Newbie with Guppy Question

[hellybaby]

Hi there!

I am new to fishkeeping and have recently set up a tank with 10 neon tetras, 4 guppies, 2 platies, 2 dwarf gouramis and a pleco. Unfortunately a couple of tetras seem to have disappeared. We have looked everywhere and my partner says that he thought he saw them being stalked by the guppies. Could it be that they were eaten by them? If this is the case, is there anything we can do to stop the tetras becoming guppy snacks?

I am sorry if this is a silly question, but I hope you can help.

Thanks alot and bye for now

HB

 

[WILDER]

Can you say how many gallons is the tank, and post test results in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.

 

[hellybaby]

Hi,

Yes it's 180 litres - I think that's about 50 gallons.

The test results we did today were:
PH - 7.4
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate 10 ppm
Ammonia 0.25

Thanks!

 

[WILDER]

Your tank isn't cycled yet and this is why you have lost the neons as they need a mature tank of 6 months as they are a delicate fish, do an immediate water change to fetch the nitrites down, do you have an airstone for aeration, the neons probably died and the other fish ate them.

 

[terrorist_124]

guppies dont eat tetras

 

[paddymac]

mmmmmmm in my experience though tetras eat tetras

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

As wilder stated, the tank is still cyling and that is why the neons died; most fish ae capable of cannibilsm and although they would never kill their tank mates(i.e guppys and neons), they wouldn't say no to munching on them when they're dead. Neons also only take as little as 24hrs to fully decompose as they are not only fragile in hardyness but also body, so it is not suprising you cannot find them.
Neons never kill other neons.

I would do a water change quickly(about 40%) and continue with doing a 30% water change once every 2 to 3 days over the next couple of weeks. Don't buy anymore fish as this will only contribute to your current problems.
I would also suggest you buy a water quality testing kit that tests for ammonia, nitrate and nitrite as these are the most important things to test for and will give you and indication of which point your tank is cycling at, when to do water cahnes/tank cleaning and when the cyle has finished.

There is more about cycling tanks in the beginners section of the forum at the top on a sticky i believe.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Here's a good link if you want to learn more about your tanks ecosystem, which i strongly advise as it will help you understand whats going on and help you maintain good water quality ;

http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling2.htm

 

[pica_nuttalli]

(month-old topic, tokis. someone went post-diving...)

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

ahh...cheers for pointing that out