Neon1977
Fish Fanatic
Hi, i wanted to start this journal on here from today to better keep track of my progress, will try and post every day and hopefully help someone else out who may be having the same issues as myself or gains anything from it! I have started off small with a 25L ciano tank (picture attached) with a cf40 hang on the back filter, Betta premium aquairum heater set to 27 degrees with gaurd and currently 2 big fake plants, (i removed the two little ones in the middle for more room to swim) buddha (because im obsessed with buddhas!)/log decoration, four pebbles and the substrate is just normal aquarium sand. I currently have 6 Neon Tetra's in the tank and don't plan to get anymore as iv been advised it will be overstocked even though the LFS said i could have up to 12! 
the tank has been properly running now for four weeks so still in the cycle period (which when looking back i know i should of done a fishless cycle now i have all the facts as it resulted in the two platies that i first bought dying! Again lack of info from the LFS!) so i plan on getting some shrimp in there after another couple of weeks depending on how the Neon's are doing and how the cycle is doing! After very high dangerous nitrite levels peaking in my tank, i decided to take advice from the forum and test water daily, record results and do 50% water changes if ammo or nitrite are above 0 or nitrate is above 20, buy liquid tests for ammo, nitrite and nitrate, don't use stop ammo vials, don't rinse filter foam for 6 weeks, siphon top of sand as well as a 50-75% water change every week and feed once every other day until tank is cycled. Day 1 today of following said advice also after a 50% water change yesterday... i tested the water with strip tests until buying liquid tomorrow and nitrate was 20, ammo was between 0-0.5 and nitrite was between 0-.0.5. so i did a 50% water change and will test tomorrow with the liquid tests. They have not been fed today as i fed them yesterday, everything else seems fine, Neons still seem to either be chasing/fighting each other but other than that, nothing else to report!
the tank has been properly running now for four weeks so still in the cycle period (which when looking back i know i should of done a fishless cycle now i have all the facts as it resulted in the two platies that i first bought dying! Again lack of info from the LFS!) so i plan on getting some shrimp in there after another couple of weeks depending on how the Neon's are doing and how the cycle is doing! After very high dangerous nitrite levels peaking in my tank, i decided to take advice from the forum and test water daily, record results and do 50% water changes if ammo or nitrite are above 0 or nitrate is above 20, buy liquid tests for ammo, nitrite and nitrate, don't use stop ammo vials, don't rinse filter foam for 6 weeks, siphon top of sand as well as a 50-75% water change every week and feed once every other day until tank is cycled. Day 1 today of following said advice also after a 50% water change yesterday... i tested the water with strip tests until buying liquid tomorrow and nitrate was 20, ammo was between 0-0.5 and nitrite was between 0-.0.5. so i did a 50% water change and will test tomorrow with the liquid tests. They have not been fed today as i fed them yesterday, everything else seems fine, Neons still seem to either be chasing/fighting each other but other than that, nothing else to report! 
