Scared Fish

[d3tained]

Hi all,

Im from South Africa and a total Noob with Tropical fish keeping.

I have a 60x30x30 tank with power head and UGF.I have had my tank for about 5 days now, i added ANTI CLORE / PH DOWN / AQARIUM SALT / BACTERIA in the correct way.The water have become cristil clear and last night did my 1st 15% water change.

Is it normal for new fish to swim against the glass all the time?My neon Tetras dont do it aswell as the Pakistan Louch ( very small ) the Mollies and the one Shark like fish with black fins keeps on swimming against the glass like they wanto get out?

Do anybody know why they will do that? Is it natural?

Any comments / hints would be greatly appreciated!

Thx
d3tained

 

[black angel]

hi and welcome

is it in inches or cm's? Can you tell us the stocking list as well in full. As your tank is really new the fish are going to have to go through a cycle of the tank which will be hard on them, especially the neons. Neons like mature tanks of at least 6 months. I would advise reading the pinned topics for more info.

 

[d3tained]

Thx,

I have looked through all the tips/tricks and did everything right.
The fish looks great and I have not picked up any problems its just that some of the fish keep on swimming agains the glass ( Mostly mollies )

Well the tank is 60Cmx30xCmx30Cm filled 95%

I have 5 Neon Tetras 1 Plackie 1 Pakistan Louch 5 Mollies and 1 Shark like fish.( Dont know the name )
I also have bacteria gravel that i added with normal gravel.

2 Real plants that already started to make new leaves and 1 rock.

The fish are still young and they have plenty of space to swim and move, also they eat very very well!The Neons to me looks the most relaxed.

I use borhole water so its very clean but i did treat it.Th epower head generates a very mild current and i have notice d that the fish likes to swim against it,Is it ok ??? ? ??

Do this sound right?

thx

 

[black angel]

If the fish see you then they will swim to the front and look like theya re begging for food. This is normal behaviour but if they look like they are scratching then its not.
The current is fine and most fish like to exercise by swimming against it.
I would advise getting test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph just to check your water is fine every day for the next month or so so you can chart your cycle which will happen.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

does your shark like fish look like this, if so it's a bala shark

not sure exactly how many gallons your tank is but it doesn't sound anywhere near big enough for it if it is one, they're often sold as very small juvenile's just a few cm's long, they get massive.

also if you've only had the tank 5 days it's highley unlikely it's finished cycling, some of your fish (the neon's most likely) may get killed off by the nitrite spike. Make sure you've got some test kits and keep a v close eye on your water quality.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I wouldn't worry about the mollies begging against the glass or the fish swimming against the current, but I would worry about the way this tank might be expected to develop. This is I believe a 60 ltr tank=15 US gallons. When it is fully cycled, in a few months time, it should be able to support a population of 5 neons, 1 platy and say 2 mollies (if they are ballon or dalmations, NOT sailfin mollies who need a much bigger tank) and maybe 1 pakistani loach. Anything with shark in its name is going to outgrow this tank pretty quickly.

Anyway, this is when the tank is fully mature- the problem is what happens before that. In order to sustain life (not poison the fish) a tank needs to have a colony of live bacteria large enough to eat the excreted ammonia and its by-product nitrites. These will only grow if they have a source of ammonia to eat=i.e. fish. The growth of bacteruia is known as the cycled. But fish are poisoned by the ammonia which will be present in the tank until the bacteria have grown. So the trick is to add fish VERY SLOWLY- about 2 mollies would have been right for that size tank. You can also add ammonia instead of fish, but then you have to wait several weeks before adding fish. It is possible in some countries to purchase live bacteria (BioSpira) but unless the stuff you bought was refrigerated, it won't have done the trick.

So your fish are now in tank that has not got enough bacteria to deal with their waste. What I would do now would be to:

return the shark to the shop. There is just no way he is going to have a decent quality of life in a 15 gal tank

possibly also return the neons- they are likely to suffer most from the cycle

purchase a test kit that tests for ammonia and nitrites (and nitrates and ph and hardness is also good)

test the water every day

whenever the ammonia or nitrites rise above 0.5 ppm do a partial water change (40-50 % if the reading was high, otherwise 25%- don't forget to dechlorinate the water)

feed very sparingly during these first weeks

look out for any signs of discomfort- red gills, rapid breathing, hanging by the surface or near the bottom, flicking against the stones

Hopefully with a bit of vigilance you'll be able to pull them through. But remember that this tank is fully stocked now- you can't cram anything more in.

 

[d3tained]

Hi,

Mmm nope my shark is very small and thin, not like that picture.Well I will have to see if it grows more.I did add bacteria capsule.Im watching the fish closely aswell as the water quality but will go buy the test kit asap to see if all is ok.

Thx for all the help sofar!

 

[dwarfgourami]

Hi,

Mmm nope my shark is very small and thin, not like that picture.Well I will have to see if it grows more.I did add bacteria capsule.Im watching the fish closely aswell as the water quality but will go buy the test kit asap to see if all is ok.

Thx for all the help sofar!

The shark is likely to be an arius seemanni, aka shark catfish. You need to find out, as these are brackish fish, they grow to 18 inches long (longer than your tank is wide), are restless swimmers- and eat other fish! So let's hope it isn't! Contact the shop and ask for a Latin name.

 

[d3tained]

Hey again,

Well if the fish grows to big i will buy a bigger tank and keep it in there with Oscars or somthing like that.hehe thx for the help thought.

I bought test kit and termometer now.

Nitrate and Nitrite and PH levels is correct no problem there but what i did find is that the heater is set to 26 but infact is out.Put it on 24 now an dthe termometer gives me reading of 26 now.

Will see how it goes but will do 15% water change tommorow night.

thx for all the help!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah the temperature's on heaters aren't always exact, also it will vary from day to night, just keep an eye on the thermometer and keep adjusting the heater until you've got it spot on.

 

[d3tained]

Hi again,

happy to report all is still fine.The mollies are playing in the current.Starting to beg for food.heheh.fed them now and all the fish looks happy.

Cherio!