More questions

[royboy]

Hi All!! it's me again with more questions to throw at you friendly knowledgeable people.
What is the best food to give my lovely Tetras,(Neons)? only the best will be good enough for them.
Also when I purchased my tank all the gear was with it heater, filter E.TC.
My question, The filter is a Fluval 2 with it came various filters I would like to know what do you use the carbon one for?.
Ready for the next question? My tank as been up and running now for two weeks,
I have been taking all the necessary test but every thing seems to be stable, the readings are not much different day to day. However the P.h is making me concerned because it keeps rising ,from the tap it is 7 or just over, after a couple of days is nearly 7.6. why is it changing in the tank? is there something in the tank that is causing it to rise or is this just a natural occurrence?( I have read that neons should have a ph of 6.8
Royboy

 

[mrV]

What is the best food to give my lovely Tetras,(Neons)? only the best will be good enough for them

It eats everything, frozen food, flakes, worms...

My tank as been up and running now for two weeks,
I have been taking all the necessary test but every thing seems to be stable, the readings are not much different day to day.

Did you cycled it first before putting any fish into it?

However the P.h is making me concerned because it keeps rising ,from the tap it is 7 or just over, after a couple of days is nearly 7.6. why is it changing in the tank

It's pH, not PH or Ph r p.h. etc

If there is lot of gas (e.g. CO2), then it could rise.. What have you put into your tank? What kind of bottom material do you use? Decoration?

that neons should have a ph of 6.8

Around 7 is good. Keeping stable is more important than try to change it and pH is like an elevator => very harmful for fishes. Neons like water which is even 5.5 (pH), so pH 5.5-7 is good, slighly acidic is excellent. Especially if you want to breed them, you need lower pH to 5.5-6.5 and it should be really soft 0-2 dGH.

Neons would appreciate if you use turf/peat too or some turf based product like Tetra Torumin. Turf/peat makes water little yellow and it isn't harmul for your fishes at all. It's more natural in that way..

 

[Tempestuousfury]

If you're not sure what your fish really are, go to google and click on images. Type in neon tetras. That'll work. If your fish look a little bit different, then type in cardinal tetras. If neither works, try false neon tetras! They all look similar.

If the pH doesn't go down, you could add certain compounds to the tank. I wouldn't suggest this unless it becomes an enormous problem. If it stays at a certain level (higher than 7) and if others agree with it, add the compound (I'm not sure exactly what to use, but you could ask here or you could ask lfs). If it goes back down, then great.

The carbon in the filter starts bacteria growth, which breaks down food and is beneficial for the fish. you could also try filter floss b/c I hear it works just as well and is more effective...

 

[Cian McLiam]

Flakes are an excellent choice for tetras, as are bloodworm and brine shrimp. Surprisingly, flakes often are the best food available for fish, most good brands are scientifically devised to have all the essential nutrients, fat and ash content in the right proportions for different fish. They are also specially formulated to keep waste to a minimum as all the gunk that a fish normally excretes without digesting have been removed.

Freeze dried shrimp and bloodworm are convienient as treats a few times a week, but lose the advantages of flakes as above.

To find out why the pH is changing you need to know certain things about your tank and your water. What are you using as a substrate and decorations? Some rocks and sand sold in shops are meant for marine and african tanks that need a high pH and hardness. Crushed Coral and Tufa are names to avoid.
What is the hardness of the water? This tells you how susceptibile your water is to pH changes, hard water changes much more slowly than soft water and vice versa.
pH 7.6 is not intolerable for neons but constant changing of pH is.

Ken

 

[royboy]

Thank all for taking the time to reply!

The decoration in the tank is Gravel, an imitation arch (don't know its make up content), plastic plants (7or8) and a piece of root approx 10x 3, this root is sold for aquariums apparently its cleaned & sandblasted e.t.c.
No I haven't cycled the tank, I had it running for a week( filters heater e.t.c. & two cap fulls of Nutrfin Cycle) then introduced the fish,
I am still waiting for this sudden rise in Nitrate,or Nitrite, or Ammonia, that I should expect, but it hasn't happened yet, the readings are, for the last four days
Ammonia .5to1.0- Nitrate5.0- Nitrite0.50. This is with a 2 gallon water change every other day,
The six Neons have been in the tank now for exactly a week and seem to me to be quite O.K. I have no intention of breeding them, so can I assume that a pH (how's that mrV) of between 7.2and7.6 will be O.K.
mrV could you give me a bit more info on this peat stuff?doe's it go in the filter? or where!
Thanks all royboy

 

[Lateral Line]

If you are seeing measurable ammonia and nitrite then you are seeing spiking, maybe not at leathal levels, but they should both be zero. Neons are very far from the best fish to cycle a tank with.

 

[royboy]

Thanks again Latral,. Should my ammonia and nitrate be at zero now,? I was told it could take up to 21 days for a tank to cycle, I'm getting rather confused
In regards to having neons to cycle the tank, you are not the only member that has been on my back about this but, I have got a care manual " The Aquarium care guide-Step by Step" This was in with the equipment when I bought my set up it comes from Hagen they write on page 22 quote! "it is a good idea to start with a hardy variety, and some algae controlling species-Pencil fish-guppies or Neon Tetras".
I thought I could have trusted Hagen to give the right advice, ( Neon tetras are hardy), any way its to late now. I will just have to see how things develop.
Every thing is still going O.K so perhaps it's a case of beginners luck.
best wishes all, & thanks for the advice, royboy