Ok, So What's Next?

[RyAir]

Hi there,

Iv just started my first EVER tropical aquarium.

The tank is a 22 litre, hexagon tank. I let the tank cycle for 2 (really long) weeks before buying any fish.

So...after 2 weeks I went down to my (not so local) pet store, got a water test done, bloke said there was a good level of bacteria, but needs to be more for some of the fish I wanted. So came back from store with 5 GUPPIES. Its been 2 days now and they seem to be fine, swimming around and generally doing what fish do.

So next week Im planning on going back to the store and getting some more, only thing is, what to get?

My plan is to get approx 5 fish every week till I have around 20 fish in total. I want a nice variety but also love my GUPPIES and eventually really want NEON TETRAS. I was also thinking, two female PLATS and one male PLAT? So what do the experts recommend

Please note, im a newbie, and have no intention on becoming a complete master with every species of fish lol And as its a small tank im only after fish with will only really max at 1.5 inches.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Hi there,

Iv just started my first EVER tropical aquarium.

The tank is a 22 litre, hexagon tank. I let the tank cycle for 2 (really long) weeks before buying any fish.

So...after 2 weeks I went down to my (not so local) pet store, got a water test done, bloke said there was a good level of bacteria, but needs to be more for some of the fish I wanted. So came back from store with 5 GUPPIES. Its been 2 days now and they seem to be fine, swimming around and generally doing what fish do.

So next week Im planning on going back to the store and getting some more, only thing is, what to get?

My plan is to get approx 5 fish every week till I have around 20 fish in total. I want a nice variety but also love my GUPPIES and eventually really want NEON TETRAS. I was also thinking, two female PLATS and one male PLAT? So what do the experts recommend

Please note, im a newbie, and have no intention on becoming a complete master with every species of fish lol And as its a small tank im only after fish with will only really max at 1.5 inches.





I thought my 4 fish were doing excellent when i first startedm, they all died within 5 days as i hadn't been cycling the tank at all..

have you been using household ammonia to cycle it? Do you have a test kit yourself? Please dont make the simple, impatient , costly mistakes i made...

 

[KittyKat]

The tank is a 22 litre, hexagon tank. I let the tank cycle for 2 (really long) weeks before buying any fish.

Normal cycling usually takes 4-6 weeks of adding ammonia (in one form or another), did you seed the filter with media from an established tank?

So...after 2 weeks I went down to my (not so local) pet store, got a water test done, bloke said there was a good level of bacteria

Sorry, but he lied, no way to "count" bacteria, especially not from a water sample!

So came back from store with 5 GUPPIES. Its been 2 days now and they seem to be fine, swimming around and generally doing what fish do.

Yay! A warning: they're quite susceptible to fin rot, get some anti-bacterial medication and keep on hand just in case.

So next week Im planning on going back to the store and getting some more, only thing is, what to get?

Chery shrimp?

My plan is to get approx 5 fish every week till I have around 20 fish in total. I want a nice variety but also love my GUPPIES and eventually really want NEON TETRAS. I was also thinking, two female PLATS and one male PLAT? So what do the experts recommend

That would be far too overstocked. You're pretty much limited to 10 very small fish with a tank that size. Also many fish are schooling so need to be kept in groups of 6+. Guppies are medium sized fish so you're basically stocked up now.

Please note, im a newbie, and have no intention on becoming a complete master with every species of fish lol And as its a small tank im only after fish with will only really max at 1.5 inches.

..but the question is: do you want to look after your pets well?

 

[RyAir]

1.Answer to the last post, of course, I definatly want my fish to live a good life.

2.The bloke in pet store put some drops in test water, it turned slighty pink, he said it should be a stronger pink colour for a good level of bacteria.

3.no, filter didnt have anything in it really, just taken from a coldwater tank, washed with tank water and put back in.

4.The so called expert who told me how many fish I could have said it would easily take 20 fish, 25 pushing it. although thinking about it, their tanks are ram packed

5.Cherry shrimp Hmm, will look into. Not to sure if the store has them though, Guppies, tetras and plats at the moment im thinking.

Thanks for the replies, keep them comin people!!!!

oh and one last thing, as ive said I got 5 guppies, 4 of which are silver headed, blue bodied and a yellow/orange, black stripped tail. and one which is blue bodied and red tailed, the first 4 seem to have thier own little possie, and the red tailed one always is on his own...does this matter, would it help with more like him??? I can tell you this now as the tank is nxt to the computer screen hehe.

 

[RyAir]

little update, just found out, the tank is a 21.6 litre tank

 

[RyAir]

Come on people lol I need knowledge

 

[Skins]

Hello Ryair,
As Kitty Kat said you are fully stocked. You also want to be doing your own tests and not putting your trust in the local fish store(LFS), at the end of the day they just want your money. Now that you have fish you should consider what is called a fish-in-cycle which you may have bump started it by adding the filter you took out of your coldwater tank. Buying your own test kit or kits will determine when you need to give your aquarium a water change.

Please look at the link below it tells you whats involved in the method of a fish-in-cycle,
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=224306

Hope this helps, Skins

P.S if you do end up doing a fish-in-cycle then don't worry there are lots of good people on here who are very experienced and willing to help if you need it.

 

[Aqua Tom]

RyAir ! Thats not you O'leary is it?

 

[waterdrop]

Agree, you are at some stage of a Fish-In Cycle and we like all the beginners who come through here to at least get a start on learning the core skill of the hobby that has to do with water chemistry: the Nitrogen Cycle.

Your first homework assignment is to read the article on the Nitrogen Cycle, the one on the Fish-In Cycle and then the one on the Fishless Cycle (for completeness sake.) That should help you come back with more questions for the members.

The most important piece of equipment a beginner can have is a good liquid-reagent based testing kit. Most of us like and use one called the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, a good compromise between fancier ones and ones that have more problems. Another important piece of equipment is a contraption called a gravel-cleaning-siphon.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[KittyKat]

Answer to the last post, of course, I definatly want my fish to live a good life.

Then it is very important that you listen to everything we say. I am not telling you to believe us outright over anyone else, but do accept it as our experience (and combined, we do have quite a lot of it!) and then double check. There is quite a big difference between having the fish survive and having them thrive. Treat them with the same respect you would give to another animal, even a dog or a cat.

2.The bloke in pet store put some drops in test water, it turned slighty pink, he said it should be a stronger pink colour for a good level of bacteria.

That was some sort of a water test. Learn about these and buy a set yourself. The most important ones are ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and hardness. Liquid tests are considerably more accurate than test strips.
* Ammonia is the most toxic substance to fish: in an established tank, it should always register as 0. A cycle can only happen when there is ammonia present. If cycling with fish, anything over 0.25ppm will hurt the fish irreparably.
* Nitrite is the next step. This is also very toxic, but not quite so bad as ammonia. During the nitrogen cycle, ammonia is converted to nitrite. This should always be 0 in an established aquarium and must not be permitted to rise above 0.25ppm.
* Nitrate is the last important step, this is what nitrite is converted into. Normally it will be between 10 and 40 in an established aquarium. It is generally nothing to worry about, but it can hurt fish in higher amounts.
* pH measures the acidity of the water.
* Hardness measures the mineral content of water.

3.no, filter didnt have anything in it really, just taken from a coldwater tank, washed with tank water and put back in.

If the filter did not have anything in it, it is uncycled, so you are now in a fish-in cycle. Read about fish-in cycles: there is a thread somewhere on here which explains it very well.

4.The so called expert who told me how many fish I could have said it would easily take 20 fish, 25 pushing it. although thinking about it, their tanks are ram packed

It is normal for shop tanks to be packed.. after all, it is only meant to be a transitional stage between a farm and their home. In terms of humans, it would be like taking a bus and then coming home. While on the bus, you will be surrounded by other people in a small space, but most people wouldn't want to live like that so at home they have more space which is usually shared with fewer people. So while at the shop, the fish are "in transit", but once they're in your house, that should be their home. If shops kept fish how they should be kept, they would never make any money.

5.Cherry shrimp Hmm, will look into. Not to sure if the store has them though, Guppies, tetras and plats at the moment im thinking.

You really, really do not have space for more fish.. shrimp, on the other hand, take a different area of the tank, they live on surfaces, and are very low bioload so they're pretty much the only addition you can make now.

oh and one last thing, as ive said I got 5 guppies, 4 of which are silver headed, blue bodied and a yellow/orange, black stripped tail. and one which is blue bodied and red tailed, the first 4 seem to have thier own little possie, and the red tailed one always is on his own...does this matter, would it help with more like him??? I can tell you this now as the tank is nxt to the computer screen hehe.

It doesn't matter what colour they are Do make sure you check them every day for signs of fin-rot and for redness on their gills. Guppies are very fragile fish, they must have only the best water conditions, so it is important for you to get the water tests.

Post a photo of the tank?

 

[RyAir]

thanks for the help guys!!! Will defo look into getting my own test kit. Any good ones on Ebay???

CASUALTY UPDATE!!!! The red tail has died!!!!!!!!!!! ooo hang on!!!! After writing that I got the net out, and he just about swam away, so giving him one last chance.

ADVICE NEEDED, my tank seems to have quite a current, i'll post a pic soon but at the moment the air stone is on one side and the filter is on the other, the fish seem to always be swimming against the current. Is this bad or good exercise

 

[KittyKat]

Do 50% water change using de-chlorinated water, I think you must be getting ammonia now.

I hear good things about the API master (freshwater) test kits, here's a link: http/shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1311&_nkw=api+freshwater+master+test+kit&_sacat=See-All-Categories

As long the the current is not too strong, it is good. Which filter is it?

 

[RyAir]

Do 50% water change using de-chlorinated water, I think you must be getting ammonia now.

I hear good things about the API master (freshwater) test kits, here's a link: http/shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1311&_nkw=api+freshwater+master+test+kit&_sacat=See-All-Categories

As long the the current is not too strong, it is good. Which filter is it?

not too sure what filter it is, think 555? its a fish 'r' fun tank, so one of theres, a three stage filter?

and the air stone is quite ferosous. they seem to be ok with it, its just especially when feeding, the food will travel along the top to the filter exit and be shot down to the ground and back to the air stone then back to the top lol

CASUALTY REPORT- the red tail has been flushed, after watching it swim on its back, do loop the loops and generally look like its having a bad day.

 

[RustedKnight]

Do 50% water change using de-chlorinated water, I think you must be getting ammonia now.

I hear good things about the API master (freshwater) test kits, here's a link: http/shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1311&_nkw=api+freshwater+master+test+kit&_sacat=See-All-Categories

As long the the current is not too strong, it is good. Which filter is it?

not too sure what filter it is, think 555? its a fish 'r' fun tank, so one of theres, a three stage filter?

and the air stone is quite ferosous. they seem to be ok with it, its just especially when feeding, the food will travel along the top to the filter exit and be shot down to the ground and back to the air stone then back to the top lol

CASUALTY REPORT- the red tail has been flushed, after watching it swim on its back, do loop the loops and generally look like its having a bad day.

Sorry to hear about the shark.

Did it go quietly? Or did you put it to sleep with clove oil and vodka?
*hopes you didn't flush a live fish*

 

[RyAir]

Pictures of the tank:

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc419/RyAir118/Photo028.jpghttp://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc419/RyAir118/Photo028.jpg

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Do 50% water change using de-chlorinated water, I think you must be getting ammonia now.

I hear good things about the API master (freshwater) test kits, here's a link: http/shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1311&_nkw=api+freshwater+master+test+kit&_sacat=See-All-Categories

As long the the current is not too strong, it is good. Which filter is it?

not too sure what filter it is, think 555? its a fish 'r' fun tank, so one of theres, a three stage filter?

and the air stone is quite ferosous. they seem to be ok with it, its just especially when feeding, the food will travel along the top to the filter exit and be shot down to the ground and back to the air stone then back to the top lol

CASUALTY REPORT- the red tail has been flushed, after watching it swim on its back, do loop the loops and generally look like its having a bad day.

Sorry to hear about the shark.

Did it go quietly? Or did you put it to sleep with clove oil and vodka?
*hopes you didn't flush a live fish*

lol dude, its not a shark, just a red tailed guppy lol and yeah im sure it went when I had it in the net in water, no sign of life. was the only thing to do really

Why are my pics not working??

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