SO EXCITED!! NEWBIE and loving it.

[NoWittyName]

We were given a 130 litre tank months ago, but did not have the money to buy filter, light, heater etc to get it started up....but then I got money back from overpaying tax!!! I know!! Never heard of such a thing!

So we set it all up...waited patiently...and today we bought our first fish!
6 zebra danios and 4 tiger barbs.

Got them from a fantastic shop (won lots of awards and v knowledgeable) and am now having to wait until next week before we can add more. Loving it already and cannot wait to get some more in there!!

Just wanted to share!
xx

well...the tiger barbs have struck today.

They'd been absolutely fine so far with the zebra danios, but today we went back and bought come cardinals, an algae eater (can't remember it's name) and some fish that I had thought were rainbow fish, but weren't - the guy in the shop did tell me what they were, but I can't remember!

Anyway, came home, did the whole 'leaving in the tank in the bag' thing for 20 minutes and then let them out. Algae eater first - no problem. The 'not the rainbow fish' next - no problem. Then the cardinals - you'd have thought a feeding frenzy started. Strangely it was actually the zebra danios that started the chasing and nipping, but the tiger barbs definitely finished off the job.

Three of the seven dead as we speak, but we'll have to see if any of the others make it through the night.

Number one v.v. upset (because he saw it happening). I know it sounds ridiculous bringing any comparison but he lost his sister when she was 15 months old and can be v sensitive about people/animals getting hurt/dying. Eek - really didn't think he'd be affected by fish. I think it was just because he saw it happening though. Rambling now. Sorry.

Anyway, hope your weekends ended slightly more happily!

Oh no! Tiger barbs are known for being nippy but this sounds awful! Have you tested your water? It might be worth doing a partial water change as poor water conditions could make them stressed & make them more likely to nip.
So sorry this has happened

Did a water test and all seemed fine. Nitrates and Nitrites absolutely fine. Only thing that was on borderline was chlorine so have added some aquasafe - do you think that could have done it?

Will wait and see what tomorrow brings. Number one has asked me to feed them when he's gone to school because he's worried that the remaining cardinals will come out to feed and get attacked again...that's if there are any left when it comes to feeding time!!! Things seem much calmer now.

Will def be buying couple more tiger barbs as people have said that can help dissipate the aggression.

Was there any ammonia? Which test kit do you have?

think everything else was fine - will run downstairs and check what the kit is - it's some strips

Tetra strips 6in1

Did you do a fish less cycle before adding the first fish?

:) :)

The four remaining cardinals were still there this morning and giving them all breakfast did not start another carnivorous feeding frenzy - gave them a little ice-cube thing that the shop gave us yesterday. They seemed to enjoy it and found it sufficient - no need to eat each other!

:) :)

Number one was found sitting on the stairs this morning because he said he didn't want to go into the lounge because he was worried what he'd find!!

Algae eater and four 'non-rainbow' fish all happy too.

Glad things are looking better this morning!

Hmm, I'm wondering what your new fish are. It's not really advised to buy fish if you don't know what they are in case they are aggressive or grow to be massive- some shops sell fish that can reach 3ft and don't bother warning you!

Is your algae eater one of these?

Any idea on the others, did he tell you what family they are from (tetras, barbs etc)?

If you are giving frozen food then you need to defrost it first in a bit of tank water.

The guy in the shop told us that the algae eater we have got is lauded by many as the best algae eater there is...but he feels it's no better than the rest! It's not any of the ones in the link, but it's a similar shape. It's a very shiny silver and has a single black dot where its tail fin starts. It only grows to twice its present size. I'm pretty sure it's got the word shark in its name because of the placing of one of its fins. (?!)

As for the other ones, I'm really annoyed I can't remember the name. It will mature to have a blue body and bright red fins. Most prob going back to the shop tomorrow as they've said they'll reimburse us for the eaten cardinals (!) and I'll make sure I write down the names of both the other species.

Hmmm, could be <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.liveaquaria.com/images/categories/product/p-89773-Otocinclus.jpg&imgrefurl=www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm%3Fc%3D830%2B1162%2B923%26pcatid%3D923&h=360&w=360&sz=25&tbnid=jyTadqeadByH1M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=90&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dotocinclus%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=otocinclus&docid=N0wDvTtpUPVebM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BScwT52TLoml0QXmydCtCA&sqi=2&ved=0CD0Q9QEwAw&dur=2659" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Otocinclus? If so then I would return it, they are quite fragile so need to be kept in a tank that's been set up for at least 6 months. they are also a shoaling fish so should be kept in groups of 6+.

Your shop sounds very helpful but do your own research too, especially if they are willing to sell you fish that you don't know what they are.

Similar black spot, but rest of colouring not the same.

I think the 'not the rainbow fish' are actually rainbow fish, just 'not the dwarf rainbow fish' (perhaps I should become a fish classifier and re-namer, what do you reckon?) Having looked it up I'm pretty sure they're melanotaenia praecox, or neon rainbowfish.

Cannot find the algae eater in my book so will definitely have to ask them again what it is called. I'll report back tomorrow if i've managed to get there.

Now that the last four cardinals seem to be being left in peace I don't know whether buying two more tiger barbs is the right thing to do. Will it upset the equilibrium again?

Argh, I get so caught up in fish guessing games This one?

That definitely looks like it - how on earth did you find it when I couldn't and I 'knew' what I was looking for! Quite a talent.

Will definitely check with the shop though because he knows the size tank I have and that particular specimen looks like it grows too large for my 130litres.

Pure geekiness Yes, they do get too large for your tank size and they are also a shoaling fish by the looks of things. Are you having trouble with algae?

The neon rainbow fish are the ones i thought you wanted, they're the same as I had, really pretty little fish
Glad to hear its all going well!

Yes snowfire, I was having a very dizzy moment, thought they were, then thought they weren't, but checked and they definitely are!

Am a very happy bunny as now have two more tiger barbs and four 'giant' cardinals. All have been introduced to tank and all are happy! The smaller cardinals even came out of the plants to swim with the bigger ones - v. v. cute!

Here's hoping it lasts.

Guy in shop also gave number one a nice chat about food chains underwater and the fact that a fish's favourite food is fish!

night night all - happy fish-keeping!!

ADVICE PLEASE LADIES.

Have just tried to clean the glass of the aquarium as number three (16 months) likes to put mucky hands on it and kiss it! However, I think I REALLY stressed the fish out, so I stopped. They all started darting all over the place in a clear reaction to my wiping the front glass . How do you keep your aquarium clean?

Hmm, they do sound a bit nervous. Have they got lots of hiding places? What are the water parameters? I'd leave it a few days for them to settle in. DOn't use any chemicals or anything, just give it a wipe with a damp bit of kitchen towel.

My tank has permanently got little hand prints and crayon marks on it

Have got 6 plants in there. Perhaps it wasn't wise to do it when i'd just introduced new fish.

I'll try again some time next week, and if it seems to upset them I'll just leave it!!

You'll probably hate me for asking, but what exactly do you mean by the water parameters? Do you mean the values when I test it?

Yes, just the levels for ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte and pH. Those are the ones you need to keep an eye on as part of your cleaning routine. Other stuff only needs testing if you've got a problem.

The strips I have test for pH, KH, GH, NitrAte, NitrIte and chlorine. So far, each test has been fine. How frequently would you do water changes if levels are fine? Have read conflicting advice.

What are the readings? If you post the results then I can give you a few tips :) A lot of it is trial and error until you find what works but I can give you some ideas for starting out.

Thanks - will do another test when number one and number three have gone to bed and post results.

Okay then...

Cl2 0mg/l
pH 7.6/7.8
KH 6d
GH 16d
NO2- 1mg/l
NO3- 25mg/l

Really hope these are okay. Tank has got some Evolution Aqua 'Pure Aquarium' balls in.

Look forward to hearing back from you!

Hmm, everything looks OK except the nitrIte, it should be zero. Have you got an ammonia test kit?

How long was your tank set up and running for before you added fish? Have you been using those aquarium balls the whole time?