Uncycled tank able to house struggling Tetra?

Rocketman

Rocketman

Detroit; proud of it.
Oct 24, 2002
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Detroit, MI
Real Name
Reid
Hi. I don't know how many of you remember me, its been awhile now. Anyway, I finally got that tank that I have been pestering everyone about. Its been running for about 11 days now. I was out of town for all but two of them, and since I added (only one) live plant from a well-established tank, I am not sure if it has cycled or not. Either way, its a 60 Gallon with an Eheim 2026 on it. Ammonia is 0, Nitrates I am unsure about, (a little short on cash; couln't get the test kit, damn.) Nitrites are at 0, and pH at 7.8, which is the same as the Red-Eyed Tetra is in now.So this Red-Eyed Tetra everyone told me would be picked on has been now; he isn't looking to get in the back, looks like someone chomped. Anyway, I was wondering if it would be safe to put this Tetra in the 60 Gallon tank. I dont have any other Tetra's, but maybe I should put my cory in there? He is also a little small, but can hold his own.
So, the bottom line is this; would the Tetra be better in an uncycled tank by himself or in an aggressive one? Also, I was thinking of populating the new tank with red-eyed Tetra's, so I could get him some friends if it made him more comfertable . I stil can't spell though.
 
Hey im tryin to get this back up to the top b/c Im not sure how much longer that tetra can hold out. I just gave the 45 gallon (the one with him in it) some feeders.
 
I would go with the uncycled tank and just do vigilant water testing for Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates. The nitrates are still very important because high nitrates isn't going to help him any, so I'd also buy a nitrate test kit. Good luck! :)
 
I'd separate him. One little fish in a big tank like that won't generate enough ammonia to cause him problems. By the time it would build up to a high enough concentration, the bacteria will have started growing. Keep a close eye on him and do frequent water changes just to be safe. I'm sure he'll be fine. I don't know much about tetras, but they like to be in groups, don't they? If that's true, then getting a few more wouldn't hurt.
 
Thanks. I guess that will work. Maybe I will do it tonite.
 
Well the alternatives seem to be getting the one fish killed or doing a fishy cycle of the 60 with some red-eye tetras. Were you going to do fishless or were you going to go fishy in that tank anyway?

I was just browsing over at your site and you seem to have gone through quite a few fish. :( You really should try to get a handle on that.

If you want to save the tetra and are planning on going fishy anyway, I'd bring over some filter media and some gravel from the established tank and hope for the best. Introduce the rest of the fish slowly and keep on top of your chem levels and water changes. If he's already way stressed his chances of surviving even more stress isn't great, so you'd really have to stay on top of it.

The other option, the one I think I'd go with, would be to get him a breeder net or some kind of in tank quarantine were you can keep him out of harm's way until you can get the 60 fishlessly cycled. Then move some of the large aggressive and overstocked fish to the bigger tank and keep the 45 for the tetras and whichever of its current inhabitants are going to be small enough
and peaceful enough to stay. The current stock of the 45 will probably still be a lot in the 60. Some of the larger and more aggressive fish are going to have to go over to the 60 at some point anyway. No point in having the tetras waiting.

Not that I want to get too harsh, but if I were going to go and spend a lot of money on a big grown out trophy fish, I wouldn't be spending it on a beat up, possibly stunted, possibly sick fish that had just spent a year or two in a too small tank. And if I owned a fish store I wouldn't risk selling that kind of fish to a serious collector type who's willing to come in and drop some bucks on a grown out trophy fish -- that's more likely to be a money customer who is going to value my judgement and at the very least give me a good business in feeders.

I was out at a first rate fish shop on Long Island a few weeks back and one of the other customers bought a thousand feeder guppies and a hundred feeder goldfish. They carried the crates out to the car for her. They're not going to sell her the bala after you bring it back, and she's the one who's going to be buying that kind of fish.

That's why I don't like the "I'll sell it back in a year" thing. Start with fish that fit when they're finished.

Good luck with it.

EDIT: I just reread that, and it seems kind of harsh. I was trying to keep it from being harsh, but, um, you seem to have gone through quite a few fish. :(
I can't figure out how else to say it.
 
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Hey, I understand what your trying to say carpguy. The truth is that the 45 Gallon is my mother's tank, in the kitchen, and the 60 is mine in my room. The fish that are in that tank (the 45) are meant to stay there, and the tetra and cory are there from when we had smaller fish. I was thinking of transferring them to my (60) tank, because the large fish (tin foils) are meant to stay in my mothers tank as the 'main attraction' if you will. We weren't aware that they grew so much when we first got them. Either way, the sitution is better then it was before, if you ever followed my 'Overstock' thread a few months back. Either way, I have been trying to get some more fish out of the 45 gallon for awhile, but I can't convince my mother.
So, I'm using power filters (emps and whisper) on the 45 gallon, I have an Eheim 2026 on the 60. I added a lone live plant, but since I hadnt been planing on adding fish untill the 18th, (40% off at the LFS) I was't to worried about it. I think I wil try to transfer the Tetra soon, If my mother lets me.
I'm really to old for this already...
 
Rocketman,
I'm still young enough to really hate sounding like the reasonable old man. Now that you mention it, I remember the unreasonable Mom thread.

Sometimes its a little too easy to go on a tear… No offense intended and I hope you can get the fish through.
 
Haha carp guy. I know what you mean, and sometimes maybe I try for more sympathy then I deserve. I added two guppies to the tank, not quite fully grown. I wanted to see if A) the Tetra would eat them and B) If they could survive in a 60 Gallon. They wont get eatin, but just by a little. So I have to keep the guppy breeding in the 15 gallon. Big 40% off sale at the LFS next weekend; suggestions anyone?
So far, here are my parameters:
0 Ammonia, 0 NitrItes, 7.6-7.8 pH, 6 German Degrees KH (Carbonate Hardness) and 0-1 Degress GH. I have not seen any Ammonia nor nitrites yet because I was unable to test for the first week and a half. Two days ago I added another live plant and large rock from an established tank. Have not use any chemicals to alter any of my water stats.
So, what do you think I can put in this tank? I started a new thread, http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3694 there you can tell me what you think.
 
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