my newly bought fish tank

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leafcat

Small Fish
#1
Aug 3, 2012
24
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#1
I've just bought my first ever fish tank (13G) tank to start with and set it all up
(heater, thermometer and a filter), put an API tap water conditioner, API quick start and a Bioclear (removes harmful daily waste, has natural micro-organisms beneficial to fish).

A few questions I have in mind:

1. After filling up the tank with water, I've noticed that there were plenty of tiny air bubbles on the
upper part of the glass tank. Are these normal and okay for the fish? How will I get rid of these? I have seen plenty of fish tanks without it.

2. I tested my fish tank's pH (tap water) through API pH kit and resulted to be alkaline (about 7.6+). I followed
the instructions to get the pH down, but it didn't have an effect. What do I need to put/do to rectify this. I've read that I should get a pH of 7 for different tropical fish to survive (mixing guppies/gouramis/catfish?)

3. My filter makes bubbles but not as many as from what I've seen. I'm thinking it's a water pump (oxygen)
and not a filter? Is it essential/beneficial to have one for a tropical fish tank?

4. Fishless cycle vs adding quick start (API) and tap water conditioner? From what I've read on google and on the forum, the tank needs to be cycled first, but when I went to the pet store the owner told me that I
can instantly put 1-3 fishes already after adding the quick start and tap water conditioner. Is this true? :confused: I'm thinking of adding 1-3 guppies to start with.

5. For a 13G tank, I've been also told that I can put 10 guppies and 10 gouramis, a total of 20 fishes. I'm not sure of these either, I hope the pet owner is not just after the money.


I hope someone could enlighten me with these. Any response would be greatly appreciated. Thanking in advance. *BOUNCINGS
 

metsrangersfan15

metsrangersfan15

Medium Fish
#2
Sep 5, 2011
89
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0
New Jersey
#2
1. Yes those bubbles are fine.

2. 7.6 should be fine for most fish, as long as you acclimate them in properly. if you're se on trying for a perfect 7.0 pH, buy a bucket of neutral regulator, which regulates pH to 7

3. What kind of filter is it? Most filters produce bubbles if the output is above water or if its new an is expelling air. An air pump is no necessary, though it is beneficial if you have a large number of fish.

4. Either way, you need quick start. You can cycle with fish, or without. In my personal opinion id add 3 zebra danios, let them live in the tank until the ammonia and nitrite levels drop back down to zero then add more fish. You can't cycle with guppies, however.

5. No, absolutely not.
 

metsrangersfan15

metsrangersfan15

Medium Fish
#3
Sep 5, 2011
89
0
0
New Jersey
#3
the general rule of thumb is an inch of fish per gallon. obviously this rule changes for aggressive fish or fish that affect the bioload more. you couldn't do 10 gouramis alone in a 13, let alone with 10 guppies.
 

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L

leafcat

Small Fish
#4
Aug 3, 2012
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#4
Thank you, metsrangersfan15. I've put 3 guppies in the tank and observed that their gills appears to be red? Any idea why this is happening? Also how do I cycle my tank with the guppies in it. I'm sorry for asking too many questions, but it's really my first time having a fish *GOLDFISH*
 

MdngtRain

MdngtRain

Large Fish
#5
Jan 9, 2011
288
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0
New England
#5
the red on the gills is a side effect of the cycle, it's from the high ammonia. A fishless cycle is preferred, but since you already have the fish, do daily large water changes to help the fish through the crazy chemical change. I would suggest doing VERY sparse feedings while cycling to help keep the ammonia load down. Test the water daily so you will notice when the ammonia reaches & stays at zero, and the same with the nitrites. Guppies are not a very hardy fish, so you have a high liklihood of losing them to the cycle process.
The bubbles will dissipate, and are just from the process of filling the tank. You may get them every time you do a water change, but they go away within a day.
The pH shouldn't be a big problem. more of a problem would come from the constant changing pH then acclimating the fish to the slightly higher pH of your tank and leaving it alone. My tank pH is different from my tap pH because of the driftwood, so there's always a change in pH when I change out the water. I do smaller, more frequent changes to make up for the difference and to keep from stressing the fish too much. The products out there that change the the pH generally don't work for long, and you need to keep on top of the fluctuations. I wouldn't waste my money on that stuff...
Same with the quick-start. It may be helpful, but only marginally. Many times, the bacteria in those products die before they hit your tank. Tap water conditioner is highly recommended tho, and should be used with every water change as directed (unless of course your water is perfect condition out of the tap, which is rare but happens. My last apartment had stellar water quality and I never had to use the stuff, but then we moved and this water is filled with chemicals).
I second the opinion that you CANNOT put 10 gourami and 10 guppies in that tank. Gourami are more aggressive. Even a pair needs a huge amount of space. I have a pair of pearl gourami (a medium sized gourami species) that did not get along in a 29g. I recently had to upgrade to a 55g and they still get on each other's nerves. I would not recommend putting too many fish in a 13g. The guppies will likely over-populate the tank in no time if you have even 1 pair... When I was growing up, we had 2 pairs of guppies in a 10g, and in just about a year, we had close to 150 fry survive (not counting the ones that were eaten or died). If you want to add a few more fish once you are properly cycles (I would wait at least 3-4 weeks on this, checking the parameters regularly) I would go with a hardier small species that doesn't necessarily need a school. I can't think of one off the top of my head, but search the internet for small community fish. I personally would not listen to the shop owner, as he either doesn't know what he is talking about, or he is just out to make cash (or both).
Once you have an idea of what kind of fish you want, plug it into AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor. It is a pretty decent guide to stocking, though not perfect. It will flag any considerations you may need to take into account.
Good luck, and definitely keep up with the water changes until the cycle is completed.
 

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leafcat

Small Fish
#7
Aug 3, 2012
24
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#7
Thank you MdngtRain, well said. *thumbsup2. However when I checked my ammonia levels, it was 0 ppm. I've bought my tank 3 days ago, set it up, put quick start, water conditioner and added bioclear (micro-organisms) and put 3 guppies after 2 days. Does this mean that the cycle hasn't started yet as my ammonia is at 0 ppm? or I need to wait for my guppies to produce ammonia and do water change 10-15% every 2 weeks? Please help! I don't want them to die :confused:
 

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leafcat

Small Fish
#11
Aug 3, 2012
24
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#11
Thyra said:
The goal is ammonia and nitrite 0 and nitrate about 20ppm. Your tank is not cycled until you see some nitrate.
Click to expand...
Hi Thyra,

My tank is running for about 2 weeks now with 3 guppies, but when I tested my water it still appears

ph - 7.6++

ammonia - 0

nitrate - 0

nitrite - 0

I haven't done 10-15% water just yet. The water still appears crystal clear. I'm guessing it's not yet cycled. Do you know how long I need to wait before I get some nitrate? Can I add more fish? Thanks in advance.
 

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leafcat

Small Fish
#12
Aug 3, 2012
24
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0
#12
OrangeCones said:
If the guppies are showing red gills, then something is burning them. How do you test the water?
Click to expand...
hi OrangeCones,

I bought API ammonia, nitrate/nitrite and pH liquid test kits. I tested my water -- Nitrates, nitrites and ammonia were still at 0 ppm. I'm just wondering if I can add more fish in the tank? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks :eek:
 

T

Thyra

Superstar Fish
#13
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#13
You really need to see some nitrates before you can consider your tank cycled. What sort of plan do you have for stocking your tank? Guppies are rather prolific and they will stock the tank for you as are some of the other live-bearers. Fish need room and you don't want to overstock.
 

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Thyra

Superstar Fish
#16
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#16
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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#17
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#17
leafcat said:
My tank is running for about 2 weeks now with 3 guppies, but when I tested my water it still appears

ph - 7.6++

ammonia - 0

nitrate - 0

nitrite - 0
Click to expand...
I would suggest double-checking the testing method. I would find it hard to believe that ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all zero after 2+weeks of fish living in the water.
 

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leafcat

Small Fish
#18
Aug 3, 2012
24
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#18
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kenpeter

New Fish
#19
Sep 10, 2012
1
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#19
I have bought a fish tank yesterday and I am a beginner to this because this is the first fish tank I had. Still I have only 4 black angelfishes. Can anyone tell me some other fish categories which can maintain easily.
 

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Thyra

Superstar Fish
#20
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#20
Welcome to the forum Kenpeter (you probably should start a thread of your own because you will have a lot of questions, I am sure) But first off, we need to know more about the fish tank you bought and the equipment. If you already have 4 angel fish in it it would have to be a pretty large tank - like over 30 gallons and secondly, do you understand the "cycle" and have you bought a test kit so you can check for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates?
 

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