Advice On Stocking

[xweeqtx]

Recently purchased a 2ft x 1.5ft tank - I know its not that big, but the fish currently in it are just completely unable to be seen. I'm looking for more colourful additions for it and if possible, the number that could be fit into this tank without over-crowding the fish.

Currently I have:

2 Female Guppies
2 Male Platys
3 Cardinal Tetras
1 Silver Shark(Was thinking on getting another one or two of these to give the other one some pals!)

Also, does anyone know how to work out how many gallons the tank is from those measurements?

 

[nurglespuss]

Hi there! and welcome!


This stock is excellent: 2 Female Guppies
2 Male Platys
3 Cardinal Tetras

This fellow though will have to go!:
1 Silver Shark(Was thinking on getting another one or two of these to give the other one some pals!)

These fellas can grow up to 14" and can damage themselves on the glass of small aquariums.

How long has your tank been set up btw, and what is filtering it?

I would suggest: for activity - add 5 corydoras, or a few khulie loaches, or for colour and zippyness danios. Or you could boost the sizes of your shoals by adding more cardinals, golden barbs would be good too.

Also, does anyone know how to work out how many gallons the tank is from those measurements?
[/quote]

 

[xweeqtx]

Hi,

I was told the Silver Shark I bought is like a miniature of the Bala and he would only grow to about 4 inches? I saw the Bala sharks, and yeah, they were huge - this one is tiny though!

I had a look at the zebra danios as a thought, didn't like the golden barbs but the rosy barbs are pretty active!

The tank was cycled for a couple of weeks after I got it, just put the fish in. The filter is a Fluval 2+

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hi,

I was told the Silver Shark I bought is like a miniature of the Bala and he would only grow to about 4 inches? I saw the Bala sharks, and yeah, they were huge - this one is tiny though!

I had a look at the zebra danios as a thought, didn't like the golden barbs but the rosy barbs are pretty active!

The tank was cycled for a couple of weeks after I got it, just put the fish in. The filter is a Fluval 2+

"Silver shark" is just another common name for the bala shark, they are the same type of fish. It will definately outgrow your tank and do best in shoals, tank size is more important than gallons, most people advise at least a 5-6ft long by 2ft high and 18inch wide tank minimum for a group of 5-6 bala/silver sharks.

We need more info on your situation;
a. How exactly did you cycle your tank?
b. What is the width and height of the tank?
c. How long has the tank been set up in total?
d. Have you at any point tested the water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and if so, when was the last time you tested the water quality in the tank and what were the exact results you got?


Cardinal tetras are not ideal fish for new tank set ups, they are very sensitive to water quality conditions and thrive best in a soft acidic ph, they thrive best in a blackwater type tank set up;

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=212

They are shoaling fish and it is recommended that you have at least 6-8 of them, 10 or more is even better. Do you know what the ph of your tank is?


Both guppys and platys are sociable fish, and do best in trio's or more. If you want a mixed gender group, at least 2-3females per male is advised. In an all-male group, you should have at least 5 males to help disperse any agression amoungst them and help reduce stress levels, and in an all-female group at least 3 females is advised.

More info on your situation would be helpful before anyone can seriously advise you any good fish to go in your tank .

 

[xweeqtx]

The tank has been set up just over 3 weeks, we were told to wait 2 weeks to cycle it but we waited until yesterday.
To cycle it we simply set it up, installed filter filled up but left a 1 inch gap. Treated the water with a conditioner and tested randomly throughout.

PH is 6.5
Ammonia was 0.02ppm
No nitrites detected(think it was -17 or something)
Nitrate was 9.7ppm

Don't know the height, haven't got anything to measure with but can estimate probably just over half a foot. It's a good depth..

Definitely need to get rid of the shark then? Aw. I like him.

 

[xweeqtx]

Were those levels ok?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Nitrites cannot be -17.

If your tank was set up for two weeks with nothing in it (i.e. no ammonia source), then it has not cycled yet. Do not purchase any more fish until the tank has cycled. Since ammonia is starting to show up I would recommend to start doing daily checks to make sure that the level does not become a serious issue. Try to keep Ammonia (and later Nitrites) below .25 ppm. Also, check your tap water to determine the NitrAte level out of the tap. Also...do you have live plants in the tank?

I highly recommend reading the stickied threads about how to cycle a tank to help you understand the nitrogen cycle. Unfortunately pet stores give bad information some times.

 

[xweeqtx]

Yes there are live plants in the tank. All the decorations etc were in the tank during the "cycle". Just no fish, they were only added yesterday.

The ammonia and nitrites are below .25ppm
Ammonia is 0.02ppm and Nitrites are nil.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Okay the reason I asked about the plants is...

Plants like to consume Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates...and they'll uptake the Ammonia first, but in it's absence they'll take Nitrates which may explain in the future why your Nitrates test less than your tap water. This is important to know because...you won't know that your tank is cycled until Ammonia and NitrItes consistently test 0, and NitrAtes rise.

Once again...having plants and decorations in your tank for several weeks really won't help your tank cycle. To grow a large enough bacterial colony to act as a biological filtration system the bacteria need Ammonia (and later NitrItes) to feed on. The only way to get enough Ammonia for this is either 1) fishy cycling (which is where the fish produce Ammonia from their waste, and this method does pose a health risk for your fish), or 2) fishless cycling (which is where another Ammonia source is provided either by decomposing matter (like fish food/frozen shrimp or a chemical source)

It is possible to do what is called "silent cycling" in which a large number of fast growing plants are used to absorb the Ammonia produced from a small stocking of fish until the bacterial colony grows larger, but that often requires a bit more advanced knowledge about what kind of plants to use, how many, and what kind of lighting conditions etc will be needed.

 

[xweeqtx]

Ahh ok. Had I known, i wouldn't have put the fish in so early. I think the only thing I can do is a "fishy cycle" as you say - since my Betta has now been transferred into my other tank, I don't want to move him back into his other one again since he's settled in so well. The fish seem ok, they're doing fine so I'll see how it goes. If there's anything wrong, I take it the cardinals will show signs first, yeah?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Yes Cardinals tend to be sensitive to water conditions. If you keep a close eye on your water parameters by testing frequently and doing water changes whenever needed however it should help minimize risk to the fish.