My Tank Is Cycled, Or Just About.

[cramman]

So my tank appears to be cycled, I put ammonia in then roughly 12 hours later, levels of Ammonia and Nitrite are almost 0 (API test kit)

Now, my tank if 55litres ish. 24" long, 12" wide and 12" high.

I really want some shrimp as I like the look of them, not loads tho.

But, what else is recomended for a beginner?

I like Neons and Betta but looking on here realise they may be incompatible.
Any suggestions, just want some fish that are not too hard to look after as I'm new and would rather not be fishing them out every day.

Cheers.

Cramman

 

[cramman]

And to add.

I was thinking a small group of tetras or similar small colourfull fish and then 2 or so bigger fish (I love the look of the Siamese fighters but they look hard to look after)

Also, do I need anything to eat algae, class cleaner tyrp fish (sure you know what I mean)

Thanks again.

 

[Marve99]

I have a similar size tank and love to watch my Harleqions swimming around together, a few corys for the bottom of the tank would be good.

 

[arobinson1984]

Neons shouldnt really be added to a new tank, they need mature conditions of 6 months or older.

If you are wanting a shoaling type fish I'd recommend harlequins as well, they are alot hardier

Andy

 

[OldMan47]

For a tough little fish that looks nice too, try some rasboras. A betta is one of the easiest fish to look after as long as you don't keep them with nippy fish in a small container. You do not ever need algae eating fish , cleaning algae is your job, not a fish's. Some people, including me, like the look of certain of the algae eaters but I don't usually put one into a new tank. I wait until they can find some real algae to eat so that they don't need to starve while I try to get them to eat algae wafers. Otocinclus are sometimes stubborn about not eating any prepared foods.

 

[cramman]

Ok, then I'm going to the shop today to see what they've got.

Probs try and get some harlequins or Rasboras, see what they have.

How many is a good number of little fish?

Also, if I get no bigger fish this week, will my bacteria be ok with the amount of waste that will be produced, ie, I'm assuming less than what I have been adding daily.

 

[OldMan47]

Harlequin and rasbora are often the two words on a tank label. There are other nice rasboras but one of the most popular are the harlies. For a little fish like that in a 15 gallon tank I would start with 5 of them. It is enough to work well as a school without adding too many fish at once to a newly cycled tank.
You are right that the load is less than you have been adding as ammonia so you should have plenty of bacteria in the filter to take care of the new fish.

 

[cramman]

Got my self 6 little Harlies, there swimming about now and seem happy.

They seem to be a bit bothered by the bubbles, hanging around in one part of the tank mainly. I guess they'll get used to them.

Now just need to decide what to get with them.

Would a couple of fighters be ok?

 

[OldMan47]

You can only put one fighter in a tank at a time. There are no exceptions to that rule unless you have studied how to breed them and have done all the steps leading up to introducing a female. Even then you run the risk of the female being attacked rather than the fish breeding.

 

[cramman]

You can only put one fighter in a tank at a time. There are no exceptions to that rule unless you have studied how to breed them and have done all the steps leading up to introducing a female. Even then you run the risk of the female being attacked rather than the fish breeding.

Ok. I'll think about one of those then.

Any suggestions as to what to get. I'm after something a little bigger (not massive tho) and brightly coloured but not overly difficult to look after.

Is it ok to just have one of a species.

As it stands I have 6 Harlies which just dart around pretty much all day doing loops etc.
5 Shrimp, that just hide in my log never to be seen (is this normal, I'm guessing they play out at night)

A few plants, gravel etc.

All in a 55l ish tank.

Possibly a couple of bottom feeders also, or am I getting too many??

 

[arobinson1984]

Can i just ask how you cycled the tank and how long it took?

Andy

 

[OldMan47]

This was a fishless cycle, standard approach Andy. If I wasn't such a big fan of livebearers I might have a few suggestions. Right now all the fish that I can think of are not very colorful or are too big for your little tank. Some fish, including Betta splendens, are fine when they are the only one of a species. Other fish are natural schooling type fish and will pine away without company. Have you seen any fish that particularly interest you? Our time is better spent helping you build a compatible group out of fish that you like than suggesting a bunch of fish that don't appeal to you. Ultimately, you will take better care and enjoy fish more that really take your fancy.

 

[cramman]

Like I say, I do like the look of the fighters, but, I don't want to put something in if it's going to spend it's days beeing chased around by a group of little fish - hardly fair.

I guess I should go to a pet shop and see what I like the look of and them come back here to see if it would be suitable.

Or, is there a good site to look at where it shows a good selection of pictures of fish/species etc, somewhere good as a guide. I', new to this and am trying to do it right.

And yes, the tank was cycled for approx 6 weeks using ammoia. I Gave it a kick start at the begining by adding some water me mate gave me which he had cleaneed his filter in - may or may not have made any difference.

Been checking the water and my levels all look good, ammonia and nitrite at 0 etc

 

[cramman]

What about angel fish? They look hard to look after tho.

 

[ellena]

What about some platies? They come in loads of nice bright colours and are hardy. I think you need 2 females per male.