Tetras

[hellstorm]

i have a few questions.... my tank( 15 gallon, planted, 7 rummynose tetras)

1. I've had my tank for 3 weeks now and still has high ammonia (1.5) and high nitrite(over 4), why are they still so high i dont have many fish for a 15 gallon, when will the cycle complete?

2. Whats the right way to change the foam pads in a fluval 2plus underwater filter, there are two foam pads in there, do i take them both out and rinse all the dirty stuff trapped off or do i change to 2 new pads?

3. I red that small flying foxes are good for community tanks, there are ones for sale the same size of a neon tetra. how fast do they grow? are they easy to keep? and can u still keep them in a 15 gallon tank when they are fully grown?

4. Whats the best food to feed fish to bring out their best colors( my fish's colors are pretty bad)? the guy at the fish shop said brine shrimp is good. is that true?

5. i already have a 7 fish in a 15 gal, how many more can i get?

thanks

 

[William]

Are you sure the nitrIte is 4?! not nitrate? Because at nitrIte 4 your fish should have died. Definately do a large water change at least 50% of your water and replace it with dechlorinated fresh water. 7 fish to cycle a 15 gallon tank is actually quite a lot I only used 6 and that was to cycle an almost 30 gallon tank.

With the pads what you do is see the water you took out from the tank during the water change, rinse them in that and then you can reuse them don't due it under tap water as it'll kill all the good bacteria you are trying to build up. The foam pads should last I find for ages...

I don't think flying foxes ever grow big but wait for someone wtih more experience on them please. And also don't get ANY more fish yet!! Your tank conditions are really really bad you'll have to wait a while before you can add some more fish - say 1 or 2 weeks probably.

For food I myself use flake -tetramin for all my community fish - you can also try brineshrimps and blood worm and all sorts of nice things which your lfs have to get the most out of your fish

I think you can probably get another about 7inches of fish. But like I already said don't get any more until your ammonia and nitrIte are both at 0

Hope this helps a little! and warm welcome to the forum

 

[William]

I've moved this to tropical chit chat so you can get more help as the newbie forum is not really for fish questions. Please register to enjoy the full facilities of the forum

 

[hellstorm]

Yes im sure its nitrIte not NitrAte, actually i think its well over 4 because at 0ppm the colour should be clear and wen i tested the color is very dark pink.. and i rinsed the foam pads in tap water (woops) will the cycle take longer now since i rinsed out all the good bacteria??

thanks

 

[William]

Yes the cycle will now have to almost restart itself!! Do a water change of the tanks water to get immediate relief for ur fish from the nitrItes and keep us posed.

 

[hellstorm]

i did a water change about a week ago, im not doing water changes because the fish seem fine, no stress, swimming peacefully around the tank, and i want the cycle to be quicker, i was told by the people at the pet shop to only do a water change when the fish a in distress

 

[wetwetwet]

First hi and welcome hs,

imho I'd change your pet shop.This seems to be a common theme if people are going to 'pet' shops when getting into the hobby. I don't think the majority of 'pet' shops have the knowledge or experience when advising newcomers. Infact wwhat you have been told I would say is contradictory to what to what I'd expect any respectable 'fish shop' to advise. I think your pet shop is putting profit before care of the animal they are selling you!

I would find a good lfs(local fish store/shop) one dedicated to fish and not doing it as a sideline to their other products/animals. Here you should get reliable and honest information onhow to care for your fish.

O and keep using this forum

 

[hellstorm]

thanks, i will change to a fish shop after that message, so should i keep makin water chnages or what? will it slow the cycle down? wen i do water cahnges i put just normal tap water in to the tank, nver used water conditioners or anything is that alright?

 

[William]

Water changes are very good you should aim to change about 10% of the water each week or 20% each fortnight, of course it won't make a dramatic difference if you miss one or two changes but try to change as often as that . Water conditioners just remove the contaminents like chlorine from the water, they are a good investment for sure.

Water changes will slow the cycle down a bit but provided you don't fiddle with the filter it should make a difference of only a day at the most! Obviously its favourable to wait one more day to get your fish then to have some fish die on you

Keep us posted- do the water change and then leave it for an hour or two and test the water and let us know the results

 

[shtinkypuppie]

I dont think 4 ppm nitrite will kill the fish, i had a nitrIte spike at 5 once, everyone lived after some quick water changes. Definately keep on top oif the water quality during the cycle, and dont EVER wash or replace those filter pads! Dont listen to the manufacturer, they just want you to buy more. I've never replaced any filter media.

Don't get a flying fox, theyre BIG full grown, and a 15 gallon tank, if well maintained, wont have an algae problem.

Live foods like brine shrimp will be GREAT for fish's colour and health. Some people swear Omega-1 foods make thier fish absolutely glow, but others dont see any difference. Make sure you food doesnt get we or old: old food has little nutrition from decay and protein denaturing, moisture speeds this up a LOT.


For all practical purposes, 1 inch of fish per gallon is a good rule. It isn't law, tho. read this on stocking levels:

www.geocities.com/shtinkypuppie/stocking.htm

It's just a theory too, but it's stood up quite well. Planted tanks can hold more than unplanted. (usually)

 

[hellstorm]

I rinsed the pads in the filter why am i so dumb!!! now i have to wait another month before i can get new fish or is that true?

Ill do a 10% water change and test for ammonia and nitrite and ill post the results in asap

 

[hellstorm]

Water test results: ammonia 1.5, nitrite well over 4

its been like this for the last 8 days, shouldnt it change a bit?

 

[shtinkypuppie]

it should... maybe not. Your nitrite levels are probobly either climbing above the range of the test or falling back into the range. Can you get some sponges, ornaments, or gravel from an established tank? that'll speed stuff considerably by adding good bacteria.

 

[hellstorm]

no, i cant think of anyone that has an established tank and the nitrite is too high that its out of range of the test, is there any stuff that i can get from the lfs to speed up the cycle?

One more thing... my fish dont swim around much, they dont move always at the same position of the tank(not moving) when the light is on but when the light is off they become more active, the water is cloudy too(not as clear as the ones in the lfs) its been cloudy since it all started

 

[shtinkypuppie]

u can add "cycle", which is supposed to help, but i have my doubts about its true effectiveness...

The cloudyness is normal, but the activity after lights out is odd. You have tetras, right? they shouldnt be nocturnal, altho the hovering in one place sounds very much like sleeping. Maybe you have crazy fish. I know i do.