Nitrites And Nitrates In My New Tank

[PennyHardie]

I am still battling with my nitrites but added a few mollies and platies to try and kick start some action. The aquatic centre that I bought them from were really helpful and suggested that these were best for hard water and are pretty hardy. They also advised on having a mix of male and female but told me what ratios this needs to be. I am a little worried about this having read you post above! After a week all the fish seem really lively and no fatalities so far.  The male molly is certainly interested in the females which I am taking to be a good sign. I am adding bacteria every day and bought a proper testing kit. I have no plans to add more fish until the nitrites have come down.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I live in a hard water area. I have a 55l tank and after doing some research was thinking about 6 guppies (male) a couple of dwarf gouramis and 3 or 4 Cory (these are pretty hardy). I was going to start with the cory and then add the others. There is a great place near to me that has been recommended so no more Pets at Home! I grew up with tropical fish as my Dad has had one since I was born (50 years) and he never had much luck with tetra so I was going to avoid them

 
 
A few things to add... 55L is a fairly small tank.  Less is more.  If i were you, I'd suggest just sticking to the guppies, add a few snails or shrimp if you are inclined with that and just use the various color varieties that exist in the guppies to give you 'variety'.  
 
Cories really don't do well in such a small tank, and dwarf gourami can be a bit persnickety, especially in tight quarters.  Both cories and gouramis are better off in soft water tanks, and both are better in larger tanks.  A 55L would look fantastic with about 9 guppies of a variety of colors, guppies are tremendously active (as gluttons they are constantly looking for food, and males will constantly be displaying to one another for dominance).  Getting an odd number helps keep things more stable.  Guppies are also fish that go al over the tank into every nook and cranny in search of food.  So, your tank will be 'busy' everywhere.
 
 
Shrimp and/or snails can add a little extra interest, without adding much bioload.  There are some very handsome shrimp and snails.  Horned nerite snails can be quite ornate.
 
As for the shrimp, the 'easiest' and most colorful would be the cherry shrimp (which actually come in a variety of colors, red being the most common).  These are fairly cheap, extremely hardy, and prolific breeders (and they do breed in freshwater, while others do not always).  But, again, the colors available in shrimp is about as wide as you could imagine.
 
You like blue?  Crystal blue, or blue tiger...
 
You like yellow?  Yellow cherry...

Also, orange, green, black, etc...  Lots of color options, its just a question of finding them.  I can't help you with that, but I know that there are likely online breeders that you could find without too much trouble.
Another possibility for you fish-wise would be endlers.  These are very similar to guppies, but a little smaller.   This would enable you to add a few more.   And they come in a wide variety of colors as well.  

 

[PennyHardie]

Wow thank you! I am going to stick with what I have which are 4 mollies and three platies. The mollies have already had babies so I am worried about over stocking already! I was going to get some shrimp but was told they might climb out of the tank, which is partly open to the air. Is this true?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Mollies and Platies may well have red cherry shrimps as expensive tasty snacks!

However, to help answer about shrimps escaping from tanks whether open topped or not, is afaik not a common occurrence BUT it does happen.

I would put these escape attempts down to poor water conditions or the tank is not mature enough in terms of the bio film and cycle.

Shrimps are amongst the first creatures in the tank to show that there may be something amiss with the water conditions. They are more sensitive than most fish / stocking species. The most obvious sign is shrimps running around the tank frantically looking for a safe spot or hiding area, worst case scenario is to try and escape from the water altogether.

Shrimps (and snails) are especially sensitive to too much copper in the water column, too much copper can be fatal to all shrimps and inverts but they can tolerate trace amounts of copper.

As long as you have stable water conditions with no ammonia and nitrite and low levels of nitrate then shrimps and snails will be very happy in a 55 litre tank but would be hidden a lot if they see mollies and Platies swimming around.

 

[PennyHardie]

I am delighted to report that at last the nitrite and nitrate levels are showing signs of going down. The mollies and platies seem to be doing well (and now up to 6 baby mollies). The plants are growing and all the fish are getting along... and I am wasting hours just watching them!

 

[Shabba82]

Sounds like your tank is going through the cycle process. With Mollies, Platies, Guppies, Swordtails, all livebearers, all active fish, but they will eat their offspring, so have a separate enclose for the mothers to give birth. Also,they breed very frequently. Ratio should be 3 Females to every male.

 

[PennyHardie]

Great news.... my nitrites are now down to an acceptable level. So far no babies have been eaten and my ratios of males to female are spot on.... i am going to relax and enjoy it for a while. Thank you everyone for the help and advice!

 

[Ch4rlie]

Sounds as if  you are still in the process of cycling but you are in fact nearing the end stages, so keep on doing these water changes and testing for a little while longer yet.
 
Once you have tested ammonia AND nitrite at zero, on say two consecutive days, you're cycled.
 
The only acceptable level of nitrite is zero

 

[PennyHardie]

My nitrites and ammonia have been at zero for days now, so I am a happy girl. 25% water changes every fortnight as suggested from now on.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Yay, nice!

Just one minor change, would suggest nearer to 50% water changes weekly rather than 25%.