# My fishtank!



## Mal (Aug 13, 2008)

It was freshly cleaned tonight.  


















I also have a question. See I have another 10 gallon tank, and I was going to set it up tommorow, and I was wondering would it be better to move some of these fish in that tank? Do you think my tank is a little over-crowded. In the time I got these Fish I was a bit Fish crazy, and I don't want them to be squished, ya know? Or would they be okay in this one. I was just planning on getting a Betta to put in the one I was goin to set up, so, yes, what do you think?

Enjoy.


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## RNJ_Punk (Aug 3, 2008)

So Im guessing this tank is a 10 gallon also? What is in this tank total? And also what is in the other 10 gallon?


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## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

I think if you had a little more cover in the tank, you would see the fish act differently. If you want to stick with the electric/bright theme, there is some really cool plastic wavy stuff that looks like soft coral. It comes in crazy colors, and the fish you have in there wont eat if for sure. If you put it on the left side of the tank in the back, near where the filter dumps out water, it will wave like there is a current. 
As for over crowded, I wouldn't go that far. Maybe a little cramped, but nothing I would freak out about. Again, a full list of fish would help. 
Thinking about the other tank. I really have no experience with bettas, so I am not sure what they would work better with. My initial guesstimate would be the tetras, which can work in some semi-aggressive tanks, as opposed to the other community fish there. 


On a side note, I can't believe guesstimate was in my computers dictionary of actual words... crazy.


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2008)

firstly, guesstimate is a word lol

secondly...i dont see a filter on that tank...is there one? i sure hope so. It appears to be slightly overstocked...if it has good filtration and REALLY overstocked if it has none. 

Thirdly...i see no heater, what is the temp of the tank during the day? what about at night?

Fourthly... how long has it been setup for? what does the water test like for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates? how often do you clean the tank, and what percentage of water are you changing when you do this?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I think I see a filter on the left side, a black one against the black background.
Anyway, you've got about 15 gallon's worth of fish in this 10 gallon tank, if you're considering optimal conditions. On the other hand, these are all very tough fish that can handle worse than this IF you really stay on top of things. 
The addition of a second filter would work wonders, but if you want to set up a second tank anyway, then by all means move the tetras to the new tank and leave the swords & platies in this one.


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## Mal (Aug 13, 2008)

Okay, lets see.

In this tank I have Platys, Swordtails, Neon Tetras, Painted SKirt Tetras, Black Widow Tetras, two Corys, and 1 Male Betta. The other tank would be empty, but for the Betta, and I was going to do what was said above and move the Tetras into the other tank.

I have more items, but I thought they it would be more "roomy" with less, but I will go through my bin.

There is a filter. On the left side of the tank. You can see the bubbles coming down.  I hadn't put the heater on yet because it had just been cleaned and the temp. was a bit high, so I was letting it "cool" a tad. I have had the tank setup for over 1 year. I do half water changes every weekend, and do full cleanings, well, I'm not sure how often I do full cleanings. How about, The right amount. xD

Thanks for all the advice given.


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2008)

the right amount for "full cleanings" if you mean taking all the water out and cleaning everything... is never. you dont want to be removing all the water and cleaning everything like that for several reasons, one being that you kill back the bioload, and two being the shock you can cause to the fish if the parameters are off from what they were in. i hope thats not what you mean by a full cleaning.


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## Mal (Aug 13, 2008)

I don't see anything wrong with full cleanings. Not like we do it every week. We do do them though, and have never had any problems. Our Fish never look any less active or healthy then before.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Maybe you don't see anything wrong with it, but it jumpstarts the nitrogen cycle all over again. And it will stress your fish. A google search will tell you that a tank tear-down is a bad idea.

I agree with TOS about moving the tetras. Although if I were you, I'd pick either skirt tetras or neons(NOT Painted ones, read about the awful treatment they go through here: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/paintedfish.htm) and stick with them. Tetras require schools of 6+. Though a 10 gallon really isn't appropriate for a school of skirt tetras. They get rather large for a tetra (around 3") and they'd be better off in a 20gal or larger. 

I'd stick with a nice school of neon tetras for the 10 gallon. I know you're trying to have a "community tank," but that idea doesn't work unless we're talking about a larger tank, around 40 gallons+ or so.

The swordtails will get too big, period. They reach around 5 inches. I'd rehome them as well.

Here's what I'd do if I were you:
1st 10 gallon: School of 6 neon tetras, plus the platys
2nd 10 gallon: male betta plus the cories (I'd get a few more, so you have at least 4, they do best in groups)

Hope that helps!

P.S. to further my point about "full cleanings," if you look at the photo, your black skirt tetras are showing stress coloration.







They should be nice and dark when they're happy and not stressed.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Well, of course they look like that; she did just finish cleaning the tank right before taking this picture. LOL!

Mal, your filter bacteria takes a big hit every time you do a full cleaning. Sometimes that's a big problem, and sometimes it isn't. It's generally a good idea to clean the tank but not the filter, and then next time the filter but not the tank. That way the remaining bacteria in the uncleaned part can help recolonize the cleaned part. Again, two filters are better than one for this very reason; you can just clean one at a time.

As for your water changes, make sure that you let your water sit out in a bucket for a say or so before you use it in your tank, especially if you are making a very big water change. The reason for this is not chlorine, but dissolved gases ratio. Under the pressure of your plumbing, the gases in the water wind up all wrong, so you have to let them rebalance before using the water. If you don't, you can suffocate your fish or trash your filter bacteria.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

That's the point I'm making, TOS, they're stressing out with those huge cleanings.


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## Mal (Aug 13, 2008)

Well, we do them, and I'm sorry if you don't like it, but we do.

Not sure if I am thinking the same as you TheOldSalt, but we don't just dump them in the tank. We let them set in bags to help them get used to the tempurature and such before we put them in.

And also they usally do look that Black.


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## Mal (Aug 13, 2008)

The picture was taking right after we let them in, so that could make a difference.


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## Mal (Aug 13, 2008)

We also add some of their old water in so it isn't completely new.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Mal, listen, we're not telling you this as a matter of opinion. It is common knowledge by most fishkeepers that breaking down a tank to clean it is detrimental to the overall health of your fish. I'll bet you see the water get a little cloudy a few days after you do a tank break-down. That's the bacteria redeveloping after their colony was eliminated.
Here's a good site on how to properly clean a fish tank:
http://www.essortment.com/all/fishtankhowt_rkdj.htm

It's your tank and I can't tell you what to do, all I can say is that you'll see the results of your methods in time. Even if your fish do return to normal coloration, what is the point of stressing them for no reason?


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2008)

Mal, you have been told, and explained why full cleanings are bad. Continue to do whatever you want, but what a true hobbyist does is provide the BEST possible environment for their fish... you obviously are not concerned with that because you have been told that these full cleanings are very hard on the fish, and more than likely will end up in their untimely death. 

What you arent understanding is that there is NO need to do a full cleaning...NONE... you are making more work for yourself, and adding a TON of more stress to your fish. Every time you do a ful cleaning, you are cutting your bacteria level way back..and if you are cleaning the filters at the same time...then you are basically killing the bacteria bio load off completely. Now maybe you dont understand the nitrogen cycle, but that is not a good thing at all.... that essentially makes your filtration worthless for a good amount of time and waste is just building up in the water in the form of ammonia....which is very toxic to your fish.

You have been given advice not based on opinion, but fact... take it or leave it.


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