HI to all,Iam new to fish keeping just need some tips/help i have a 60ltr tank temp is at 25c has pump/filter and air stone 4inch long plastic plants for now. no fish in yet as water was put in tuesday with aqua safe. I know that you must leave tank for 2 weeks then test to see if safe. my tank has now gone white cloudy (the norm) i did wash every thing i put in. i have read to speed up the cycle drop fish food in to rot (i have no fish in tank) is this good advice? also should i change 10-20% of my water per day from now to help clear water? (white cloudy)or after fish have been put in? also when should i add easyblance from now or after fish are in ? i would like to put 6x neon tetra, 2x zebra daniu, 2x dwaf gourami.and what do you think as a bottom cleaner/feeder loaches yoyo? how many more fish can i put in my tank 60 ltr i no fish shall have to be put in over the weeks not in one go. cant wait for tank to clear and have fish in. THANK FOR YOUR HELP
lee
Hi lee and
I am guessing you have bought a tetra art 60l by the sounds of it from your description. the cloudiness sounds like the bacteria bloom this is good !! but you do need to be feeding the bacteria with Ammonia, Take a good look at the pinned topics on fish less cycling this will give you everything that you need to know !! this can be found
HERE
2 weeks generally isn't enough and because ts all down to chemistry there isn't an exact time scale, some are quicker than others, my first tank took 4 weeks to cycle. you will also need a good test kit, Many people myself included recommend and API Master test kit (Approx £20) they are worth their weight in gold, you will need to do constant water test to keep an eye on the cycle and to know when to do water changes (all in the above link.) Easy balance isn't really needed nor are some of the other cycle starts etc etc if you like live plants then it is fine o go ahead now and put them in too.
Re your stocking allot of people go by the 1 inch per gallon rule which means for every inch of fish (needs to be calculated on the fish's fully grown adult size) you need 1 gallon of water, your stocking would give you
2x Dwarf Gourami = 7cm MAX (14cm) - Most would recommend 100L minimum for these
6X Neon Tetra = 4cm each
Zebra Dania - 5cm (you would want about 6 as they are a shoaling fish like Neon Tetras and like to move around a bit.
YO YO each 7.5 cm (some would say a minimum tank of 100L for these
your stocking would give you 58ish cm (22inch) of fish in a 60L (13.2Gallon) tank which based on this rule would be heavily overstocked and remember some fish do need a little room to roam around in and again with danios you would want about 6 of these,
i would recommend maybe 6 neon (16cm) 6 danio (30cm) and for algae eaters possibly Otto's they do however need a matured tank and are very sensitive when moving them from one tank to another and adapting. even now you will be over stocked and would need to keep an eye on water changes.
I am by no means an expert on stocking and there are many others out here more qualify ed than me, i would recommend posting in the new to the hobby section about stocking and other questions you have, there are some real knowledgeable people here that are all happy to help.
but as mentioned do allot of research read all the pinned topics especially the fish less cycle links and ask every question you can think of and the ones you cant think of, no mater how silly or dumb you may think the question is !!!! ASK !!! if our don't know or are not sure. no one will think "what an idiot" as we all started with no knowledge and have been in the same position ! a good quote i remember is "Even an expert knew nothing at one time !!"
Hope this is a little help to you and sure i will see you around some more, good luck with the fish keeping !!!!
Scott
