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Got an eclipse system 12 for the kids and wanted to know what might be good in this tank. I brought 3 red eye tetras to start off with because the guy at the LFS said they would be good. They don't seem very happy, I guess they don't have enough room to swim. Please help.

The fish may not be excited because it is a brand new tank. The tank must go through a cycle before fish are completely comfortable. The cycle takes up to a month with a couple of fish in the tank and may cause the fish to die.

Essentially, toxic ammonia builds up in the tank until ammonia eating bacteria convert it to toxic nitrites. The nitrites build up until nitrite eating bacteria convert it to nitrates.

During the next few weeks be sure to change a gallon or two of the water each day in the tank. It will help your fish to withstand the cycle.

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"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
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Thanks for the advice on the cycling and the water changes, wasn't sure if I could do water changes during the cycling. I now I'm going to have to wait to put more fish in there. Just wanted to get ideas on what type of fish would be comfortable in this size thank.

i disagree. for the first few weeks, DON'T do water changes. (unless an emergency water change is needed, such as spilling an entire can of fish food into the water, etc)

three fish are a good number to start off with, and they should be hardy enough to handle the small amounts of ammonia build up. The little amounts of waste produced by the fish are usually detoxified by growing bacteria anyway. just be sure not to over feed, and wait at least a week or two before adding new fish.

don't worry if the tetras seem bored or unhappy, they're still adjusting...usually they'll perk up as soon as the tank gets busier.

The fish may also not seem happy because they aren't settled in their new home, and they're also schooling fish.

After the tank is cycled I'd complete the school with 2-3 more tetras (I assume you want to keep them).

Then maybe some sort of centerpiece fish...a pretty female betta, dwarf or honey gourami, pair of cherry barbs.

You could get a school of small cories or a small plec as a bottom feeder.

Hope that helps

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

and they should be hardy enough to handle the small amounts of ammonia build up

The problem is, there won't be a small build up. The ammonia will have to peak at a pretty toxic level until it starts to be broken down by the bacteria. Then after that, you'll have around 10 days of toxic nitrite.

I agree, however, don't do water changes unless common sense tells you that the fish could benefit from a breath of fresh water. Doing water changes, while diluting the toxins, will only serve to lenghten the cycle. If you're not farmiliar, there is a good explaination of the cycle [link=here]http://www.fishprofiles.net/faq/begin-cycling.asp" style="COLOR: #FFFF00[/link].