a friend

[razorblade]

hi

one of my friends has just bought a 3 foot tank. and i am going to be going over her house to help her set it up. right now she has a small tank tank with some zebra danios which i think she might be moving to the bigger tank. if she does want them in the bigger tank (theres 5 by the way) what fish do you think i should put with them?

thanks *laughingcryingsmiley*

 

[cra]

A weather loach, or spotted dojo, would be good since the require the same temperature.  And he'll eat up all the food that manages to make it to the bottom of the tank.  

 

[ronrca]

I would tend to put other agressive and same sized fish in like tigers and such. Danios tend to be a little too aggressive sometimes and is hard to find the right fish.

 

[JWright]

You're gonna fishless cycle, right?

Josh

 

[kitten]

just use some water from the other tank, won't be so harsh on the new fish.

going tropical or coldwater?

 

[JWright]

Very little nitrifying bacteria is in the water, all you'll be transfering is nitrate. What you need to seed your tank is used filter material.

Josh

 

[ronrca]

Agreed Jwright! Actually most people think that the bacteria is floating around in the water. That is a myth since bacteria need a place to culture, feed, grow and divide. This is done on surfaces on the tank, gravel, and inside the filter. Another important fact is that this bacteria can also be killed when placed in light for a number of hours. Im not sure what the number is but somewhere around 6+ hours. Taking that into account, bacteria will culture in dark areas like under gravel and, of course a perfect place, inside your filter.

However, when the bacteria does not have any food (ammonia/nitrite), it will become dormant. In its dormant state, it shuts down itself and only has a 'feeler' active. When this occurs, I believe, only then will it start floating in the water in search of food (ammonia/nitrite). When finds food, it will activate and clamp on to a suitable surface and resume feeding.