Newcomer About To Stock Is Tank

[Ninjouzata]

Looking forward to hearing about the cherries!
Do you know how to acclimate the fish?
 
I have heard lots of people say they're aggressive as well.
 
I wanted a male and was going to name it Lemongrab after a character in Adventure Time, because he's mean.
PetSmart told me they only stock males so I just chose one I liked..but after looking into it, seems it's a female
Oh well, she's still beautiful, just need to figure out another name. We're thinking Tinkerbell right now.

 

[Klonoa50]

I think so.  Best way I know is to get 'em home, cut the bag open for air and float it for 5-10 minutes, pour in a bit of tank water, wait another 5-10, repeat 2-3 more times, net 'em out, and place 'em in.  And under no circumstances let the other water in your tank.   Had that drilled into me until my head hurt.  *laughs*
 
Yeah, I'll let ya know how it goes!  I was also thinking I might want to grab some aquarium salt in case of any ich issues (don't plan on their being any, but I figure the fish will prolly be stressed with the new move and not being in a full shoal for a week).  Would you recommend grabbing one of the ich meds out there instead, like Copper Safe (that one appears to be common)?
 
Gotcha.  Heard of that show, but haven't seen it.  Tinkerbell could be a fun name... if I remember Peter Pan right she's pretty feisty too.  *laughs*

 

[Ninjouzata]

Yep that sounds about right! Because I've had a lot of issues with rummynose tetras in my 55g, I started being more cautious and I drip acclimate all my fish now.
I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to float it for a few mins and then just dump everything into your tank

 
I havn't heard of copper safe. Pick up the salt if you like but I hope you don't need to use it, and before using anything make sure you know what it is the fish have.
It puts more stress on them if you throw meds at them without knowing the issue.
 
I used QuICK Cure for my betta when he got ich, cleared up really fast.
 
Ah, here is a small clip of Lemongrab: http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GxnM-0onvs
And yep, that is why I like the name! I like for their to be similarities so..feisty nature, and her hair is yellow, so..

 

[Klonoa50]

Just got the fish in the tank.  : )  Added 2 cherry barbs, and plan on watching my stats pretty carefully the next few days to make sure I don't cause a mini-cycle.  They both ind in the plant growth, will see if I can't get a picture of them later.
 
Gotcha.  I ended up not getting the salt for now (store is close by and if I run into issues I'll go grab it).  I'm not plannin' on needing it, that's for sure.  : ) 
 
Yeah, I tend to do the same with my fish as far as names go.  Not sure how I'm gonna name the cherries though (I imagine once i get more of 'em they'll all look pretty similar). 

 
My current plan is to watch the stats for the next 3-4 days and see how the cherries react to being in a 2-fish shoal.  If they seem really stressed and the stats stay stable, I may grab another 1 or 2 to try n' reduce their stress a bit.  I ultimately plan on getting 6-8, but figure I should introduce 'em slow and steady.

 

[Ninjouzata]

Yeah they'll be hiding for a little bit til they get settled in usually
 
No idea how people tell these kind of fish apart, the only albino cory I can set apart from the others is Mr. Gnubby as he came to us with no fins, he's growing all of them back now except his dorsal fin.
 
Slow and steady is definitely the way to go with fish-in Looking forward to pics if/when you can get any.

 

[Klonoa50]

Yep!  They came out to play a bit last night, didn't get a good picture though (they take off whenever I put the phone near the glass)... they've determined Nitro (the Lyretail) is one of them and are following him all over the place.  *laughs*  He freaked out a bit at first, but got over it pretty quick.  Woke up this morning and they all appear to be fine.  Now I just need them to get that opening the tank lid means "food", not hide.  *laughs*
 
Everything read normal this morning when I tested the tank params, but I thought the nitrite looked  a tad bit darker then normal (coulda been my imagination), so I did a 15-ish% water change (use a 5-gallon bucket and fill it up, so the percentage is a little wonky).  : P
 
I did notice one of the new arrivals flashed against one of my rocks a couple times this morning.  Haven't seen the behavior since, but will be keeping an eye on her in case there are any problems (from what I've read flashing seems to be an early warning signal).
 
Yeah, I'm pretty sure these guy will just be "the cherries" (might give the males an actual name, since they'll be much brighter when I get 'em).  Also somehow this topic is "hot", apparently.  Woo?

 

[Ninjouzata]

Aww, yay! When we got some spotted blue-eyes, the lfs mistakenly gave us 1 different fish and that one follows the rummynose tetras everywhere  
I'm sure they'll learn soon!
 
Glad the params seem okay, also glad you're keeping such a close eye on everything
 
Definitely keep an eye out for anything, although hopefully there's nothing wrong. My gourami was rubbing against things one day, but hasn't done it since.
 
"The Cherries" sounds good to me, since my rummynose tetras are "The Rummys" That's about all the naming you can do with them anyways.
I think it's hot because of all the responses? Even though it's just me and you, or maybe it has a lot of views?

 

[Klonoa50]

*laughs*  Yeah, they seem pretty attached to Nitro, and he doesn't seem to mind. I'll be curious to see what happens when I add the rest in and if he becoes one of the shoal at that point or not.  They also seem to have gotten used to me now, and don't flee for their life whenever I come within 3 feet of the aquarium, which is nice.  Now to just get them to stop running from the camera... 

 
The ten-gallon molly tank I had before taught me a lot about paying attention.  *laughs*  I realize now I coulda saved me n' those fish a whole lotta heartache if I'd done my research beforehand, so trying to make up for it now.  The flashing continued on and off throughout the day.  I figure if I see it continue tomorrow I'll keep doing small water changes until it goes away (or becomes clear the fish just has a really weird habit).
 
Fair enough.  *laughs*  Just saw the tag when I clicked on it and thought it was weird two people could have a "hot" topic.  XD
 
Oh!  Something I was going to ask... I notice every time I do a water change, the water seems to get cloudy about a half hour later, and it lasts for about 2 to 3 hours.  At first I figured it was me disturbing sediment from the gravel because I kinda just dumped the water in (created a nice lil' current), so the last few times I've slowed it down to a reasonably slow trickle.  The cloudiness still occurs though.  Did a lil' research on this and other forums and some people made it sound like it could be a bacteria bloom, but my understanding was that the timing was all wrong for that (a half hour was too quick for one to appear and 3 hours was too short for it to last).  Figured I'd see if you had any ideas.  The fish don't seem to mind much, though I've noticed the balloon sometimes starts breathing hard shortly after the water change (I figured it was from stress).  I try to get the temperature roughly equal when I replace it, and I use a water condition (Top Fin's) to remove the cholrine/chlormine before re-adding any water.
 
Thanks for helping me out with the new aquarium, and for telling me about your fish.  Kinda fun to have someone to share the whole experience with.

 

[Ninjouzata]

Does your camera flash, or pre-flash? I've been getting the fish to scatter less when I hold down the button to make it pre-flash and then take a picture. I think you're using your phone though..
 
Most certainly wish I had done my research first as well. I had two bettas in bowls for a bit and then they died and a few months later I started researching to figure out why.
From then on I kept looking at fish stuff and finally my dad surprised me by getting a 55g for my birthday
 
Multiple small water changes should help hopefully. I noticed my rummynoses having some symtpoms, at the same time when the golden gourami was rubbing, and ordered some meds online.
Did a water change the next day and while waiting for the medicine to get here their symptoms cleared up. -Shrug- I hope they stay away.
 
Hmmm, that is a bit strange, but unfortunately I have no idea what it could be Don't like the sounds of one of them breathing hard though!
 
You're very welcome, I wish I could be of more help. It's fun doing my best to help and hearing of your experiences as well

 

[Blondielovesfish]

The cloudy water is probably just you disturbing some of the gravel. Do you vacuum the gravel?
 
Glad your tests are coming back good, if they stay that way for a week, then you can add two more, if the results stay good for them for a week, then you can add two more, continue doing this until you have your desired number
 
Keep a close eye on the flashing, in case it develops into more.
 
 

You're very welcome, I wish I could be of more help.

 
From what I've read, you have been more than enough help Especially with only you and the OP commenting

 

[Klonoa50]

Yay!  New person!  *laughs*  Thanks for the additional info Blondie!  Yep, just usin' a phone, so no flash.  : ) They just don't like me that close to the tank, I'm guessing (silly terrible camera phone).
 
It's kinda amazing how little information (and how much wrong information) the stores can get away with telling you.  At least we both figured it out sooner or later. 

 
I'm 90% sure it actually is ich.  I noticed the balloon molly trying to rub up against a plant earlier (which, admittedly, was kinda hilarious... her body is NOT conducive to flashing).  : P  Nobody appears lethargic or listless, but a single white "salt grain" has shown up on the flashing Cherry Barb's tail (and I think I see one or two more on its underbelly, hard to tell since it's white though).  I'll keep going with the water changes for now, and I went ahead and upped the tank temperature a bit over the last 3 hours (from 78ish to 81ish) since I hear that should help shorten the ich's cycle. From what I've read it sounds less like I need to treat the reacting fish and more like I need to treat the whole tank to clear it up.  I was going to ask if using a medication would affect the bacteria I just built up when I cycled... if not, I see no reason not to dose the tank with the meds you suggested earlier (once I 100% verify it's ich).  If it does affect the bacteria, it sounds like people have found aquarium salt to be a good cure (though it sounds like ya gotta know what you're doing to make it work), so I'll look into that more.
 
Fair enough.  I'll stick with my stress-related theory for now, especially she's the only fish that freaks out when I stick the vacuum in (the cherries don't seem to care surprisingly, and the lyretail sits there and pecks at it). 

  I do vacuum the gravel (generally stick the tube an inch or so into it, wait 5 seconds, extract,move to other patch, repeat), so I'd totally buy me moving the tube around in it is kicking up sediment n' stuff.
 
As Blondie said, you've been VERY helpful. 

  Helped me verify a lot of stuff and given me confidence that I have some idea what on earth I'm doing this go-round.  XD  As I mentioned earlier, it's been fun reading about hearing about your and other people's fish too... been lurking on some of the other forums and reading about all the other tanks out there.  Seems like Bettas are very popular here.  *laughs*
 
Edit:  Spent the last couple minutes looking at the fish, and the cherries decided to swim against the current long enough for me to get a real look at 'em "still".  The one I mentioned earlier definitely has a couple salt grains on its underbelly, and another one or two on its tail.  I also looked at Lunetta (the flashing balloon molly) some more and I'm fairly certain she has one on her underbelly as well (silly white underbellies).  : P

 

[Ninjouzata]

It's funny, some fish are fine with our faces being squished against the glass, but pull out a camera and they're gone!
 
It is amazing and I don't quite get it. I'd think they'd make more money giving correct information as the customers would appreciate that and stay loyal? -Shrug-
 
The medication should say on it if it'll affect the bacteria. The one I recommended, if I recall correctly, doesn't affect it, but read on it to make sure, and follow the directions on the bottle.
It definitely sounds like ich then. I hope they get better soon! I wonder how people can tell if their pure white fish have ich..seems near impossible D:
 
Since you've turned the heat up, you may want to increase surface agitation. I -think- the warmer it is the less oxygen there is in the water.
 
Bettas are quite popular indeed Such a variety of tail types, colors, and personalities!
 

Thank you & Blondie for the compliments!

 

[Klonoa50]

Yep yep!  I figure they'll get used to it, but for now they don't appreciate it at all.  *laughs*
 
Yep!  They didn't have Quick Cure (which based on the internet appears to be the most popular), so I got Maracide, which appears to be the second most popular.  Yay for having dyed water!  It specifically says in the instructions it shouldn't hurt my bio-filter at all, so I feel better about using it.  I also got aquarium salt, and put in a half dose of that when I did the water change.  I'm just now putting in the Maracide (didn't have time til now, and wanted to see if the fish got worse, which sadly they have).  The cherry is "stalling" out in the water every now and then.  Hopefully this, the partial salt, and the heat will wipe this out.   
 
On the bright side I checked my stats again today and everything seemed good!  If anything, my nitrates seemed a little TOO low, were somewhere around 5 ppm.  Thought I remember it being higher when I last tested it (first time I've tested nitrates in a bit).
 
Yep, I read the same stuff online.  I went ahead and dropped the water down a bit so there's a bigger waterfall effect.  I like the noise too, so win-win!  *laughs*

Seems like it.  I'd almost be tempted to try one in this aquarium, but (A) don't think I'm a good enough fishkeeper for that and (B) pretty sure I have the wrong tankmates for it anyway.  Though I still need to figure out exactly what else I'm going to put in with these guys.  I might get another panda lyretail or two (since I think Nitro is quite beautiful), and between that and the pearl (if I get one) I would be fairly close to max (would have another 6-8 inches of fish-space).
 
Are bettas very active?  The few I've seen are always just kinda sitting around, but I've never seen them in a healthy environment.  From what I'm reading on here, they can be quite active little buggers.

 

[Ninjouzata]

I've heard good things about maracide. I like the dyed water, at least temporarily
 
You may want to do some water changes to remove the salt
I'm sorry I didn't think about it beforehand to tell you, but if I'm remembering correctly, you're not meant to do medication and the salt and the heater method all at the same time.
I'm not sure if it's just the salt & medication you're not supposed to do at the same time, meaning have high heat and the meds, or if you don't want the high heat with the medication either! Gah
 
The nitrate tests can be quite inaccurate, you have to -really- shake the 2nd(?) bottle. It has a powder reagent in it or something so takes more effort to get it to mix. I think.
Sorry I sound so unsure, that can't be reassuring for you!
 
I'm not sure if I'd do a betta in there. It could be alright but you need a back-up plan if things go wrong. I just have habrosus cories in with mine.
Also not sure on the stocking, that is more Blondie's forte imo.
 
They can be active, although I wouldn't say all of them are, even when kept in the right conditions. Differing personalities/age and whatnot.
Mine does get around quite a bit though, he's always in a different spot when I look. Or if I sit and watch he goes all over the place, doesn't take him long at all.
Even when he was in my 55g (had no other fish at the time and his 20g wasn't heated yet) he swam about quite a lot, exploring everything

 

[Klonoa50]

Figured I'd check in real quick before I go do laundry (just got off work and popped in to check on the fish before disappearing for another hour).
 
To keep this short, the cherries definitely aren't feeling well.  When I came in they were hovered listless around the heater, and have quite a few ich spots on each.  Once I sat down near the tank though they perked up again, and are swimming around quite happily, no sign of illness (minus allt eh spots)  One of them looks like they may have red spots under their skin (hard to tell, will look closer when I get home again).  Could be that it was always there, and I just didn't notice until now, but I kinda doubt it.
 
I'll look around on the internet a bit more before I do the water change, but you're prolly right (thought I remember people suggesting doing all 3).  In either case, I'm glad I only did half a salt treatment.      Will see what I can find out, and maybe I'll post in another forum here for ich info and see what other people think (couldn't find an obvious disease forum aside from emergency, which this probably isn't). 
 
I notice the water isn't dyed anymore, which I'm not sure is a good thing or a bad thing.  My pre-filter is now teal though (was white).  The pre-filter is just the sponge that goes in my aqua-clear filter, (cut one into a quarter and put it around the suction to prevent any fish from getting stuck on it, since that was the only complaint I ever saw about this filter).  There isn't any carbon in the filter, so that shouldn't have yanked the meds out... I'm hoping the pre-filter absorbed the coloring and left all the medications in... The actual filter sponge (the one in the filter proper) is the same off-white it always is.  : P
 
The mollies appear absolutely fine though.  Can't find any ich spots on either of them, and they're quite content with the world (except Nitro's getting bullied a bit again now that he's swimming alone... just a short chase every 5-10 minutes.  He doesn't seem to care).
 
So much for this being short.