Fish Are In, Finally!

[190MPH]

Well I went back to the LFS this morning and got the remaining stock for my tank on top of what I added last night. I would think that the majority of the bacteria that grew during my FL cycle should still be prevalent. I am only about 3-4 hrs past when I was normally dosing my ammonia during the cycle. I will be monitoring closely.

So here is where I stand now:

10 Zebra Danios
6 Panda Cories(Wife loved them)
6 Sterbai Cories(I loved them)
4 Bleeding Heart Tetras
3 Boesmani Rainbows ( Will get 2-3 more eventually, they were his last 3)
2 Pineapple Swordtails (1M/1F)

The swords and tetras went in last night and were very active this morning, especially the tetras, swimming all over together and accepting food.

The Rainbows are going to be in place of the roseline barbs, as it seems they don't stay in the LFS long enough to get your hands on them. After acclimation, the rainbows seemed to explode with color when they went into the tank! And they are 1/2 the price of the barbs.

The cories went right to work, moving the sand around and hunkering down for a bit. They really do seem to have neat little personalities!

I also added a second filter to the tank as a filtration supplement. It is a penguin 350 bio-wheel. It was a good deal, on sale for less than the 200! One thing I did do was cut a small slit in the floss and remove the carbon. I may add some other media later.

 

[backtotropical]

Hi 190,

Congratulations on getting your fish in the tank. Keep us updated with how you get on?

There are two things which spring to mind

1. Panda Corys are very sensitive and not really a good choice for the aquarium generally. They tend to die for no reason, so keep a careful eye on them. Maybe you were given bad advice on those, i don't know.

2. You should try to get one or two more female swords. Male livebearers tend to hassle the females to the extent that the stress can make them ill or even die. It is recommended to have at least 2 or 3 females to every male in order that the males attention can be shared equally amongst the females and give them all a bit of a break sometimes.

Cheers

BTT

 

[190MPH]

Thank you BTT. The swords weren't really in my original plan. I was lead to them more for their waste production(WOW, so true as witnessed today ) to keep the bac alive, before I decided to fully stock, so I will probably stick to those 2. I am going to add a couple more bosemans when they become available as they were his last 3. Thank you for the heads up on the pandas too. I was going to get all Sterbai, but my wife loved the pandas, so we split the numbers. I've read alot about them and didn't seem to find many problems, but your advice is certainly noted and appreciated . Hope for the best.

 

[backtotropical]

No problem 190. Just offering the benefit of my experience. That's what we're all here for. Good luck!

 

[Nick16]

what size tank is it?

 

[190MPH]

72g

 

[waterdrop]

Congrats 190!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[190MPH]

Thanks everyone, especially for the help and advice.

 

[TheguppyKing]

HEY 72 GALLONS THATS ALOT
my fav are cories and sword tails

 

[JoshH]

Hi 190,

Congratulations on getting your fish in the tank. Keep us updated with how you get on?

There are two things which spring to mind

1. Panda Corys are very sensitive and not really a good choice for the aquarium generally. They tend to die for no reason, so keep a careful eye on them. Maybe you were given bad advice on those, i don't know.

2. You should try to get one or two more female swords. Male livebearers tend to hassle the females to the extent that the stress can make them ill or even die. It is recommended to have at least 2 or 3 females to every male in order that the males attention can be shared equally amongst the females and give them all a bit of a break sometimes.

Cheers

BTT

Hi BTT, although I'm not doubting your advice one bit, as you always give out very good info, your post have helped me greatly in the past but i've had a group of 7 panda cories since about a week after completing a FL cycle in one of my tanks, now 4 months down the line they're all still fine and well , maybe I'm just lucky I don't know? but from my experience with them I've found them to be pretty resilient little fellas

 

[OldMan47]

Congratulations 190. I am happy to hear you managed to get through the cycling ordeal and are now enjoying the fish. Your pineapple swords may help you finish your stocking depending on how much cover the tank has for fry to survive.

 

[190MPH]

Congratulations 190. I am happy to hear you managed to get through the cycling ordeal and are now enjoying the fish. Your pineapple swords may help you finish your stocking depending on how much cover the tank has for fry to survive.

Thanks OM. I'm not really looking forward to sword babies, because I want to add more rainbows when they become available at my LFS. But I guess I could get a small store credit if they do survive. If nothing else, it would be an intersting experience. Water params looking good so far. 0 amm, 0 nitrite, KH at 70-80ppm.

 

[backtotropical]

Hi BTT, although I'm not doubting your advice one bit, as you always give out very good info, your post have helped me greatly in the past but i've had a group of 7 panda cories since about a week after completing a FL cycle in one of my tanks, now 4 months down the line they're all still fine and well , maybe I'm just lucky I don't know? but from my experience with them I've found them to be pretty resilient little fellas

No problem, Josh. This is a forum and is all about people sharing their knowledge and experiences.

Congratulations on successfully keeping the Pandas. I'm sure there are many more such as yourself who have successfully kept them, but there are also many others who have reported the unfortunate circumstances which I highlighted. I'm really just trying to warn the OP of what I have heard so many times before.

Cheers

BTT