Are They All A No No?

[Bugsvile]

While i am waitng the long wait for my tank to cycle, i believe i have decided on the fish i would like to add to my tank.

I know see it on loads of threads about Neon tetra, but are all tetra's a no no for a newly cycled tank?

I would love to stock with cardinals, some lampeye and maybe one or two Guppies.

Also, if these fish are compatible is one or two Guppies or maybe more recomended.

I only have a 64litre tank, my intention was say 6 tetra, maybe 6 lampeye and maybe one or two Guppies.

Is that two much or would there be room for more?

 

[nmonks]

64 litres (16 gallons) isn't a huge amount of space, but the smaller and less active tetras are certainly viable. Neons, cardinals, and glowlights would all fit the bill. All three work best in big groups, and the more you have, the better they look (and behave).

For a tank your size, 10-12 neons would be fine, and leave a little space for a few bottom feeding fish, perhaps a trio of kuhli loaches or a school of half a dozen Corydoras habrosus, one of the tiniest catfish on sale. A betta would be risky because they're so prone to being nipped, but 5-6 sparkling gouramis or a pair of croaking gouramis would make nice surface-dwelling fish.

All these species are very small and do well in small tanks. Avoid anything that needs more swimming space. Even danios are surprisingly active, and won't thrive in a 64 litre tank.

In very small tanks, it's dangerous to add too many fish at once. A good approach is this: cycle the tank, and then add some cherry shrimps. Six will be fine. Not only will these handle any algae, but they're also pretty tolerant of newly cycled tanks. Feed flake every other day, just a pinch, as if you were keeping fish. If the shrimps thrive, and the nitrite/ammonia levels stay at zero, then you're good to go. After a couple weeks, add six tetras, and a week later, another four to six of that species. Over the next couple of months, you can add whatever additional catfish and gouramis you want.

Cheers, Neale

 

[arobinson1984]

Agree with nmonks here on certain aspects but it should be noted that neons and cardinals dont do well in new tanks, they shouldnt really be added to tanks until they are about 6 months old at the earliest as they are both sensitive to fluctuating conditions that are present in new tanks.

An alternative would be the black neons that are alot more hardy or another species group such as harlequins or rasboras.

If you plan of keeping guppies, keep only males otherwise you will very quickly be overrun with fry

Andy

 

[ellena]

I'm quite a newbie, so maybe I've misunderstood, but I don't get what you've said nmonks. If he cycles the tank then keeps only 6 cherry shrimp in there for 2 weeks, most of the bacteria he's worked to grow will be dead. And adding more fish will be like from scratch again, no?

 

[nmonks]

You're missing the key bit: I said to add flake, just as if you were feeding fish.

Bacteria don't care whether the ammonia comes from decaying flake or via the digestion system of a fish. X grammes of flake will make the same amount of ammonia whether it's eaten by a fish, by shrimps, or left to rot on the gravel. So, by adding flake, you're keeping the bacteria happy. The shrimps will speed this process up by breaking up the flake into smaller particles, and may well eat most of the flake anyway. But because shrimps are hardy but small, you can get away with feeding them every other day and fully expect them to do well, while the bacteria are kept ticking over happily.

After a couple of weeks of this you should find the tank has settled down nicely. If you're still detecting ammonia, then there are problems, but if ammonia and nitrite are zero, then you're fine. Add some fish.

One problem with the "cycling with ammonia" method is that it ignores the other bacteria necessary for healthy aquaria, i.e., the heterotrophic bacteria that break down organic molecules such as those in food and faecal matter. The shrimp stage allows you to take care of this, by providing conditions those bacteria need, without placing fish at undue risk.

Cheers, Neale

I'm quite a newbie, so maybe I've misunderstood, but I don't get what you've said nmonks. If he cycles the tank then keeps only 6 cherry shrimp in there for 2 weeks, most of the bacteria he's worked to grow will be dead. And adding more fish will be like from scratch again, no?

 

[meguro]

So instead of fish being placed at undue risk, the shrimp are placed at undue risk? When will the madness end!!@1!~2

 

[nmonks]

Well, I suppose you have a point there, but then what about brine shrimp... krill... daphnia! They're all crustaceans!

In practise at least, cherry shrimps seem to be extremely robust, and even in tanks I neglect to some degree, they carry on growing and breeding like crazy.

Cheers, Neale

So instead of fish being placed at undue risk, the shrimp are placed at undue risk? When will the madness end!!@1!~2