Neon Tetras In A New Tank? And A Few Other Dilemmas...

[mellyville1985]

i have a fairly well established tank and have got into a good routine with testing and water changes etc and my fish seem to be thriving..... however it was a different story when i first started out! i set my tank up and did a fishless cycle and was advised by the shop where i bought the tank to start out with neon tetras or guppies.... i purchased 6 neon tetras and they all died within 4 days of me adding them to my tank despite me following all the guidelines given. i didnt go back to the same shop as i then did some research and found out that neon tetras and guppies ahould not be added to new tanks! i am annoyed that i did the research after but i was following the advice of what i deemed to be an expert! anyway do you think i made a mistake with the initial fishless cycle or are they just too sensitive for brand new tanks? i now have 6 cardinal tetras (didnt want to go for neons again) and 2 guppies in my current tank and they seem extremely healthy!

now my boyfriend is saying he'd like to add a red-tail black shark to our tank but im not keen at all as ive heard they are territorial and agressive but have heard mixed views ie only agressive with own type/agressive with all types/agressive only if they dont have enough space etc so whats the deal? can they be added to community tanks? i think i prefer the sound of a red finned shark as these seem more like a community species? sorry for rambling but i have had so much conflicting advice and am not keen to proceed with anything at the moment....

 

[rocknurworld2006]

i have a fairly well established tank and have got into a good routine with testing and water changes etc and my fish seem to be thriving..... however it was a different story when i first started out! i set my tank up and did a fishless cycle and was advised by the shop where i bought the tank to start out with neon tetras or guppies.... i purchased 6 neon tetras and they all died within 4 days of me adding them to my tank despite me following all the guidelines given. i didnt go back to the same shop as i then did some research and found out that neon tetras and guppies ahould not be added to new tanks! i am annoyed that i did the research after but i was following the advice of what i deemed to be an expert! anyway do you think i made a mistake with the initial fishless cycle or are they just too sensitive for brand new tanks? i now have 6 cardinal tetras (didnt want to go for neons again) and 2 guppies in my current tank and they seem extremely healthy!

now my boyfriend is saying he'd like to add a red-tail black shark to our tank but im not keen at all as ive heard they are territorial and agressive but have heard mixed views ie only agressive with own type/agressive with all types/agressive only if they dont have enough space etc so whats the deal? can they be added to community tanks? i think i prefer the sound of a red finned shark as these seem more like a community species? sorry for rambling but i have had so much conflicting advice and am not keen to proceed with anything at the moment....

how long tank been set up?
how big is tank?
what tank mates are there just now?

 

[mellyville1985]

my tank has been set up for 9 weeks now and is 57 litres. i have with the fish already mentioned 2 mollies and 2 platties.....

 

[waterdrop]

Just out of interest, you say that you did a fishless cycle prior to the LFS advising you to get neons and guppies: What exactly did the fishless cycle comprise? How long, what actions did it involve, etc.?

Also, I agree that rockin is getting started in the right direction.. I would definately not consider any shark until you have had a thorough discussion about it here! Not saying how the advice will turn out but it definately puts up warning flags until all the details are known.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[mellyville1985]

my boyfriend and his dad did the fishless cycle.... i had started a new job at the time so had little involvement but i know it took ages! i will ask what they did, i wish i had found this site before i added fish to my aquarium there is such a wealth of knowledge here!!

 

[waterdrop]

O well if it took them "ages" that's a good sign that they might have been doing the right thing!

O and by the way... to TFF!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Miss Wiggle]

hi there, unfortunately i can't think of a single 'shark' species that is suitable for a 57 litre aquarium, they're all a bit territorial and need quite a lot of space or thet harass other fish significantly.

 

[mellyville1985]

hi there, unfortunately i can't think of a single 'shark' species that is suitable for a 57 litre aquarium, they're all a bit territorial and need quite a lot of space or thet harass other fish significantly.

thats exactly what i was thinking! IMO my tank is fairly small... small enough for starting out im not keen to take on too much so will put my foot down re the shark until we are more experienced and can invest in a bigger tank!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

sounds like a plan

 

[mellyville1985]

O well if it took them "ages" that's a good sign that they might have been doing the right thing!

O and by the way... to TFF!

~~waterdrop~~

thanks! and i have been reading about fishless cycles on this site and judging by the amount of swearing, testing, water changes and mess i think they must have followed something similar to most people on here! it seems to have worked, despite the initial hiccup with the neons we now have a lovely thriving tank and good readings.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ha ha yeah sounds about right!

 

[waterdrop]

Ha yes, fun exchange there. One of the enjoyable things about this site is that if you put your foot down and the guys still argue they should have their red-tail-this or red-tail-that then there are people on here that can even tell you the whole preview of what will happen... can't remember for which shark particularly but I've seen some that were like: the shark will seem fine for x months or a year or two and then all of a sudden it will mature and grow to 6 inches or 18 inches (I'm joking/guessing here) and decide to eat the rest of the tank for lunch one day...

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Miss Wiggle]

thats a chinese algae eater you're thinking of......

spend too much virtual time with you, i can read your mind!

 

[waterdrop]

hey, wait a minute, there's some good story goes with the red tails too isn't there?

 

[mellyville1985]

omg i will definately wait until i have a bigger tank then!! or just stick to my quiet little community fish!! ha ha! although they do gobble up their babies which terrified me at first! our female guppy gave birth in the bag on the way ome from the shop and by the time we were ready to release them the fry had mysteriously dissapeared......