A few questions a need help on

[steph.j]

I have a 168 litre tank which has
• bristlenose pleco
• 5 Cory catfish (just lost one this morning )
• 6 rummy nose tetras
• 10/11 neon tetras
• 2 guppies
• 2 dwarf guppies
•10/14 baby platies
• last week I bought a ram cichlid

I’m hoping I haven’t got too many fish but the fish shop said I can still have quite a few more fish but I don’t want anymore .
Anyway , my questions are -
how much do you feed your fish and what do you feed them . fish shop said to feed them twice a day , a pinch a flakes in the morning , then block of frozen bloodworm at night . Plus wafer for plec. Does this sound right?
I've noticed a few fish occasional rubbing themselves against the bottom of the tank - is this normal ?
Also I have a mixture of live plants and fake plants . the one fake plant I have , seems to have hairy stuff on the top on it . Should I remove it.

Thanks
Steph

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Guppies and platies do best in water with a pH above 7.0 and a GH above 200ppm.

Tetras, Corydoras and rams come from water with a pH below 7.0 and a GH below 100ppm.

----------------------
How long has the tank been set up for?
Have you got an ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH test kit?
What sort of filter is on the tank?

 

[Slim8981]

I have a 168 litre tank which has
• bristlenose pleco
• 5 Cory catfish (just lost one this morning )
• 6 rummy nose tetras
• 10/11 neon tetras
• 2 guppies
• 2 dwarf guppies
•10/14 baby platies
• last week I bought a ram cichlid

I’m hoping I haven’t got too many fish but the fish shop said I can still have quite a few more fish but I don’t want anymore .
Anyway , my questions are -
how much do you feed your fish and what do you feed them . fish shop said to feed them twice a day , a pinch a flakes in the morning , then block of frozen bloodworm at night . Plus wafer for plec. Does this sound right?
I've noticed a few fish occasional rubbing themselves against the bottom of the tank - is this normal ?
Also I have a mixture of live plants and fake plants . the one fake plant I have , seems to have hairy stuff on the top on it . Should I remove it.

Thanks
Steph

To answer your questions... Your stocking should be fine as long as your tank is properly cycled and you are reading 0 Ammonia and 0 Nitrite. Myself personally, I have always maintained a stricked feed once a day routine. I would feed a flake food but feed with bloodworm once or twice a week instead of flake just to give them a bit more of a varied diet. And yes a algae wafer for the pleco is also a good idea. Fish rubbing can only mean 1 of 2 things in my experience. 1) a drastic change or swing in the water parameters like PH, GH or KH like Colin T has suggested. However that said, wouldn't get to hung up on PH GH and KH as the fish you have will be captive bred and will adapt to most conditions as long as they are stable. OR 2) it can be Parasites, usually gills flukes if they are rubbing with no visible signs of infection. Again in my experience fish store fish almost always come with parasites and always need treating, so this is the most likely imo. The fluff you described I can only guess to be a hair or beard algae without a photo and yes this should be removed.