Community Tank

[ShyKitty91]

Brightly colored. Was trying to get one of each color. I know dividers aren't hard to make. Maybe I'll do that.

And that's reassuring, I never thought about how they got there in the first place. I just remember as a kid whenever I'd get a fish from the city to bring home it would die a few days after, even when aclimated properly.

 

[coldcazzie]

You could do a group of male guppies, cardinal neon or rummy nose tetras, cherry barbs, skirt tetras (although they may get too big), harlequin rasboras are not bright but beautifully coloured. The fish will be much happier in the correct numbers. Much happier. It's so very obvious when you have a small shoal that you add to - suddenly the behaviour of the fish change. I have 22 of one sp. in my tank, and I don't think they are in a large enough group.

As for why they died, if a fish dies soon after introduction I would say it highly likely it was one of two reasons: either something happened to them before purchase, or the water quality was not good enough and they died of an ammonia spike. You have to remember that fishkeeping has changed a lot recently. Before it was bang the fish in the tank and hope they were hardy enough to ride out the high ammonia and nitrite levels. Now we know to fishless cycle or do large water changes to protect the fish.

 

[ShyKitty91]

It was an established tank I was trying to put them in.
My mothers actually. Now that I think about it.. I don't think she took care of the tank very well..
She only had 4 or 5 danios in it and a pleco.. Probably because that's all that survived. I don't know. I didn't live with her then.

Don't male guppys fight like bettas do?

 

[coldcazzie]

no they don't. But I'd just get males, otherwise you'll be overrun with millions of babies!

Established doesn't = good water quality. Sometimes a tank develops old tank syndrome. Sometimes people increase the bioload too fast, causing a spike. Sometimes people replace filters when they don't need to, or wash them under the tap, or leave them out to get dry when fiddling with the tank. Perhaps they forget dechlorinator, or put a non aquatic plant in, or any number of things, but for the vast majority of people out there with fish tanks, they are just a bit of pretty furniture, and the water quality is pretty dismal. I think a large proportion of us on here have been there at some point its not meant as a dig, just as a "you need to see things for how they really are".

 

[ShyKitty91]

Yea, I suppose.

 

[ShyKitty91]

Well as it stands now, and is likely to change since I am still waiting for my tank to cycle.

2 honey gourami, males. 2inch fully grown.
I am under the impression that as long as the tank is 20G or larger 2 gouramis can mark territory and live peacefully with each other. Thoughts?

7 guppys, all male. 1.5inch
Under the impression that as long as they are added together they will form a gang and be fine. And if added separatly will bully the new one until it dies.

6 black skirt tetra. 2.5inch
Wondering if white skirt tetra will school with them. I won't specifically seek out the white skirts, because they are artifically colored, but if they have them there and they will get along fine.. Well.. Provides interest.

5 cherry barbs. 2inch

1 oto. 2inch
I know they usually want 3 or more in a group but.. I am worried my tank won't produce enough algae for even one. Considering I don't have live plants. (Intend to feed it cucumber also, like I did with my last oto.)

*note: If it turns out my tank isn't big enough for all these, I will take out the cherry barbs and maybe add a guppy.

 

[coldcazzie]

That sounds much better

I would suggest waiting to add the oto until much later. Give it 5-6 months and see what the algae is like (clean it from the front of the glass but not anywhere else). If your coming up against a lot of algae growing naturally then get a few, if you hardly have any then maybe reassess that bit. If you add it at the beginning there almost definitely won't be enough for it to eat, but play it by ear. Keep an eye and see how things go, if you're unsure post a pic up and I'm sure someone will help you

On the subject of the gouramis... its difficult. Technically 2 males should fight. But they may not if there are no females. A m/f pair usually ends up with the female being harassed to death, so 1m:2-3f is a better ratio, but if you can't fit that in a single one would be better. But then I once had a male gourami that wasn't happy until I bought 2 more males which goes against everything I know should make sense. Again I would suggest play it by ear: if you want to buy two watch them like hawks for a day or 2. If any bullying occurs, don't hesitate to remove one and return it to the shop.

A lot of fishkeeping is about seeing how things are and being flexible

 

[ShyKitty91]

I went to the fishshop today and they have the male gouramis in one tank and the females in another. They don't seem to be sick or suffering or fighting at all. So who knows?

Also, went to a few more fish shops, smaller ones that don't have alot fish, to try to find ammonia, and NONE of them had it, or have ever had it.

They recommended I get another product though. My dad wouldn't let me leave the shop without it. Bio Support, I think its the same as BioSpira (which I couldn't find either), but the Big Al's brand. HOPEFULLY it works.

Also, got a better conditioner and an NO3 test.
None of the stores had guppys.

 

[coldcazzie]

yeah, I believe they stopped making biospira, although I may be wrong about that...

It's unlikely the fish shops would have ammonia: its usually available in chemists or hardware stores. However, next time you're at a shop you could ask them for some of their media out of their filter system. That would start you off well

But glad you got another test kit and dechlor

 

[ShyKitty91]

yeah, I believe they stopped making biospira, although I may be wrong about that...

It's unlikely the fish shops would have ammonia: its usually available in chemists or hardware stores. However, next time you're at a shop you could ask them for some of their media out of their filter system. That would start you off well

But glad you got another test kit and dechlor

Yea, I figured it would be a good idea to dechlorinate the water, even if the company claims not to put chlorine in it.. I think it's probable there is, there usually is, especially during summer..

pH went back up to 8.2
ammonia is still at 0.6 after 2 days of doing nothing to the tank..
nitrites are around 2, went up a tiny bit.
and nitrates are at 40.. measured with new test.

It has to be doing something. Cycling reallllllly slllowwwly. Ha..
Doing a water change tomorrow.. Or saturday.. Depends if the NH3 does anything.

You know.. With the product I got to cycle.. I should probably add a fish or 2..
As an ammonia source.. As mean as that is..

I think I will ask the lps for some media. Just to make sure my tank cycles properly.
Or faster if I put a friend in there..


I don't remember ever having this much issue cycling before..

 

[coldcazzie]

Yes, before no one really did this cycling thing. They just threw some hardy fish in the tank and hoped for the best. But they also believed that the bacteria were in the water, that water changes killed fish, that salt was good for fishes health (generally, rather than as a treatment for a specific issue) etc etc.

There are so many things that we now know we can do in different and better ways, ways that mean that the fishes health is improved compared to what it used to be, but there are still so many people who subscribe to the view that "it worked fine before, therefore it must still be fine now", even when you provide them with evidence to the contrary.

You're in a good place to learn, and you're lots more receptive that some of the people we come across

Adding fish is an option. IF you do that you will be in the position of having to do water changes daily, which means daily trips to your dads for water... do you think you can commit to that for the next 2 months?

 

[ShyKitty91]

Yea, I realize that. I am actually wondering if the neighbours outside tap water would be okay.. They are attached to the town water pipes instead of a well like my house is.. But all of the water in Millet tastes a little off.

Or if I put enough dechlorinator in my house water, the filtered water from the kitchen sink, if it would be okay to use.
To bad their isn't an easy way to test for sulphur..

The cycle product I have seemed to raise the NH3.. Maybe I should continue to add that as an ammonia source? Would have to add it everyday though.

I don't think my dad would be willing to make daily trips to bring me water. Or my mom either. With raised gas costs and all...

 

[coldcazzie]

It could be that it has within it dead bacteria which will decay and act as an ammonia source...

 

[ShyKitty91]

It could be that it has within it dead bacteria which will decay and act as an ammonia source...

Would that work though?

 

[coldcazzie]

I mean, they may have aimed for live bacteria, but they'd have died, therefore indirectly providing an ammonia source. I don't know, its only a maybe...