Total newbie needs help/advice

[fishluvr]

Hello again everyone. I have a question about my 5.5 gallon tank.. I had a pleco in my tank earlier this week, and unfortunatelly he didn't make it :( I'm not sure exactly why, but i'm sure it has to do with the fact that he was the first fish I put in the tank :(

Now that my tank is empty again, i'm wanting to get some more fish for it, and I need some advice. Other then removing the dead pleco, I have not touched the tank - it's still running, filtering, etc.

1) Is the tank ok for me to put new fish in? Or do I need to change out the water, and start anew? I checked the PH the other day and it was quite high.. over 8 I belive... but I have been unable to bring this down for quite some time... is this a problem or should I just leave it alone? I purchased some wardley's 7.0 and used that before I put my pleco in, when I setup my tank and let it cycle, but no change in ph...

2) When I do get the tank all set for fish (if it isn't already) what is a good kind of fish to keep? I was considering neon tetras, as i've had them before (different tank, long ago hehe) and loved them.

That's all I can think of at the moment, thanks in advance for all your help, I need all the help I can get!

- Joe :)

[ChilDawg]

I would suggest an aggressive water change, as you don't know what killed your plec. However, he probably was not comfortable in such small environs. There are many threads here on fishless cycling, and after you change the water in the tank and start over, you should go that route before getting any new fish.

Neons are not good for that small of a tank--they need more space to move around and need to be in schools--something which would quickly overload your biofiltration in such a small space. I would instead suggest a Betta, an Oto, and a Cory.

[karfixer]

Before you worry too much about your Ph, check with the store you will be buying the fish from and find out the Ph of their water. Tropical fish are quite adapable and will do quite well in different water conditions-but rapid changes in condition can cause problems and leave your fish open for disease. Invest in a water test kit that ha Ph, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate minimum. HTH, Steve

[Sharyl C]

You should also test your source water that you are using for your water changes. I know where I live it runs about 8.6-9.0 sometimes, it just depends on what the water company is doing to it that month. If you are adding stuff to bring pH down and then doing a water change with 9.0 water...its not going to help.

Double check you decor. Your pH will also be high if you have things like sea shells, coral bits, or calcium carbonate type rocks.

Also, from your post I got the sense that you were a little confused on what it means to have a tank cycled. Cycled is used to describe a tank that has been allowed to establish the necessary bacterial colonies needed to metabolize the nitrogenous waste products excreted by fish. This can be done with fish or fish-less, but it must be done before you can fully stock your tank. If you are not familiar with this look up info on the Nitrogen Cycle in an aquarium - I'm sure there is something on AC about it.

As an additional note: as the water of a tank matures the natural tendancy of the pH is to decrease - so assuming you never did a water change or anything like that on a tank the pH can go from 8.5 to 6.0 with out adding any chemical adjusters.

[OrionGirl]

pH is unstable only when buffers are low, or there is a secondary reaction taking place. For example, the normal production of ammonia/nitrites can impact the pH, as can CO2, and asoftening agents like driftwood. Water, left in a glass, will not change significantly once any gasoff has occurred. Mature tanks with dipping pH are usually the result on inadequate water changes and buffers. The buffers get used up by the various chemicals from fish/plant respiration, and without an influx of buffer, the pH is unstable. This isn't normal, and should be addressed.

However, the use of chemicals (pHdown/up, ect) are not good. Not only are they only a short term fix (they don't address the underlying cause), but they bring with them several additives that won't help your tank.

So, my advice: First, read up on cycling an aquarium. There are several stickies here about the process.

Second: Do a full water change on your tank. Refill using water treated with a product to treat chlorine/chloramines as appropriate.

Third: Select fish that will do well solitary, or in very small groups of 2-3, that stay small. Pleco's don't fit the bill, nor do neons. Maybe a dwarf gouramie or a betta, along with 2-3 smaller cories like pandas.

[ChilDawg]

2-3 Cories in a 5.5 gallon?

IMHO, There would be a lot of water changing involved with that suggestion!

[OrionGirl]

I was thinking of the smaller cories, like the pandas and dwarf cories, which stay right around an inch or so. Definitely not for any greens or bronzes--way too big a fish.

[ChilDawg]

I gotcha. Thanks for clarifying that for me.

[fishluvr]

Thanks for all the input friends! It was mentioned above that a betta, an Oto, and a Cory would be good for my tank... but i'm unsure what an 'Oto' and a 'Cory' is... can anyone enlighten me please? :) Thanks!

[OrionGirl]

Oto is short for otocynclus, a small sucker mouthed fish. Cories refers to member of the corydoras family, and are sometimes called armoured catfish. Check http://www.planetcatfish.com/core/index.htm for more info on both. They are lots of cories--look into pygmy/dwarf, panda, skunks. You will want to get cories that stay smaller than about 1.5 inches in order to have 3--the minimum number for happy cories.

[fishluvr]

Here's a question for all you folks out there.. after looking at the different fish everyone recommended.. i'm thinking of going with 3-4 cory's (either panda or dwarf, not sure yet.. anyone have any personal favorites?) and a betta.

My question(s) are.. will 5 fish (4 corys and a betta ) be ok in a 5.5 gallon tank? I'd tend to think they would be, but then again i'm the newby here :) If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!

[OrionGirl]

They will be fine, if you are willing to follow the needed maintenance routine. If you just buy the fish and throw them in, nope. Wouldn't matter if it was just one fish.

So, to help out: Cycle the tank fishlessly. This will get you in the habit of monitoring the tank in addition to establishing the appropriate bacterial colonies. Once the tank is established, get the cories as a group. I really love the dwarf cories--they are a midwater fish, with great schooling even in small spaces. A day or two later, get the betta. Continue testing daily to make sure the tank is stable. Keep track of nitrates as they start to climb, so you can determine how often you need to change water--I'm guessing once a week will be acceptable. Once you've determined this, you can change to a more relaxed testing schedule. You could also add some low light live plants at this point (anubias has some nice dwarf versions, and crypts tend to do well). The live plants will help your tank maintain stability and benefit the fish as well.

Small tanks require more attention than large ones, in part because the small tanks change more quickly than a larger volume of water, but also because they tend to be stocked either very lightly, or very close to the max. Having the tank be succesful relies on the keeper's diligence.

[fishluvr]

Thanks so much for the replies!

My next logical newb question would be what kind of a test kit do you recommend i get? I have a ph test kit... but everyone keeps talking about nitrates, nitrites, etc. and I'm not sure i've seen a test kit for these..? Is this something I could pick up at a Petco or a Walmart? Thanks again for all the help!

[pinballqueen]

Sure, you can get a test kit at Walmart that covers almost everything you need. I got a kit that has ammonia, ph, gh/kh, and nitrite for 20 bucks or so. The nitrAte kit will probably have to come from either your lfs or a pet supply house like petco.

the testing supplies last a pretty long time, so it's not too much money to invest for them...