Dropping temp?

[mabowman89]

I've finally started adding fish to my 20 long tank. We have added 3 of the Glofish Danios (I know there are lots of opinions on them, but my daughter picked them out and she loves the bright colors and she's 6) last week.  I have kept an eye on the water parameters. I have not had any ammonia spikes, but did have a slight reading of nitrites, so did a partial water yesterday.  We are going to go ahead and add 3 more danios to round out their school.  Eventually we are going to add a bottom feeder, which was going to be the Glofish cory, but after seeing them in the pet store today, they are a bit bigger than I was thinking. I love the panda cory (so cute)!  My temp is right around 77 now, could I slowly drop it over a period of time without harming the danios to have it at a temp that will better suit the panda corys?

[Lonkley]

Yes. I usually change 1 degree every couple of days and that's probably overly conservative.

Also 77 would be fine anyway

[mabowman89]

I thought it might but the lady at the pet store said they've Ike it a bit cooler, so I thought I may drop it just a little. Thank you for your response!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

A) NOTHING wrong with a GloFish IMO, they are a "gateway drug" for kids especially, and sometimes foster a lifelong love of aquariums (and fish). They are not injected or treated cruelly. They are born the way they are and are a result of science that was actually looking to create a fish that could detect polution in wild waterways, NOT for the pet trade specifically, despite what some may say.

B) Most would say Cory are GREAT bottom dwellers but don't get only 1. They are more comfortable and fun in a group of at least 6. Going with smaller species of Cory like a Bumblebee make people more comfortable in getting a larger number. 

C) 77 is just fine. 75 would be too. 

Edited January 27 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[tolstoy21]

I would just let it change naturally after adjusting your heater. That will be gradual enough in my experience. 

[mabowman89]

On 1/27/2024 at 4:48 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

A) NOTHING wrong with a GloFish IMO, they are a "gateway drug" for kids especially, and sometimes foster a lifelong love of aquariums (and fish). They are not injected or treated cruelly. They are born the way they are and are a result of science that was actually looking to create a fish that could detect polution in wild waterways, NOT for the pet trade specifically, despite what some may say.

B) Most would say Cory are GREAT bottom dwellers but don't get only 1. They are more comfortable and fun in a group of at least 6. Going with smaller species of Cory like a Bumblebee make people more comfortable in getting a larger number. 

C) 77 is just fine. 75 would be too. 

That's exactly how I feel about them too. Yes, we are planning on getting 6 of them. Which do you think would be better for them, getting 3, then waiting a couple weeks then getting the other 3 (which is what we did with the danios) or just go ahead and get all 6? I just was thinking of not overwhelming the tank, but also don't want to upset the fish. Thank you for your reply!

[MN-AQUARIST]

If the cories are relatively small and your tank is processing fish waste, I would just get all six at once.  Then I would feed very lightly for a few days to let the bacteria catch up to the new bio-load.

[Tony s]

My wife and daughters favorite kind of fish!  I took a 36g bow front and turned it into a dark tank with a blue light so the fish just shine. Danios, corys and black skirts. It actually does look really cool. Next step is adding some of the neon green corys 😀

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/27/2024 at 12:38 PM, mabowman89 said:

My temp is right around 77 now, could I slowly drop it over a period of time without harming the danios to have it at a temp that will better suit the panda corys?

I keep mine at 72-74. Set the heater to 74 during the cooler months. I remove it during the warmer months.

On 1/27/2024 at 7:26 PM, tolstoy21 said:

I would just let it change naturally after adjusting your heater. That will be gradual enough in my experience. 

This is also exactly what I would do.

[NOLANANO]

On 1/27/2024 at 9:26 PM, tolstoy21 said:

I would just let it change naturally after adjusting your heater. That will be gradual enough in my experience. 

I second this method. If you think about it, in the wild there is no heater in the water that keeps it the perfect temp for the fish. If it rains the temp quickly drops. If its a drought, the sun may raise the temp several degrees in just a few hours.  I think setting your heater to the new temp and allowing the water to adjust on its own is perfectly acceptable.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 1/30/2024 at 6:30 AM, mabowman89 said:

go ahead and get all 6?

I would get the 6. At your local fish store they're not fully grown anyway. It will make them more comfortable from the start, thereby eliminating some of the stress of new environments.