Averus

I was able yesterday to get the first batch of fish my my newly cycled 55 gallon tank, and decided to get some Black Neon Tetras. The guy at the store was extra nice and gave me a few extra free to boot. The fish have adapted fine to the tank, everyone is eating and swimming around okay, and no changes in the water parameters, but I noticed something strange with three of the fish I got. They do not congregate with the rest of the Black Neons, and they look a little different. I was assuming they were juveniles because they are so small and they do not have the color of the adults. The trio of them are sticking together and really love to hang out by the plants. They are eating okay and are very spunky, so they don't look sick. I am suspecting they are young Emperor Tetras that I got by accident. I am not going to complain if so, but I am concerned that only three is not enough for them to be happy in the tank. How long can I wait till I can grab a few more to make them happy? I really want to clamp down on aggression issues, which now I may have. 😞 I took a couple pictures, but admittedly it was hard to get them with them zipping around so much.

I planted very heavily. I wanted to try a lot of different kinds plants to see what would work for me, I didn't expect most of them to do this well. most have had some kind of new growth on them too, admittedly this has been really spectacular on the water sprite and frogtbit, but everything is showing signs of it. Even one of my crypts has popped up a ton of new leaves, along with the old ones it came with looking pretty perky now. This has happened so fast I still haven't even narrowed down what to get for my first fish!

Hi! I got another question regarding my new 55 gallon. I started the cycling on 5/28 and been doing a fishless cycle with fish food. I did add some Fritz Zyme 7 too. My tank is heavily planted, I was able to save money on the equipment, so used that part of the budget to go with the plants. I am using a Finnex Planted+ for my light. The cycle has been proceeding as I expected to a point. My Ammonia rose and then went to 0, and then I had heavy Nitrites and Nitrates. The Nitrites and Nitrates started dropping, as of today the Nitrites are now 0 and my Nitrates are now very low too, at 3. PH has been at a 7.4 consistently so far. So I am a little concerned now. The cycle went really fast, much much faster then I expected from everything I researched. Did the plants just suck up the Nitrates that fast? I do have some Water Sprite, Hornwort and Frogbit in the tank, could they be eating up the Nitrates that well? All my plants are doing fine, with only one of the Crypts melting. I have been using Easy Green once a week, with the dosage listed on the bottle, should I use more? I am worried my Anubias and Buce may not be getting enough nutrients now too. Even if it may be safe, I am still going to hold off for now on fish, it just seems to have been completed way to fast. Maybe I am just being overly cautious here.

Got an update. The ammonia levels in my tank cratered Friday and ended up at 0 on Saturday. The Buce seems to have gotten out okay, it even looks like it has grown a little, it certain looks taller then when I got it. No signs of melting at all on it. In fact most of the plants in the tank look like they are thriving. I am seeing a ton of new growth all over, even some of crypts are at least not melting. The C. Lutea really perked up and even has a few new leaves, and C. Tropica looks stable. Only my C. Becketii is dealing with massive melting. Of course now I am worried the plants will suck up all the nitrates and will need more easy green dosing, but that is not a bad problem to have with everything mostly doing so well. No algae issues either other then some diatom algae in the back. Been great experience so far with the plants. Here's hoping the C. Becketii can come back!

I have started my cycling with a planted tank, and was wondering how badly it will effect one of the plants I got. I have a tissue culture Bucephalandra alamanda, and have read that Bucephalandras really dislike ammonia spikes. It looks like it is doing okay at the moment, but I am a little worried it may be effected by the cycling and melt. It is a cute little plant, and I would like to make sure it gets through this okay. I do have have a bottle of Fritiz Zyme 7 I could add if that may help, I was sitting on it hoping I would not need to use it.

I am in a similar boat, as I recently set up my 55 gallon this past Friday. Most of the plants seem to be doing fine in their new home, with only a couple of the Crypts melting atm. The A. bateri and java moss look like they already started growing new growth, and the other Crypts appear to be doing fine ( I got 4 different types to see which ones will work best for me). So my question is regarding using Fritz Zyme 7. I have started normal cycling with fish food, and was wondering can I add the Zyme 7 in about a month after the plants have gotten established?

Thanks everyone for the replies! At least I know I can have more varieties in my water and it will be okay, including the black neons I was interested in from before. Hearing from so many people with water like mine and even harder is very encouraging! One nice thing about having a 55 is I have a lot of room to work with, so I can have a couple different schools and they will still have plenty of room. Also have included serpea and bloodfin tetras to the list of possible candidates now. Serpea may be easier to get them then red phantoms anyway. I am setting the physical tank up this Friday, and then starting the cycling with plants. I want the plants to get established, so it will be a bit before I get to the fish. Will start with a small group of platies once fully cycled, the usual 3 females to one male ratio, to start. Of course this could change to either a little molly or swordtail group instead. I will be adding the first tetra school after the live bearer group is settled. As for centerpiece, I am going to be keeping it small as well. I am very happy with having a large tank with a bunch of smaller fish in it. So I am thinking maybe a pearl gourami or a Bolivian ram, nothing super big. Already have decided against angelfish. Really want a good tank mate who will standout against the groups of fish in the tank. Would an Apistograma or Kribensis be too aggressive for a centerpiece?

Hello everybody! I have recently come back to the hobby, Cory and Irene's videos were a big help to me getting info! After having tanks as a kid, and am in the process of setting up a 55 gallon community with a lot of beginner friendly, low light loving plants. One nice thing to coming back to the hobby as an older adult is I now have the patience and budget to do thing properly, the nice tech bump in equipment is a bonus too! My water parameters are 74 PH, with 10 hardness. Here in my area of NJ we have reasonably hard well water. Which brings me to my main questions I really wanted to have a couple groups of different types of tetras, but am worried about the water quality being bad for them. Cory showing off the Black Neon Tetras did make me excited for them, but I am very worried the water parameters would be too much for the little guys. I am adding a bunch of driftwood to the tank, but am concerned that would not drop things down enough. So, instead I am getting research on suitable tetras that could work with what I have. The following look like okay choices, but I figured it would best to ask people with actual experience what they think. I have already crossed of Serpe and Buenos Aires tetras for being fin nipers or turning the plants into their personal salad bar. Here's the list: Penguin Tetra Lemon Tetra X-Ray Tetra Red Eyed Tetra Red Phantom Tetra Emperor Tetra Candy Cane Tetra (seen conflicting info on these guys, some sources say they are okay, others list much lower PH requirements) Would any of these, or other good suggestions work out okay? Thinking of two schools, so they have plenty of friends. For tankmates I am thinking a little group of platies, some Corydoras or Zebra Loaches, if the loaches are okay with the water (yes I know the two will not get along, so it is one or the other), maybe some dwarf neon rainbowfish ( as an alternative to one of the tetras), and a nice herbivore, so Bristlenose Pleco or Hillstream Loach pack. Still thinking about a good centerpiece too, but right now I want the tetras locked down before I think of that.