Fishnugget43

Hello All, first off First POST!!

Anyway. I will soon be starting a 16 Gallon tank. Im just waiting for my Tetra safestart to come in ( i know about the nitro cycle) but i was hoping you guys could give me some tips? The fish i was considering starting with are:
-Neon Tetras
-Guppies
-Plattys
-or Cherry Barbs

Which do you think would be the best for a beginner? Will Mickeymouse platys school with assorted plattys? I know these are all schooling fish and i only have space for about 8 fish so im not so sure as what to do =/

Also for water conditioner i have AmQuel+ and Start Right Conditioner and dechlorinator (these are Tablets if you dont know) So after i have my gravel and plants in my tank what do i do as far as the conditioners? when do i add the safe start and how soon after that do i add my fish? Thanks for any help!!

Will get pics up after its all set up =)

Meenu

Welcome to FL!!
As far as I know, platys and guppys are not schooling fish. But unless you are planning on fry, I would avoid getting females. An all-male tank would probably be best.

As far as the TSS, they recommend using Tetra Aqua Safe conditioner with the product. If you don't want to purchase that, maybe you could use one of the others at least 24 hours ahead of using the TSS?

When you use the TSS, you add your fish in at the same time. Then you do nothing for 7-10 days except for feedings. no water changes, no testing. At the end, hopefully, you'll have a cycled tank.

I would avoid the neon tetras - they need an established tank, and may not survive the cycling, especially if they TSS doesn't work. I currently have TSS in my tank, and I have guppys, they are doing well. You could consider 3 guppys, 3 platys, and 3 corydora catfish for the bottom. That may be a tiny bit overstocked, but if you keep on top of your water changes, it could work.

Robin4

Jaysee

I would do 6 cherry barbs (2m/4f), a dwarf gourami and a bunch of ghost shrimp. Once you and your tank is established, you could add a couple of clown killis or notho killis.

Fishnugget43

I like that idea. how many shrimp could i have? what should i get for decor with that setup?

Meenu

the shrimp prefer sand or small gravel, I think they like to burrow into it. I don't know how many ghost shrimp you could have, since I don't know about their bioload.

I tend to recommend fewer fish than Jaysee does.

Beth1965

You can use waht ever decor you wish but with the gourami you will want something on the upper level for them to hang out in. Like a floating plant.

Welcome to Fishlore and have a great time.

Jaysee

I would add the shrimp last, and put in 15-20. You'll lose some right away, but if you end up with 10-15 that'll be nice. Their numbers will slowly fall and you'll have to get more after 3 months or so, but they do a great job cleaning the tank, have next to nothing for bioload, and provide a nice snack for your fish here and there.

For decor - you could either go with a centerpiece of some sort and fil in around the back and sides with plants, or you could densly plant one side with stuff that reaches the top, leave the center open and have some small stone decorations or something on the other side. It's up to you.

Here's my 20H with 10 cherry barbs, a gw killi and a blue crayfish.

Attached Images

20 cray.jpg (94.6 KB, 38 views)

Meenu

I really like your tank, Jaysee.

jdhef

Welcome to FishLore!

If you are using an API liquid ammiona test kit, keep in mind that the Amquel+ will cause it to read false positive. I use Amquel+ and went to Kardon's website and bought a powder based ammonia tets kit that is compatable with Amquel+.

Jaysee

Thank you.

I tend to overstock my tanks

I feed lightly, have double filtration and do weekly 50% water changes. I do have to keep in mind that not everyone does this, in which case numbers should probably be scaled back

Fishnugget43

so if guppies and plattys arnt schooling fish what kinds of combos could i do there community-wise?

Meenu

In your tank, I would do 3-4 of each. Jaysee, could the OP do the guppys and platy combo with the ghost shrimp? That sounds kind of cool.

Jaysee

Sure, I don't see why not. As long as the shrimp have plants and decor to hide in, they'll be fine.

Betafish305ca

Welcome.... lots of posts, which is always good.... to add my two cents, I have neon tetras are what i have, and personally they are really beautiful... and i find the brightness of their colours can also indicate when its time to do a water change

Fishnugget43

Hi, So i finally have all of my stuff to start my Tank! minus the fish... im hoping to get those soon thouh... cause i got safe start... I'll put a picture of my tank up when its al set up as soon as i can =D OH, I have this thermometer that came with my heater... it looks like it sticks to the tank some how... but do i tape it on? or stick it to the outside? front? back?

iloveengl

I suggest male gups in 2-3. More than that and they can get feisty, but they do like to have a buddy of their own kind. Platys and balloon mollies are also nice fish that do well with a friend like them, but don't need a school. Congrats on the new tank - it sounds like it's gonna be really pretty!

Remember that whatever fishies you add, only add about 2-3 fish every two weeks, otherwise you may overload your new cycle.

That thermometer sounds like the stick-on kind; those really aren't very accurate. I suggest buying the "real" kind for a few bucks because they'll give you a much clearer and more accurate reading.

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!!
that would be a fun guppy and platy tank as iloveengl suggested ..with some plants and ground cover, you could get some shrimp..but most fish, will attempt to eat them as they molt so a heavy ground cover and hiding spots are important...but please DONT wait for fish to get dull color to change water....keep an eye on your water parimeters for a few months especially with it being a new tank....I agree with mommybaby that the neons or cardinals might not do well with the newly setup tank....they arent as hardy as the others.....

Meenu

I'm going to have to, with the greatest respect, disagree with some of this. I was told when considering a molly that they have a very high bio-load, and in your small tank, you really have to consider this as a factor. I think you can get a molly, but then you should be very careful not to overstock.

And don't add only 2-3 fish every two weeks with the SafeStart. I did this, and when the TSS did not work, I came back on here, posted what had happened, and was told that 2 fish weren't enough to get the TSS really going (they didn't produce enough ammonia, so the bacteria from the bottle died off). TSS is made so that you should add your fish at the same time as the TSS. Tetra will tell you that you are supposed to stock your tank and add the bottle at the same time. If I were you, I would decide on the fish, make sure they are compatible with one another and they are what you really want, and then add them and the TSS at the same time.

Unless you want the neon tetras. I do, and so I bought other fish. After my tank has been established for about 2 months, I am going to take some of my fish and give them to the LFS, and then buy the neons. But only after I have an established tank.

Fishnugget43

so if i got 3 guppies and 3 plattys would that work? could i get one more that does well on its own? or two?

Meenu

I think 3 guppies and 3 platys work fine. If you like the idea of the ghost shrimp, you could do the 6 fish now, wait a few weeks, and then add the shrimp. If you only want fish, I think you could go with 3 guppys, 3 platys, and maybe 1 molly. I'd stop at that if I were you.

I like the guppys best because you can get each one a different color. It lets you tell them apart easily, and you get a very colorful tank. The mollys do get a bit bigger, I think, and also have a heavier bioload, so I definately wouldn't get more than one.

Another option is to get the 6 fish, wait till your tank is cycled, and then add an oto catfish. They stay small (2 inches) and help clean your tank. The care sheet says they like schools, but I think I read somewhere that they do fine on their own or with just 1 buddy.

Elvishswimmer

I heard that the liquid Crystal thermometers (the sticker kind) are fairly accurate, because they don't have to be calibrated, like other thermometers (electronic ones).

The only time they are inaccurate is if your glass is really thick.

With the instructions that came with my tank, you peel off the back, like a sticker, and stick it onto the tank, farthest away from the heater.
I stuck mine on the side instead of the front so it is out of the way, really where ever you want to put it so you can read it.


BTW, I'm not saying that other thermometers are bad, and these are the best. I actually don't know (new here too!). This is just what I have read.

iloveengl

In my opinion (and from my experience with livebearer tanks), 2 balloon mollies would fine for a 16g tank; their load is comparable to piggy guppies, unlike larger normal or sailfin mollies. I have cyled three tanks with TSS from 5g-55g and from my experience you can still overload the cycle by adding too many fish at once. It is meant to instant cycle and you do need ammonia present, but similarly to a newly cycled tank, too many fish at once can lead to a mini-cycle.

To clarify my obscure phrase from earlier, I was referring to the glass tube thermometers - nothing to calibrate and quite reliable. When I had the sticky kind, I thought they were difficult to read and did not give accurate readings compared to the glass tubey kind. When I compared the two, the strip was off by three whole degrees. Maybe I had bad strips, though.

Meenu

Really? Good grief. There is no consistency in people's experiences!!

Lucy

Nope. What works for one may not work for another. There are many variables in this hobby. You take what you can from people's experiences and tweak it to what works for you and your fish.

iloveengl

I think that's the best part about this forum - loads of people with loads of different experiences so it gives a good overview of the possibilities. ...Though I suppose that can be frustrating to the OP if he or she needs a specific answer. BTW, we'd love pictures of your new fishy babies whenever you get a chance.