Complete Newbie

[Guth]

Hi guys, just set up my first tropical fish tank a few weeks back.

Just wanting some advice, one of my fish keeps hiding, i dont know what kindof fish it is, but it hides all the time and when i put in food it seems really reluctant to come out of hiding, it used to hide with another fish the same type but different colour but that fish sits at the top now.

my tank is cycled but i just dont feel my fish are happy, i put in 6 neon tetras and i was told they swim together, but they dont lol

finally is it normal for one of my fish to swim against the side of the tank up and down as if it wants out?
thanks!

 

[5teady_2012]

Hi guys, just set up my first tropical fish tank a few weeks back.

Just wanting some advice, one of my fish keeps hiding, i dont know what kindof fish it is, but it hides all the time and when i put in food it seems really reluctant to come out of hiding, it used to hide with another fish the same type but different colour but that fish sits at the top now.

my tank is cycled but i just dont feel my fish are happy, i put in 6 neon tetras and i was told they swim together, but they dont lol

finally is it normal for one of my fish to swim against the side of the tank up and down as if it wants out?
thanks!

Hello and welcome...

What fish do you have?

Do you have your tank stats? ie. ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.

What size tank do you have?

About your neons, mine use to do that when i had a lot of them, dont think its a big concern though

 

[Guth]

Sorry i really should have given more info,

50l Tank, i really dont have a clue what kind of fish i have lol. i can take pics though. i just know 6 neon tetras.

ammonia is 0
nitrite is about 1
nitrate is around 30-40
ph is 7.0 - 7.2

maybe it isnt cycled after all

 

[5teady_2012]

Sorry i really should have given more info,

50l Tank, i really dont have a clue what kind of fish i have lol. i can take pics though. i just know 6 neon tetras.

ammonia is 0
nitrite is about 1
nitrate is around 30-40
ph is 7.0 - 7.2

maybe it isnt cycled after all

Maybe do more waterchanges to bring the levels down will help as you need to get the nitrite to 0..

Pics would be good and maybe we can tell you what fish you have

 

[Guth]

ok i will do a 25% water change tomorrow?

going to take pics justnow, just looking for batteries haha

maybe i have too much fish?

i have 11 but they are all pretty small and 6 of them are tiny neons, will post pics shortly, thanks!!!

 

[Guth]

here are the pics, sorry about quality!
http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/jamesguth/fish1.jpg
http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/jamesguth/fish2.jpg
http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/jamesguth/fish3.jpg
http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/jamesguth/fish4.jpg
http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/jamesguth/fish6.jpg


the one in fish3 is the one who hides and fish2.jpg sits at the top all the time

 

[finmama]

2 and 3 are definetely Platys. 1 looks like a couple guppies...not sure about the rest

 

[5teady_2012]

here are the pics, sorry about quality!

the one in fish3 is the one who hides and fish2.jpg sits at the top all the time

Picture 1 and 2 seem like some sort of tetras (im not good with tetras)

3 and 4 are platys

Last pic is platys (at the top left) and guppy at the bottom left and top right

 

[Guth]

thank you.

the quality of the pics dont help, my bulb in the tank is fused so cant get decent pics, the one in 4 is really small, its roughly 3cm long, the smallest of all the fish beside the neon tetras.

so far are they ok to keep together? i heard 2 female guppies for every male? how do i know lol

 

[5teady_2012]

here are the pics, sorry about quality!

the one in fish3 is the one who hides and fish2.jpg sits at the top all the time

Picture 1 and 2 seem like some sort of tetras (im not good with tetras)

3 and 4 are platys

Last pic is platys (at the top left) and guppy at the bottom left and top right

thank you.

the quality of the pics dont help, my bulb in the tank is fused so cant get decent pics, the one in 4 is really small, its roughly 3cm long, the smallest of all the fish beside the neon tetras.

so far are they ok to keep together? i heard 2 female guppies for every male? how do i know lol

Yes these fish are ok to keep together

And the ratio for them is 1 male to every 2-3 females

 

[Guth]

cheers, how do i know what is female and what is male

also how much more fish could i keep?

 

[5teady_2012]

cheers, how do i know what is female and what is male

also how much more fish could i keep?

I would have around 15 of these type of fish max with a good filter and weekly water changes

Males have a gonopodium (penis) females have a anal fin...

male (note : no fin, a pointing type of like fin instead (this is the gonopodium (penis)

female ( note the anal fin on the female, where the male has a gonopodium

 

[Guth]

thanks for that, i hate being a noob lol

ok i have 2 female platys

1 male guppy and 1 female, so il have to get at least 1 other female.

I read online that a female platy hides when its going to give birth? maybe its pregnant?

 

[5teady_2012]

thanks for that, i hate being a noob lol

ok i have 2 female platys

1 male guppy and 1 female, so il have to get at least 1 other female.

I read online that a female platy hides when its going to give birth? maybe its pregnant?

things to look out for when ready to drop

Dwelling on the bottom
Hanging around the top of the tank
Hovering near plants (or in them)
Hanging around the filter (if you have a internal one)
Hovering above the heater
generally been anti social and hiding away.

A platy will look like this when she is heavy pregnant (note the belly is dropped down at front and back)

 

[5teady_2012]

here is one of mine ready to drop today...