food to a small variety every couple of days and you'll be successful. Water changes are the foundation of any degree of success in this hobby.
10
campo
New Member
thanks for all of the info and tips guys, i have spoken to my friend and he is willing to give me some some filter media with beneficial bacteria that has been established in his tank and i am going to buy some seachem stability and let my tank run for about a month or so and let the bacteria establish and i will check levels of ph, ammonia, nitrite and will ask my local council about our water hardness. thanks for all the help on getting me started
WAIT... does that picture / link, say I can feed my fish M&M's 
Hello. I used API's Quick Start when I started a new aquarium. I just dose the product according to the instructions along with API's Water Conditioner and add a few of my chosen fish. I change half the tank water every few days, for as long as I have the tank running and always use the same amount of the two chemicals prior to refilling the tank. Never had a problem.
10
The filter media is a good idea if it's from a disease free tank. Using live aquarium plants is highly recommended as they use the ammonia.
Letting the tank run for a month could actually reduce the levels of beneficial bacteria in the filter media, unless there is an ammonia source.
TNG
Fish Crazy
It’s good to have an aquarist friend who can help you out with establishing your tank.
If you live in Adelaide or the surrounding suburbs, the GH of your tap water could be up to 10 dGH which is too high for some softwater fish. You can get the water data from SA Water, not your local council, as councils in Australia do not supply drinking water or deal with sewerage disposal.
If your tap water has a strange smell, that’s the smell of chlorine. So dechlorination of the water is important – but you already knew that anyway. Another option is to store tap water in a container for 24-48 hours before using it in the aquarium. I store water in a 240L green bin in my backyard so I do not need to use any water conditioner, but storing water in a large bin would not be an option if you live in a unit.
Hope you have a good start establishing your tank and enjoy the hobby.
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