Hello Everyone!

[sawickib]

Hi 

 to TFF! What size is your tank? sorry if i missed it.
 
Yes, many places including PetSmart often give terrible info in fish care, ADF are pretty undemanding creatures and have bad eye sight so they dont care to swim around as much as fish like neon tetras do, as well as they dont require schools of 6.
 
Celestial pearls are beautiful fish! Ive always wanted a few haha but ive never had a species only tank ready for them, cuz with me they would need it haha

 

[carmstrong]

Hey Ninj, ya I like my little snail.. I couldn't help but watch him chew away today at work (that's where my tank is). All my customers are peering in wondering what's in the tank. Lol

I went to another pet store today, smaller and not so commercialized like Petsmart and they didn't have any Rasboras and they can't order any CFDs. They are going to order an assortment of Danios so I'll be able to see them tomorrow. The woman also said to get them in schools of odd numbers, is that true?

I really like the Rasboras but I have to call around and find a pet shop in my neighboring city that would carry them.

I also wasn't planning on a betta. A friend of mine had a betta in a 10 Gal tank and it was stressed because the tank was too large for the fish to monitor. It lost all it's fins and lost colour. He's doing much better now that my friend has placed it in a smaller tank in its own.

I'm also going to remove the large rock in the tank because it will take up too much swimming room for the fish. Going to get more plants and some smaller decorations.

@FM
My tank is a Fluval Edge 6 gallon.

Thanks for the info!
Chat soon

~ C

 

[Ninjouzata]

I don't know why I was thinking you were getting a betta too. Sorry! Mystery snails are very fun to watch. I have a blue one named Turbo and he climbs up the driftwood then falls off

 
When they do get in the danios I would not purchase any until you've researched them. A good bit of them (such as zebra danios) are quite active so belong in 3-4ft tanks even though they're small.
 
Have you considered looking online? Just a thought.
 
Sorry to hear that about your friend's betta. I hope the tank is still at least 2.5g & heated. I do wonder if there was something else causing the stress (not implying anything, just hard to say sometimes). Mine is in a 20g long and the only issue he has in there is that he has found out I put food for the cories and snails on the bottom so he kept gorging himself and then got pineconed. He's recovering now and will be moved to a 10g by himself

 
I really like that large rock/cave but I agree the extra swimming room would be appreciated. Hopefully more plants and the smaller decorations will give them plenty of places to hide if they feel the need

 
*Edit* I agree with Mamashack. Current in the tank can be another issue in bigger spaces. Also I just noticed something in your edge picture, it looks like there is sign below it? Does it say please do not touch?

 

[Mamashack]

There's no such thing as too large for a betta tbh whereas there can definitely be too small. There can however be a clash of personalities if other fish are involved. Sometimes the other fish are the aggressors and sometimes it's the betta who's aggressive - all depends on the fish' characters. A definite no-no are other fish with flambouyant fins as the betta thinks they are rival males and will attack and fight to the death.
 
Shame you can't find any rasboras - they do seem to be lovely fish - hope you manage to source some soon. Have you tried theonline sellers? I've heard people mention Aquabid tho I've never used them myself, but many people seem to think they are fine.

Haha posted at the time as Mariah!

 

[carmstrong]

Look! Hobart came out to play today

 
@ Ninj, Turbo! How cute

Gotta show me some pics!
 
I decided to get Cardinal Tetras today, I picked up 4, that's all they had and I asked the lady to get me 2 more for next week.
 
Here they are! 
 
http/i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag244/carmstrong175/IMG_7401_zps551b50e0.jpg
 
I just put them in this morning about 2 hours ago, and I was wondering, I heard that when they "pant" its due to lack of oxygen. 
What can I do to aid that, or is that also stress because they just moved?
 
I also had another question.. 
Take a look at my plants, they have this white webbing on them, is that normal?
http/i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag244/carmstrong175/IMG_7403_zpsdf98a376.jpg
 
I was wondering if that was just a algae buildup and the snail would take care of that or they were starting to decay?
If they are, I was going to remove them and get more Java Fern, I like those. Mine are starting to reproduce already

 
Now, I also have been testing my tank these last three days (just bought a test kit) 
Here's the results for today's test, let me know if I'm missing anything please

http/i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag244/carmstrong175/IMG_7404_zps03cf772c.jpg
 
Yes, that is a sign on the bottom, lol 
It says "Please do not tap on the glass"
 
I will be removing the rock and adding more live Java Fern and aquascaping it this weekend. I'm learning as I go how to decorate these things, lol
 
No, I haven't considered online.. something about receiving live animals in the mail is just weird to me. 
Perhaps I may try it later on when I want something more exotic or harder to find.
aka.. an upgraded tank! lol
 
My friend moved her beta into a smaller 2g tank, but no heater, its a steady 23 here now so I think her fish should be ok. 
We don't know what was causing the stress for the fish, we had went away for the weekend and had a little girl feeding them, she over fed and my friend had to drain the tank about halfway to remove all the excess food debris. The betta (Matilda) is doing much better and her fins are growing back. We wern't sure if the other fish her bothering her either but we took her out just in case.
My friend currently has 2 scissor tails, 3-4 pink danios and 2 zebra danios, a mystery snail and an ADF. 
 
@ Mamashack, who's Maria?
 
Chat soon!

 

[sawickib]

Maria is ninjs real name, and I'm afraid it wasn't a good idea to get the cardinals for the 6 gallon, it's much to small for them

 

[carmstrong]

We will see, hopefully they are ok but i'll keep a close eye on them. 

 

[Mamashack]

I agree with sawickib - cardinal tetras prefer larger shoals and need a decent amount of room for swimming. I was hoping to get some for my 15G until I found that out.
Yours may be gasping because the tank is building up toxins and adding more stock will only make matters worse. Might be a better idea to take the cardinals back and let the tank cycle before adding more stock.

 

[Mamashack]

Thought you might find this link useful, carmstrong:
http/www.firsttankguide.net/ammonia-stress.php
Also don't trust those test strips as they are woefully inaccurate. You need to invest in some liquid test kits in ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte and pH at the very least. Many TFF members use the API master test kit which is readily available and cheaper than buying the tests separately.
 
Sorry if this is not what you are wanting to hear

, but if you really want to to the best for your fish you'll need to consider taking them back and buying proper test kit.

 

[sawickib]

http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/paracheirodon-axelrodi/ This may help you as well, theyre a very repeatable source.

 

[carmstrong]

Ok, so here's my question....
 
Should I return this tank and get something larger?
Perhaps a 15 or 20gal?
 
I don't want to run into problems because this tank is limiting to my choice of fish.
 
I don't have alot of space here at my store for one but I want some variety options. 
 
Would you suggest something like this?
http/www.petsmart.ca/fish/aquariums-stands/aqueon-15-gallon-column-deluxe-aquarium-kit-zid36-16696/cat-36-catid-300013?var_id=36-16696&_t=pfm%3Dcategory%26pfmvalue%3Dfaceted
 
OR:
 
http/www.petsmart.ca/fish/aquariums/top-fin-10-gallon-aquarium-starter-kit-zid36-17600/cat-36-catid-300065?var_id=36-17600
 
Thankfully I can still return the tank
 
Let me know your thoughts, I want to be able to grow with this tank
 
Thanks

 

[sawickib]

Id get a 20 gallon tank if possible. Sorry your running into these problems but it would be much better for the fish. Like any of these or have room for them?
 
http/www.petsmart.ca/fish/aquariums-stands/marineland-27-gallon-cube-aquarium-ensemble-zid36-17297/cat-36-catid-300013?var_id=36-17297
 
http/www.petsmart.ca/fish/aquariums-stands/aqueon-25-gallon-aquarium-stand-zid36-16717/cat-36-catid-300013?var_id=36-16717
 
http/www.petsmart.ca/fish/aquariums-stands/top-fin-20-gallon-aquarium-starter-kit-zid36-17601/cat-36-catid-300013?var_id=36-17601

 

[Mamashack]

I wish people who write articles here and elsewhere would use Litres as the unit of volume as gallons can be US or UK. What you consider to be 20G in US is only 16.7 gallons to us in the UK. Presumably the litreage is the same in US & UK or is that different too?

 

[Ninjouzata]

Hobart is so cute! Here are two pics of Turbo, one of him being beautiful and another to show his size! Sorry the pics are a bit..large.
 

 

 
I agree on returning the cardinals. They need a 15g minimum I think according to the link Saw posted, which is indeed a good source.
 
I know this topic is not about your friend but 23C is too cold for the betta. They need a constant temperature of 25.5C to 28C or their immune system can be greatly affected. Glad to hear it's fins are growing back!
 
You could return the tank if you want, can you give us the dimensions of the space you're putting the tank?
While a taller tank would have more volume and be better than a 6g it's still difficult to stock as most fish prefer length over height.
 
Getting fish in the mail does sound a bit odd but they have to go through shipping to get to your LFS too.

If you ever decide to try that Aquabid is a good place to look.
 
I'm not sure what that white webbing is, hmm. Perhaps try cleaning it off and hopefully it won't come back?
 
I have no idea how to read the strip tests so they could be panting due to ammonia or stress from being moved to a new tank. How did you acclimate them?
I would get a liquid test kit when possible. It does cost more but it lasts a long time and is much more accurate than the strips.
 
Certain fish also sort of 'twitch' when staying in place, could that be the panting you're referring to?
 
If/when you get a new tank be sure to move the filter media from this one into it.

 

[Gruntle]

Presumably the litreage is the same in US & UK or is that different too?

Litres are litres (or liters) the world over, 1000ml is a litre (spelling aside) no matter where you live.
 
Funny though, I was speaking to another parent at a sports day and he mentioned he was a fish enthusiast, I said I was moving my tank and he said "How big?" I said it was 200 litres, and he said, "Ah, 4 feet."