Depressed tank

[meatstack]

Hi folks. I'm new to fish keeping, and your forum, so please forgive any newbie transgressions I may perform.

In our tank we started with:
2 moon tetras
1 glass catfish

After a while, the tetras spawned and we got 2 more tetras. (I think there's another couple babies in there just today.)

Then yesterday we picked up a Bronze cory to help "vacuum" up.

But here's the thing: Even after weeks, the old tetras are very skittish and stay hidden in the castle (where apparently they keep busy) and the glass catfish NEVER comes out. He has to at some point, but I NEVER see him.

The 2 newer tetras (born in the tank) have no problem swimming about.

Now the Bronze cory is also just hanging out in a corner and not really doing anything...but he's new, could be getting adjusted.

I'm attending to the water. fed twice a day, but I wonder....the tank is pretty bright. Florecent light on top, red substrate, orange and green plants...too bright? Would these guys be affected by the amount of light? all the databases I see say they should all get along, and that the temp is right..but none say anything about light levels?

Or - am I barking up the wrong tree.

 

[Tooj]

Hi there

first off, is your tank cycled? that could be a reason why your fish arent looking all that great (but im assuming your tank is cycled because youve had it for weeks now)
2ndly, i couldnt find anything on your tetras, but i beleive (could be totaly wrong) that most tetras are schooling fish. and i know for a fact that glass catfish are, which means that they feel at risk when not kept in groups with their own kind. that could also be a reason.
im not sure if your bright tank is an issue. most people like to keep substrate and decorations that match with the natural environment of the fish. but thats not a major concern imo. theyll get used to it. but if theyre feeling stressed (because of the above reasons) then theyll act in the mannor that youve discribed

the fact that your tetras have spawned is a plus. some fish, when stressed, will not spawn
what is the size of your tank?

 

[meatstack]

Thanks for the quick reply!

It's a 10 Gal. Tank, and it's been in place since 7/11/11.

as of last check (9/4/11) My numbers were:
PH: 7.6
NH: 0
NO2: 2.0
NO3: 40
Tested with Master kit, (drops) not strips.

Before I plopped the cory in yesterday I did a 25% change to get rid of some of that NO3. I wanted to give the tank a chance to mix up before I test again, and the kid's in bed (the tank is in his room) so I'll test tomorrow.

The original Tetras have never been social. Everyone likes to hang out in the castle.

Thanks again!

 

[Tooj]

ahh
it looks like your tank is just coming to the end of its cycle
give it another week or so. once the NO2 is gone, youll be able to mess around with your tank a little more
its possible that the NO3 is causing the fish hide too. when theyre stressed theyll either curl up in a ball and QQ, or theyll hide. hahaha
once your tank has cycled fully, youll be able to add more fish to form a shoal (if you choose to do so). but keep in mind that, yes, it will make them feel more comfortable and less likely to hide, but, it will require more water changes and stuff to maintain if there are more fish in there

have you tried removing the castle so they dont have anywhere to hide?? =D jk!
gl to you

 

[meatstack]

Two observations from today:
1) Tested the water, and it's not good.
PH 7.6
NH .25
NO2 5.0
NO3 80

Did another 25% change, and added some bio boost. But I'm certain there is already a large host of information in this forums about how to recover those numbers, so I'll do my homework before I start asking questions that likely have been asked 10,000 times before.

Here's the other thing: Fed the fish with the light off, and it was a party. they were all out and about. Could be from the fresher water, could be from the lack of light?

I'm wondering if it makes sense to get a gel filter for the light, just to knock the candlepower going into the tank down a couple notches. Is there cases in fish keeping where that kind of thing makes sense or is suggested?

Thanks so much for all your help.

 

[Tooj]

exactly how bright is that light anyways?
i can see how too bright of a light would stress them out. When i was doing my research on cichlids, some species were recommended to be held in a tank with floating plants to diffuse the light

those numbers are slightly high. something could have set off a mini cycle in your tank (possibly over feeding? they only really need to eat a meal the size of their eye in a day - from what ive heared) what i would do is cut back on feeding to once a day, if not, every other day. just a little bit of food. that way they produce less waste until you get that ammonia out of there. do a 50% water change with water thats been sitting out of the tank for a day (so that the temperature is roughly equal, and the conditioners have gotten a chance to do its thing). i would also recommend doing a 25% water change every day, or every other day, or whenever you get a break in your week. it might take a little longer for the cycle to complete, but itll save your fish imo

 

[meatstack]

Another 25-30% change today. Stopped in the store and picked up a gravel vac, and sucked up a lot of nasty. I'm thinking the vast amount of bio-waste at the bottom of the tank kept the NO3's high, We'll test again tomorrow.

Today's numbers:
pH 7.6
NH 0
N02 0
NO 3 80

So, I only assume that the bacteria is heathy in the tank, and it's eating up the junk as fast as it can, which is why I'm not making progress on the NO3. I'll just keep doing this until it's better.

But - I digress. While there I found the oldest worker in there, and asked about this. Here's what he mentioned. First of all, like you mentioned, Glass catfish like schools. In addition. they are Nocturnal! I didn't notice at the time, but did today, that they kept them in a moonlight tank. Newbie mistake there.

He also suggested making sure the OTHER lights are on before turning that light on, and that watch the tank from a bit back. They school too, so they are skittish with so few numbers.

All told? just a couple newb mistakes in fish choices. It's hard to convince a 6 year old not to rush the tank when there's fish visible. It's also hard for him to understand a ton of food is not needed. I'm working on it though.

Thanks for all your help, as always

 

[OrangeCones]

It's also hard for him to understand a ton of food is not needed.

When my nephew came to visit, he also wanted to feed the fish A LOT. I got a 7day pill box (like those to keep your medicine or vitamins organized) and put a small amount of food in each compartment. I also had a calendar on the wall. Together we would check the day, open only THAT day on the 'fish food box' and feed the fish. Then we'd cross off the day on the calendar. Kept him from re-feeding the fish 3, 4, or 10 times a day!

 

[meatstack]

that's a great idea OrangeCones. Thanks!

I've done four straight days of water changes. NO3 is down to 40-50 ppm. will probably take it easy tomorrow, and do another one on Saturday. I'd like to get that number down to 20 at most...

Is that an reasonable and healthy goal?

 

[OrangeCones]

I do water changes when my nitrate levels get up to 20ppm. I would suggest a goal of under 20.

Just my 2cents.
OC

 

[Tooj]

ohhh i didnt know glass catfish were nocturnal, hahaha that would explain alot!
i love the look of the guys, but whenever i see them in the fish store, theyre always so...inactive. thanks for the info

as you mentioned, too much food at the bottom is probably whats keeping those levels pretty high. the bacteria wont be able to keep up with the waste in the tank. good choice on the gravel vac

as far as NO3, under 20 is a reasonable goal because anything over that would lead to discomfort for the fish. although you might not see any differences in their activity, theyll sure love less NO3. youll be able to get there without much problem with more water changes and less food going into the tank. keep in mind that you could possibly feed them 10 times a day (although no recommended), just that, in theory, you would have to do massive amounts of water changes just to keep up with the waste produced. Less goes in, less comes out, less NO3 for you to get rid of via water changes

 

[meatstack]

Quick point of clarification. After a lot more research, what I have is a form of platy. This particular aquarium store calls them blue coral moon, but it seems that that's what they are...and they have bred again!. Thanks everyone for your help. The water changes really has seemed to do a lot. I'm still considering putting a gel over the light to cut the brightness some, but I don't think its needed.

 

[Tooj]

hahaha no wonder!
platies breed like crazy, tetras are a little harder; as they are egg layers.
glad we could help, good luck to you