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Clown pleco, bristlenose pleco, rubbernose pleco? Any of these?

Harlequin rasboras and neons are good together. I've kept both successfully in the same tank. Harlys don't mess with anybody. Neons are pretty placid too.

Petsmart has a 14 day guarantee. Please don't flush them... that's not acceptable talk around here. And please don't believe things that LFS tell you on face value.

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

Are you cycling the tank? (i.e. adding ammonia per our fishless cycle directions?)

Welcome back... whomever you are. lol

Based on the picture thats what they are.

Emperors are lovely, but would need to replace the neons or harleys, not be in addition to them.

That's not good. I doubt that he kept them that way for any significant length of time... for a variety of reasons... either he sold a bunch, or a bunch died from being overcrowded. They could barely swim in that level of stocking... And this is where we on this forum will warn you to...

No worries about waiting... once its cycled... a maintenance dose is easy to provide, about every 3 days or so.... roughly 1/3 the full dose... and you can get your fish whenever is convenient to you.

Nevermind... don't get fish.. Get your shrimp.

Nope. Your cycle is done. Big water change... and get some fish. :good:

Sorry... I am a bit confused, so please help me understand the situation. You have been cycling for a while... I see you say a month... in that time, nitrite should be showing up... so something is amiss. How often are you doing ammonia currently? 2.0 ppm ammonia drops to 0 in 24 hours...

They will eat the eggs themselves sometimes, especially if they feel they are threatened by other fish.

I'll throw in on this one... I saw your initial welcome thread where you mentioned wanting danios, they would be a poor choice in such a small tank. In my opinion, small tanks like these are the perfect showcase for the micro-fish in the hobby that often would get lost in a bigger tank. I...

Long story short... its almost impossible to do too many and too big water changes. (There are situations where this is true, but very rare if you do proper maintenance.)

I add water directly from the tap... through the hose I attach to the sink. Add enough dechlorinator for the full volume of the tank (due to the increased dilution) and everything will be fine. Changing 5% 5 times is not the same as changing 25%... I'll explain... Let's say that you have...

That is a very quick cycle. Dr. Tim's helps, but it still takes time and is not an 'instant' cycle. Most of those products say on their labels that fish can be added immediately... and that's true... to an extent. The bacteria take a while to establish on surfaces (that's where they live...

Awesome. Can't wait to hear about the updates! :good:

The reason that the new sponge running in the tank would 'seed' it with bacteria is that the flow of water through the sponge would be higher... just having it sit in the tank would allow 'something' to be on it to start a cycle process, but not a ton. I'd recommend a reading of Ian Fuller's...

That's how the cycling process goes... honestly. BTW, there's no need to wait 24 hours after the big water change. You can theoretically get fish the same day as the water change, as long as the water is the right temp... all is well.

I would also suggest a bare bottom tank for fry rearing... and add some java moss The java moss will harbor some microfauna that allows the fry to feed, continuously. This can certainly be supplemented with other foods, but you want to remove the uneaten food after an hour or so to keep the...

My suggestion would be, 1 more full dose - test after 24 hours and then go for it with fish this weekend. Also, I'd take the water down all the way to the substrate for a full 'reset' on nitrates. (Also, I recommend a 50%-75% water change twice a year in addition to the standard weekly changes.)

No worries about the ammonia bacs dying off that quickly. Wait another day... and after the 3rd full day since you added any ammonia... add only a 'snack dose' (1/3 the full dose) to tick over the ammonia bacs while the nitrite bacs build up some bigger numbers. Then wait 3-4 more days keeping...

Not at all... it seems your understanding of the cycle is a little off. We are cultivating BACTERIA to process the different waste products. One type of bacteria break down the ammonia and produce nitrite as a result. Then as the nitrite starts to build, a second type of bacteria break down...

Nitrates are the end result of the cying process and in freshwater are dealt with only via water changes or tons of plants. So no worries there. You dont want nitrates. In the cycling process they only singal progress.

50% water change is a safe move. Having the nitrite reach too high a level can stall the cycle too.

Seems so, steelo. FYI, if that ever happens again, you can feel free to remove about 50% of the water and refill with no ill effects to the cycle.

Depending how big your tank is... getting more females of both species would limit the interplay...

Well, there's not much to go on, but male livebearers (like guppies) will try to breed with any other livebearers...like platies. So, that's my guess.

It is generally recommended to have at least 2 females for every male when dealing with live bearers... OR, go with single gender tanks. Having male only tanks makes sure you don't get fry. Female only tanks means you are likely to get fry as they are almost always pregnant - a single...

The nitrates are definitely there, or you have a ton of plants that are sucking them up. My money would be on the test results being wrong. That test is easy to get 'wrong', because we get complacent in the shaking, because early tests the precipitate is more mixed... but as time goes on, it...

One other element to note... check into your water parameters before making a stocking plan. And find fish that fit your water conditions, rather than trying to fix the water to match the fish's needs.

I doubt your nitrates are as low as you are indicating steelo. 1 ppm ammonia (as measured by API and most other brand hobby test kits) produces 2.7 ppm nitrite (again, as measured by most hobby test kits), which will then convert to 3.6 ppm nitrate (once more, on hobby test kits). So, that...

This thread is over 5 years old.

Directions like this can lead to overdosing the tank, creating a pH crash and a stall of a cycle. I'd recommend sticking to the directions we have on the site, they are specifically designed to limit the amount of ammonia used, limiting any chance for a pH crash and cycle stall.

Easy answer for this one. If the cycle finishes more than 3 days before you intend to get fish... add a 'snack dose' as directed in this thread: http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ If the cycle ends less than 3 days before the day you...

This is an old thread, but I'll address the question you've raised... I believe the compound you are referring to is chloramine. This does not evaporate...

Welcome Mark...or Cheekyfella, I got back into fishkeeping when my son wanted a pet, and a furry one was out of the question at that time. That was about 9 years ago. Anyway, the basics haven't changed from when I was a kid. Keep your water clean... and the fish will thrive. We have a...

I remind all members to keep the conversation on the tank at hand, and refrain from slinging insults at one another. On the topic of buffering a tank with African cichlid substrate: As Colin pointed out, and Byron agreed, African cichlid substrate is almost always made of a material like...