Have I Got It Right ..tank Set Up. Stock Level. Etc

[jimboshrimp]

Hi I am sorry to be a nuisance but I just want to check I am doing everything right .
my tank is 4 weeks old it is a 64 itre panorama tank ( dimensions are length 24" height 15"not including lid and solid base, depth 12".
I bought 2 live plants which are thriving and a few ornaments including a sunken submarine which has places to hide and swim through.
 I did fish in cycle after setting my tank up and letting it sort itself out temp wise had heater on and filter going for a week firstly then added  3 zebra danios and 3 golden barbs. my temp is 26 and has been the same all the time. I had water checked after 2 weeks further and all were correct 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite,0 nitrate and ph7 .  I then bought 5 small neon tetras and a rabbit/yellow snail, all of which were added after a water change 2 days before ..
Everyone seems happy they are all feeding well and no fighting or anything like that.
I had bought a wood shrimp but unfortunately he escaped I have no idea how and I found him on the floor not far from the stand.
I did a 20% water change on Saturday washed the green filter in dirty water and cleaned the glass with a magnet although there doesn't seem to be much algae yet at all.
I have had water checked today all 0 levels and 7ph again.
I am now worried after reading some things on here I may be harming my tetras because of the temperature and also my snail the ph may not be hard enough .
I really would appreciate any feed back at all and also was wondering if I put 3 otocinclus would this overcrowd my tank. I don't really intend putting anything fancy in or anything that would harm others.
I do have 2 air stones going as well so there is plenty of water movement but not too strong.
Thanks everyone
 

Sorry I meant to put I have gravel substrate as well. I do add tapsafe to any water before putting in my tank.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Hello and 

 
First of all, can i ask if you cycled you tank?
 
By that i mean, did you read this and went through the fishless cycling process?
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
I only ask this since you mention you tested the water twice and both time nitrates read zero, normally a cycled tank will show some nitrates.

 

[jimboshrimp]

Hi thanks for asking I did cycle with fish in ive only just found this forum so hadn't seen the fishless one but they do seem ok

 

[Ch4rlie]

Thanks, ok.
 
Another couple questions, how did you do the fish in cycle?
 
And what type of water test kit are you using?
Liquid based test kit or paper strip dip kit?

 

[jimboshrimp]

its liquid based and I had the tank set up for a week with just plants gravel and heater going with filter on all the time also had the ornaments in at same time too then added the 3 danio and 3 golden barbs which is what I was advised by local fish shop then as you can see did water changes took readings etc I definitely would not added fish if I had any ammonia at all the tank is extremely clear water and it had been cloudy for a few days so I did water change then too.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Thats good you're using the liquid test kits, much more reliable than paper dip strip test kits.
 
Hmm, am actually doubting that your tank is actually cycled at all.
 
A week is nowhere near enough time to cycle a tank, either fishless or fish in cycle  (fish in cycle actually can take much longer)
 
I would suggest, if you can, to get some mature filter media that has the beneficial bacteria needed, from any friends or family that has had a tank running for some time or from a LFS, some do sell or give away filter media. That would help you GREATLY in speeding up the cycle needed for your tank.
 
Also would advise not to really listen to any LFS advice since the majority of them just interested in selling products or ignorant about fishless cycles. There ARE a few good staff or LFS but few and far between really. Best to ask first on this forum and doing research is best policy really.
 
Fish in cycle requires a lot of water changes and testing of water parameters, can get stressful and hard work.
 
Might be worth, if you cannot get any mature filter media, be actually easier to take back the fish to LFS and start doing a fishless cycle from scratch.
 
Sorry if am negative for your query but best to know this now rather than when you run into real problems with your stocking 

 

[jimboshrimp]

No not at all thanks for the help
I will ask my brother for some from a friend who has successfully kept fish for a lot of years  to see if that will help I was kind of thinking I cant be right so newly set up but wasn't sure what to do hence looking for help I have done lots of water changes over the 4 weeks though .
Would I expect to see my fish poorly by now ? or when would it likely be to happen ?
 Thanks again and if you think of anything else please feel free to let me know

 

[Ch4rlie]

Well, you'd know if your fish were poorly, gasping, red gills, lethargic and not looking good, that sort of thing.
 
Sounds like your water changes did good for your water parameters over the last few weeks, good going.
 
Your friend's media would be huge help, really will.
 
If you can take no more than a third of their filter media in form of sponge and ceramic media, otherwise they may have spikes or mini cycle, and replace the taken media with new media in that filter so their bacteria colony grows again.
 
Put mature media into your filter, cut it up if you need to to make it fit and you should be cycled very quickly, within a week is usual.
Keep testing water parameters when you do this, every day or two to be sure for a week or two. If ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate below 40ppm, you're cycled.

 

[noobgamers]

i think you would be able to up the shoal numbers to 5 but little else

 

[jimboshrimp]

Thank you very much for the great help I do feel a little better now
I will definitely get some in my filter but not too much as to have theirs suffer . I don't think I will be adding anything else for a while until I am sure everything is ok.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Perfect! 

 

[jimboshrimp]

Hi just an update I added some dirty filter sponge to my filter, I have been taking reading 2 days apart and doing water change 20% the day in between all was still ok... I really think you were right the tank wasn't properly cycled at the time (but as I said previously it was my error for not joining this wonderful site first and doing what I was told by lFS and added the 6 fish after  a week of tank set up)...
.I had ammonia spike of 4 last week so did 50% water change 2 days running tested still 3 did another water change tested was between 2&3 so did water change again and yesterday it was between 1&2 is API testing kit...did another water change yesterday 15% and will test  again later today as will be 24hrs since change...have kept the extra sponge in the filter ...all the fish are still swimming ok and showing no signs of being poorly and the snail is climbing around everywhere too.
I feed once a day and only very small amount of flake broken up between my fingers.. every time I do water change I do gravel clean too with syphon which pulls up the gravel swishing it around then move on to another area doing same meanwhile the water is being taken out by the syphon at same time.
I wash the filter in the dirty water in bucket and keep the plants cropped and if Captain Nemo(my snail) has a good old munch and breaks some off I remove it as soon as I see it .
I hope I am doing the best I can under the circumstances ?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You are.
 
http/www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/FreeAmmonia.php
 
The link above will help you calculate the dangerous ammonia (NH3) which you want to keep below 0.05ppm.  This is the more dangerous of the two forms of ammonia in your tank.  Enter your water stats, and zero for salinity.
 
Keep an eye on your nitrite as well.  It will start climbing.

 

[jimboshrimp]

Thanks for the help again ive calculated and its 0.0389 NH3 .nitrite0 .ph 7.5. nitrate 0 I really wish I had seen this site so much earlier before adding fish to my tank. My daughter and son in law are thinking of getting a 120L tank but I have told them to look on here for fishless cycle first then they won't have the problems I have had and my little grandchildren won't be upset if anything bad happens . Hindsight is a wonderful thing

 

[b3cca]

Not sure about others but I really wouldn't bother washing your green filter sponges (if they are bio) at all this early on and not until you are cycled and established.
 
The Bacteria is trying to colonise, live and establish themselves on these sponges and you taking them out and cleaning them off again is going to slow things down and even stall your cycle if you remove too many.
 
Wouldn't bother deep vacuuming the gravel at first either for the same reasons.