Vitara died. :( Do I have to start all over?

Rava

Rava

Betta Babe
Dec 26, 2002
223
0
16
CA
After 5 weeks of not eating, Vitara has finally gone. I re-did her tank about two weeks ago- new gravel and two new plants (picture below). So what's next? Do I need to completely clean out the tank and cycle again? What should my next step be? And any suggestions for new fish? I've found the natural decor` looks tasteful but bland, so I'd like some colorful fish to dress it up some. Maybe some male guppies or something? It's 5 gallons.

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Thanks! :)
 
Are those all fake plants? If so, I'd recommend doing a fishless cycle. Most, if not all, of your good bacteria will be dead by now since they've had no food source. Hopefully there has been some old food/fish poo in there to feed them and you'll still have a little, if so the cycle will go much quicker.

Get a test kit and read up on fishless cycling (search here or on google). Then start adding your ammonia and testing.

I think a couple of male guppies would look great in there! You might get by with 3 male guppies even, but be sure not to get any females. You don't need a buncha babies too :)

Does that tank have a filter at all? If not, you might consider getting a small sponge filter for it. That would help keep the water circulated a bit and give you more places for bacteria to grow. Good luck and let us know what you decide :)
 
Yes, they are all fake. I was really pleased with the one on the far right (I just bought it), as the package claimed it looks realistic in your tank, and it really does look great! I totally forgot that there wouldn't be good bacteria with no food/poop in there...

What test kit do I need (like for what) and which one/brand would you recommend?

I was wondering if it was possible to house a red and blue Paradise fish in there? Would I be able to have another small fish or two with a Paradise? Would I need a filter for a Paradise?

It doesn't currently have any filter. I don't know why, but I have a strange aversion to them... I think I have bad memories of the noise. I don't like the hum of them. But I could do that if necessary. :)

Thanks for your help!
 
I asked about the plants because I wasn't real sure on that one. It does look great :)

Most test "kits" have ph, gh/kh, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. The main tests you need for cycling are ammonia and nitrite. Any brand should be fine, some people have preferences for some over others. I just buy whatever I can get locally when I need it usually.

Not real sure about paradise fish, hopefully someone else will respond that has experience with them. You're very limited with a 5 gallon.

Filters can be noisy, the sponge filters run on an air pump which can be extra noisy. You can do things to quiet an air pump down a bit though (cushion it, etc). The reason I suggested a sponge filter is that I'm not sure you can get power filters for a tank that size. My tanks run very quiet as long as I keep the water level up. The most noise they make is splashing water when the water gets low. I doubt that a filter would be an absolute requirement though, especially if you didn't overstock it (the three guppies I suggested earlier would be overstocked IMO).
 
an aquaclear mini turned all the way down should work on that tank. if there's still too much flow, lift the intake tupe un about 1/4" to get it down even more. should be about silent as well.
 
My whisper and powerhead together make only a slight bit of noise, and are really soothing at night when I sleep. I have two blue paradise in there, and I'm going to finish out the tank with some cories- once I fix up the hood with moon lighting and put in some live plants.
 
oh, another thing: paradise can be very hard on their tankmates, especially in a 5 gallon. Perhaps some ghost shrimp and snails would do to keep him company. If you do decide on something like dwarf cories, introduce them a day or two ahead of the paradise. That way when the paradse fish is setting up his territory, the cories won't* bother him..

* = no promises though... Some paradise fish just can't stand ANYTHING near them...
 
I'm a newbie and all so please take what I say with a grain of salt but I bought FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc, cost about $20 and I like it. It is very simple to use and seems to work well. There may be better test sets out there but I have been happy with this one for now.

Also, this probably doesn't help you but I bought an eclipse 6 six gallon tank, it comes with a filter and I never even hear the thing, it is very quiet!
 
Thank you everyone! :)

I'll look into a filter. I half hate to just put one fish in there again. It's just not much to look at- no matter how pretty it is. And so far I've been unsuccessful finding pygmy cories (which I'm told are what I'd need for them to fit in there- as opposed to dwarf cories). There's a new pet store that just opened up locally, and I need to check the phone book for LFS's, though, so I haven't exhausted my options. I just can't decide what to do. I hate being so limited with my 5 gal., but I really don't have room for even a 10 gal. :( So I think I'll figure the test kit is my first step. Need to find one of those somewhere... ($20?! *sigh*) Then I'll look around and see what I can find as far as fish go. How depressing to be so limited... lol

Bravo- thanks so much for your recommendation! I appreciate it. :)

Thanks again everyone! I'll keep you updated on my findings.
 
Rava said:
Bravo- thanks so much for your recommendation! I appreciate it. :)
Click to expand...

No problem! I have done nothing but take, take, take from this forum...if I can give back, even just a little, it makes me feel better! :D

13BRAVO

PS - Not sure who is right here but my wife said that the test kit cost me $30...I could of sworn it was $20 but I may be wrong. If I was, sorry aboot that! :o
 
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