ratty-the-rat

hi.bought myself a 164l tank, i haven't set it up yet .My wife bought me a 22l tank to start off with ( i know its small),16 by 9 and 10 high.I don't want to loose fish so I'm starting slow with a fishless cycle.i treated the tap water before putting it in the tank. and being feeding the tank for a week now every 12 hours.My nitrite levels are very high.
1.how long before they lower and become nitrates.( haven't done water changes yet)
2.at this stage can i add live plants ( the tank is decorated with plastic ones )
3.when the readings are correct.i want to add the following fish ( not all at once )

These are the groups I'm interested in, not sure which 1 group to choose as they are all good looking fish.is there a small algae eater i can add to a group.

group 1 group 2 group 3
3-zebra danios 2-honey or 2-dwarf gourami 12 assorted tetras ( small ones)
3-leopard danios 4-Cory's
3-pearl danios

i hope that this doesn't overpopulate my tank.
any other group suggestions i can consider.( don't want livebearers )

thanks

chickadee

There are a lot of variables that go into bacteria formation and the conversion of nitrites to nitrates. The temperature of your tank water should be about 82 degrees for the quickest resolution. There is really no way to give you a really definite answer to how long it will take without a good look at the readings you are getting and an idea of how the progress has been going. A week doesn't seem like very long. I know a fishless cycle doesn't take as long as one done with the fish in population and the whole fish population can be added at one time after the cycle process is complete. Perhaps with some help from more experienced members and if you would give us the exact water test levels, we could give you a closer estimate.

I wouldn't put real plants in until the nitrates show up. They use nitrates and decrease their levels in your tank, but I don't think they like nitrites any better than your fish would. They could also cause the cycle process to slow down so don't be really quick to add them. You can add your other decorations at any time as they will be a place for the bacteria to grow on as well as the gravel and the filter.

There are a lot of others who have had many more fishless cycles behind them than I have (I have done 1 - unfortunately my other 2 were before I got smart). Maybe one or more of them will come to our aid.

Welcome to the group. It is a great site and the people here are the finest I have met online and in many cases off as well. It is my pleasure to meet you and I hope to hear more from you in the future. Good luck on the big tank and the smaller one as well. Sounds like you have wonderful plans.

Rose

0morrokh

The average cycle takes 6-8 weeks. It sounds like yours is going very quickly since it's only a week and you have nitrites. Usually it's several before you get there.

Group 1: danios need to be kept in groups of 6.
Group 2: sounds fine, I think Gouramis have to be kept in m/f pairs
Group 3: tetras need groups of 6, so you could have 2 different types.

Anyone know the size of the tank in US gallons? Once I know the size I can help a little more than that...

Butterfly

Calculator http://www.fishlore.com/ConversionCalculator.htm
A little over 40 Gallons
My suggestion: 6 Zebra Danios, 2 Honey Gouramis, 12 neons, 1 bristlenose,4-6 corys That gives you fish at all levels. Lots of live plants.
Carol

chickadee

Sounds BEAUTIFUL!

Rose

0morrokh

ditto!
Also a small shoal of Otos instead of the Bristlenose would be great. And of course there are tons of different tetras you could choose from. Any particular one you like?

ratty-the-rat

hi,thanks for the info.yes i do have a favorite tetra.
Hyphessobrycon vilmae (Chocolate Neon Tetra ) sorry dont know how to post image.
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_H...con_vilmae.php

Shorty

That tetra is beautiful Sound like you are doing all the right things. I am rubbish at stocking levels so please don't listen to me about the number of fish I do however have a community tank set up, it is 55 gallons (210 litres) and in there I do have 2 male dwarf gouramis, they get along fine as I think they have enough room not to squabble over space and territory

0morrokh

My computer freaked out when I tried to open that... :P oh well. I've never even heard of that kind of tetra. What do they look like?

ratty-the-rat

looks like the black tetra,except where the white stripe is ,this one is a neon yellow

Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)
Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)
Black Neon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi)
Vilma's Tetra (Hyphessobrycon vilmae)
Serpae Tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques)
Lemon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis)
Yellow Tetra (Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus)
Bleeding Heart Tetra (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma)
Bentos Tetra (Hyphessobrycon bentosi)
Colombian Tetra (Hyphessobrycon columbianus)
Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae)
Black Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi)
Buenos Aires Tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus)
Black Phantom Tetra (Megalamphodus megalopterus)
Red Phantom Tetra (Megalamphodus sweglesi)
Silver-Tipped Tetra (Hasemania nana)
Rummy-Nose Tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus)
Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus)
Gold Tetra (Hemigrammus rodwayi)
Pristella (X-Ray) Tetra (Pristella maxillaris)
Diamond Tetra (Moenkhausia pittieri)
Red-Eyed Tetra (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae)
Emperor Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri)
Blind Cave Tetra (Astyanax jordani)

0morrokh

What about Head-and-Tail Light Tetra?
oh, and Pretty (Garnet) Tetra.
oh, and you can't forget the Congo Tetra!