Potential rotting

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

ThunderFish123

New Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2023
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
United Kingdom
Hi Everyone, I have recently got into the hobby and I had a few questions I needed help with. My water has been really cloudy for the past few days even with water changes. There is a fake plant I bought that has been giving off a lot of algae and some of the leaf's have a rust like colour to it. Should I remove this plant and put a new one in because I'm worried its causing more damage being in the tank. Also , I currently have a betta, 3 neon tetras and 2 pepper Cory. In terms of space how much do I have to work with. I would like to get 1-2 more fish but don't want to overstock the tank.

Thank you for any help!
 
Hi Everyone, I have recently got into the hobby and I had a few questions I needed help with. My water has been really cloudy for the past few days even with water changes. There is a fake plant I bought that has been giving off a lot of algae and some of the leaf's have a rust like colour to it. Should I remove this plant and put a new one in because I'm worried its causing more damage being in the tank. Also , I currently have a betta, 3 neon tetras and 2 pepper Cory. In terms of space how much do I have to work with. I would like to get 1-2 more fish but don't want to overstock the tank.

Thank you for any help!
Hello, what litter is your tank and is your tank properly cycled Because that may be the reason for cloudy tank
 
Last edited:
How recently did you get the tank and did you do anything other than fill it with water and put fish in?

What I'm sort of asking is whether you cycled the tank by adding ammonia to grow the good bacteria which 'eat' fish waste. The first part of this link explains what I mean (ignore the second half as you already have fish)
If it's at least a couple of months, the tank should be cycled by now.


Next the fish. Joey asked how many gallons the tank is, though as you're in the UK maybe we should ask how many litres. Also, how long is it? Both of these will determine how many fish can be kept. Ideally you need at least 10 neons and 10 cories but the tank may not be big enough.
Then there's the betta. If this is a male with big fins there are two potential scenarios to watch for. First, the betta could decide the tank is his and his alone and attack the neons to drive them away, only as they are in a tank they can't leave. Bettas have been known to live peacefully with other fish for several months, then suddenly snap and go on a killing spree. Or the neons could decide that betta fins are a nice tasty snack. Watch for any damage to the betta or neons and have a back up plan just in case.
 
How recently did you get the tank and did you do anything other than fill it with water and put fish in?

What I'm sort of asking is whether you cycled the tank by adding ammonia to grow the good bacteria which 'eat' fish waste. The first part of this link explains what I mean (ignore the second half as you already have fish)
If it's at least a couple of months, the tank should be cycled by now.


Next the fish. Joey asked how many gallons the tank is, though as you're in the UK maybe we should ask how many litres. Also, how long is it? Both of these will determine how many fish can be kept. Ideally you need at least 10 neons and 10 cories but the tank may not be big enough.
Then there's the betta. If this is a male with big fins there are two potential scenarios to watch for. First, the betta could decide the tank is his and his alone and attack the neons to drive them away, only as they are in a tank they can't leave. Bettas have been known to live peacefully with other fish for several months, then suddenly snap and go on a killing spree. Or the neons could decide that betta fins are a nice tasty snack. Watch for any damage to the betta or neons and have a back up plan just in case.
So I got the tank for my Christmas present because I have always loved fish. I set the tank up on xmas eve and added fish 1 week later but half of them died which the pets at home people said was because of my ammonia. Since then I have had 3 tetras that lived and once i got the ammonia sorted out 2 weeks ago I added the Cory and the beta a week after. I did get the cloudy tank when I added my tetras but it cleared up after a day unlike this most recent one. The tank itself is 23 litres and has a heater/filter. I regularly add bio starter to help the tank and these white gel balls that are meant to clean the tank but I don't really notice much difference.

In terms of my betta, I believe its a she and she is very peaceful. The tetras don't bother her and vice versa, the Cory do swim around her quite often but she doesn't seem to mind it. According to pets at home I have 2 points left which would equal 2 tetras or 1 Cory but I'm unsure if they are just being safe
 
In that case you did not cycle the tank, I'm afraid. Do you have a test kit or do rely on a shop testing the tank water? Since the tank has only had fish for around a month, it is probably past the ammonia stage but probably still in the nitrite phase. Do you have a reading for nitrite?



Next I have some bad news for you. A 23 litre tank is far too small for neons and cories. Both need a tank at least 60 cm long. But it is fine for a betta, male or female, on its own. The best thing for the fish is to return the neons and cories to the shop.

One important lesson for new fish keepers is never ever believe anything a shop worker tells you. Particularly a shop like Pets at Home where the staff are usually trained only how to make a sale. Very few of them know anything about fish. That points system is useless as it does not take into account the behaviour or compatibility of the fish, just the size of the fish. For example, it does not take into account that shoaling fish need to be in a group of at least 10 of the same species, or that neons need more swimming space than a 23 litre tank allows. Sorry, rant over :blush:
 
In that case you did not cycle the tank, I'm afraid. Do you have a test kit or do rely on a shop testing the tank water? Since the tank has only had fish for around a month, it is probably past the ammonia stage but probably still in the nitrite phase. Do you have a reading for nitrite?



Next I have some bad news for you. A 23 litre tank is far too small for neons and cories. Both need a tank at least 60 cm long. But it is fine for a betta, male or female, on its own. The best thing for the fish is to return the neons and cories to the shop.

One important lesson for new fish keepers is never ever believe anything a shop worker tells you. Particularly a shop like Pets at Home where the staff are usually trained only how to make a sale. Very few of them know anything about fish. That points system is useless as it does not take into account the behaviour or compatibility of the fish, just the size of the fish. For example, it does not take into account that shoaling fish need to be in a group of at least 10 of the same species, or that neons need more swimming space than a 23 litre tank allows. Sorry, rant over :blush:
I have been doing tests using test kits I bought online everything seems to be in the normal range. If I did buy a new plant and replaced the old one would it throw off the tanks cycle?

As for the fish itself I have purely been relying on staff at pets at home and independent shops which is really my fault. The fish themselves seem to be happy from their behaviour but again I’m not a fish expert.

Is there any way to spot the fish being unhappy that I try to find because from the research I done it’s all dependent on the fishes personality.

Also is there any other advice you could give me as I am really panicking over how much I’ve gone wrong with taking care of these fish 🤣

Thank you for all the help and advice, I did do some research before setting up the tank but I never realised how much was involved.
 
I have been doing tests using test kits I bought online everything seems to be in the normal range.

Always give the numbers for the tests you can do. None of us knows what "normal" may mean, nor what test it is.

Is there any way to spot the fish being unhappy that I try to find because from the research I done it’s all dependent on the fishes personality.

Initially, no there is no way. Fish have one main goal, to reproduce, so they will swim, eat and even spawn under good or bad conditions if they can, until the situation if bad becomes so bad they can no longer struggle against it, and then you may see signs, depending upon the issue, or the fish suddenly dies.

Do not buy more fish until this is all resolved. And then, do not listen to store staff. Ask us here on TFF about this or that fish in your tank. All of us want success for you and your fish. :fish:
 
A new plant won't harm the cycle.

Of the things you mention in your first post -

Cloudiness.
There are two types of cloudy - green (an algae bloom) and white (a bacteria bloom). Bacteria blooms are common in new tanks. The bacteria which cause the bloom are not the ones we want to grow, but they are harmless to fish. These bacteria live floating in the water and they eat carbon based food, unlike the filter bacteria which live on surfaces and eat nitrogen based food. The bloom bacteria also multiply very quickly.
If yours is a white bloom, have you been cleaning the bottom of the tank regularly? Good maintenance includes weekly water changes of at least half the water and removing fish poop and uneaten food from the bottom of the tank - and down between the particles if there's gravel on the bottom of the tank. Any poop or food left there will feed the bloom bacteria.
If it's a green bloom, that's caused by microscopic algae in the water. In this case the questions are - how long do you have the tank light on for and do you overfeed the fish so that there's left over food? Both of these will encourage algae to grow. Unless there are live plants in the tank, the lights only need to be on so we can see the fish. Even just 2 or 3 hours a day is enough. And as with bacterial blooms, remove any uneaten food from the bottom of the tank.
On the subject of lights, it's important to have the tank lights on for the same length of time at the same time of day every day. A timer is the easiest way to do this. And the room should be in daylight or the room light be on for at least half an hour before and after the tank lights are on so the fish's eyes have time to adjust going from total dark to bright light and back again.

Algae and rust colour.
The rust colour is probably diatoms, common in new tanks. As the tank matures, it usually goes away. But every tank is different so it's impossible to say how long.
Algae - same causes as algae blooms (see above) only these algae attach themselves to things rather than floating. Probably caused by the tank lights on too long. if you'd had live plants, the fertiliser for them could also contribute but as you don't have any we can ignore fertiliser as a cause.



As I mentioned in my last post, fish shop workers are the last people to take advice from. You aren't the first and you won't be the last to have problems by taking their advice.
To keep the neons and cories 'happy' they need a much larger group of each and a bigger tank. That's something that Pets at Home won't have mentioned. There are really only two alternatives - rehome the neons and cories or buy a bigger tank.
Shoaling fish like these give in groups of hundreds or even thousands in the wild. When there aren't enough of them their instincts tell them that something has eaten the rest of the shoal so they are constantly on the lookout for the predator that may be coming to eat them as well. This is stressful for fish and stressed fish get sick more easily.



But the non-shoaling betta is perfect for your tank :)
 
Firstly, thank you all so much for the help it really has been eye opening. A bit of a update, i am planning to take back the tetra and cory fish somepoint this week. One of the cory was swimming upside down this morning which i dont think is a good sign. Is my tank size of 23 litre only good enough for just the betta or would it fit any other fish.
 
No, just the one betta. Other fish suitable for a small tank are very small which could well trigger a betta's hunting instincts. Tiny fish would also be stressed living with what they perceive as a predator.
A snail is a possible option. I always had nerite snails with my bettas. Their bodies are almost entirely withing their shells and their antennae are small so they don't attract bettas' attention as much as those snails (apple snails, ramshorn snails etc) which have a lot more body outside the shell and have antennae which look like juicy worms.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Members online

Back
Top