fish and my lights question

[danski]

was just wonderin when i had my 10gal the fish always swam near the top but now since i have an 18gal (basically a 10 but taller) the dont seem to go near the top anymore. the light is the same mini compact flourescent. it seems when i turn off the light they like to come out more especially my neon tetras which hang near the bottom until the light is off. i have some live plants so i need the light..any suggestions? thanks dan

 

[danski]

and can neons and danios be housed together the neons are new and seem to hide when the danio comes around..thanks

 

[henry2703]

Well, from my very little experience (4 months) neon tetras can be kept with Danios. No worries on that.

i dunno about the light problem.. i'm facing it as well.

I have a 10g tank with 15 cardinals, 2 corydoras and 1 puffer.

The puffer is wild and bold..... the cories are sick, but i really really don't know what's wrong with them..... my cardinals are hiding wheneve anyone goes near the tank, or when the light is on.......

Anyone can help?

 

[danski]

well i can tell you this since ive been here there will be someone to quickly answer your question..everyone seems real friendly here..

 

[Jen]

Welcome both of you!

I know that when I changed the lighting on my tanks, all my fish were 'scared' for about a week. They would jump when i turned it on. They may not be used to the different lighting yet.

 

[littlefishie]

I have a 10g tank with 15 cardinals, 2 corydoras and 1 puffer.

The puffer is wild and bold..... the cories are sick, but i really really don't know what's wrong with them..... my cardinals are hiding wheneve anyone goes near the tank, or when the light is on.......

Anyone can help?

Overstocking might be part of it.. What kind of puffer and cories, first off? If it's a dwarf puffer, hell, just because it IS a puffer, you're going to need to give it it's own tank. Puffers aren't community fish. Cories, their type [such as bronze, albino, peppered, panda, pygmy, etc] will determine their adult size, which helps in stocking levels.

But 15 cardinals alone in a 10g.. at approx. 2 inches per fish adult size, you need a 30g just for the cardinals. Two cories, say 3 inches max, is another 6 inches. And a puffer [I'm assuming dwarf puffer here] is another inch. That's 37 inches of fish in a 10 gallon tank, which should have ten inches of fish.

I think your problem may be more overstocking than it is lighting.

As for danski, lighting is not really my area of expertise, but it sounds like there may be more than just a lighting issue in your tank..

 

[danski]

okay so heres what i have 2 (painted skirts) poor fellas,6 small neon tetras,2 small glowlight tetras.2 danois,1 glow danio,1 small albino cory, 2 med kuhli loaches which total bout 18 inches right at the limit which i may need to upgrade soon again in tank size as they grow. 1 mini aqua clear 100 gph, 1 aqua clear 200 gph,, 1 18 gal tank, 1 heater, 2 mini compact flourescents, sand substrate,, misc decorations, think thats it 6 small live plants.

 

[Jen]

I think you are over stocked.... or at least you will be when the fish grow. My Danios are at leat 2 inches a peice, Neons were about 1.5 inches. Corries can get up to 2 or 3 inches I think. Khulis can get, what, like 4 inches?

So thats, 6 for the danios, 2 for the cory, 6 for the loaches, 12 for the neons and i dont know how big the painte skirts get. So thats 26 inches of fish.

If the tank is brand newly set up the tank is still cycleing and your fish could be sick from the excess ammonia, nitrates and nitrites.

 

[danski]

yah unfortunately i will need to upgrade which im not lookin forward to..the tank is cycled and everyones happy.i added the neons after bout 2 months

 

[annka5]

Stocking issues aside, as regards the light, it is generally good idea to put a light on in the room where the tank is for 10 mins or so before turning the tank lights on, and vice-versa. Explanation I've always heard is that it gives the fish a "dawn" and "dusk" period, which kind of makes sense.
Could you shade part of the tank with floating plants? Could be possible to do some clever arranging so you've floating plants over a part of the surface with no live plants shaded by them.
Otherwise, it could be that the wattage of the lights are simply too strong for the size of tank - though not likely if you've used them in same size but shallower set up with no problems!!
It could just be that the fish are needing time to settle in.

 

[daza]

My zebra danios also tend to go to the surface once the lights go out. They sort of skim along with their mouths on the top.

I have always assumed that it is natural behaviour. They have slghtly upturned mouths which I believe makes them primarily a surface feeder, so I have always assumed that they are skimming the surface waiting for an insect to grab. Maybe those insects tend to come out at night in the wild?

Not sure if I am right but it's the assumption I have made after watching them act that way.

 

[cheekeyarab]

okay so heres what i have 2 (painted skirts) poor fellas,6 small neon tetras,2 small glowlight tetras.2 danois,1 glow danio,1 small albino cory, 2 med kuhli loaches

If you do decide to get a bigger tank I think it would be wise to add some more danios as they probably won't be very happy in such small numbers. If you want to keep danios try and go for as big a tank as poss as they like a lot of room to swim!