Should I Worry About This?

[Reecey]

Hi!

I recently bought a new tropical fish tank. Yesterday I bought 10 of my first fish. 5 Red Fin Tetras, 5 Glowlight Tetras.
The Red Fins are fine. They seem happy just still a bit nervous to new surroundings. But the Glowlight Tetras are always
at the top of the tank. They don't swim and just stay there in an upwards diagonal posture. Every now and again they
will swim down for a little bit but they all just stay at the top doing this in a group.

Thanks in advance for the help and any advice would be greatly taken as im quite new to having my own fish tank.

 

[Truck]

did you cycle?

 

[Reecey]

If you mean by the Biological Suppliment treatment liquid. Yes. I put it in yesterday, the day i got the fish.

 

[minxfishy]

Hi and welcome to TFF and fish keeping.

By the sounds of your post, you purchased a tank and then immediately added fish, you were probably advised by the store to leave it running a few days/weeks before adding fish, but unfortunately this does not 'cycle' a tank ready for fish as they would lead you to believe.

Please have a good thru this section of the forum: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=88643 Its the beginners resource centre and will help get you up to speed on the term cycling, setting up a tropical aquarium and many other helpful topics.

Now still assuming that the tank isnt cycled, you are effectively doing what is called a 'fish in cycle'. Where you have fish, who are producing waste, this waste is ammonia, which the fish are swimming around in and its harmful to them, especially as the levels of ammonia rise. Your filter will in a few weeks grow some bacteria to convert this ammonia into nitrIte, this too is very harmful to fish, however, again a few weeks after producing bacteria to cope with ammonia the filter (media) will grow enough bacteria to also convert this nitrIte into nitrAte, which in low amounts is not harmful to fish. This is the process of cycling in a very quick paragraph. Whilst this is all happening your fish are going thru ammonia and nitrIte poisoning, but there are things you can do to reduce the effects on the fish whilst this cycling process is progressing and eventually finishing, leaving you with a fully cycled tank.

This is the link that will explain how you can deal with a fish in cycle, please read it carefully as its a very good guide to the things you will need to do in order to help your fish get thru this time: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=175355


I would imagine that the reason the fish are hanging around the surface of the tank is because of the ammonia and lack of oxygen in the water, therefore an immediate 50% water change will be needed. Do you have a water testing kit? If not, you will need to purchase one, or at the very least have your water regularly tested at the local fish store (LFS).

For now, read the links Ive given you and perform water changes.

 

[Truck]

no you havent cycled then. for a tank to cycle you need to add ammonia to your tank every day until the bacteria, in the filter can cope with the treatment your adding.

filter booster as they call it is no good, how can you keep a bacterial colony in a bottle without food? they feed on ammonia and nitrates nitrites etc

now that you have added fish it is too late to cycle so you are going to have to do a fish in cycle, what is the capacity of your tank?
that means water changes every few days to keep ammonia down, i seriously suggest you buy a few liquid test kits such as ammonia/ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, PH, Kh and Gh. and test every day until for 3-4 weeks so you can keep the ammonia low so the fish dont get poisoned. after 4 weeks there should be sufficient filter bacteria to cope with the amount of waste produced by your fish. then you can slowly add fish i suggest 4 at a time to build up to your maximum stocking level, fish should be added no sooner than 2 weeks after you have previously added fish.

i strongly advise you dont add fish for atleast 4 weeks and do all the above

 

[Reecey]

Thank you so much for your help! I will surely resolve this problem and read the links you have given me! Thanks again.

Its a 30 gallon tank by the way. Also. What shall i do with the fish that are currently in the tank?

 

[minxfishy]

You have two choices with the fish that are already in the tank, one is to keep them and after reading that link on cycling with fish, do as it says, with daily water changes etc and keep ammonia and nitrIte to under 0.25ppm OR and this would be my choice, because its much easier, return the fish and do what is called a fishless cycle, by which a source of ammonia is added to the tank (usually pure ammonia from a bottle), until the filter media has all the sufficient bacteria it needs to be able to introduce fish without harming them in any way.

This is the link for a fishless cycle (and one which many, many people here use to do there fishless cycle, or use as reference to guide others thru)

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

Your choice of course, but kinder on the fish to return them and easier on you too

Either way you decide to do it, people here are more than happy to talk you thru and help with advice to make the hobby an enjoyable one and help you keep healthy and happy fish

 

[Reecey]

Yes, I will definately do the fishless cycle. I would not want to be cruel to my fish. Once again Thanks so much for your help and sorry for being a bit careless with my tank. But i hope im destined to learn new stuff off this great forum!

 

[minxfishy]

Hey dont worry about it, lots of people make the same mistake, unfortunately the advice given out by a lot of fish stores just isnt accurate, but they are only doing a job.

Good luck with the cycle and any help you need, just ask