I Need Help With My Tank!

[fishfrenzied]

Hi
So i have a 40L tank which i guess is maybe 10gallons?
I've been keeping fish for a while now but i mainly rely on the advice of the fish guys at the pet store...
So anyway.. in my tank i have 4 fully grown guppies, 4 zebra danios, 3 neon tetra, 2 harlequins, 3 black phantoms and 2 different kinds of those sucky bottom feeders..oh and quite a few baby guppies anyway i went to a different pet store the other day and checked out their fish.. and bought the danios and the phantoms. The pet shop lady said the were compatible with gupies as long as they are in schools.. but recently i looked online on a compatibility test and found out neon tetra as well as guppies are not actually compatible and recently i have had 3 neon tetrs die and i think it may be due to the danios... i like the danios more than the neon tetras and i dont really want to get rid of any fish cause they're soo cool.. but could i please have some advice on my tank ??

 

[phoenixgsd]

sorry to say but your tank is too small for that amount of fish, and badly stocked, harlequins are schooling fish 6 plus, danios are fast swimmers and need quite big tanks and if by sucky bottom feeder you mean corys, they also should be in groups of 6 plus unless you mean plecos then some species grow massive very quickly, im sorry to say you have been very badly advised, is your tank cycled?

 

[fish+peace]

I'm no expert but all the above fish are peacefull community fish, have you tested your water? do you perform regular filter cleaning/ water changes?

This seems like alot of fish for that size tank - you dont say how big the catfish are but it's likely you have overloaded your filter

 

[fishfrenzied]

Um.. im not really sure what kind they are this is one of them and the other is really skinny yellow and i think is called a os something..

 

[fish+peace]

how long has the tank been running?

 

[fishfrenzied]

Cycled? i change 25% of the water every 2 weeks and dechlorinate the water?
Heres a better shot of my tank.. is it best to give some fish away? can you please give me some advice on what to do??

a couple of months now.. i'd say since early august

 

[fish+peace]

I would get you water tested at the local pet store and take it from there

 

[fishfrenzied]

Sweet as, thanks mate

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Danios REALLY need to be kept in larger tanks. It is a small fish, but it is extremely active. I'd say a 6 foot tank would be preferred, but a 4 foot tank is a minimum. They can also chase other fish, whether or not they nip or not, I don't know. But, they are very active and if not kept in larger numbers - where their "gregariousness" is kept among themselves, they can bother their other tankmates.


Plecos can grow to a foot plus at times, so you need to find out exactly what type of 'sucky' bottom dwellers you have.

I've been keeping fish for a while now but i mainly rely on the advice of the fish guys at the pet store...

Unfortunately this has led many people into a similar situation.

You would think that they were experts, but they are not. Its almost like asking a car dealer how to change an engine. They are in sales, not maintenance.



Your 25% water change every two weeks is too small/infrequent. You should be changing at least 25% weekly, and I suggest at least 50% monthly on top of that. Every 6 months you should do at least 75%. Your current water change cycle probably isn't keeping up with the nitrates produced, assuming that your tank is capable of dealing with the ammonia/nitrite. (You really need to invest in a test kit - the API Master Kit is a good value, it comes with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.)

Neons are more sensitive to nitrates. Danios are very hardy fish, so they can survive almost anything (for awhile). (I rescued a zebra danio that was kept in a 2 gallon "tank" that was only 1/3 full of water for a WEEK! No filter, no aeration. He's survived and is finally healthy. His life will be shorter than it should have been, but he's got a much better quality of life now.)


Let us know the test results from the LFS, but you really need your own.

 

[fishfrenzied]

sweet, that was great help.. i'll go to the pet shop and sort it out and i may buy another tank..
it's really appreciated

 

[KCB]

When people say 'cycled' it means that your filter has built up enough bacteria in the media to be able to consume the ammonia produced by the fish waste and respiration.

Unfortunately it sounds like your tank isn't cycled and poisonous amounts of ammonia and nitrite could be harming your fish. This causes illness, shorter lifespans and even death. But don't worry, you have come to the perfect forum . Here is a link to a guide that'll explain exactly how to carry out a fish-in cycle: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/224306-fish-in-cycling/. It also has a better explanation of what cycling is .

Good luck with your fish!

 

[the_lock_man]

If the tank has been up since August, the cycle is probably established by now.

 

[techen]

If the tank has been up since August, the cycle is probably established by now.

This, still way overstocked.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If the tank has been up since August, the cycle is probably established by now.

This, still way overstocked.

Which is compounded by the small water changes every TWO weeks. You can get away with overstocking the tank a bit, but it need good filtration, extra water movement (to put oxygen in the water) plus larger and more frequent water changes.

 

[KCB]

If the tank has been up since August, the cycle is probably established by now.

Woops, must've missed that part!