i feel like this was a really bad decision, but they are keeping it. so tell me anything there is to know so i can at least tell them
Posted by ellacxela
8 Comments
Hildringa on
Read up on the nitrogen cycle and do a fish-in cycle, if you want these fish to stand a chance at surviving
slade51 on
You also need a stand, heater & light/cover – in that order.
JoanOfSnark_2 on
I would recommend taking all of them back to the store or getting a much larger tank. Then tell whoever gave these fish as a gift to stop abusing animals.
The stripped fish are tiger barbs and they are aggressive. 20 gallons is the absolute minimum they should be in, but 29 gallons is even better. The other fish are skirt tetras and they also need an absolute minimum of 20 gallons. Both of these fish should be in groups of at least 6, but if you want to keep these species together in proper groups, you will need at least a 29 gallon tank.
No-Giraffe-8096 on
I think we have the same wallpaper
astroplink on
Pets are a terrible gift idea if you’re not ready for it
Ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites result from fish waste and are toxic to fish. Look up the nitrogen cycle. You’ll need nitrogen-fixing bacteria fast, or else you’ll have to do daily water changes for like a month until those bacteria naturally get established and then you can switch to weekly changes.
Keeping bare tanks like this is actually a lot more work that many beginners think. Heavily planted tanks look like a lot of work but over the long term you can cut down on the maintenance you have to do by putting in some work up front.
The three things you can do that will get you the most results for your effort (assuming you’re like me and want to cut down on the maintenance) is:
1. Buy some beneficial bacteria from a fish store and add it to the aquarium. The employees will know
2. Adding surfaces for the bacteria to grow on, like substrate and especially gravel, will help
3. And once you have gravel you might as well add some plants that will help suck up some of the waste. For beginners I’d recommend Anubias and eventually Vallisneria. If you get Vallisneria, be aware that your substrate won’t have any nutrients yet since the substrate is new so you will likely also have to buy root tabs. Over time, the fish poop will break down and fall into the gravel and the plants will be able to use that to grow
This will get you on your way to only having to do cleaning and maintenance once a week to once a month if you do it right.
onlyfakeproblems on
Things to know:
Fish poop. The poop accumulates. Accumulated poop kills the fish.
In order to break down that poop, you need to grow a nice bacteria colony on the filter. If they’re using chlorinated tap water, the chlorine kills the bacteria, the bacteria can’t break down the poop, and the fish dies.
So most important thing to do right now is use a water conditioner to remove chlorine from the water, so you can do water changes to remove the fish poop, so the poop doesn’t kill the fish.
These fish probably also need a water heater, but I’m not sure what kind they are.
Live plants are good because they help filter toxins (nitrate) out of the water, and fish like them. So it’s a good idea to add live plants. And substrate.
You can always return them to the fish store, so if all of this seems like too much work, just take them to a fish store.
michaeldoesdata on
You need to return all the fish. They will die. You cannot out living things in an empty tank like that.
This is one of the worst I’ve seen in a long time. This is really, really bad.
_pcakes on
tiger barbs and skirt tetras are both aggressive fish and they both want large schools. Upgrade the tank to 40 gallons, get real substrate, learn the nitrogen cycle and get a heater, and make sure you have at least 6 of each schooling species of fish. OR please just return them to the pet store
8 Comments
Read up on the nitrogen cycle and do a fish-in cycle, if you want these fish to stand a chance at surviving
You also need a stand, heater & light/cover – in that order.
I would recommend taking all of them back to the store or getting a much larger tank. Then tell whoever gave these fish as a gift to stop abusing animals.
The stripped fish are tiger barbs and they are aggressive. 20 gallons is the absolute minimum they should be in, but 29 gallons is even better. The other fish are skirt tetras and they also need an absolute minimum of 20 gallons. Both of these fish should be in groups of at least 6, but if you want to keep these species together in proper groups, you will need at least a 29 gallon tank.
I think we have the same wallpaper
Pets are a terrible gift idea if you’re not ready for it
Ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites result from fish waste and are toxic to fish. Look up the nitrogen cycle. You’ll need nitrogen-fixing bacteria fast, or else you’ll have to do daily water changes for like a month until those bacteria naturally get established and then you can switch to weekly changes.
Keeping bare tanks like this is actually a lot more work that many beginners think. Heavily planted tanks look like a lot of work but over the long term you can cut down on the maintenance you have to do by putting in some work up front.
The three things you can do that will get you the most results for your effort (assuming you’re like me and want to cut down on the maintenance) is:
1. Buy some beneficial bacteria from a fish store and add it to the aquarium. The employees will know
2. Adding surfaces for the bacteria to grow on, like substrate and especially gravel, will help
3. And once you have gravel you might as well add some plants that will help suck up some of the waste. For beginners I’d recommend Anubias and eventually Vallisneria. If you get Vallisneria, be aware that your substrate won’t have any nutrients yet since the substrate is new so you will likely also have to buy root tabs. Over time, the fish poop will break down and fall into the gravel and the plants will be able to use that to grow
This will get you on your way to only having to do cleaning and maintenance once a week to once a month if you do it right.
Things to know:
Fish poop. The poop accumulates. Accumulated poop kills the fish.
In order to break down that poop, you need to grow a nice bacteria colony on the filter. If they’re using chlorinated tap water, the chlorine kills the bacteria, the bacteria can’t break down the poop, and the fish dies.
So most important thing to do right now is use a water conditioner to remove chlorine from the water, so you can do water changes to remove the fish poop, so the poop doesn’t kill the fish.
These fish probably also need a water heater, but I’m not sure what kind they are.
Live plants are good because they help filter toxins (nitrate) out of the water, and fish like them. So it’s a good idea to add live plants. And substrate.
You can always return them to the fish store, so if all of this seems like too much work, just take them to a fish store.
You need to return all the fish. They will die. You cannot out living things in an empty tank like that.
This is one of the worst I’ve seen in a long time. This is really, really bad.
tiger barbs and skirt tetras are both aggressive fish and they both want large schools. Upgrade the tank to 40 gallons, get real substrate, learn the nitrogen cycle and get a heater, and make sure you have at least 6 of each schooling species of fish. OR please just return them to the pet store