FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I just started my first freshwater tank and am loving it. I have been reading alot and trying to learn as much as I can (quite a bit from this website, thank you)...And I just wanted to run what I have in my tank by everyone to see if I am doing everything right...so ANY input would be greatly appreciated...

I have 12 gallon Nanocube w/:

2 redtail sharks
2 mollies
1 alge eater
5 zebra danios
1 snail

I know that you are supossed to have 1 gallon of water for each inch of fish...right now everything is ok...but in the long term I think this may come back to haunt me...

Any comments

Item one. Your Red Tailed Black Sharks will need LOTS more space than that. General consensus here is that an adult will need close on 50 gallons all to itself. Most people here won't advocate keeping two of them either, as they'll scrap incessantly. If I had the space, I'd try a group of 6 or so as an experiment, but that would need a LOT of space ...

Item two. Your algae eater. What species? If you're keeping a Chinese Algae Eater or Sucking Loach, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, then that fellow reaches 10 inches. He won't physically fit in your Nanocube at that size!

Find a new home for the Red Tailed Sharks until you can afford to buy the aquarium they both need and deserve. Which is - wait for it - around 125 gallons if you want to keep them with other fish.

Also, find a new home for the Chinese Algae Eater if that's what it is. They grow big and become aggressive with age.

If you want an algae eater for a small aquarium, you're MUCH better going for Otocinclus. They are 2" long absolute maximum, peaceful, remain efficient algae eaters throughout their lives, and have a certain droll cuteness into the bargain. Get 2. Normall I'd say get a decent sized group, but in your Nanocube there won't be room.

Best of all, get a bigger aquarium full stop. Give your fishes growing room. And use the Nanocube as a hospital/quarantine tank. You'll thank usd all for it later in your fishkeeping life if you do!

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

thanks for the input...

i was kind of disappointed when i bout the shark to find out that they would grow so big...i am suprised they allowed me to buy it know that i only had a nanocube and was new to this...

i am not sure what species the algae eater is...i will have to do some research but they did say it would grow to about 2 inches total...

Welcome to the hobby and to fishprofiles.com

Its amazing what the stores will sell you. But when fish die, you come back and buy more. Most are good hearted, but I found one co-owner who felt just that way - more deaths = more sales. .

The nanocubes are great, but as Cal pointed out, several need to go back. Many fish stores will take them back for store credit or refund. Especially, if you point out the literature stating that such fish need larger tanks.

It's not only a matter of size. Some smaller fish require larger tanks due to aggression and because they are territorial.

If this is your first tank, do you know about New Tank Syndrome? If not, we need to get into that because it kills and your fish are at risk, as we speak, especially given the load you have in there. Many are not "cycle-hardy" to handle the toxins that build in a new tank. Once it is established, you won't need to worry much, but in the beginning it is a killer.

Here's more if you need and ask away if you have questions:

http://www.fishprofiles.net/faq/begin-cycling.asp

It's too bad the fish stores don't provide some quick seminars before you buy the fish.

It helps to understand the Nitrogen Cycle because you need to know what is happening when the tank is new, and any time you medicate a tank, clean it. There are several things that can affect an established tank and it will throw it into a "mini-cycle", which is a repeat of New Tank Syndrome.

Because the tank has to cycle, I highly recommend taking everything back to the fish store, except the zebra danios and your snail. Zebras are very cycle hardy and can survive the process. The rest are at risk and even tho the mollies can handle it, tanks should be at 1/4 max stocking level during the nitrogen cycle when the tank establishes two key bacterial colonies that consume deadly toxins.

Place the fish in baggies, just like you got them, leaving oxygen. Place the baggies in a cooler - the best way for fish transport to keep temp stable. This way, the store can float the bags for 20-30 minutes to acclimate the fish to their tank temps, just like you do.

When you go back to the fish store (hopefully, very soon), use some of your store credit to purchase either A) BioSpira, B)New and Improved Cycle, C)Fritz Zyme 7, or D)Stress Zyme. BioSpira is the best, but hardest to find. It contains live bacteria - the kind you need to grow in your tank.

If you don't have it, consider purchasing an ammonia and nitrite test kit. These are the two cycling toxins you need to be concerned with now and any time the good bacteria may be compromised (medicine, overcleaning, overstocking, etc.).

Here are the two I recommend based on cost and ease of read. They will last you a year. I'm showing you a master kit, which is not a must at this time, but good to consider for the future. However, these can be purchased individually and are available at most stores. The two yellow bottles make up the ammonia test and the pink is the nitrite. I've seen this kit as low as 14.99 from another online source, and as high as 27.99 in local fish stores.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4454&inm=1&N=2004+113074+113565


Last edited by Cory_Di at 26-Feb-2005 20:50

thanks for replies...

I made sure I did atleast the basic reading before I began my venture into the world of fish keeping...lucky for me I already knew about the cycle process due to my college biology classes (though I reviewed the material before starting)...

I have had this tank for 3 months now and just added the danios about a week ago...

I began with 2 redtail and 2 mollies...left them alone for 3 weeks and then added the algae eater...5 weeks later i added the danios and is how I came to my current supply of fish in the tank...

I am amazed that those fish survived the cycling process. Did you use a bacterial starter?

Well, since you like the hobby so much, certainly you will soon be afflicted with MTS - Many Tank Syndrome .

You know you want that nice 55 gallon in your living room . Your fish will blow kisses at you all day long

yes i used a bacterial started and for the first week i used my girlfriends betta as a starter...then began the fish additions...

I have not had a single fish die or get sick...(knock on wood)...

I would love to get a 55g or a 125g...what would it cost to get either of those up and going (tank and supplies)

Can't tell you because I'm 5,000 miles away in England ... sorry !!!!

However, what I *can* advise is this ... if you r budget will run to it, go for the 125g. That way, you'll have LOTS of space, and more margin for error. You'll be able to put some fairly spectacular fish in that aquarium ... get a 125g and you needn't worry about not having enough space for a Red Tail Shark ever again


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

reasonable price for a 125 in the US is about $300 give or take. you can find some as expensive as $500 but i assure you this is way over priced.

the major expense will come from filtration. this will of course depend on how many and what type of fish your looking at.

even if you have to buy slowly as you save money i think the 125 would be the way to go if you fully believe this hobby will last for you. if its the whole ( i need bigger and better ) just because of human nature to have the best possible then your in for a dead end road. if you sit back an watch your fish interact and enjoy thier surroundings then be prepared because a 125 will only be the beginning lol.

here is a US site that sells eqiupment cheaper then most local shops.
[link=Big Als]http://www.bigalsonline.com/" style="COLOR: #00FFFF[/link]
hope this helps