A Few Questions.........

[fish_for_life]

Hi there.
I'm new to this forum and new to keeping fish so hello and i hope you cam answer some of my questions.
Firstly a brief description of the set up. It is a 16 gallon tank and I have 3 lemon tetras and 3 other tetras not sure what type diamond maybe. The fish have been in there for about two days now and seem to be doing fine. I just have some questions on care and maintenance and some stocking advice.

1 Can I have some tips on feeding. I know your not meant to feed them very much. Just some advice on when to feed and any techniques on practical feeding methods, how to make sure all the fish get enough food without polluting the tank.

2 I have a testing kit for pH, Amonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. Any help on what I should be doing here. The instructions that came with the kit were not clear and I did a test today and the results were contradictory.

3 Advice on stocking the tank. What sort of size, type, diversity through the tank. Please name specific fish and provide links if you can. Bearing in mind I have a 16 gallon tank how would you populate the tank based on your knowledge and experience. Again please name the fish fully, thank you.

Thats about it for now any advice tips or other help would be great. Could you please only post if you are confident in your expertise and basically know what your talking about. Im sure you do but the internet can be a dangerous place for false confusing information and I dont want my fish to die.

Thanks.

 

[Harlequins]

Hi & welcome

You've come to the right place here
Now firstly you are in what we call a 'fish in' cycle, i dont want to go all through it now but have a read in the beginners section(link under my pic)this will tell you about the fish in cycle and the nitrogen cycle which is what your filter needs to go through before your fish are safe from harmful toxins that build up during this process...basically your fish produce ammonia in everything they do which builds up and then in turns turn to nitite and then onto nitrate which is removed through waterchanges.
In the beginning the filter needs to build up good bacteria to break down the ammonia/nitrite before it turns to nitrate,this process can take 4-6 weeks.has i said during this time it is critical you test the ammonia & nitrite and if they're above zero then you need to do water changes using dechlorinator to keep your fish safe.
Now during this process minimum feeding is a must,otherwise it will add to the problem,the fish's eye is the size of its belly so hence dont need much...
The Api testers are pretty easy once you get use to them,fill the vial up to the line with tank water then add the appropriate drops has stated on the bottle,shake and leave for the time given.then look on the card to see what it matches.
With the nitrate bottles you need to shake them very hard for a good minute has the mixture sticks in the bottom giving a false reading.
Has regards stocking you're best off looking at what fish you like then asking if these would suit you tank stocking nearer the time.i wouldn't add any fish for a while until your filter is cycled.
Good luck

 

[luke4868]

As what Harlequin said really.

It is vital that you keep the Ammonia at zero, if it anything above this, do 50% water changes everyday to keep it from harming your fish. Make sure the water is dechlorinated before putting it in too.

How long have you had the tank? and how long has the filter been turned on it in?

 

[fish_for_life]

As what Harlequin said really.

It is vital that you keep the Ammonia at zero, if it anything above this, do 50% water changes everyday to keep it from harming your fish. Make sure the water is dechlorinated before putting it in too.

How long have you had the tank? and how long has the filter been turned on it in?

Had the tank set up without fish for about two weeks then added fish last Thursday. All hte lemon tetras are dead now only three little ones left. I am doing the water changes like you said and testing everyday so fingers crossed. I have to say it is quite disheartening when the fish die, especially when your quite new to keeping fish and dont have the experience, you do feel quite helpless. Thanks to this site tho coz without i wouldnt have known what to do. The guy at the fish shop seems to know his stuff but was quite condescending and dismissive not inviting me to ask him for help so thanks again and il keep updating let you know how i'm getting on.

 

[waterdrop]

Unfortunately, the two weeks of just running with water wouldn't have done anything. There must be an ammonia source to grow the two species of bacteria needed. You will learn all about "cycling" and "The Nitrogen Cycle" here in our wonderful beginners section. As mentioned, let's start out with 3 articles in our Beginners Resource Center: The Fish-In Cycle, The Nitrogen Cycle and The Fishless Cycle. I'm at a swim meet and must go watch my son swim a race, when I come back I'll try to check if you've read some of the cycling info!

~~waterdrop~~