Newbie, Advice Please.

[mitchell4684]

hi all, im kevin.

New to the fish keeping scene and been scanning through the forum for a few weeks now. I only have a small tank just now, i got an elite35 starter kit and had it for about 5 weeks. I added in 4x cardinal tetras a couple of days ago and everything is looking ok. I was going to have 6-8 of these little fellas, how long should i wait before adding the rest of them, will the new ones group together with the ones that are already there?

Also any suggestions as to what other fish would be good for this tank and how many?

Another thing was, i havnt used it yet however bought a syphon gravel cleaner the other day, are these not quite scary for the fish considering u need to shake it about to get it to work lol, is there a trick to using it?

Great site!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[notg2009]

hi all, im kevin.

New to the fish keeping scene and been scanning through the forum for a few weeks now. I only have a small tank just now, i got an elite35 starter kit and had it for about 5 weeks. I added in 4x cardinal tetras a couple of days ago and everything is looking ok. I was going to have 6-8 of these little fellas, how long should i wait before adding the rest of them, will the new ones group together with the ones that are already there?

Also any suggestions as to what other fish would be good for this tank and how many?

Another thing was, i havnt used it yet however bought a syphon gravel cleaner the other day, are these not quite scary for the fish considering u need to shake it about to get it to work lol, is there a trick to using it?

Great site!!

Thanks in advance!

I'm not a pro, but I have heard (and read) that different species of tetra that are of the same size and have similar habits can school together. Probably having 2 schools of tetras, each with 6-8 members would be fine (or maybe 3 schools of 6??).
I think it is better to add no more than 3-4 fish per 2-3 days so that the biological filter can handle the extra load.
As for the gravel siphon (if it is the same that I used to have which said: self starting blah blah) IT IS A GREAT PIECE OF CRAP. You have to move it a lot in the tank to get it to work. Almost every time I used it the fish were scared and stressed. I got something with a rubber pump. You pump and get the water running and the pressure difference does the rest. Take a look at the one in this link: My http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755281&lmdn=Fish. Please note that I have not used this type but it should do a good job. A tube with a rubber pump in the middle is the easiest in my opinion.

Good luck.

ANYONE PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG; I LOVE TO LEARN!!!!

 

[Verminator89]

hi all, im kevin.

New to the fish keeping scene and been scanning through the forum for a few weeks now. I only have a small tank just now, i got an elite35 starter kit and had it for about 5 weeks. I added in 4x cardinal tetras a couple of days ago and everything is looking ok. I was going to have 6-8 of these little fellas, how long should i wait before adding the rest of them, will the new ones group together with the ones that are already there?

When adding new fish to any tank i have a general rule of thumb i follow. 7 fish per week, is how i do it. No more in any one week added and i've never had an issue to date. Others will have thier own opinions, this is mine. Also when you add the rest of your cardinals they should naturally school with those you already have. As notg2009 said you can mix othyer tetras with those you already have. Say you fancied having a school of rummynose with your cardinals, it can be done. However i'd make sure you have enough of each to keep them happy. I like odd numbers with group fish so i'd have 7 of each. In a tank your size though having this many tetras limits what other fish you can have, so personally in your tank i'd stick with one type of tetra for now. So perhaps get 9 cardinals as you planned already.

Also any suggestions as to what other fish would be good for this tank and how many?

A popular addition to any small tank with tetras are shrimp. Japonica and Cherry shrimp are a particular favourite of mine. They are both easy to keep and do well in most conditions, perfect for a new starter in the hobby!

Also, dwarf gourami's would look great with both shrimp and tetras. The beautifull red/orange hues of the male dwarf gourami would look great mixed with the blue of the tetra and your shrimp.

Another thing was, i havnt used it yet however bought a syphon gravel cleaner the other day, are these not quite scary for the fish considering u need to shake it about to get it to work lol, is there a trick to using it?

If you shake it about wildly and out of control then yes it might spook your fish. But you shouldnt require to shake it about madly. I have a few and i just move them up and down neither rapidly nor slowly and its starts to siphon. Admittedly i have one which seems stubborn to start siphoning, so i just give the end of the tube a quick suck and it soon gets going.

The pumps with the handheld pump are good, you just have to be extra vigilant when taking care not to suck out your fish. Small fish will fit down and straight through, some might just be the unlucky shape to get stuck in the pump. I killed my £30 armoured bichir 2 days ago by doing this.


Great site!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gilli]

If you have only had a tank for 5 weeks then it is not fully cycled. What are your water stats? You shouldnt even be thinking of adding anything unless your tank is fully cycled and if its not I presume you are doing daily water changes?

 

[divetime84]

some good advice from Verminator89 good info

 

[oscar1995]

i would get sunburst wag's they are very active and they are very nice looking i currently have 4 in my 30gallon and they love schooling with eachother

 

[mitchell4684]

hi all,

thanks for the advice and quick response, the more i think about it i will prob stick with the cardinal tetras and add some more in a few days and take it to seven. As for the cycling i have done this for three weeks and all my readings never changed, and i did get some mature media from a friends filter, i took a sample of water into my lfs before adding the tetras and they recommended i get them in. I am testing and doing ten percent water changes every day at the moment adding nutrafin aqua plus. Iv seen quite alot of problems with this on here but i seem to be lucky and its looking good. Hope im not wrong.

I do like the male bettas(fighter?), do u think the tetras would nip him badly if i got it? But one step at a time il get some more cardinals first!

Thanks kevin.

 

[mitchell4684]

and for the gravel cleaner, thanks for that verminator, im gonna try using it tmro at water change. If i think its too aggressive il have a look at the one u recommended thanks