New here and to tropical setup!

[Lottyloo123]

So I've been lurking the past couple of days reading lots of valuable information. I'd like to introduce my gang (45ltr tank).

I've got neon tetra, guppies (I know guppies like hard water, tetras soft but was aware of this when I bought them ) they seem to be doing well, I hope they continue, has anybody ever had guppies and tetras in the same tank and ok?

I also have a couple of mollies, a silver shark and a Cody.

Will be getting some live plants this weekend and some rocks for hiding places as I've noticed my male balloon Mollie isn't very sociable.

Water temp is at 28 C
Ammonia 0.5
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
GH 250
KH 270
PH 7.8-8.0

Added fish Monday.
Not yet feeding them, will feed a pinch on Saturday and then do a 20% water change during the week. Does this sound right?

Any advise appreciated! [emoji4]



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[Toney]

Howdy

 

[LyraGuppi]

Welcome to the hobby! Your ammonia looks a bit too high there (ideally it and nitrites should be 0, nitrates should be under 40ppm), did you cycle your tank before putting fish in?
If you're not exactly sure what a cycle is, here is a good thread explaining it. It's a bit complicated, but is really valuable information. Here's our thread on a fish-in cycle: 1 and 2
I've heard mixed results on keeping neons with guppies, so I can't really say. I'm not sure what a cody is, either. Is your silver shark by any chance a bala shark? Just a warning, these guys can grow to 33 cm, and aren't really suited for small tanks. Mollies also grow to 7 cm, and need a bigger tank as well.
By the way, good on you for buying test kits!

 

[Bettalover12]

So I've been lurking the past couple of days reading lots of valuable information. I'd like to introduce my gang (45ltr tank).

I've got neon tetra, guppies (I know guppies like hard water, tetras soft but was aware of this when I bought them ) they seem to be doing well, I hope they continue, has anybody ever had guppies and tetras in the same tank and ok?

I also have a couple of mollies, a silver shark and a Cody.

Will be getting some live plants this weekend and some rocks for hiding places as I've noticed my male balloon Mollie isn't very sociable.

Water temp is at 28 C
Ammonia 0.5
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
GH 250
KH 270
PH 7.8-8.0

Added fish Monday.
Not yet feeding them, will feed a pinch on Saturday and then do a 20% water change during the week. Does this sound right?

Any advise appreciated! [emoji4]



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Did you cycle the tank before you put the fish in?

 

[dopey696]

Hello and welcome. I've had guppies and tetras in my tank together for over a year and everything has been fine, they even seem to school together at times, and socialize often. Also cycling the tank is very important, ammonia and nitrates should always be as close to zero as possible. For the scenery, try to cut the lines so that the fish can't see all the way across the tank, but you need kind of like a runway across the length of the tank for the tetras to swim back and forth. That way the tetras can have a place to swim back and forth while the guppies and other fish will feel less vulnerable in the nooks and crannies that you can create

 

[cboatman]

Don't wait to do the water change. You should probably do a water change of about 50% now and continue every day until the ammonia and nitrites stay at zero. Having some nitrates after your tank cycles is okay. That ammonia is too high and could kill some of your less hardy fish.


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[Lottyloo123]

Ok thank you for the info. I used ATM colony for the set up but I've just been learning as I go along, not really the best way to do it I know but the aquatics centre didn't tell me anything. All they said was to add colony and then fish can be added more or less straight away! I even asked them if there was anything I need to monitor in the water and they said NO! Luckily i read up on cycling straight away.

Yes it is a Bala shark, I didn't realise they get so big (another thing I feel the aquatics centre should have informed me about as they knew the size of my tank!) so I may have to rehome him when he starts growing depending on when I get my bigger tank, realistically about 6months time, do you think my Bala shark will be ok for 6 months in the current tank?

So I have decided to do a 50% water change on Saturday, should I add the colony into the new water instead of conditioner?

Thanks, I will try and add some photos when I figure out how!


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[Lottyloo123]

A few pics of my guys obviously the tank still needs plants and decor and a background which will be happening this weekend. Will update with pics when complete

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[LyraGuppi]

I wouldn't keep the bala shark, they can get aggressive and need other balas to shoal with. Pet stores often don't tell you these things to convince you to buy their fish, which is pretty bad when they start growing into their size and behaviour.
I'm not very good with the specifics of cycling, but there are lots of very experienced members on here that have performed cycles multiple times before. The best thing I can offer is this link. Step 6 is probably around where you'll need to start.

 

[cboatman]

Unfortunately, your ammonia is much too high. Past .25 it is considered toxic to fish. Do a 50% water change today. Test your water every day and each time it passes .25, do a water change. Waiting until Saturday could cause the loss of fish. Always use some sort of water conditioner when you're adding new fish to your tank. What bacteria colony supplement are you using?


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[cboatman]

Also, how many fish do you have?


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[Lottyloo123]

This is what I have used. Can I use it for the new water do you know?

I have about 20 fish, 5 neon tetras 2 male guppies 3 female guppies, 3 danios, 3 mollys (1 gold/black and 2 balloon), 1bala shark and a couple of tiny endlers and 2 cories.

I know this is probably too many for my tank, however I did check on a site I found a link to on here and it says max capacity is 25 for 10gallons and that's based at 1" fish. I will be getting a larger tank when I move in around 6 months, the fish will then be transferred to that and I may have just Betta in this tank. I love them!

I am doing a 50% water change tonight, really appreciate your advise!


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[Lottyloo123]

I don't think it looks overcrowded, do you?


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[cboatman]

I think it would be a good idea to take some of those fish back. 20+ fish in a ten gallon is a lot, and even more so in a non-cycled tank. You could try keeping them all until you move, but I don't think they will all survive.

As for the colony, I would fallow the instruction on the bottle. I'm not sure how well it will work, however, because it's for marine tanks and not freshwater. You need to continue to add water conditioner every time you change the water though.


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[Lottyloo123]

Tested water when I got home and ammonia is now 0 nitrates 0 nitrites 0

Should I just wait until I see a nitrate peek and then do water change?


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