New Tank - I Got My Fish!

[GrecoTank]

Sweet! I did a test today for Nitrites, and my kit registered about 0.5 ppm!

Success!!! I'll keep you updated.

URGENT EDIT!

I just found some kind of greyish blackish fuzz growth behind my rock on some of the subtrate. Should I be worried?

It looks very similar to the algae in this tank: Grey Algae

FYI: I scooped it out.

Here are the best images I could muster with my camera.

 

[GrecoTank]

Shameless bump.

 

[SlyPolak]

just looks like some uneaten food rotting away.... I wouldnt worry about it since you have no fish in there atm.....

 

[Katch]

it is either - a bit of black brush algae or (more likely) a mold/fungus or bacteria site - they can pop up when you start adding ammonia as they feed on it. It usually goes away on its own after cycling and it is harmless to fish (most will eat it).

If it's black brush algae it may become more of a nuisance. For now don't worry too much.

 

[KittyKat]

+1 uneaten food. How's the tank doing?

 

[waterdrop]

This is a great thread Greco. Nearly every detail from the shop was dead-wrong, as we see so often. Yet your research has let you stumble here and you are now getting great advice. I wish you good luck with your fishless cycle, the members here are great and fun to talk with! Welcome to TFF! I'll hope to be one of the ones looking in occasionally!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[GrecoTank]

10/24/10 Numbers

pH - 7.6
alkalinity - 130 ppm
hardness - 90 ppm
nitrite - 1 ppm
nitrate - 10 ppm
ammonia - 0.5 ppm (had it at 4ppm just yesterday)


So, I am adding ammonia for the second time, or I will just as soon as I finish posting this.

I had gotten my first addition of 4.5 ppm down to about .25 within three days, but this last 4 ppm I added yesterday, is now at .5 ppm. This is a good indication that the bacteria are getting much more prolific than before. Also, my Nitrates are registering, and Nitrite has risen further.

All in all everything seems to be going according to plan. By educated guess, I hope to be finishing my cycle in about a week. Once the bacteria are able to digest 4ppm of ammonia within a 12 hour window, I will begin to stock my tank, which leads me to the next topic.

I don't think I will be getting more Serpae Tetra. I have read countless reviews that have stated, despite large variations in school sizes, that they are aggressive to each other and other tank mates. This is not to say that they are all this way. I'm sure there have been good experiences, but It's no longer what I want.

Here is what I was thinking about getting once the tank is set. Let me know your thoughts.

Stock List:
6 Neon Tetras
1 Nondescript Snail
1 Corydora

Although it has received scorn, I am going by the 1inch-1gallon rule. So I figure, I'm at least under that number, and I have plants to handle larger bioloading. By this logic, I figured these guys should be fairly comfortable. I also realize that some corydoras can get up to 5 inches in length over the their notably long lifespans. This should be alright as I plan to upgrade when I'm older anyhow.

Thanks guys and gals for all the great advice you have given thus far!!!!


UPDATE:

I added ammonia and waited for a bit before retesting. The new level is 3ppm on 10/24/10.

 

[SlyPolak]

I wouldnt put any neons in a fresh tank... i GUARANTEE you will lose some (if not all).... and corys need to be in groups of 6 or more....

try looking at honey gouramis or something..

theres plent of people on here that can give you great ideas on stocking some micro fish...

 

[waterdrop]

Staying close to the inch per US gallon guideline is especially nice for the first two beginner years as it allows a maximum chance of the type of success and learning that will give you a solid baseline in the hobby. Its less stressful to the fish, its less stressful in terms of your own maintenance and its a lower risk when an unexpected power outage occurs. Hobbyists who are distainful of lighter stocking are displaying more often experience level as mid-range rather than experienced, in my opinion.

A fishless cycle that follows a short fish-in period will often behave somewhat like a fishless cycle that's had some mature media added to the filter and might take a little less time than a straight fishless cycle. I hope that is the case for you but I must advise you that optimism is often high early in this process and it can in truth be punishingly slow, so its better to prepare yourself. The patience more than pays off however, as a well-done fishless cycle, in my direct experience, provides an environment in which tropical fish can thrive and be healthy from the moment they are introduced. The knowledge and understanding gained is core to the hobby. Fishless cycles that take less than a month are suspect to my way of thinking.

Another problem I worry about a bit in your case is that while I agree with you that you can get by roughly checking your ammonia with the paper strip right now while not much matters, you will rapidly reach a point where you will need to be using liquid-reagent based testing rather than strips. Unfortunately, strips have been known in the past to cause wrong decisions. The cycler is happily going along for days with completely different numbers than would be obtained from a better liquid kit. Most of us like and use the API Freshwater Master Test Kit or a few others.

Another comment is that most of us communicate hardness values in german degrees, which means dividing those larger numbers you've used by 17.9 so that most of the commentators can get a picture of what you've got at more of a glance.

Still more bad news from your point of view (sorry, but you've truely stumbled on a serious hobbyist site, so many, many things you might hear here may be a bit of a jolt) is that your newly chosen stocking suggestion, the neons, are among a small subset of fish that really enjoy much lower introduction risk when put in a tank that is at least six months old. This has been pretty well observed and while the detailed reason is not known, the observation seems to keep holding up. Additionaly, your water will be a tad on the alkaline side for their liking, which should not deter you from having them but just is another factor to encourage the delayed introduction.

If this timing pushes past your limit then there have been some micro rasboras pictured here and there on TFF that people seem pretty happy with in smaller tanks (tried looking back to the beginning of your thread for your tank sized but I've gone to the back of the house where the wireless is weak, lol) Another note is that if you -do- go for smaller fish like the neons, their small body size easily allows for a couple more in the shoal while still doing a good job staying in the spirit of the inch guideline, and all shoaling fish just get better and better as the numbers get larger.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[KittyKat]

What are the dimensions of the tank? I can't see them above, sorry if you have already said.

Stock List:
6 Neon Tetras
1 Nondescript Snail
1 Corydora

-1 vote for neons
+1 for cardinals
Neons are far too problematic nowadays for beginners.

Based on what you mentioned above, I would suggest the following stock:
6 Cardinal Tetras
6 Cherry shrimp

And plant wise:
Java moss around the base of the decor
An easy Hygrophila along the back of the tank

Corys, Otos, Tetras, Rasboras and Barbs are all schooling fish and do not do well in groups of under 6. May I suggest you have a look at Harlequin and Espei Rasboras? Both quite gentile fish, while having a look which you might find attractive. Harlequins are actually my first suggestion for most beginners because of their attitude and hardiness.

Also Corys do considerably better with (and I would probably say, require) a sandy substrate. If you are willing to change your substrate, then I would suggest 6 Pigmy/Dwarf Corys as well.

I also realize that some corydoras can get up to 5 inches in length over the their notably long lifespans. This should be alright as I plan to upgrade when I'm older anyhow.

Yes, but the problem with that would be that a Corydora which grows to 5" and lives for 10 years will probably grow to 5" within the first year of its life. Also, it is generally not a good idea to get fish with a view to upgrade the tank later. This is mainly to do with that most people can not predict the future, how their lives might change; to know if they will still be in, for example, the same financial or household situation in x period of time. So if you are sure that outside factors won't affect you, then sure, go ahead and get fish which will need a tank upgrade.. but I definitely know that I can not make this assumption.

 

[GrecoTank]

Thanks Kitty Kat! I think I may have been thinking Cardinals, but they looked similar to the Neon Tetras. I am pretty set on getting a snail, and 6 Cardinal Tetras. What else in addition to these could I add? I really like snails

Thank you so much for your replies!!!!

Also, I just checked my ammonia, and the levels have dropped to .25 ppm. I raised it to 3ppm just yesterday. How far off would you say I am to finishing if this trend stays consistent?

As a side note I added a large portion of mature substrate from one of PetCo's dirtiest tanks about a week after I had gotten the tank.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with the rasbora suggestions. Harlequins are one of the hardiest fish you could use for a first stocking. A shoal of 6 would fit the 10g and since the lambchop variation (espei) are a little smaller you might go to 8.

I doubt its important for greco but I disagree about the neons. I find their addition of silver as a third "color" to be quite nice and they are quite hardy as long as two things are understood: its better not to introduce them prior to 6 months and its easy to lose one or two during transport and introduction. Aside from those difficulties of getting started with them, I find them pretty easy to keep.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[GrecoTank]

New Nitrites and Nitrate levels!!!


Nitrites - 2 ppm

Nitrates - 15 ppm

It's looking good!

Will I have to do a water change at any point, even though there are no fish in the tank?

Also, will my my current plants be healthy additions to my tank? I am beginning to grow attached to them, and the light green one has even grown a significant amount. Does anyone know what they are?

Here's the pictures again:

 

[KittyKat]

Thanks Kitty Kat! I think I may have been thinking Cardinals, but they looked similar to the Neon Tetras. I am pretty set on getting a snail, and 6 Cardinal Tetras. What else in addition to these could I add? I really like snails

Hmm, this might be a problem because Cardinals/Neons do better in soft, acidic water (in my experience, I am sure someone will say they've been keeping them in neutral water without a problem) while snails require hard, alkaline water for their shells to grow well..

Also, I just checked my ammonia, and the levels have dropped to .25 ppm. I raised it to 3ppm just yesterday. How far off would you say I am to finishing if this trend stays consistent?

Eh, another week? Most people say it is done when for 5-7 consecutive days, the ammonia drops from 5ppm to 0ppm in under 12 hours.

Will I have to do a water change at any point, even though there are no fish in the tank?

No, just do one only on the day you actually get your fish.

Also, will my my current plants be healthy additions to my tank? I am beginning to grow attached to them, and the light green one has even grown a significant amount. Does anyone know what they are?

The first one looks like mint to me, but it might be aquatic, I have never seen anything like it.
The second might be Selaginella spp., I have seen those grown underwater with different success rates.

So if I am correct, both are not aquatic, but I really am not 100% sure, so maybe leave them and see how they do? A way which might work to test the first one is to take it out of water. If the stems are rigid, it is probably not aquatic, if they are soft and it bends, then it probably is aquatic. This, of course, doesn't work for plants which are grown out of water, as often happens with aquatic plants at farms.

 

[GrecoTank]

It seems my uneducated desires are in need of some fixing. I have looked at most of the basic fish and don't have a problem with any. This means that I am open to just about any suggestions.

Here are the parameters:

I want a snail, because they are so cool. And I enjoy them crawling on the stuff.
I would like a small school as the core of my community.
Also, if possible I would like one larger sized fish (relative- just larger than the schoolers) to kind of meander as well.

My tank is 10 gallons at about 50 cm long, 20.54 cm wide, and 30.5 cm tall.

What can I get? Also, where can I get java moss. I looked it up and love the way it looks! I'm pretty sure PetCo doesn't carry such awesome plants though.

Thanks,
Greco

UPDATE: I just reworked my substrate into the shape/design I want and I removed both plants. They were definitely non-aquatic, and they are now located in the pot with my fern :\

BUT! Now I can get the super awesome plants I want!