Platy's died

[shiner3lima]

First of all as I have only recently joined this forum I would like to say hi and
say thanks for having me here.

I have adopted a 2ft 15gal Clear Seal tank for a guy at my work as they couldnt run it any longer and I kept it running less fish for approx a week and a half. The tank has now been running with fish for approx four weeks and the guys I have in there seem to be ok.

My question is this. As I am cycling the tank with fish and I do not wish to harm any of them, can you guys tell me if I am doing anything wrong with my system.

I am a tad confused by all of the chemicals that are required to make it safe for them. The lfs sold me some Tetra Aqua Blackwater Extract and some Sera Nitrivec Biostarter fluid. I also have some Tetra Aqua Safe fluid to remove the chlorene. I am currently doing 25pct water changes daily to bring down the amonia and nitrite levels as these are running at 1.5 and 1.6 respectively. The pH of the water is 7.5 - 8.0 (after adding the aqua safe but I havent yet checked what it is out of the tap).

The blackwater extract gets added (1 x 5ml) with every water change I do and same goes for the Aqua Safe and Nitrivec Biostarter fluid.

The tank has a few live plants which seem to be producing roots as they drop down
from the stems. I have an air bar which they all seem to enjoy and an upfilter for my under gravel filtration system. I run a pinkish coloured lamp for a few hours during the evening but I guess this is more for my pleasure than for the fish(?)

The fish are

5 x guppy
4 x neon tetra
1 x pepper cory

Here's hoping.

Shiner3lima

 

[Bloo]

In my opinion, just adding dechlorinator is enough.
Just do small water changes every couple of days and that should be fine.
I don't think the blackwater extract and biostarter is going to be of much use to be honest. It certainly shouldn't harm them, but I don't think it's neccesary.

It's a pity you have one lone cory in there, are they really love to shoal in groups of six or more - but unfortunately you just do not have the space.

 

[shiner3lima]

Thanks again Bloozoo2. I was a bit worried as there is a bit of a stink coming
from the water, which I guess is normal for the tank at this stage. I was going to take the cory back to the lfs as I read on another site that he should be running along on a sand bed rather than the gravel which I have, but I think he seems ok enough. Do you think it is feasible to get a couple more guppies? I have three red tailed ones, one deep blue and a yellow and would love to get a few more but I don't want to overload the tank.

best regards,

Shiner3lima.

 

[Bloo]

If you could rehome the cory (best for him) you could perhaps add a couple more guppies - but really only once you know your tank is fully cycled and everything has settled down. Also remember that you are likely to have fry - and it's unlikely that they will all get eaten. So ideally you should stick to all male guppies.

I wondering about the "stink" you mention. Was that there before or is that something new ? To be honest, a tank shouldn’t really smell that noticeably. Are you washing your filter media in siphoned tank water weekly ? It could possibly also be due to the black water extract you are adding, though I also think that unlikely.

 

[shiner3lima]

I think I may have missed something here. My filter media is the under gravel
type. I was wondering about this as maybe this is not enough to filter the tank properly. If this is the case, do I need to get another filtration system from the lfs?

Regarding the Cory. I am decided now that he should go to the lfs rather than stay there on his lonesome. This cannot be very good for the guy, I certainly wouldnt like it. Would you be able to suggest another type that would get along with the guppies?

Any help bloozoo2 as ever is appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[Bloo]

To be honest, I have never used an UGF before so I do not actually know what the quality of the filtration is like. It certainly won't hurt to add another internal filter if you can afford it - if anything it will be far better.

Sylvia is quite a good person to recommend types of fish - I tend to stick to the ones I know best and have experience of keeping myself.
I really like Rummy Nose tetras and they would certainly fit in nicely with your current fish. But there are so many smaller tetra types that would be equally as nice. It just depends what's available in your lfs and what you like. I suggest you have a look and then do some research on compatibility and environmental requirements before buying any further fish. That's of course keeping in mind that you will return the cory.
I would say you could get away with adding a small shoal of fish - perhaps 5 or 6 (I am guessing that you have around 15 - 20 gallons). Or if you fancy some bottom feeders, a few Ottos would be nice too, or some pigmy cories.
I hope Sylvia notices this thread as she's really good on giving compatibility advice in general.

 

[shiner3lima]

The tank is a 15gallon Clear Seal job. It is quite old fashioned looking but I couldnt let the guys at work throw it in the skip. I have done a water test this evening (done it every evening so far and am being a bit of a saddo by keeping a log of it all) and the amonia/nitrite levels are starting to come down thankfully. Since doing the water changes the smell of the water has gone away quite a bit too. I thought this smell might be due to the plants doing whatever they do so I have taken some of those out. I will probably get some more from the lfs when the tank has cycled properly.

I will have to get on google to check out the names of the fish you mentioned as I havent heard of those before.

Thanks again for your help.

shiner.

 

[Annastasia]

I'd give your Tetras a bigger school, since they are schooling fish. Probably at least 2-3 more. I'm curious as to why you can't have the Cory? Maybe I missed something...but 3-4 Cories should be fine in a standard 15 Gallon, as long as it's not a tall which it sounds like it isn't. Smaller Cories like Albino and Bronze are good, and also very hardy. If you don't want these, Otos are good, like Bloozoo said. Pygmy Cories are also good....but they aren't really bottom dwelling. Mine tend to stay near the middle, more. Very active fish.

As mentioned, just male Guppies will be better. But you have to watch them...some will fight and nip each other. If you didn't want the Guppies...I'd suggest you go for a small Gourami, like a Dwarf. Or perhaps a Thick-lipped Gourami.

 

[shiner3lima]

Thanks Annastasia. I ran out to the lfs on Saturday and bought four Platy's.
There are now:

4 Male Platy
5 Male Guppy (various colours)
4 Neon Tetra
1 Pepper Cory

So 14 in total. The Cory does seem happy enough, but I spoke with guy at
the lfs and he is happy to take him in. I think you are right about adding some
more Neon's which would mean rehoming the Cory anyway.

One question though, once the extra Neon's are in, 17 fish in one 15gal is probably
as much as it can take?

Shiner.

 

[Annastasia]

Yep, that's about as many fish as you are going to get in there. The only thing I worry about...is that almost all your fish stay in the same area. Now, this may not be a problem...but just watch them.

And I think it's better if you took the Cory back. Mine love playing with their friends, so I think it will be best for him.