20 Tall tank. New to hobby. Basic Questions
- Thread starter Giggles
- Start date
Well since I can't quantifiably say what the breeding of the angel I buy is, I think I shall just go without.
Plants are in. Pictures follow.
How long am I expecting the cycle to take? Is a bacterial bloom normal (and good indicator)?
EDIT: Pics
From purple to red!
Plants are in. Pictures follow.
How long am I expecting the cycle to take? Is a bacterial bloom normal (and good indicator)?
EDIT: Pics
From purple to red!
Last edited:
Cycling can take from four to ten weeks - keeping your tank a tad warm will speed it up, say 80ºF ish.
Bacterial blooms are common but not inevitable as your tank establishes it's own microbe-ecosystem. They're harmless. Be careful not to overfeed your tank with flake - I use the same technique to much success but have noticed if I over do it I tend to get bacterial blooms.
I've been told that the best way to break up one school of fish is to add another school of fish. I'm not sure that's universal, though.
One suggestion for a school I did like was the zebra danios; they stay a little higher in the column than your rasboras will plus they like to occasionally chase other fish, for fun it seems, and that may encourage your rasboras to maintain a school.
Bacterial blooms are common but not inevitable as your tank establishes it's own microbe-ecosystem. They're harmless. Be careful not to overfeed your tank with flake - I use the same technique to much success but have noticed if I over do it I tend to get bacterial blooms.
I've been told that the best way to break up one school of fish is to add another school of fish. I'm not sure that's universal, though.
One suggestion for a school I did like was the zebra danios; they stay a little higher in the column than your rasboras will plus they like to occasionally chase other fish, for fun it seems, and that may encourage your rasboras to maintain a school.
Don't count on many "schooling" fish to actually school. I keep neon tetras and zebra danios and all they do is fight over territory and heirarchy. The reason I think has been discussed on another thread which is that the fish need to feel threatened somehow. As long as they can maintain visual contact with each other all the time and there is no predator they won't school. Instead they just chase each other around. A 20 gallon tank unfortunately is not long enough that they'll break visual contact. You may get to see it with the neons after you change the water. That spooks them for a little while and when you add a new fish 
. My female betta and neon tetras were so scared of each other intially that my betta kept swimming in the front while the tetras schooled along the back. After a few hours though the tetras realized the betta wasn't a threat so they just stopped schooling and went everywhere seperately. I honestly hate zebra danios as they do the same behavior but aren't nearly as colorful as the neons but that's personal taste
If you want to see behavior get cory cats. They are incredibly cute and have tons of personality. Mine a lot of times liked to race up and down the glass. I thought of them as miniature airplanes taking off, landing, and taking off again. They like to pair up frequently and they definitely are social creatures who appreciate their own kind.
. My female betta and neon tetras were so scared of each other intially that my betta kept swimming in the front while the tetras schooled along the back. After a few hours though the tetras realized the betta wasn't a threat so they just stopped schooling and went everywhere seperately. I honestly hate zebra danios as they do the same behavior but aren't nearly as colorful as the neons but that's personal tasteIf you want to see behavior get cory cats. They are incredibly cute and have tons of personality. Mine a lot of times liked to race up and down the glass. I thought of them as miniature airplanes taking off, landing, and taking off again. They like to pair up frequently and they definitely are social creatures who appreciate their own kind.
Put an oscar in with 'em? That might make the neons school! :evil_lol: Bwah hah hah hah!
Last edited:
Hey all, thanks for the advice/help.
I cycled the tank and added some plants (hygro, lace fern and something the shop called violet.) as in previous pics. I'll probably take that thing out from the front though.
I put in 5 harlequin rasboras and they have settled down and seem to be behaving normally. However they haven't gotten their colour back yet, and it's been almost 2 weeks. I've been told that they lose their colour when stressed or when the water conditions are not optimal, do you think it's because they need some more to school properly, the water might be off or they're just slower then average?
And one final problem, Snails. First I saw a bunch of 'fish poop' appearing on the driftwood, which i thought was a little odd, and then I found a snail wandering around. I've taken 3 out of the tank, and I know there's at least one more somewhere, can I get an ID please? The pics might be a bit hard to make out, they're quite small at the moment. They are about 5-7mm long, or the same size as the harlequin's black triangle. Underwater their shell seemed to be translucent with dark brown speckes. Taken out they seemed much darker, but still speckled. If anyone knows if they are pests or even could just ID them I would be very thankful.
I cycled the tank and added some plants (hygro, lace fern and something the shop called violet.) as in previous pics. I'll probably take that thing out from the front though.
I put in 5 harlequin rasboras and they have settled down and seem to be behaving normally. However they haven't gotten their colour back yet, and it's been almost 2 weeks. I've been told that they lose their colour when stressed or when the water conditions are not optimal, do you think it's because they need some more to school properly, the water might be off or they're just slower then average?
And one final problem, Snails. First I saw a bunch of 'fish poop' appearing on the driftwood, which i thought was a little odd, and then I found a snail wandering around. I've taken 3 out of the tank, and I know there's at least one more somewhere, can I get an ID please? The pics might be a bit hard to make out, they're quite small at the moment. They are about 5-7mm long, or the same size as the harlequin's black triangle. Underwater their shell seemed to be translucent with dark brown speckes. Taken out they seemed much darker, but still speckled. If anyone knows if they are pests or even could just ID them I would be very thankful.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...mage_result&resnum=4&ct=image&ved=0CBsQ9QEwAw
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Physa_Snail.php
I think you have a member of the physa genus of snails. I have some in my tank and their numbers seem to be pretty directly related to how much I feed above and beyond the fishes' and shrimps' needs. When I get too many for my taste, I just catch a few, squish 'em, and toss 'em out.
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Physa_Snail.php
I think you have a member of the physa genus of snails. I have some in my tank and their numbers seem to be pretty directly related to how much I feed above and beyond the fishes' and shrimps' needs. When I get too many for my taste, I just catch a few, squish 'em, and toss 'em out.
Last edited:
The generic term is "pond snails"...eminently squishable IMHO
Keep an eye out for the egg clusters which can be anywhere...I often find them on the silicone tank seams. scrape the eggs off with a fingernail, catch them in a net and toss 'em.
If you have ramshorn snails in the tank they compete with the pondies and keep the numbers down.
Keep an eye out for the egg clusters which can be anywhere...I often find them on the silicone tank seams. scrape the eggs off with a fingernail, catch them in a net and toss 'em.
If you have ramshorn snails in the tank they compete with the pondies and keep the numbers down.
I keep a few rummy nose tetra's in my tank and they are excellent schooling fish, but picky. They can be quite tempermental with water conditions, so they should be added once the tank has been cycled.
