Help with a new, small tank please

[robertpetry]

Hello all!

I am very new to this so please bear with me.

My 6 year old daughter received a Mini bow 2.5 aquarium ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.]) and we have stocked it with about 1 inch of gravel, a small grass plant and a little coral/plastic leaf decoration.

I have the filter running and a small pump we added for some air. In it she put a cute little gold platy named Sophia.

I have received some conflicting info from a couple of store personnel so I thought I had better get to some experts.

1. Is there room for a second platy in this tank? Would Sophia be happier with a friend? If so, are there any issues or should we just pick up another platy?

2. How should I clean the filter? I was told by one person not to change it, just to take it out and rinse it with water. Another said to change it monthly. Suggestions? The water has stayed very clear and pretty clean for a month so far.

3. Since it is clean, should I still be changing the water 25% every week? It seems to evaporate 10% per week anyway and I have just been filling it up with clean, spring water from a spring a few miles from here in central Indiana.

4. Finally, we have been feeding her about one flake of food per morning. She is growing and seems healthy so I have not increased that much. Is this ok?

Any other suggestions to make Sophia happy and healthy would be great!

Thank you all! My daughter loves Sophia and I don't want to lose her.

(also, my daughter is thinking she needs a bigger tank for Christmas so she can add fish - mostly more platies or similar small fish)

:goldfish:

[robflanker]

1. Is there room for a second platy in this tank? Would Sophia be happier with a friend? If so, are there any issues or should we just pick up another platy? No - one platy shouldnt be in a 2.5g IMO. I would definitely plan on getting a larger tank at xmas and moving this platy into the bigger tank. You could have a betta in 2.5g but thats about it

2. How should I clean the filter? I was told by one person not to change it, just to take it out and rinse it with water. Another said to change it monthly. Suggestions? The water has stayed very clear and pretty clean for a month so far. Did you cycle the tank? You should rinse the filter in the tank water when changing it. Take a bowl and put some of the old tank water in it and just brush off any large debris off the filter.

3. Since it is clean, should I still be changing the water 25% every week? It seems to evaporate 10% per week anyway and I have just been filling it up with clean, spring water from a spring a few miles from here in central Indiana. Yes - do weekly WCs of 20-25%

4. Finally, we have been feeding her about one flake of food per morning. She is growing and seems healthy so I have not increased that much. Is this ok? Feeding amounts sound fine

Any other suggestions to make Sophia happy and healthy would be great!

Thank you all! My daughter loves Sophia and I don't want to lose her.

(also, my daughter is thinking she needs a bigger tank for Christmas so she can add fish - mostly more platies or similar small fish) I definitely think you need a larger tank. Have a look on craigslist - you get some great deals on there. A starting price is typically $1-2.50 per gallon depending on how much stuff you get with it. If you want to keep the platy long term definitely get a bigger tank

:goldfish:

welcome and good luck

[Northernguy]

Welcome to the Fabulous AC!
I think adding another one should not be much of a problem.Try for the same sex,male preferably.A betta is best suited for that small of a tank.
Is this tank cycled?
Does it have a filter?
Please read the free ebook on the left for an idea of how an aquariums nitrogen works.It will help you out.
Do you have a test kit for the water perameters?
A bigger tank is the best way to go.Ten or twenty gal is a great start.

[Twe3k]

welcome to AC:22: Definitely keep up with you water changes now, more then ever since it didnt seem like you cycle you tank. It will help keep the ammonia and nitrite at a safe level for that fish.

[mac]

Hi and welcome to the forum. A key to keeping small tanks alive, is water changes. Small regular ones are best.

As for getting another fish. I would look at another tank first. Mostly due to the extra Bio Loach created by the extra fish. More in a small enviroment it is very easy for the toxic waste Nitrite and Ammonia to get out of hand fast.

IMO hold of on getting any fish till a larger tank.

mac

[robertpetry]

Thanks for the advice.

I did not cycle and have not cycled the tank. Actually, I didn't have any idea what you were talking about till I did a google on it.

So it seems like a 15%-20% weekly water change would be a good idea. I have a siphon hose that I bought which should help with cleaning the gravel and removing the water right?

Also, any advice on the filter change process in this tank?

Thanks!

[Twe3k]

you dont need to change the filter, if you do you will loose alot of your good bacterias.. just clean it by rinsing it out in old tank water

[mac]

With the cleaning of the gravel, some say vacuum it. Others say leave it.

I am for leaving it alone. It is all full of bacteria which is what you want.
As for the water changes all you need to do is change the water into a bucket, and every few weeks rinse the filter.

mac

[Twe3k]

make sure when you add new water, you declorine it

[Alltheicons]

You could also try and get some seeded media from your LFS. It should help you get that tank cycled. I'd still advice getting a larger tank though. It's gonna make it a lot easier to take care of as well as be a lot less stressful on the fish. You're gonna be doing a lot of water changes otherwise. And you'll definitely need a test kit. I honestly don't even know if it's possible to know whats going on in your tank otherwise.

[VoidParadigm]

For right now the set-up you have is fine. But both your daughter and her fish will enjoy a ten gallon or larger. Then you could get a few friends for Sophia.

I highly recommend getting her a ten gallon for Christmas. =]

[Padams]

if you do not have one, get a liquid test kit. This is the best way to keep track of the ammonia,nitrite, & nitrate levels. They can be found for about $20 US online (API is what most use). They are usually good for about 90 tests. Keeping the levels low will better ensure survival.

Welcome to the School

[robertpetry]

Alright,

I took your excellent advice and did two things.

1. I did a 20% water change on Saturday morning. While doing that I added a small amount of Sera bionitrivec.

2. I ordered, received and tried out the API test kit. My readings are:

8.3 pH
0 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
5-10 mg/L of Nitrate

The pH seems a bit high. Thoughts?

[Lolita]

I wouldn't worry about the pH. Obviously if the platy is doing fine, she is adjusted to the pH.

Fish need a stable pH not a perfect one. Don't try changing it with chemicals, or you'll risk a pH swing which will hurt your fish.

If you're really worried about it though, you could add some peat to your filter or find a close water source with a lower pH. My pH at work is 9 or higher, but my pH at home is 6.5 so I bring a bucket to work once a week for a water change.

Like I said though, Sophia is already adjusted to your pH, so I'd just leave it and make sure to drip acclimate any new fish when you do get your bigger tank! thumbs2:

[robertpetry]

Great. That sounds good.

Maggie is already excited about her new tank - 31 days till the birthday :)

She wants to go get a new platy now and figures it will be fine till they get a bigger home. I told her we needed to wait. She said she is worried that someone will buy her fish because it is waiting for her in a store somewhere right now! lol

Anyway, as I said I am using spring water from a fresh spring a few miles from here. We have a water softener and I tested our home water and got a pH of 8. That's a little better but then I have chlorine and a bit of salt probably.

[Lolita]

You can use water from your home and add dechlorinator to it. That way you also don't have to go get water every week for water changes!

=D Good for you for waiting too! A fish tank is a great way to teach a child responsibility. I watch two 3 year olds and have been teaching them about fish slowly. When they get old enough I may buy them each a small tank of their own.

[robflanker]

With the cleaning of the gravel, some say vacuum it. Others say leave it.

I am for leaving it alone. It is all full of bacteria which is what you want.
As for the water changes all you need to do is change the water into a bucket, and every few weeks rinse the filter.

mac
Actually, ive never heard of anyone recommending against vacuuming. You'd be the first.

Everything i've seen or heard suggests vaccuming regularly to remove decaying food/poop/whatever else is in there.

If you've got some credible proof sources suggesting that vacuuming is bad - then id love to read it

[Northernguy]

robertpetry please read this [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
It will help you through the cycle.
When cycling with fish it is important to remove anything that will cause a spike in the tank.Vacuuming is by far the best way to do this.
You will need lots of dechlorinator so you can do lots of water changes.

[Lab_Rat]

robertpetry please read this [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
It will help you through the cycle.
When cycling with fish it is important to remove anything that will cause a spike in the tank.Vacuuming is by far the best way to do this.
You will need lots of dechlorinator so you can do lots of water changes.

Honestly, I think the OP inadvertently had a successful fish in cycle, as the ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm and the nitrates are 5-10ppm. I totally agree that regular vacuuming is important for keeping nitrates low, along with the regular water changes.

Robert, when you get the new tank, make sure you transfer the used filter media/cartridge to the new filter so you don't lose your cycle. Transferring the gravel and decor will help too. And 10g is much better for platies than 2.5g. Like was mentioned before, check out craigslist for good deals. You may even want to go larger than 10g as it will allow for many more options on fish that can go in there.

[mommy1]

Hi and welcome to the forum. A key to keeping small tanks alive, is water changes. Small regular ones are best.

As for getting another fish. I would look at another tank first. Mostly due to the extra Bio Loach created by the extra fish. More in a small enviroment it is very easy for the toxic waste Nitrite and Ammonia to get out of hand fast.

IMO hold of on getting any fish till a larger tank.

mac
i have to agree with Rob here, there is actually very little beneficial bacteria in the tank. most of it is in the filter. which is why it was recommended to rinse your filter media in dechlorinated water or old tank water every now and then.
vacuuming the gravel is important as its the only way to easily get the fish poop and decaying food out of the tank. if you let these stay in the tank you can have problems with water quality.

[robertpetry]

Well I bought her a Marineland 12 gallon Eclipse system today at "the reef" in Indianapolis. Still a month till her birthday so I won't know how it works but it seems like a great unit.

Anybody use one?

Also, the folks there told me to change the charcoal in my filter every 30 days. I thought I just needed to rinse it off?

[robflanker]

It has been theorized that carbon stops having any effectiveness after approximately a month.

The filter media (wire meshy stuff) should be rinsed as should any volume increasing solids like granules.

[VoidParadigm]

I only replace my carbon once a year. Only ever lost 2 fish to sickness. Which is practically nothing considering how many I've kept in my lifetime.