dtree

First of all, you all have a very helpful site on your hands!
After years of avoiding it, I finally gave in and surprised my girlfriend with a ten gallon tank. Little did I know that it was I who became hopelessly obsessed with fishkeeping. At the advice of the clerk at the fish store, we purchased three false harlequins and three cardinal tetras two weeks after setting up the tank. Now I know it was a fatal mistake after losing all but one cardinal. The little survivor has been dubbed, "the 'lil trooper".
The plan is to add five more friends (two at a time this time around) and get a cory or two to scavenge the bottom. Since it will be a while until the cories are introduced, I went ahead and added a single ghost shrimp (not ready for babies in my tank yet) on impulse to help with the left over scraps.
Was this wise, or should I have gone ahead and started introducing the cories? Shrimp was not part of the plan, but The lil trooper can't seem to part from it and follows it around the tank (to keep it from falling food I suspect ).
Again, I have learned a bunch from this site in the few weeks I have been viewing it and I can't wait to update you all with status of my tank.
Why did I wait 27 years to start this hobby!?

Bad Wolf

i think it's fine you added a shrimp. i would rather ghost shrimp over cories just because they don't need to be in a group, but i have cories instead because ghost shrimp are $8.95 each here.

have you heard about the 1 inch per gallon rule? if not here's an eg.

you want to ad 5 more cardinals.

6 cardinals will = about 6 inches (1 inch each let's say)
1 ghost shrimp = 2 inches

total = 8 inches.

you choice is to have either you single ghost shrimp or 2 cories. i wouldn't suggest getting 1 shrimp and 1 cory because the cory is a schooling fish. you could add another shrimp though.

good luck

Matt

Welcome To FishLore

I hope your experience is rewarding, helpful and great

If you need any help ask me or one of our many other members and i/we will try and help you to the best of our ability.

-Matt

aquarist48

WELCOME to Fish Lore dtree. I've been an aquarist most of my 48 years and I still learn something new from this site every day. Glad you decided to get into the hobby. Better late than never.
Unfortunately it sounds like your tank isn't cycled. Do you know the readings for your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Do you have an API test kit?
This link: http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm is crucial to fish keeping. Since you have fish in the tank now I would suggest doing a 50% water change and add some Prime or Amquel + (water conditioners). This will reduce the ammonia levels to a non toxic level for about 24 hours until it's time for another water change of at least 30 to 50% the next day. Keep up with your water changes until you have readings of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5-10 nitrates. It's going to take some work on your part to keep the TROOPER alive. Once you reach these levels then you can start adding more fish slowly.
Best of luck and keep us posted. We're here to help

dtree

Thanks for the prompt replies and the warm welcomes.
Bad Wolf, it was an impulse buy because the ghost shrips here are 50 cents! I'll probably move it into the inevitable next tank when I'm ready for the cories. I'm pretty set on them since i've heard so many good things!
Aquarist, my tank has definitely cycled and the levels are good acording to the LFS and my test kit at home. I've had the tank since late April and the trooper has stuck through the rough transition. Right now, i'm just waiting for the lfs to bring their cardinals out of quarantine so i can get some more friends!

Lucy

Welcome to Fish Lore

You can add a whole bunch of ghost shrimp. They don't count as 2 inches as they have barely any bio load at all. I think they're very entertaining!
Cardinals are so pretty when they school together.
We'd love to see some pics of your tank

Bad Wolf

50 cents?! your so lucky!!!

dtree

I just uploaded a picture of my tank on the member's gallery page.
Lucy, if I have multiple ghost shrimp, will them taking food away from the future corries be a problem? I'll be feeding the cories sinking tablets when I get them, so I figure it won't be that big of a deal...then again, I'm new to this!

Bad Wolf

i just give my bottom feeders extra flakes by making them sink.

Lucy

Your tank looks really nice. Love your hood ornament.
Cories do best in groups of three. If you plan on having 6 cardinals, I'm not sure your size tank could handle 3 cories.

The shrimp will be all over scavenging and will go after the sinking tablets as well as left over food and a bit of algea but I'm not sure that would be much of an issue.

dtree

How do you make the flakes sink? Don't the top and middle feeders snatch them up before it gets to the bottom? I know some flakes do make it down, but don't you need to supplement your bottom feeders with other food or do they do just fine?

dtree

Lucy, I'm still deciding on the exact numbers of each fish. I do know I want both cories and cardinals and I know they do best with at least 3 and 6 respectively, but isn't there some wiggle room? Perhaps 4-5 cardinals and 2 cories? It's nice to know the shrimp don't caount against the biomass as much as I had thought they would!

Bad Wolf

you just push the flakes under the surface tension. i do 2 or 3 rounds of sinking flakes and 2 or 3 rounds of floating flakes, it really does work. you could get pygmy 3 cories and your 6 cardinals. you said there was a picture? where was that put?

dtree

Wolf, I'll give that a try when the cories move in, thanks! The picture of my tank is located on my gallery page accessible by clicking the little digital camera icon under my user name to the left.

aquarist48

I suggest doing your own tests and not relying on what your LFS has to tell you. What type of test do they do and use? Remember, LFS are there to sell fish and make a $. What caused you to lose your other fish? Just trying to help
If you do add more fish now...be careful not to add too many at the same and cause your tank to go into a mini cycle. Good luck!

Lucy

I think a trio of pygmy cories would work with a school of cardinals.
They stay small and are super cute and active.

dtree

Aquarist, I'm not sure exactly what the lfs tested, but I know one was ammonia and I think the other was nitrates. I went ahead and bought my own master test kit and spent this afternoon measuring everything. Everything looks great! I assume the reason all of the fish died the first time around was because the the cycle had yet to be completed when I added the fish. In retrospect, I shouldn't have listened to the clerk and not only have tested my water, but also, added very slowly. Especially with the harlequins and cardinals, since I hear they can be picky to new environments that have yet to reach optimal levels.
Lucy and Wolf, that's what I like to hear! Off to research the little guys right now!

Butterfly

Be really careful about over feeding also. A fishes stomach is about the size of one eye.
Over feeding (even though the fish may be eating the food) can cause ammonia spikes and algae due to excess waste(what goes in will come out) or excess food in the substrate.
adding the fish slowly allows the beneficial bacteria to grow to meet your fishes needs instead of being over whelmed.
Oh I vote yes on the pygmy corys also! They are such cute little guys
Carol
OH AND WELCOME TO FISHLORE!!!