Neon Tetra Question

[ole tarantula]

I now realise that I was given duff information at the fish shop, but I introduced 6 Neons into a 5 Gallon(UK) tank one week after the tank was set up and left running. (The 'information' provided by the manufacturer of the tank said to introduce fish after 24hrs!).
They appear ok after 3 weeks. What should I look out for in terms of the fish's health suffering?

If I continue to perform 20% water changes once a week will this improve matters and ensure their health?

I'm annoyed that the information provided by manufacturers/ fish sellers etc clashes so obviously with the knowleged obtained by experienced fish keepers.

Only wish I'd found this forum earlier.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

have you been testing your water parameters? that's the main thing to keep an eye on.

behaviour wise these are general signs that something is wrong

loss of colour, loss of appetite, sitting on the floor of the tank, appears to loose they're balance in the water and end up swimming upside down or going in circles etc, flicking or rubbing against tank decor, white stringy poo, white spots, red patches, patches of white 'fluff' on body or fins, white edging to fins

ummm sure there's more but that's a good start!

 

[millym]

hi
id definitely agree with miss w above.....if you havent already get a water test kit that at least shows ammonia & nitrite as these are the 2 things that will rise in a new/uncycled tank once you add fish. if you see a rise in these levels (ideally these should both be 0 but you prob will see some with an uncycled tank) you can do mini mini water changes for a few days to help sort it out & make it less stressful for your fish. i have aquarium pharmaceuticals test kits and they have individual test for each thing your looking at ie: ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,pH & i also monitor our tank phosphate levels(had an algae prob in the past) these seem quite expensive - at around £5 ish a kit but they last for ages & ages, ive had ours well over a year)
have you read the stuff in this forum on tank cycling??? its really good & will help explain how a fishtank becomes mature and will be stable & safe for your fish to live in it. before i got into fishkeeping i used to think that you just bunged the fish in a tank with a filter,airstone etc i had no idea about cycling etc either.thankfully my husb had kept fish as a child so had some idea of what we had to do.
if you monitor your water levels closely with a test kit over the next few days/week and do mini water changes if you see any ammonia/nitrite levels rising you should be able to alleviate stress on your fish & hopefully minimise any losses of fish. ( if your not already make sure you get a water chlorine/chloramine remover to add to your tapwater - i use interpet tapsafe but theres other good brands, as tapwater untreated is not good for your fish)
oh theres a really good pinned topic (up the top of this forum questions called 'fishless cycling' that explains about tank cycling if you havent read it yet)
good luck & let us know how you get on & please dont hesitate to post any other questions or worries you might have........this forum is the place where i learnt most of what i now know about fishkeeping theres loads of fantastic very knowlegable folks here

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i have aquarium pharmaceuticals test kits and they have individual test for each thing your looking at ie: ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,pH & i also monitor our tank phosphate levels(had an algae prob in the past) these seem quite expensive - at around £5 ish a kit but they last for ages & ages, ive had ours well over a year)

umm you know test kits have a shelf life..... they generally need replacing after about 6 motnhs, they become in accurate

 

[ole tarantula]

Thanks for that. I shall take your advice immediately!