# Danio question



## ararey2112 (Aug 7, 2013)

Hi All,

I'm new to this community, and fairly new at the fish hobby. I put a 20g tank in my daughter's room a few months ago. We have very slowly added fish over the course of that time. Water has been tested regularly. We started with just a male betta. After a few months, this is what we have in total (added a little at a time, of course):

-1 male betta
-3 glofish
-3 black neons
-4 blue neons
-1 white danio

I was originally told that the danio would be okay by itself, but it has become apparent that he's bored. He's not necessarily a bully, but likes to chase/nip the neons -- especially the new ones that were introduced yesterday. We got 5 yesterday, but 1 died overnight. Water has been tested, and all is fine. I just find that sometimes it is already unhealthy or stressed...

I don't want to put too many more in the tank. I find this to be a great number. However, I want the danio to be happy and have some of his own to school with. Do you think adding 2-3 more would be okay? I've read that 5 is an ideal number, but I feel that would be pushing my tank limits. Overall, the fish have been healthy and we've only lost 3 (all within 48 hours of adding - and it's always the new ones that die). I don't want to disrupt the setup too much. Thoughts?

Thanks!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

since the fish are all pretty small i would think you could add another 4 or 5 of the danios...should not be a problem..just make sure you keep up with 30% weekly water changes..


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## ararey2112 (Aug 7, 2013)

30% weekly? I was told 25% every 2-4 weeks... I'm finding that the 'fish experts' at Petco may not know as much as I thought they did. It is time for a water change, but I wanted to let the new residents settle in more. How soon after I add them would it be safe to change water? 

Thanks so much for responding!



lohachata said:


> since the fish are all pretty small i would think you could add another 4 or 5 of the danios...should not be a problem..just make sure you keep up with 30% weekly water changes..


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

personally ; i would not take the word of anybody working at a big store..i worked for petco for a short time...they really did not want me to give out any serious advice to customers as it would cut down on sales..

set aside one day a week for tank maintenance.saturday or sunday are best..the day before do not feed...once a month do some vacuuming of the gravel...rinse the filters in some tank water....
this is done in our fishroom every week ; new tank or old..


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## ararey2112 (Aug 7, 2013)

Please excuse my stupidity, but what exactly do you mean by tank maintenance? Is that just a water change without vacuuming the gravel? Also, if I'm rinsing the filter in tank water (after it's out of the tank, I assume) how often do I actually change the cartridge? And why no feeding before a change? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to know as much as I possibly can, to avoid unnecessary tank drama!

I have only found one young lady at Petco who seems to be remotely honest. The rest have been pretty bad. Telling me I could put tiger barbs with my betta, etc. Whether it's lack of knowledge or straight-up lying, I've learned to do my own research. (The tiger barbs were immediately returned once they started bullying my betta). 

Thanks again!



lohachata said:


> personally ; i would not take the word of anybody working at a big store..i worked for petco for a short time...they really did not want me to give out any serious advice to customers as it would cut down on sales..
> 
> set aside one day a week for tank maintenance.saturday or sunday are best..the day before do not feed...once a month do some vacuuming of the gravel...rinse the filters in some tank water....
> this is done in our fishroom every week ; new tank or old..


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

by tank maintenance i mean............
wipe down the inside glass.as you are doing the water change you should be vacuuming the gravel..keep some of the drained water in a clean bucket and rinse the filter cartridges in it..if your cartridges contain carbon ; after about 3 weeks use slit the fabric on the outside part of the insert..shake out all of the carbon..then put it back in the filter..
i have several pounds of carbon here..i almost never use it..i would change the cartridge when it starts to fall apart...the only HOB filters i use are the aquaclears..they use a foam block which can last for several years saving the fishkeeper a lot of money..
i find it best to give the fish 1 day a week to purge and get rid of all of their waste..normally, 2 days before water changes i will feed with only vegetable and spirulina flakes..this helps them to purge...the next day they are not fed..it just gives the tank a little extra relief...


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

If your new fish keep dying, then your water has probably gone bad. Nitrate is the usual culprit. The old fish get used to it over time, but the new ones are shocked to death..


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## ararey2112 (Aug 7, 2013)

Wow, thanks for that tip. I did a water change today. . . does that help with the nitrate? What else can I be doing to keep those levels lower? I have a liquid that says it lowers ammonia and nitrates. Can that help at some point? I feel so bad. I hope the rest of them make it. Everyone else seems to be doing fine.



TheOldSalt said:


> If your new fish keep dying, then your water has probably gone bad. Nitrate is the usual culprit. The old fish get used to it over time, but the new ones are shocked to death..


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## ararey2112 (Aug 7, 2013)

Thanks for all the info. I did the water change, but I'll have to rinse the cartridge another time (I have new ones I can just put in), as I don't have a clean container for the fish water yet. This is a huge learning experience for both me and my daughter. 



lohachata said:


> by tank maintenance i mean............
> wipe down the inside glass.as you are doing the water change you should be vacuuming the gravel..keep some of the drained water in a clean bucket and rinse the filter cartridges in it..if your cartridges contain carbon ; after about 3 weeks use slit the fabric on the outside part of the insert..shake out all of the carbon..then put it back in the filter..
> i have several pounds of carbon here..i almost never use it..i would change the cartridge when it starts to fall apart...the only HOB filters i use are the aquaclears..they use a foam block which can last for several years saving the fishkeeper a lot of money..
> i find it best to give the fish 1 day a week to purge and get rid of all of their waste..normally, 2 days before water changes i will feed with only vegetable and spirulina flakes..this helps them to purge...the next day they are not fed..it just gives the tank a little extra relief...


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

A new, well-rinsed 5 gallon bucket is useful to have for water changes. Even better would be 2 (one for waste water, one for clean). They should be under $5 at wal-mart or Home Depot. Pick one with a good handle to make it easier on you. Old aquarium water can safely go down the toilet, but its also great for plants. I often pour it on the bushes behind the flower bed (on the flowers from a bucket tends to flatten them).


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

you can get a 5 gallon bucket at home depot for less than $3.00...you can also get some 5/8" clear tubing there as well..


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## ararey2112 (Aug 7, 2013)

Just an update. . . I got my 5 gallon buckets. Tested water (all was/is as it should be), am doing weekly water changes, etc. Water has been staying within normal parameters. Got our new danios (the lone one is now very happy). 

On a not so happy note, our Betta died unexpectedly yesterday. He was fine Saturday evening at feeding time, but Sunday morning he was 'swimming' vertically. Not swim bladder looking swimming, but just kind of floating there (but still alive). I did a quick water test, and everything was fine. Took a water sample to have pet store double check paramaters (just to be sure). I planned on moving him to smaller bowl to see if I could save him, but he was dead by the time we got home. Not sure what happened, but I have a very sad 7 year old right now. (At her insistance, we will be having a fish burial this evening after school). 



lohachata said:


> you can get a 5 gallon bucket at home depot for less than $3.00...you can also get some 5/8" clear tubing there as well..


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

I never add any additives to lower ammonia or nitrates. Water changes and less frequent feedings can lower them. I feed my fish every other day or two The longest I've gone without a water change was 3 weeks. The longest I've gone without performing a water test was 3 months. As long as my fish are healthy and eating, I'm happy.


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