Questions from a newbie

[Mac74]

I have a 6 gallon tank(or very close to 6 gallons). I fell victim to the fish store. They said 20 tetras and 2 shrimp(ghost I believe) would be fine. After reading this forum I'm convinced it is way overstocked. I lost 5 tetras in the cycling process RIP. The remaining fish/shrimp are doing fine. I have a problem with green water. This is do to a heavy bio load from what I've read. I want to get rid of some of the tetras(give them to someone...not flush them) to make room. How many should I get rid of, and what should I add? The tank has one small piece of driftwood, and one plant(not sure what kind). I would like a well planted tank. The plant I have came with the roots wrapped with a plastic base. Should I remove this? I would prefer not to start from scratch if possible. If I pulled/rinsed my gravel would that remove all the beneficial bacteria? Since the tank has been cycled I do about a 3/4 water change weekly. Here are my water tests, using the API master kit:

PH low 7.6?? color is to close to call
PH high 7.4
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 5-10ppm

I do the water test 24hours after a water change. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Here's a pic of my tank. Thanks! -Mac

Sorry for the long post

 

[bunker_1]

I would think that you could keep at least 6 tetras maybe 8. The shrimp are fine. If you are wanting to keep other fish, you should go with the 1" of fish per gallon rule. I do not count shrimp in that. They help so much with cleaning, that, IMO, it negates them.
I think 3/4 water changes might be overdoing it a little. As long as you are not cleaning the gravel every week you should be ok, but I do not think you HAVE to that much.

Welcome to the tank!

 

[bunker_1]

And nice looking tank!

 

[Kissyboots]

Nice tank!

However, if you want more plants, you probably need a light...I don't see one on there.
Looks like you know what you're doing though and have done your research. You definitely started off better than me! I never cycled my tank...
I'd stick with the 1 inch of fish per gallon of water rule as stated above. Use adult fish sizes though. That should keep you stocked nicely. I usually do a 25% water change. On my former 5g though I did 100% because it always got aglae everywhere. If you get two otos (otocinclus'), they'll clean that up for you.

Welcome to the tank!

 

[FroggyFox]

wow, so are those neons? I can't quite tell, but they sure are small. If they were ember tetras then it wouldn't be a stretch to keep them in there. How long have you had it set up, is it finished cycling now?

Since neons stay pretty small and you already have them in there, they're probably ok for now. The water tests will tell you what you need to know. When they start growing if you see it being crowded or you start getting elevated nitrates in between water changes you'll know that you need to do something.

Of course...if you're anything like the rest of us you'll be looking for a bigger tank right now and happily grow your fishy hobby

 

[Mac74]

Thanks for the replies. I have a light, but it was acting up. It's fixed now, and mounted. It's a 14w fluorescent. What about the cover that came on the plant base? Should I remove it? As far as the tank population, I'm looking at keeping five tetras and the two shrimp. I'd like to add maybe two or three more fish. What fish play nice with tetras? Could I put a beta in with them? I know betas can be territorial and aggressive. Maybe a female? Thanks again for the replies.

-Mac

 

[dogdoc]

I think you should just make the 6 gal a cool planted shrimp only tank, and get a nice 20-30g to stock with fish. Then you could keep all of your tetras and even add some more.

Aren't I evil. ;P. LOL.

 

[jo3olous]

GJ researching what could've turned into 20 dead tetras! welcome to the tank. It looks nice for a 6G btw

 

[MissFishy]

Tank is looking good! I'm glad you've researched, sounds like you have a good grasp on what is going on with your tank. The tetras look really small in a 6 gallon tank, are you sure they are neons? You can look into trading them back into the store for store credit (usually a private fish store will do this). Or why not just get a larger tank and stock it with more fish?