Stopped Fishless Cycle (possibly Short)

[emilythestrange]

I have a 100 litre tank
The tank was set up from 17th november.
Started fishless cycling it until last saturday.
The 5ml of ammonia wasnt being cycled quick enough (it took 2 days to get down)
However, 2 pipettes of ammonia were cycled in 12 hours ish


I added 2 sailfin mollies (male and female) on Sunday around 1pm
And 2 freshwater Shrimp


When should i add fish next??

I tested my water yesterday and today and Ammonia and NitrIte was 0ppm

I did a 90% water change before the fish went in - to reduce the high NitrAtes

 

[rdd1952]

If your tank was completely cycled, you could add all the fish at once. Otherwise, any extra bacteria will die off as the bio-load won't support them all. As long as the ammonia and nitrite are at 0 (for at least a 5 to 7 day period) you can add mere fish. Just don't add too many. At a maximum, you only want to double your bio-load and then wait for the bacteria to reproduce and catch up before adding more.

 

[AdAndrews]

providing the water stats are fine you can add fish within 2 weeks of each other, but if you are not quarentining then use a good bacteria med like protozin, from waterlife. keep on adding just about 2 fish every 2 weeks id say, thats for mollie size fish, so imo guppies you could add about 6 at any one time

good luck

 

[emilythestrange]

I just couldnt keep cycling after 2 months, the fish seem fine, I have 3 guppies and 5 tetras in my 27L tank... they are so friendly.

However my new 2 fish (the mollies) are Schizophrenic and hide for cover when anyone walks in! (thankgod theres alot of cover) I know they were introduced only yesterday.. however if i sit in front of the tank for 10 minutes they will come out and not bother..

Are mollies usually like this? or do you think they are acting this way because they came from a small tank with alot of fish to my tank with just the two of them in 100L??

 

[AdAndrews]

my silver mollie doesnt do that, could be vibrations from you walking

 

[emilythestrange]

my silver mollie doesnt do that, could be vibrations from you walking

Yes could be hopefully they will calm down abit they dont try to jump or anythign though (i have a topless tank) So im not too worried. Maybe they will calm down when i add more fish if the waters okay.

What would anyone suggest for me to stock??

I would like tetras, guppies, mollies and platys and Harlequin rasboras!! Oh dear i cant choose the Ratios!!!

 

[AdAndrews]

I would like tetras, guppies, mollies and platys and Harlequin rasboras!! Oh dear i cant choose the Ratios!!!
[/quote]

shoal of 12 neons-after 6 months
4 male guppies
could have some sunset platies


ratio is 1 inch per gallon, and then after approx 6 months, providing filter is good you could have 2 inch per gallon, do you know what filter you have and what media you have in it?

 

[emilythestrange]

Yep fluval 3 plus - Sponge media

 

[rdd1952]

They are still getting used to the tank and should be fine in a few days.

 

[OldMan47]

Emily, it is not very common for mollies to be nervous fish. Any fish can be a bit nervous when it is first put into a tank but one of the easiest to have comfortable in a tank is mollies. If your mollies do not settle in, I would be looking for what else might be wrong with the tank.

 

[emilythestrange]

Emily, it is not very common for mollies to be nervous fish. Any fish can be a bit nervous when it is first put into a tank but one of the easiest to have comfortable in a tank is mollies. If your mollies do not settle in, I would be looking for what else might be wrong with the tank.

I assume that ym tanks fine now, i have tested it twice for ammonia and nitrite after adding the fish, both have been 0ppm
The mollies are fine now, swimming through all heights and corners of my tank, feeding fine and eating algae off the silk plants etc..

 

[Inchworm]

Hi emilythestrange

Have you given any thought to adding a small school of corydoras? They are perfect citizens in anyone's community tank.

 

[emilythestrange]

Hi emilythestrange

Have you given any thought to adding a small school of corydoras? They are perfect citizens in anyone's community tank.

I have seen corys in the LFS, they are nice, just not what im into. if i had a massive tank i would have shoal, however im more into livebearers and tetras
and i like shrimp (so they sort of do the cleaning job for me)

 

[OldMan47]

There is something else that you are facing Emily. Mollies do best in hard water with a pH over 7.5 and shrimp generally do better with softer water and a neutral pH.
Another issue you may be facing is a size issue. Good sailfin mollies can grow to 4 or 5 inches long and a small tank like that may end up being too small for them for swimming room. It will really depend what kind of genetic background your mollies have. If they are mostly from a sphenops with just enough velifera or latipinna to get a sailfin, they will probably be OK. If they are nearly pure velifera or latipinna, the tank will become too small for them as they mature. It is just something to be aware of when you are stocking. The highly developed, fancy mollies are often not very big fish but a near wild sailfin can get huge compared to what we usually see in the hobby.