I cycled my 10 gallon (https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/glofish-glass-aquarium-kit-10-gallon) tank for about 3/4 weeks and saw the spikes of nitrites and ammonia then both hit 0 and the nitrates were at a pretty good level. From what I had read, it seemed like the whole cycle was done so I went ahead and bought 5 glofish tetras last Wednesday. For the first 4 days or so, they were perfectly fine. They were eating, they were active during the day, chasing each other around in a friendly matter. I had the glofish lights on from about noon to midnight. I assumed things were going well so I even bought 3 cherry shrimps and a nerite snail for the tank on Saturday. On Monday, I realized that my fish were staying in one area in the middle of the tank and just staring blankly and they were not eating anything I fed them. I did realize that the GH was a bit high, 200ppm and that the KH was at 0. I did some water changes and added the quick start stuff for some extra bacteria and to get rid of the chlorine. I also cleaned the inside, got rid of any plants that looked even remotely dead and got rid of the air tube to my volcano since it looked a bit dirty. I waited a day and yesterday, nothing had changed. Today, a week since I bought them and two since the activity change, one of my glofish tetras died. It was inactive like the others but slowly started to gasp for air at the top and then just laid there and went upside down. What could be the cause of this, what should I do? I am new to having a fish tank, and it has been frustrating since nobody at the store told me about cycling so I already had to go through a few fish before I redid this tank.
Need Help with Glofish Tetra
- Thread starter kenkat
- Start date
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
I would suggest you do a major water change to start with, around 75% and used water conditioner and try to have the same temp as the tank. Have you added any chemical to your tank besides water conditioner?
The gh is fine for these tetras 
theyre skirt tetras and can handle harder water than most.
However, they will feel cramped in a 10 gallon, it is too small for them. If theyre babies, you will find they will grow quite large for a tetra--one girl of mine is 3 inches! Best get a 20 long at minimum for these guys.
Being cramped will stress them out into abnormal behaviors
theyre skirt tetras and can handle harder water than most.However, they will feel cramped in a 10 gallon, it is too small for them. If theyre babies, you will find they will grow quite large for a tetra--one girl of mine is 3 inches! Best get a 20 long at minimum for these guys.
Being cramped will stress them out into abnormal behaviors
A larger tank (20 gallon long minimum) to start with, add some tall plants and driftwood. Mine love sword plants particularly with the tall flat leaves, but good chance they will outgrow a 20 gallon.
Also, always be sure to keep 6 or more as they can get nippy with each other.
Honestly though, I have mine in a 55 and they are really good tetras for that tank size
The others have died today. The nitrate, nitrite, and hardness all seemed fine but maybe I used the liquid more accurate reader wrong. This is unfortunate and as I have had this happen multiple times now, going to restart clean. Going to get a 20 gallon tank and wash the 10 gallon one and use it for a beta or cherry shrimp. If I use the same filter bag, and decorations for the 20 gallon tank, will I still need to go through the cycle again?
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
Sorry about your fish, you need to keep the filter bag and decorations in tank water until you put them into the new tank. If they dry out the bacteria will die. I would suggest picking up a bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus to help jump start your cycle. I do a planted/silent cycle which takes care of the ammonia. Make sure you pick up the 20 gallon long tank, it is much better for tetra type fish. I have one and also find that it is easier to maintain than the 20 gallon tall.
Thank you for your advice. Just to clarify, if I were to move my decorations and filter bag to a new tank, would I still need to go through the cycle again, or will there be enough bacteria to satisfy what I need?
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
If everything goes right there should be enough bacteria in the filter bag and on the decorations. I suggest tetra Safe Start plus because you will know for sure that there is enough of the right bacteria.
I'm sorry you lost your fish
Starting in this hobby can be tough, and heartbreaking.Getting as large a tank as you can reasonably manage will help. A 20-30 gallon is a great starter, much easier to keep the parameters stable, as long as you don't overstock or overfeed, and more options for fish.
Did the shrimp and nerite survive? If not, in the future, wait on getting shrimp until the tank is at least three months old. Shrimp need an established tank and really stable water parameters. A newly cycled tank isn't established yet. Over those three months, you will have got the hang of water testing, when you need to water change and how much etc, so the water parameters should be more stable. Shrimp are constant grazers, so while feeding them supplemental food is great, they also want an established tank since that has grown biofilm and soft algae which they can graze on all day. Cherry shrimp are pretty hardy, for shrimp, but you'll have an easier time keeping them alive, thriving and breeding if you wait for your tank to get fully established
Also, please consider keeping the 10 gallon free to use as a quarantine tank, or get another tank to use for quarantine purposes. You never know when you'll need one. While it's always tempting to fill an empty tank with fish, trust me I know! Quarantining is so important when you get new stock. You also really need one when there is sickness, injury, or bullying going on. Even fish emergencies, like a cracked main tank, can make you very glad you have another tank you can use!
I'm sorry you've had such a rough start
Glad that you're going to upgrade and keep trying though! There's a good thread here about cycling your tank. Keep the current one running and drop a pinch of fish food in there now and then to keep the bacteria going while you look for the next tank, then you'll be able to just move the filter and things over to the new tank, keeping most of your beneficial bacteria. Then really research what fish you want to keep, what size tank they need, what fish they can live with, water parameters they need (gH, kH, pH), feeding them etc. Learn as much about them as you can, and narrow down your short list. Good luck!Sorry for your losses.
I would using these instructions. If your filter has sufficient bacteria it will only take a day or two. But something killed your fish and I would rather be safe than sorry.
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