Should I Add More Fish ?

[kkcrd11]

Okay so i got 4 neon tetras and a penguin tetra last night and had to rehouse them urgently they are all fine this morning eating and swimming around happily . I used filter media from my other fish tank for a quick cycle . what i need to know is as these fish prefer being in larger groups should i go out and buy more of the same fish to make the numbers bigger and make them feel more secure or will they be okay.

Thanks

 

[minnnt]

You fail to mention tank size, but both of the fish you mention should be ideally in a group of at least 6. Ideally 8-10 though.

 

[This Old Spouse]

+1

You also don't mention how much filter media and from what size tank with how many fish you took the media from. (I could slaughter the English language a bit more but thought this was adequate.)

 

[kkcrd11]

hi sorry its a 12 gallon (54 litre) .

I called in the pet shop and he gave me one more penguin to keep the other happy but didn't recommend new neons till next week even though there is only four he said they will be fine until the tank has cycled properly . hope this is ok.

i tested the water at the shop to be safe he said it was ok although chlorine was a little high. so i added some aquasafe as directed too . should i be doing any water changes . sorry for all the questions but i've never kept tropical before and don't wanna stress these new fish too much by keep messing about .

re filter media : it was taken from a fancy goldfish tank I have downstairs which is 90 litres, established for 8 month and i took a 1 inch square of it out it houses 2 orandas and a blackmoor

 

[This Old Spouse]

Sounds like you have a better LFS staffer than most, recommending you wait before adding more fish. However, first thing to do is add more filter media from your 90l tank. You can take up to 1/3 from it without compromising the remaining bacterial colony. But also add more new filter media to that filter so the bacteria can work on it. One square inch of filter isn't nearly enough to cycle your new tank.

I'm confused as to why you'd have any chlorine in your water??? You should dechlor any water that enters your tanks. And switch over to Seachem Prime or StressCoat+ for a dechlorinator as they also neutralize heavy metals and ammonia from your tap water.

Do not get any more fish until you've cycled this tank. Shouldn't take long with more mature media from your other tank. Neons especially are sensitive to new tanks and should only be added to well established tanks. But since you rescued the ones you have now that couldn't be avoided. So adding more neons in a few weeks should be fine.

Get yourself a liquid test kit as well, so you can test your own water whenever you need. API Master test kit, Nutrafin or Salifert are all good. Don't get test strips as they're terribly inaccurate.

And please keep us posted!

 

[kkcrd11]

Thanks for that. yeah im quite surprised the levels were as good as they were after only 14 hrs myself ,

I only have test strips the levels seem okay. but i'll try to get some liquid one tomorrow . at the moment i have something called fresh start (im in the uk) and i haven't changed the water in this tank at all. so should i add the recommended amount of fresh start and treat the whole tank or just do a water top up and add this in the water I'm changing ??

I wont be adding any new fish for at least two weeks now as money is tight . but when i do what fish do you recommended i get to go with whats in providing they all survive (I didnt hold out much hope for them last night but they seem ok ). obviously a couple more neon's but would I fit any more than that in.

I'll add a little more media in as well now I wasn't sure how much i could take without compromising my fancies

Also am i able to use the same equipment for cleaning them out that I use for my fancies like the gravel cleaner . magnet tank cleaner etc or will I need seperate for both.

Your help is much appreciated

 

[This Old Spouse]

Most of us here think that Fresh Start or any of the boosters are a waste of money. But at any rate, you should be doing daily 50% water changes until the tank is cycled. Whatever you put in the water, the fish are still peeing and pooing in it and that has to be removed or they'll be poisoned, swimming around in their own waste.

 

[kkcrd11]

The aquatics shop sold it me this morning when i asked them for a dechlorinator as i had read about it on here . oh well live and learn i will do a 50% change with it later today and buy the other asap

 

[This Old Spouse]

Do keep in mind that their primary goal is to make money. Ours on the forum is to keep your fish healthy and happy!

Keep us updated with your progress.

 

[minnnt]

1 more penguin. Lol!

I think the tank should be a little larger personally, but that can be addressed later down the line.

Follow spouse's advice, she speaks the truth.

Welcome to the forum also.

 

[kkcrd11]

Thanks for the welcome

I wont be upgrading this tank . I didnt plan on having it so its not something i can afford to do, i need to spend money on the upgrade of my 90L coldwater as my fancies are growing fast.

So at the moment there 4 neons and 2 penguins in the 54 litre is this not good surely it cant be overstocked yet it looks kinda bare ?

 

[This Old Spouse]

No, it's not overstocked, it's just not cycled yet. Once it's cycled I'd recommend you add another 6-10 neons and honestly, return the penguins. They can reach 2-1/2" long and that's much too big for your tank.

 

[minnnt]

Temporarily your fish should be fine. But... I wouldn't have Neons in there either in all honesty. Maybe when you upgrade your Goldfish you could upgrade the Tetra's into their old tank. 90 litres would give you a nice scope for a group on Neons and a few of the smaller Corydoras.

Penguins would still be a little too big for the 90 too imo.

Just out of curiosity, what are the dimensions of the 54 litre tank?

 

[kkcrd11]

I cant return a rescued penguin it has no home to go too he is still very young though by the looks of him i'd say an inch and a half long. I would add pics if i knew how . like i said this is a throw together set up that we did in an emergency. (im sure the neons hate the pink gravel too ) it was the only tank we had.

I could put them all in the 90 litre goldfish tank but thats gonna be at least a month away as i've gotta buy stuff gradually for the new one , then maybe more if i have to cycle it before the orandas and blackmoor go in .
I wouldn't like to rush them in just to help out the penguins if you know what I mean

The tank is 2ft long 1.3 ft high and 1ft deep hope this helps as i said your advice is much appreciated .

Fishies are doing fine at the moment all eating and swimming around.

 

[minnnt]

2ft long is actually a decent size for them. I was expecting it to be shorter.