New To Fish!

[kazsymonds]

Hey people,

Im new to fish, i have assumed a tank with 1 leopard pleco and 1 neon tetra from a friend as all his other fish died of whitespot.

I am keen to build up my tank with a few more fish and keep them nice and healthy.

Are there any fish that wont mix with my current fish (appart from the obvious - oscars etc) and how long should i give them light for daily? Id like to get a timer for the light to make it the same time so they dont get stressed.

Also i have flakes but is there any other food i can give them that they will need? And how often should i feed them?

Thanks Guys.

 

[Da_Maza]

Two good fish but before adding any other fish you should quarantine the fish you have now to be absolutely sure they did not gather a disease from the last tank. You'll find this forum very helpful and some quick searching will help you determine what's best for you.

I'd say avoid the obvious agressive fish that would eat the neon you have immediately.

Some good starters and great looking fish are:

Harlequin Rasboras
Black Tetras
Kuhli Loaches
Cories
Rainbows

There's plenty more, with a bit of research you'll find whats perfect for your tank. As for the lighting I like to keep the light on/off an equal amount of time in the day or have it off longer then it is on. Many members here will give you different opinions on how long to leave on/off. I know Plecos generally come out at night, so you might want to experiment with different timings.

I like to use flake food, its easy and gives the fish a healthy meal, some other types of foods you might want to look into are frozen foods, along with vegetables like cucumber that some do.

I feed my fish once everyday and try to feed them a small amount that they can finish fast, again you'll get a wide range of opinions on feeding aswell...best bet...experiment

 

[kazsymonds]

Thanks very much that was a great help!

Ive noticed when i turn the light off my plec comes to life and behaves like a normal fish!

I think i will start by giving them 8 hours on and 16 hours off see how that works as the neon doesnt ssem to be fussed - i recon hed just be happy with something regular!

I was thinking about some guppys and some more neons, then wait till they are settled in till i start to think about more!

Oh and its been 3 months since the whitespot and the tank has had a complete clean since then, hopefully its ok.

 

[mypapercuthurts]

How big is your tank? Everything depends on how big your tank is. I like livebearers but since you already have that neon tetra you should probably get more of those as to not leave it alone. 6 more would be good if you want them to be at their best. Guppies are good fish (i dont have luck with them though).

As for the pleco he/she can get quite big. They are good community fish and are only sometimes aggressive towards other plecos. Food for plecos. umm algae tablets. Get some bogwood as it helps with digestion and provides algae as a food.

Other foods can be like freeze dried things- blood worms, etc.
I might of forgot something just ask anything if you need it.

 

[MegTheFish]

First of all, what size is the tank? Does it have a heater, filter, all the nessasary equipment?
Neons are schooling fish, so you'll eventually want to get him some friends. Are you sure you have a leopard pleco? If so, according to a few profiles I've read, they can get anywhere from 10" to 17". So you may end up needing to rehome him. Here is a picture of the pleco in question:
http/www.aquamojo.com/catfish/Leopard%20Pleco%202b.jpg
As for feeding, flakes are a great staple. You can make their type more complete by also feeding frozen, live or freeze-dried foods. The pleco will need aglea wafers, along with boiled veggies (such as cucumber), and other foods that will sink to the bottom.
Good luck with your new tank!

Edit: whoops

 

[kazsymonds]

Yes it is a leopard pleco, he is currently 4.5" do you think he will need a larger tank?

Oooooops! Vital statistics The tank is 30" x 15" x 12" it has a filter and a heater which came with, im not sure on the heater but its keeping the temperature steady and the pump seems to chuck out a fair bit of water (sorry im no expert, it has 2 wirey filters though).

I was thinking of getting more neons, im told they like to be together and the poor fella looks lonely on his own!

The tank would not have been my choice but i only have it because it just came along. I could accomodate a larger one, which i may consider if plecky's gonna get bigger!

If i boil cucumber etc then it will sink? I was wondering how to get around that!

Are bloodworms any good for him too?

Thanks for the help guys, nice to see the fountain of wisdom is still flowing

 

[mark.w.jones]

That tank is about 22 US gallons or 82 litres so can hold around 22 adult inches of fish. Unfortunately the leopard plec is gonna get pretty big (10" or so) + poop and pee far more than 10 x 1" fish so may end up dominating your tank. I'd rehome him whilst he's still small enough to be able to then also give the neon away and immediately start fishless cycling your tank. This shouldn't take too long as long as long as you begin doing it the day you remove your two current fish, as a lot of the useful bacteria will still be present in your filter. Theres a good article on fishless cycling in my sig. Follow the add & wait method. You should also read all the pinned articles in this forum and the Tropical Chit Chat one.

Good luck

 

[dwarfgourami]

That tank is about 22 US gallons or 82 litres so can hold around 22 adult inches of fish. Unfortunately the leopard plec is gonna get pretty big (10" or so) + poop and pee far more than 10 x 1" fish so may end up dominating your tank. I'd rehome him whilst he's still small enough to be able to then also give the neon away and immediately start fishless cycling your tank. This shouldn't take too long as long as long as you begin doing it the day you remove your two current fish, as a lot of the useful bacteria will still be present in your filter. Theres a good article on fishless cycling in my sig. Follow the add & wait method. You should also read all the pinned articles in this forum and the Tropical Chit Chat one.

Good luck

Jonesy, if she's already got fish in there and an established filter- why would she want to do a fishless cycle? Wouldn't it be better to arrange for any new fish to come in while the filter is still going good?

 

[kazsymonds]

Jonesy, if she's already got fish in there and an established filter- why would she want to do a fishless cycle? Wouldn't it be better to arrange for any new fish to come in while the filter is still going good?

Thats what i thought, ive been testing the water and it is perfect!

I can see the point of the fishless cycle, dont get me wrong but i dont know what my fishload will be yet + i want to introduce them slowly!

Im gonna get more neons rather than get rid of him and if mr plecky gets bigger then i will have to get a bigger tank or rehome him!

 

[MegTheFish]

Jonesy, if she's already got fish in there and an established filter- why would she want to do a fishless cycle? Wouldn't it be better to arrange for any new fish to come in while the filter is still going good?

Thats what i thought, ive been testing the water and it is perfect!

I can see the point of the fishless cycle, dont get me wrong but i dont know what my fishload will be yet + i want to introduce them slowly!

Im gonna get more neons rather than get rid of him and if mr plecky gets bigger then i will have to get a bigger tank or rehome him!

When you say your water tested perfect, you do know that in order for your tank to be cycled you would have to have 0 ppm of ammonia, 0 ppm of nitrite and a reading of nitrate (under 20 ppm is best)? Just wanted to check, as some people think that if ALL their tests read zero (even the ammonia) that their tank is fine, but really that just means it hasn't cycled yet and will soon cycle!
Also, it isn't a case of IF the pleco gets bigger, he WILL get bigger. You could keep him in that tank but he will be stunted. So it would be best to either buy a larger tank (always fun ) or find someone with a larger tank that can take him, or if those are not options then offer him to a fishstore and hope for the best

 

[sylvia]

Find that plec a new home while you still can and replace him with 5-6 neons as was suggested. you can think about other fish once the fish you already have are sorted.

BTW, you don't need to cycle right now (as the tank's been running with fish quite a while I gather) - but you should read up on what cycling is and the whole process your tank goes through or you may make some vital mistakes down the line. Just a little heads up - always use DE-CHLORINATED tap water for water changes -do a water change weekly of about 25% - and never, ever wash your filter media udner the tap - use old tank water in a bucket instead.

there are relevant links in my signature and an especialy sueful 'tips for beginners' site that I urge you to look through carefuly.

 

[kazsymonds]

Yes i have been treating my water so thats good.

When i moved the tank i kept 20% of the water in there along with 15% i used in a large bucket to move the 2 fish, i also kept the filter in this water all the time so presumably my tank will have retained some bacteria.

It looks from what i have read on cycling that i will need more fish to cycle the tank?

When i said i tested it i meant i did amonia and nitrate/ite (cant remember which) tests and they were zero, that prolly doesnt mean anything tho as i dont really have any fish.

The water does smell quite, errr, mature shall we say tho, would this be a sign of bacteria? Especially as theres no sign of any fish waste.

Sylvia my tanks been running about 2 months with only the plec and the neon so maybe i should kick start some filter action?

 

[mark.w.jones]

[/quote]

Jonesy, if she's already got fish in there and an established filter- why would she want to do a fishless cycle? Wouldn't it be better to arrange for any new fish to come in while the filter is still going good?
[/quote]
Fair point. Wasn't thinking straight for once. NOT You just need to add your new fish in groups slowly over a long period of time to allow stats to settle down.