Water temperature problem

[fishylove]

Hi all,

I purchased a 10 gallon fishtank more than a week back. I set it up for a weeks time before putting any fish in it. Now I am facing a couple of problems -
1] Water temperature was initially around 86F which was very high. I did partial water changes and could bring down the temperature to 80-81 F. However this temperature is also very high. I have 2 Red wag platy, 2 white ballon belly Mollies, 2 yellow mickeymouse platy and 2 neon tetras. Red wag Platys and Mollies are doing good but i have problems with Yellow mickeymouse platy..one of them constantly hover around the surface, near the filter and second one is scared (i have another problem with this platy- point no 2). How should i go about bringing the temp down. and what should be the ideal temp.From what I found out was that it can be between 72 to 78.

2] One of my red wag platy constantly attacks one of my other yellow mickey mouse platy...Before buying I found out that both of these species are compatible with each other. then why should this happen. Is there a way to avoid red platy from attacking yellow one? now my yellow platy is constantly hiding and only comes out during food time

3] I have 2 Neon tetra and again one of them attacks the other smaller one.

Please advice

Thanks,
fishy love

 

[silver dollars]

Hm... the neon tetras should be in a school of atleast 5, so mabey its attacking the other one cause they don't have a school??? Have you tried getting another heater??? Mabey this one is being weird and not working proper, so try another heater.

 

[TheFighterFish]

Fishylove, welcome to the forum.

What did you did the weeks before adding the fish. Did you just set up the tank and let it run? If so, your tank is not cycled.

1. If your water temperature is high, doing water changes will only lower it for the time being. If it is constantly around 86 F, it will return to this temperature because your thermometer might be set to that degree. Is there a knob which you can adjust to lower the temperature?

2. Platies are peaceful fish that are compatible with many other fish including themselves. Is one red wag platy significantly bigger than the other one? Another issue might be that you've got a mating pair on your hands. The red wag being the male. That explains why it is attacking (or maybe chasing?) your mickey mouse platy.

3. Neon tetras might be shy because they are used to being in larger groups. But if your tank is not cycled, I suggest you not add any additional fish.

It's good that you're doing water changes. That will keep the nitrites from becoming overbearing. Do you have test kit? Do you use a water conditioner or do you leave the water out for 24 hours?

Good luck.

 

[fishylove]

Thanks for replying so quickly-

Regarding heater- i havent put the heater as the temperature is already 86F there is no point in starting the heater...I think the heater should be to heat the tank and not the bring the temp down...correct me if i am wrong...or i am having completely wrong heater...I have kept a fan near the tank too.


For silver dollars-

I am planning to add a couple of neon tetras probably after 2-3 weeks...i specifically asked the sales person at petsmart about neon tetras and in what quanties I should buy...he said 2 should be fine


For Fighter fish-
for setting up the tank I added Stress Zyme (biological filtration booster) and started the filter too. I also bought the test kit to check chlorine, Nitrite, hardness, PH levels (by Mardel). When the levels were within the safe zone I added fish to it.

You are right about the platies- red wag is bigger than the yellow mickeymouse platy and he is male *thumbsup2 ..I do have a mating pair - what should I do now?

About Neon tetra, like silver dollars suggested I will buy more tetras in coming weeks...I dont want to add all the fish together and see them die

Thanks,

Fishy love

 

[SANND]

Do you have a light and/or lid? You could try keeping the lights off during the day and keep the lid up.

 

[homebunnyj]

Welcome to the tank!

First of all, it's not a good idea to add anymore fish, you're pretty much maxed out on the ten gallon tank.

Secondly, your tank is beginning to cycle. The first toxic substance to build up is ammonia. You need to get an ammonia test kit pronto. Definitely keep the ammonia level below one to help avoid fish loss. Read the beginner stickies
http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/fre...eshwater-beginner-stickies-read-me-first.html
to gain a better understanding of the process your tank will be going through.

Third, frequent temperature changes are hard on fish. If the temp keeps going down and up you may have a case of ich on your hands. You can have a fan blowing across the surface of the water to cool it, but you will have increased evaporation.

Fourth, you may want to consider returning one type of fish. With livebearers such as platies you need to have at least two females per male to keep the females from being harassed to the point of illness. More of one or two kinds is better than less of several kinds of fish. LFS's (local fish stores) are notorious for selling people fish and products that they don't need/can't care for properly. What you really need right now is the ammonia test kit. You have the one for nitrite, which will spike after the ammonia spikes and starts going down; after the nitrite spike you will also need a test for nitrates.

Feed lightly. Don't start messing with your ph and hardness, keep the temp steady, hopefully at a lower level. Your tank isn't in direct sunlight, is it?

Good luck, read your stickies, keep us posted.

 

[fishylove]

my fishtank is not in direct sunlight and i dont keep the lights on except for an hour in the evening (fish look really beautiful then ) apart from that I also tried to keep the lid open the whole day yesterday...but it didnt help

I am getting ammonia kit today..went to petsmart to get it yesterday but the shop was already closed

Fishy love

 

[micah2012]

I use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit, it includes the test important to a cycle. Here is a link to see what it looks like.

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Aquarian Freshwater Master Test Kit - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store

As for heat, I have the same problem where I live. Fortunately I have an A.C. in the same room. If you really want you can get a chiller for your tank but they are insanely expessive and you should avoid it if at all possible. Although there is a fairly cheap one for small tanks such as yours. Well cheap compared to the others. Oh and 80-81 degrees isn't terribly bad either. I keep all 3 of my tanks at 80. Here is a link to the cheapest chiller I can find.

marineandreef.com/ CoolWorks IceProbe Small Aquarium Chiller

 

[micah2012]

Is my browser messed up or does that last post look rediculous to all? All of the bottom "words" are links, I wouldn't click on them though. I just Googled the name and they seem to have put posts on 100's of different forums.

 

[micah2012]

I see it was deleted, good.

 

[fishylove]

Thanks I will check out the links

I do not want to buy an AC as few weeks back i convinced my husband not to replace the broken one as winter is approaching...he will throw me and fish out if i ask for AC for fish

Btw a new development-

My yellow platty was really harrassed by red wag platty and she stayed in the corner the whole day today...she was looking really sick....I ultimately returned her back and one more yellow platty and got 3 neon tetras in exchange ....now everyone looks happy (neon is not attacking the other smaller neon)...atleast temporarily

I also bought the ammonia test kit and will be working on that later today

Thank you so much for all the suggestions and help*SUNSMILE*

Thanks,

Fishy love

 

[tessalion]

Keep a very careful eye on your ammonia levels and such because neons are rarely hardy fish and might not survive the cycle.