New Tank Need Some Help

dcarmor927 · Oct 4, 2008

Hey all, new to the forum, also new to fish tanks. I have a 55 gal tropical tank set up with 3 clown loaches 3 tiger barbs and 3 green tiger barbs. I was wondering if I have done anything wrong so far...I read that clown loaches need a bigger tank than I have but I've also seen they can make it in this size...I also saw i should have waited to introduce the barbs until later since they can be territorial. I had some problems with the wood i got, it turned my water brown, but after my first water cycling it already seems better (i am soaking the secreting log in a bucket elsewhere)... anyway if anyone could help me either selec ofther fish that would go well with the lot i have or give me pointers on what i need to change, I'm open to criticism. Thanks.

rabbut · Oct 5, 2008

Any that you like ATM? There are quite a few that would work there, so we realy need more to go one before we can advise :good:

Clown loach can get to a foot in length and idealy need a group of 6+... The dimentions of the tank have a lot to play here, so could you post them please? Also, how long has the tank been set-up? The fish stocking "to add" list may need three more clowns adding :hyper:

, or we may need to recomend looking into a new home for them :sad:

They are wonderful fish to keep, but unfortunately they need a good sized tank to be kept right. IMO if sometings worth doing, it's worth doing right :good:

All the best
Rabbut

dcarmor927 · Oct 5, 2008

The tank is 48" x 13" x20" High, i was looking at getting two more clowns but if the tank is too small then idk...also i was thinking of getting some dojo loaches or some silver dollars (i know that those can get pretty big) would i be able to get any cichlids? some that stayed a bit smaller maybe?...the tank has been set up since last sunday...also i agree with you about the loaches, if they are gonna get to big i dont want em to have a crappy life...

rabbut · Oct 6, 2008

There are many cichlids that would work, and there is just about enough height for silver dollars. I'd up the numbers of clown loach to 6, as IMO the tank is a good enough size for them :good:

You will need at least 6 dollars in a group, so with dollars and clown loach and the barbs, you would be fully stocked. :good:

One word of warning though.... It looks from here that the tank was not cycled with liquid ammonia, and no mature filter media was added. If this is the case, you are probibly undergoing a fish-in cycle, which can be dangerous to fish... Do you have a water testing kit? If not, you need to get one realy, as when issues occur, water stats will be the first thing we ask for. We usualy test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Liquid based test kits are the most accurate and strips aren't even worth bothering with IMO.

In a new tank that was not cycled using ammonia, you get an ammonia spike after adding fish, that will often start to kill off fish once it has had a few days to build up. After the ammonia spike, you will get a nitrite spike that is also toxic to fish. Finaly, nitrate will start to raise. Nitrate is not as toxic as ammonia and nitrite and gets removed in your weekly waterchange, but ammonia and nitrite will kill quite quickly if presant, and need to be kept below 0.25. We do this via waterchanges, as we do with nitrate. If the levels are above 0.25, we waterchange to remove some of the toxic waste. You will idealy be testing at least daily untill the cycle (the process of the filter maturing to deal with ammonia and nitrite) is complete. This usualy takes arround 4 weeks, but can be longer or shorter :nod:

Just a word of advanced warning.

I deffinately would not add any more fish at this point, untill waterstats are known and posted, so that we can advise on when it is safe to get more fish. Adding more fish before the cycle completes will increase the levels of ammonia and/or nitrite, increasing also the chance of killing off the fish in the tank :crazy:

All the best
Rabbut

dcarmor927 · Oct 6, 2008

yea i do have some test kits and they are with droppers, pH, ammonia, and nitrite, (need the nitrate one i guess...) and i've been testing it daily...so far no ammonia or nitrite and pH is where i want it...The brand is API...idk if thats good or bad lol, what is your opinion? you're right about me not using a liquid ammonia cycler as well...just tested water, 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite...Thanks for the help.
Dylan

rabbut · Oct 6, 2008

Unusual for the cycle to go that quick. What media do you have in yoru filters? Nitrate readings are needed to tell if the cycle is truely complete, but is isn't an essential "everyday" kit. The API brand is supposed to be very good, though I personally don't use them...