do you have any suggestions?

[chevykid78]

i bought 2 black tetras and 2 scissortail tetras on saturday(5 days ago) i put all 4 fish in a 5 gallon tank (i know they should probably be in a bigger tank but i cant afford it). i have a "bio-wheel 3-stage filtration"(thats right off the box). and a fllourescent light (not heat producing). i also have a live plant (i cant remember what it is called) and a plastic plant for decoration. i dont have a heater or a thermometer.(should i get them?) and yes im a beginner this is the first time ive had a fish other then a betta. please if you have any suggestions to any changes or any objections to what im doing (i wont take it offensively) please post it i can use all the help possible!

p.s. yes i did use some chlore-out. :help:

 

[sunshine06]

i bought 2 black tetras and 2 scissortail tetras on saturday(5 days ago) i put all 4 fish in a 5 gallon tank (i know they should probably be in a bigger tank but i cant afford it). i have a "bio-wheel 3-stage filtration"(thats right off the box). and a fllourescent light (not heat producing). i also have a live plant (i cant remember what it is called) and a plastic plant for decoration. i dont have a heater or a thermometer.(should i get them?) and yes im a begginer this is the first time ive had a fish other then a betta. please if you have any suggestions to any changes or any objections to what im doing (i wont take it offensively) please post it i can use all the help possible!

p.s. yes i did use some chlore-out. :help:

I would put them in a larger tank as they are schooling fish and like to swim. They are also considered tropical fish a heater would be a good idea as would a thermometer to make sure that your temperature is not fluctuating.

 

[phanmc]

Hate to tell you this but there isn't alot of choices for a 5 gallon tank. Blackskirt tetras are one of the larger tetras and, like all tetras, prefer to be in larger groups. Scissortails will stay smaller but also prefer to be in groups.

Please return the blackskirts and maybe get 3 more scissortails. Personally, I'd return the scissortails as well. For a 5 gallon tank, I'd only recommend a betta or some guppies for a tank that small.

Unless your room temperature is relatively constant day and night, definately get a heater for the tank. Large temperature change can weaken the health of a fish. a thermometer is useful so you can keep an eye on the temp, especially now since its nearing summertime.

Oh, if you don't have a water test kit to test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates get one. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates to a lesser extent are toxic to fishes. The tests will tell you when you need to change the water to remove those elements. If you are unsure about using the water test kits then I recommend doing a 25-50% water change twice a week for the first month, once a week afterwards.

 

[Holly9937]

Actually scissortails can get a good 4 inches or so, and are pretty active, not a good choice for a 5 gallon. Neither of the fish are very good for a 5g tank. Its fine if you can't get a larger tank, but you should consider returning what you have and getting fish appropriate for the tank you do have!! A betta, some snails, an adf or two, any of those would be nice for that size tank. Get something that will happy in what you have for now, and in the meantime, save your money for a larger tank if thats what you want :idea2:

 

[chevykid78]

thank you for the sugestions!

but i have another question. what exactly is cycling or where can i find info on what it is and how to do it. i know NOTHING about taking care of these fish besides that they need food, light, and some darkness and seriously thats all i know.

for the 4 fish that i have what would be the (at minimum) ideal size tank? i was also thinking of buying at least two more of the scissor tail.

 

[Holly9937]

At a minimum, both of the fish you have should be kept in a group of 3, more ideally a group of 6 so that they are happy and school at all. For 3 of each, I would say 10g and thats pushing it, for 6 of each a 20 would be nice. You really don't want to add anything else to the tank you have. Check the stickys at the top of this page, there is a ton of info. on cycling. or do an ask/google search and you will get a ton of info. Until you get test kits, you should be changing at least 50% of the water everyday, if not more often. Amonia and nitrite will build up very quickly in a tank that size with that number of fish and they are FATAL to the fish! Reading about cycling will help you understand what is going on in your tank, and how to keep your fish alive