jarrod

heya ll new here..and a couple newb questions..

well got my tank setup(10gal) put in 3 long finned black tetras a few days ago the water was clear before they went in, and now the water has gone a bit cloudy(almost a greenish look)..algee?

is it just a new tank thing, or has something gone ary?? the fish dont seem to care all that much..but they do seem to like to hang out in one certain corner..

also is there a differene to the fish using a flouresent tube light, or a incandescent bulbs? i have to do something with the light source as my current one needs some work anyway.

thanks..

what else so you recomend for other fish to go with the long fined tetras..?

fish_newbie

It is because your tank hasn't gone through the nitrogen cycle.

jarrod

thats what i thaught.. so its nothin to big to worry about..

but i should probably pickup a test kit..and some sort of algee/bottom feeder..

this site seem s to have some knowlegeable people after surfin around..

fish_newbie

Yes if your current plan is having a fish cycle then you have nothing to worry about, just keep up with the water changes. But if you haven't have the full understanding of the nitrogen cycle then you should read the link (nitrogen cycle) immediately, as your fish could be at risk of dying. And also welcome to FishLore, we have tones of experienced members that always gladly to help so just ask if you need anything.

Lucy

Hi jarrod welcome to FishLore
Sounds like an algea bloom, it should go away on it's own.
A test kit would be a good idea. Hold off getting any more fish until the tank finishes cycling. Then you might want to add a couple more black tetra because they like to be in groups. 10g's doesn't give much room after that so you might want to look into dwarf cories.
Good luck!

jdhef

If you haven't you should read up on the nitrogen cycle asap.

Basically, if you are cycling with fish in the tank, you really need to do daily 50% water changes to keep the ammonia levels down. I would also advise using a water conditioner called Prime. Prime will detox the ammonia for 24 hours at which point you will be doing another 50% water change with Prime. You really need to get a test kit, else you will have no way to know when you have finished cycling. . I would highly recommend the API liquid test kit. Test strips are notorious for being innacurate.

peacemaker92

Welcome to Fishlore!

It's an algae bloom just like what the others said. It should settle in a few days. Hope everything goes well and hope to see pictures up as soon as all the work is done Good luck!

abc123d30

Also if you want to avoid having algae problems in the future after your tank is done cycling, make sure your tank isn't set up near a window because the direct sunlight will cause extra algae.

angelfish220

Welcome to fishlore

I would suggest not to get the bottom feeder until you know your tank is cycled... you can get a test kit (liquid API seems to be the most favored round here) and make sure you're bacteria growth is all in order...

Then I think that a small school of pygmy cories would look nice with your tetras

iloveengl

Hi Jarrod. Welcome to FishLore! You'll soon learn that I try to push mystery snails on everyone. They really are awesome little creatures and if you're looking for a clean-up crew, one mystery snail does the work of any fish, but it has such a smaller bioload. They're really neat looking, they cover every square inch of your tank (walls, substrate, plants, decor) and they only eat the leftover fish food, algae, and rotting stuff, not your live plants. They also don't reproduce like some snails, so they're not a pest. lol, ok, I'm done pushing mystery snails.

jarrod

hey all thatnks for the help.. the water has already cleared up a lot..

ya it wasnt cycled correctly, but i have been addin the nutrafin cycle additive, seems to be doin teh truck, fish seem to be happy..but they do like to hang out in a certain corner..and just loiter..

maybe its my temporary light setup.. as that spot does seem to be a bit more shadier than the rest..

i also have added a level tbl spoon of the fresh water aquarium salt aswell..

these black tetras can move fast..when they want to..lol

heres some pics of my tank before the fish went in.. nothin special..but the cofin is kinda neat..lol

Attached Images

	DSC03228.JPG (136.8 KB, 112 views)
	DSC03229.JPG (135.2 KB, 111 views)

Chrisson

Glad to hear it's working out for you but stop using Nutrafin Cycle. That product is just a scam used to take money from consumers for the rest of there fish keeping career, you'll have to keep adding it every week. The Reason why Nutrafin Cycle is not recommended by me, many other people here and other forums is because they do not contain the right bacteria. The bacteria you are wanting is Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter but Cycle contains something similar to that only it's not an aquatic bacteria instead it's a land. The bacteria will drown in the water making you have to add the Cycle in for the whole tank's life time. With Nitrosomonas or Nitrobactor you do not have to repeatedly supplement the tank with a bacteria colony because they will just grow in the tank's surface and filter multiplying and growing to your need. The main biggest reason why you shouldn't be adding the Nutrafin Cycle is because the bacteria there is taking all the things the Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter needs which are the waste produced by fish waste, plant decay, leftover food, etc. The proper way of cycle can either be done by the methods said on the Nitrogen Cycle page or Tetra Safe Start bacteria colony supplement however it is quite hard to find and may need to order it online. The main biggest reason why you shouldn't be adding the Nutrafin Cycle is because the bacteria there is taking all the things the Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter needs which are the waste produced by fish waste, plant decay, leftover food, etc.

Also the salt wont help and may actually cause some problems to your tetra.

You probably got the advice from a employee. Usually employees are taught to sell certain products or just the most expensive one. Alot of people went through this sadly. Everyone expects good advice from a employee at the beginning.

iloveengl

I love your aquascaping. I had a "no fishing" sign in my very first tank, so I'm totally smitten with them.

I wholeheartedly agree with this point. I recommend you stop using this asap and replace it with a bottle of PRIME. It's only $10, it will neutralize the ammonia, so that it doesn't harm your fish, but it will still allow your tank to cycle. If you want an immediate cycle product, I had success with TetraSafeStart.

I respectfully disagree on this point. Aquarium salt is really a choice and its use varies amongst aquarists. It won't necessarily hurt your fish (it's not the same thing as marine salt) and while you're working on the cycle, it may help the stress level of the fish to add a touch of aquarium salt with the water change (adjust the amount of aquarium salt you add to the amount of water you add). Again, this part is purely MHO and varies amongst the aquarist, but it's not something to freak you out about (unlike Nutrafin Cycle ).

jarrod

thanks im goin to get some real plants soon because it looks kinda bare..lol

you guys are exactly right, it was advice from a employee..lol

ya the no fishing sign was a must in my book..lol


is there an advantage going witha flourecent tube over the standard incandescent light?? other than the flourencent tube make the colors more vibrant..?

i was thinkin about gettin some cherry barbs, but it says that they should be in schools of 6, do i have room in the tank for the 3 black tetras(or maybe another 1?), the 5-6 cherry barbs, and a bottom feeding catfish or algea eater??

iloveengl

I think the florescent is usually the better choice because it won't heat up your water the way an incandescent does and it can offer a more natural sun-like look for your fish. If your not always home at the same times or if you go on vacation (I have no life, so this isn't a problem lol), then you may want to get a timer for your light. You can get these at hardware stores for way cheaper than at pet stores. You don't want to leave a light on for more than 8-12 hours a day.

I'd say you definitely don't have room for the appropriate number of tiger barbs (they really should school otherwise the aggression could get way out of hand), but you could add the tetras. If you want a bottom feeder fish, definitely DO NOT get a common pleco, but you could have corys or otos. Otos would be better because you could have a much more comfortable set of them (3-5 corys would be cramped). What about shrimp or mystery snails, instead?

Time

Welcome new Fishlorian
Fluorescent is the way to go especially for planted aquariums. Plants need nitrate to survive and so does algae so the plants will compete with the algae and your nitrate will be low. It is a good idea to have live plants it is really recommended. They grow so you will have more of them. I have four times the plants I started with. I would add some natural features to the aqua scape. Good Luck!

jarrod

i have also noticed that 2 of the black fin tetras are getin rather fat, compared the the other one..they are phisically bigger aswell..

how do i know if they.."doin their thing" they seem to like to hang out ner the bottom at the no fishing sign.. the smaller one seems to acta bit diferent thatn the other 2, kinda the od one out..kinda hard to describe..

iloveengl

Mature (not necessarily pregnant) females do tend to be a bit more plump than the male bf tetras. Size difference may just be a matter of age difference. If they are pregnant, bf tetras are egg layers. Most fish seem to eat their eggs or fry, but I don't know if the bf tetras are like that.

As for their odd behavior, if the "odd one out" is smaller than the other two, he may be being picked on; bf tetras are semi-agressive & they prefer to school in 7 -- smaller groups create stress and that can cause more aggression.

Idk for certain because there are just so many reasons, some of them completely natural, for bf tetras to act wonky, but I would wager it's a combo of params. and small school.

jarrod

hmm,, the smaller one seems to be the one picking on the bigger ones, well atleast for the bit that i watched them.. now hes just chillin by himself in about the middle of the tank, while the other 2 fatty's are hangin out behind the no fishing sign..

dumb question, but..i was reading around the site, and is there supposed to be a peice of foam in the bottom of my filter under the carbon sack??(aquaclear filter) its been so long since ive had this tank setup(like 4 years) so i cant remember if there was before or not..

thanks again all for aswerin all my rookie questions..

iloveengl

Ooooooooooh, well, I see. That one may be a boy and he's a littly too, um, spunky for their taste. They may be avoiding him. It may be the aggression thing, too. I can't say for certain. Just keep an eye on him in case he needs to be separated.

Hmmm, I'm not sure what you may be referring to in regards to foam thingys, so I'll wait and see what the other members have to say.

BTW There's no such thing as a dumb question. I was the exact same way when I first joined - it had been years since I'd had a tank and I hadn't done it right (didn't know about cycles and all that), and everyone here was (and still is) super helpful and nice. It's just our thing Soon enough you'll be helping answer questions, too.

jarrod

although i am noticein that a 10gal is just to small.. cant put many fish in it.. so i am thinkin about upgrading to a bigger tank..i really wan to get atleast one angel fish..a small shark would becool, but id have to find out if their are capatable..

but i am unshure how do do this now that i have fish in this one..(i only have the one tank)

aquarist48

Hello Jarrod. If you do decide to upgrade to a larger tank, Angel fish are best kept in taller tanks compared to long ones.
How is the cycle coming along in the 10g tank?
Too,to Fish Lore!
Ken

jarrod

well so far so good, water is clearing and the fish seem to be fairly happy, although there definately seems to be the "in" group, and the outsider..

im goin to try and pickup a test kit tomarrow and see what the waters like..

theres a guy locally sellin a 55gal tank with fish, complete. sounds like great deal..

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/9770422

but how would you transport it, and set it up and re introduce the fish fast enough to keep them alive?? do you just drain 3/4 of the water out, leave the fish in it and then transport home, and refill?? it bassically has all the fish i want already in it..lol

aquarist48

It sounds like a great find. If you decide to get it, and the tank is still up and running with the fish in it, "keep the filter media wet" at all times. You can transport the fish in a cooler. Add some Nova Aqua or whatever stress reliever/slime coat additive you have on hand. The cooler will help to maintain the temperature as well. Too, it would be a good idea to keep just enough water in the tank so that the gravel/substrate stays wet as well. The gravel and your filter media houses most of your good bacteria.

I think the Bala Sharks are going to out grow a 55g tank rather quickly. I would consider rehousing them, to the fish store or to a friend with a larger tank.

There is no need to keep the old tank water. The good bacteria needed to sustain the tank is not free swimming but attached to all surface areas in the tank (mainly the filter media and gravel/substrate as mentioned).
Best of luck and keep us updated!
Ken

jarrod

hey, can i put a one of those simese betta's in with the 10g with e black fin tetras?? or will the be to aggressive together..

Time

You could but I wouldn't really recommend it. My betta had stressed once. Bettas don't usually do good in community tanks but you could do it with no problem, you should post a thread and betta lovers will help you who keep them in community tanks.

jarrod

well i gota tape measure out and started sizing out the 55gal.. man thats gettin pretty big..would a tall 33 gal be good for a pair of angels and some other bettas / tetras

i think a taller 33 with some live plants and what not would be good enough for me..

iloveengl

Tall tanks are nice for a few angels because it gives the height they need for their pretty fins, but it decreases stocking ability because it takes away surface area. Just take it slow and think about what you really want. Are you most interested in Angels? Are you looking for a variety of fish? What does your space/finance allow you? It's so tough, but keep us updated as you decide what you want to do!

aquarist48

Good morning. Here is a link concerning Betta Care. Betta's really need a tank of their own. Welcome and Betta Care Guide - Please Read First!!!
They do not do well for very long in community tanks period.
Ken

jarrod

well just did my first water tests..here are the results..cycled with fish in tank..

ammonia-- .6
pH------ 6.5
nitrite--- .3
nitrate-- 5

good/bad/ugly?? ph is a bit lower than id like.. i think..

what should the readings be??