knighty76

Hi all,

If somebody could post a quick reply I'd really appreciate it. My tank is cycled (pure ammonia fishless method) and it's fish-buying day!! Yeah

I've done my large water change, around 90%, put my Safe Start in before adding to the tank and it's up to temperature. But I just did my final tests and the nitrates are still rather high.. around 10ppm (or mg/L). Daft question, but presumably the solution is another large water change?

I suppose the nitrates are that high because I used the add and wait method, bringing Ammonia back to 4ppm each time it dropped to zero, and I've been at it for 4 weeks.. so high nitrates would be expected yeah?

Thanks!!!

Rich.

Shawnie

no anything under 20ppm is great

Lucy

Shawnie's right. Good job on the fish less cycle!

What kind of fish are you getting?

knighty76

Thanks guys, appreciate the reply. I was feeling enthusiastic though so did another large water change and my nitrates are now around 5ppm, which I'm much happier with. The less stress on my new fishies the better!!

Hi Lucy, I think I've decided on (by which I mean my gf has decided on!!) 5 or 6 Neon Tetras, 3 Cory Cats for cleanup duties, a couple of guppies and possibly another yet to be decided.

I'd really like a Red Tailed Black Shark and understand them to be ok community tank fish, but possibly not with very small tank mates (ie, my Neons!). I'd put them a wee cave in there for him, but would he clash with the Corys over the scraps at the bottom? The guys at my LFS say he'd be ok, but I'm learning very quickly that I get more accurate advice here at fishlore! They knew nothing about doing a fishless cycle, he looked at me like I was a mad spoon when I said I'd cycled mine with pure ammonia!!

If not RTBS then possibly a dwarf or other small Gourami, if my Nitrates stay in check... my tank is 15 gal.

Thanks!!
Rich.

capekate

Hi Rich,
it may not be a good idea to add all the fish you are getting at once. Why not get your neons and the cories and do a wait and see on the guppies and RTS? Let the tankmates acclimate to their tank, and do your water tests for a couple of weeks and see how everyone does before moving on to a larger fish.
Personally, I like the RTS's as well, but have yet to add one to any of my tanks. So I am not sure how it would react to other bottom dwellers such as the cories.
Its very hard to keep self control when going to the LFS to pick out fish! Believe me I know! Keep in mind the stock amount you want, such as the neons and cories and try not to get side tracked by a pretty fish that the employee will tell you would be great in that tank! lol.. they just want to make a sale and only to come home and do some research and find out they are not compatable or the tank size is wrong.
Good luck at the LFS and I hope the best for you new fishys!
Keep us posted!

sirdarksol

Congratulations on the fishless cycle, and congratulations on learning to verify what the fish store tells you.

Not sure about the sharks and cories getting along.
I agree with Kate about spreading out the addition of your fish. If it were me, I'd get the neons first, then the cories, then wait a bit, see how I liked the look of the setup and how quickly nitrate levels rose, and make any further decisions then.

knighty76

Thanks capekate, good advice! I've done a bit more reading since that last post and it seems that my tank just wouldn't be big enough anyway for the RTS, shame because they're very lovely fish, but recommendations suggest at least 29gal for these. Will have to find some pretty guppies, but possibly further down the line.

Cheers,
Rich.

Barbrella

Quite right!

Corys and sharks are a bad combination. Corys can't learn about territories,and will be badly harassed by a shark, who can grow to 6". Sharks are best kept with fast and/or other semi-aggressive fish who can take care of themselves.

If you want guppies, I would probably add them first (and only one sex or your tank will be quickly overcrowded) Neons and corys are extremely sensitive to nitrates and fluctuating conditions of a new tank setup. Better to have the tank completely established and stable before adding those guys.