Neons

Question
QUESTION: Hi Kathryn __
 I have recently set up a 28 gallon bow front, This tank is still in it's intiall cycling stage,( around 1 month or so )  I have added about a dozen neon tetra's and very much enjoy their colorful presence! __ I am however used to larger tanks and different fish from past ownership __

My question is wether or not I should be concerned as to the aggressive behavior of 3/4 of these guys, or are they perhaps just playing some kind of fish tag? lol

ty

Gary G ~
ANSWER: Hello Gary,
Tetras are generally very peaceful fish and only several species normally show aggression, but most like to play and have fun. It is just normal for them to be chasing each other a bit. My Tetras do it too. In fact, they can actually play games such as who can get closest to the filter without being blown away by the current. So, no, nothing to worry about.
The cycling should have finished by now. It only usually takes around 2 weeks. Have you actually cycled it with pure bottled ammonia or just left it to stand? It won't cycle without a source of ammonia, either produced by fish waste, or in a bottle. What happens is the ammonia shoots up, and drops, then the nitrite, then the nitrate. When the nitrate is around 40ppm do an 80 percent water change. When the cycle is complete, you should have 0.0 ammonia and nitrite, and under 20ppm of nitrate (you can buy test kits at your local fish shop).

If you have any questions about stocking  the tank, please feel free to ask. I also have a similar sized tank, so I should be able to give you some ideas.

Best of luck,
Kathryn

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QUESTION: AAhh thanks for being so thorough Kathryn, This tank has been thru to many changes I fear!  First it was crystal clear, then I started adding a clarifier once the clouding begam, followed by several 2 or 3 gallon water changes as well as rinsing the filter media _ It has now been standing for approx 1 week with no interference from me__  The test strips always show normal in all ranges except low P/H...

Yes the Tetras love to get propelled away from the filter flow outlet  lol  and am glad to hear tey are probably just playing rather than territorial stuff ; )

thanks again   

Gary ~
ANSWER: Hello again Gary,
Even 0.1 of ammonia or nitrite can be harmful, so make sure they are 0.0 exactly. 30 percent water changes every couple of days will lower them.
When they are 0.0, you can resume back to 30 percent water changes weekly which you should maintain, well, forever, unless your fish are ill, when you should do water changes more regularly.

Neon Tetras like acidic water (low pH) so that is good.
Give them bloodworm, brineshrimp or daphnia once a week as well as their normal flake food to keep them nice and colourful.

If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Best of luck,
Kathryn

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QUESTION: That did the trick !!! Water and fish look bright and clear :) Do you think adding a Bala and perhaps a little cori type bottom feeder would be a good combo? or maybe just let the Neon's have ther kingdom?  I am fond of clown loaches and plati's also but need to keep overpopulating in mind! Anyway thanks so much for your advice __ I once was friends with a tropical fish store owner here in town, till she moved on to other things, and having her expertise was such a wonderful part of the experience __  Yours is very much appreciated as well :)

All for now,

Gary ~
ANSWER: Hi,
I'm glad it worked for you.
Bala sharks need around 180 litres (yours is around 110 litres) so that is not the best idea. They can also be very aggressive.
Most catfish grow too large for that tank, but dwarf Corydoras such as Panda Corydoras, Peppered Corydoras, Albino Corydoras or Bronze Corydoras will be fine. I have some Pandas in my tank too. I would recommend buying 4 or 5.
Clown Loaches are very popular for quite small tanks, but they grow to 12 inches long and need around 240 litres, so they would need to be rehomed very quickly if you were to buy them.

Do you know the actual number of Tetras?
If it is between 10 and 13, you can have:
The Neons obviously
4 Dwarf Corydoras
1 or 2 Platies (Platies however like a higher pH, so may not fare well, although they may get accustomed to the water after a while.)

Again, please ask any questions you wish. I love answering them. :D

Best wishes,
Kathryn

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QUESTION: Hi again Kathryn __
 Your advise is good as I am used to having a 55! The little cory's would be a nice addition and keep things clean too :)  I will prolly set up another in my bedroom now that the bug is back lol __  Do your neon's go thru shoaling periods and then break out in aggressive chasing times throut the day ?  These little guys go crazy and spin in tight lilttle circles and seem oblivious to anything else!  what a riot :) am really enjoying having fish again!  thank for your kind offer of assistence as I miss my buddy from the store !  People at petsmart advised I not touch the water at all for 6 weeks from last monday... even if it gets smelly and stays cloudy  sheesh   talk about leading one astray huh__

all for now,  

Gary ~
ANSWER: Hiya Gary,
Thank you. Yes, when you buy one tank you just water more. It is a very contagious disease! Haha.
I don't have Neons, but I have different Tetras, and yes, throughout the day they go from being very quiet to playing games and chasing one another all the time. I'm glad you're enjoying them.
Small fish, big personality is what I say!

I would never trust PetSmart for good advice or quality of animals. Have a look through this website and the pictures:
Not all about fish but it is still awful what they do:
http://www.peta.com/feat-petsmart.asp
You should watch the video as well. It is quite disturbing but very effective. Poor things.
So, no, leaving the tank for 6 weeks would make no difference.

Looking forward to hearing from you again soon,
Kathryn

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QUESTION: Very compelling the video is !!!  I had a sneaking suspicion they were just another money grubbing get it however we can organization !  How truly sad !  Now that I vomited that out I was wondering if perhaps you know the square root of pie ?  lolhttp://news.aol.com/partners/usa-today/_a/pet-food-recall-affects-90-brands/2007  heres another one for ya although not in the same money grubbing arena...

Gary
ANSWER: Hi,
Yes, it is horrible what they do to the animals.
Thanks for the link. That does seem worrying! I'm not an expert on cat and dog food so I can't comment much about it though.
Thanks again,
Best wishes,
Kathryn

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QUESTION: In answer to your question I have 12 neon's so the cory plex addition sounds good _  I believe I had Julii or leopard coryadoras __ and some schwartzi variety __ I just loved those lil buggars __  sounds as though they might be a bit large for my current set up though right ?   I remember having a pictus and he was quite a cool fish as well __ you can always e mail me at my Gwolf5777@aol.com addy also

thanks

Gary

Answer
Hello,
You could have Leopard Cories instead of a dwarf variety, you will probably just have to have 1 or 2 less because they're bigger. A pictus catfish is another good idea, but you would probably have to get just 1 or 2 of them, but no cories. Blue Rams are lovely peaceful Cichlids, so they are another idea. Of course you can't have all these fish but I'm sure we can work out a good mixture for you.

I'll email you some time.

Best of luck,
Kathryn