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Andytropicalfish

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Hi I am new to FishForums and new to Fishkeeping, I have had a tropical aquarium given to me by a family friend who can no longer keep the aquarium, I have bought all the necessary equipment including testing kits, a new Thermometer and I will take a sample to my local pet shop tomorrow who will do a more in-depth check for me. As the Aquarium was given to me I am not sure what all the fish species are that are already in the tank but they seem to get along. I have identified some Neon Tetra and 2 Clown Loach from books but I cannot identify the others please comment if you can Identify them. Also all advice and tips are welcome as I wish to create a happy, healthy environment for my fish. The filter seems to be working, the temperature is 24c according to my new thermometer and the pump and light works fine. The fish are lively and spend most of their time swimming mid to low range so I think the Oxygen is adequate. I was unable to perform a 2 week cycle before placing my fish in the tank as the aquarium was given to me with fish already in there but I did put new water and filter pads in the tank and I treated the water before putting the fish back into the tank aswell as getting the temperature back to 24c, the fish were in a bucket whilst i did this as I had nowhere else to put them so I was eager to get them back in the tank. I am currently turning the light on for a couple of hours during the day when the sun is out naturally and turning off when it starts to go dark, I also leave the curtains open so that some natural light and light changes occur but the tank isn't in direct sunlight as not to create excess algae let me know if this is the right thing to do. thanks :)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tnMo7n4zNwM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnMo7n4zNwM&feature=youtu.be
 
hello and welcome. the only 1's i know r the orange and black clown loach and the small blue an red r cardinal tetras
 
The blue and red ones are neon tetras, not cardinals.

You've also got silver tip and black phantom tetras,
a harlequin rasbora,
a couple of heavily pregnant platies,
and the brown fish with black spots swimming up against the glass is a corydoras; a sterbai, I think, going by the orange fins, but I could be wrong on the species. Definitely a cory of some kind though.

Can you get some closer shots of the grey fish with the bright red tail? because that one's got me stumped right now :crazy:
 
By replacing the filter pads you have effectively uncycled the tank so I'd strongly suggest reading the links in my signature regarding cycling and fish-in cycling.

The fish:
2 clown loaches (too big for the tank long term, I'd rehome straight away)
1 or two rummynose tetra and/or silvertip tetra
1 harlequin rasbora
2 neon tetra
1 cherry barb
1 sterbai tetra
2 platies (or possibly mollies)

Personally my reccomendation is to at least rehome all the big bodied fish: loaches, cory and platies. And personally as I don't like/agree with fish in cycles I'd rehome them all. But you could probably continue with a fish in cycle with just the tetras/barbs.

I'd also recommend getting hold of a water testing kit ASAP so you can track the levels of ammonia and nitrites in the water once you've read the articles I mentioned.
 
Hi and welcome.

Those are not Cardinals they are Neon Tetras.

I see you have Cory Catfish. Probably spotted...false juli? something like that. W/e it is its gorgeous.

Looks like you have a molly in there.
 
By replacing the filter pads you have effectively uncycled the tank so I'd strongly suggest reading the links in my signature regarding cycling and fish-in cycling.

The fish:
2 clown loaches (too big for the tank long term, I'd rehome straight away)
1 or two rummynose tetra and/or silvertip tetra
1 harlequin rasbora
2 neon tetra
1 cherry barb
1 sterbai tetra
2 platies (or possibly mollies)

Personally my reccomendation is to at least rehome all the big bodied fish: loaches, cory and platies. And personally as I don't like/agree with fish in cycles I'd rehome them all. But you could probably continue with a fish in cycle with just the tetras/barbs.

I'd also recommend getting hold of a water testing kit ASAP so you can track the levels of ammonia and nitrites in the water once you've read the articles I mentioned.
 
By replacing the filter pads you have effectively uncycled the tank so I'd strongly suggest reading the links in my signature regarding cycling and fish-in cycling.



Personally my reccomendation is to at least rehome all the big bodied fish: loaches, cory and platies. And personally as I don't like/agree with fish in cycles I'd rehome them all. But you could probably continue with a fish in cycle with just the tetras/barbs.

I'd also recommend getting hold of a water testing kit ASAP so you can track the levels of ammonia and nitrites in the water once you've read the articles I mentioned.

I already have a testing kit, the strips look good & I am taking a sample to my pet store tomorrow, the pads that were already in had been in too long and needed replacing and I have already rehomed 2 Plecs that were in the Tank as they were too big (they aren't in the video as I had already rehoused them) but the ones that are in there seem happy and have enough room for now. If they get bigger I may rehouse them but for now they are ok and when I buy fish in the future I will certainly make sure they are small ones that stay small but as I already said these fish came with the tank. when I google imaged the Fish you identified it seemed very accurate, the platties are apparently heavily pregnant, If anyone has any advice on this it would be much appreciated Thanks :)
 
Do the strips have an ammonia section? Most of them dont, and often the strips are quite inaccurate at picking up the lower (but still dangerous) levels of ammonia.

The pads may have been worn to look at, but that only effects the mechanical filtration. They will have been fine for the biological filtration, you have now almost definitely wiped out the bacterial colony and are in a fish-in cycle.

There is no IF about the loaches getting too big for the tank. Clown loaches are relatively slow growing compared to most fish. But there are lots of reasons to rehome them soon.
The fact they're large fish for a fish in cycle
The fact they'll outgrow the tank anyways
The fact they're best kept in proper sized groups (at least 4, 6 is preferable).
Obviously I can't tell you to rehome your fish, or when to rehome them. I just know that I certainly wouldn't keep fish I knew would outgrow the tank regardless of whether they came with the tank. I also know that it's a massive amount of fish for a fish in cycle.
 
I already have a testing kit, the strips look good & I am taking a sample to my pet store tomorrow,
Make sure you get them to tell you the actual numbers rather than just 'fine' or whatever

the pads that were already in had been in too long and needed replacing
Was there anything else in the filter, that you didn't replace? The only thing that needs changing in filters is the nylon wool (filter floss) and/or carbon, though it's best not to run carbon in tanks permanently anyway, and to use that space for more bio media.

I have already rehomed 2 Plecs that were in the Tank as they were too big (they aren't in the video as I had already rehoused them) but the ones that are in there seem happy and have enough room for now. If they get bigger I may rehouse them but for now they are ok and when I buy fish in the future I will certainly make sure they are small ones that stay small but as I already said these fish came with the tank.
The only reason that those clowns won't grow very large (their mature, adult size is a very deep bodied foot long) is because they've become stunted from being in too small a tank. Unfortunately, there's no way of telling that they've become stunted until it's already too late. Just because they came with the tank is not a very good reason to keep them, if the tank is not suitable for them, which yours isn't. They really need a minimum tank size of 5x2x2'. They also need to be kept in groups of six+ (some people will say ten) to be happy and show their natural behaviour. I very strongly recommend you try and rehome them sooner rather than later, as stunted fish always suffer associated health problems and a severely shortened lifespan.

when I google imaged the Fish you identified it seemed very accurate, the platties are apparently heavily pregnant, If anyone has any advice on this it would be much appreciated Thanks :)
Platies don't need any extra care; they're a very hardy fish and give birth easily, in most cases. If you want some of the fry to survive, you need to add a lot of fine leaved plants, like cabomba or elodea for the fry to hide in. Breeding traps aren't really recommended; they're just too small for the mother, and too small to grow on young fry.
 
I have already rehomed 2 Plecs that were in the Tank as they were too big (they aren't in the video as I had already rehoused them) but the ones that are in there seem happy and have enough room for now. If they get bigger I may rehouse them but for now they are ok and when I buy fish in the future I will certainly make sure they are small ones that stay small but as I already said these fish came with the tank.

The only reason that those clowns won't grow very large (their mature, adult size is a very deep bodied foot long) is because they've become stunted from being in too small a tank. Unfortunately, there's no way of telling that they've become stunted until it's already too late. Just because they came with the tank is not a very good reason to keep them, if the tank is not suitable for them, which yours isn't. They really need a minimum tank size of 5x2x2'. They also need to be kept in groups of six+ (some people will say ten) to be happy and show their natural behaviour. I very strongly recommend you try and rehome them sooner rather than later, as stunted fish always suffer associated health problems and a severely shortened lifespan.

Yes I have decided to take your's and curiosity101's advice and I am currently in the process of rehousing both the Clown loaches and the platties, I am going to keep the rest and when I come to buy fish of my own I will make sure they are tiny ones at 2.5/3 inch fully grown max and smaller, the tank is a 120 litre, if anyone has any recommendations for future fish that are tiny and perfect for beginners I would like to hear, but I am not planning on adding anymore fish untill I have more experience and I know more about cycling and keeping an ecosystem. I am definitely keeping my Sterbai, from what I have read it should be fully grown at it's current size and its beautifull plus it looks really happy.
 
I think that's the best decision for the fish; I know it'll be a wrench, clown loach are very lovable!

You should look at upping some of the numbers of the fish you're going to keep before you think about new species. Most of your fish, including the cory, are shoalers that prefer to be in groups of 6+ :good:

Was there any media in the filter that you didn't change? If there was, you might not be cycling, but you'll need to monitor the ammonia very carefully to make sure.
 
The sterbai does look fully grown I reckon. If you like it then I'd definitely get it a few more friends once you know what your water stats are and that the tank is cycled and stable.

Also you see how alot of the small tetras and such are swimming vey low down? Alot of that may be due to the fact that there is only 1 or 2 of each species. Fish that naturally live in shoals tend to feel threatened if they're kept as 1 or 2 so are much more prone to hiding and therefore no where near as good to look at. I think you also have a bloodfin tetra in there aswell, just spotted it right at the beginning of the video.

If it were me I'd probably pick 1 or 2 of the species I had in there that I liked and focus on upping the number of those only. Or possibly advertising them free for collection to people who already have groups of them.
Then I'd pick a small shoaling fish I like and buy a good size group of them (8-10).

There are also LOADS of 'centerpiece' fish you have open to you with a 120l tank.
Various gouramis or Dwarf cichlids are probably some of the most common choices.
 
Hello and welcome! Regarding future fish - up the number of the shoaling fish first (once the tank is cycled). This means getting more neon tetras, harlequins and cories. They will be much happier in a shoal.
 

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