How long do I have?

1077

although they are small fish, (glow lights) I would keep an eye on the water parameters in your tank. Adding large numbers of fish to a tank that housed only one fish previously will no doubt cause an ammonia spike which could kill your new pets. It is ALWAYS best to add fish slowly. If you don;t have a test kit to measure ammonia levels get one. API freshwater master kit is used by most. Were it me and I did not have a test kit I would feed these fish sparingly once per day and perform 20 percent water changes every other day until I got the test kit mentioned.

1077

Two huge bags of fish added to a tank that housed only one fish previously will cause an ammomia spike which could kill your new pets. ALWAYS best to add fish a few at a time. I know you had no control over this but I would monitor the water closely for ammonia starting now. You will need a test kit such as API freshwater master kit to detect the ammonia. In the meantime feed these fish sparingly once a day and change out 20 percent of the water every other day to every two days with dechlorinated new water that is close to same temp. as tank Until you get the test kit if you don't have one. Don't overfeed and the ammonia spike may be small given that the fish are small.

1077

OOPS! Didn't want to double post.

cMc

Oh, I agree 100%, and believe me it was my intention to start slowly, but my granddaughter didn't understand what's involved. She just thought she was making her Nana happy (and she DID!!). I have a kit and do small water changes every Sunday, but I will definitely test more often until it is stable again.

My bigger worry is that the Black Knife fish will eat the Glow Fish. The more I read, the more anxious I get. My ex-daughter-in-law said that the man told her that the Black only eats leftover food at the bottom of the tank, and would not eat the Glow Fish. I think he either lied to her or just wasn't knowlegeable on this fish. Do you know if I have a problem on my hands?

I hate the thought of giving him up, not just because he's so cute, but also because he will probably be thrust into a brightly lighted tank and put on display again, and it will upset my granddaughter. I can't afford a second tank. I'm worried sick about this. Help! Cheryl

1077

I believe you already have discovered your answer.

cMc

Yes, you're right of course. I talked to my ex-daughter-in-law and explained the situation. She called the pet shop and they are going to send someone out this afternoon to get him. Oh well, live and learn.

She feels terrible about it. She asked her fish friend and he was adamant that it was a bad match with Glow Fish. She said my granddaughter insisted on getting it, so it was actually her gift to me. So I am going to take Sidney to a different pet shop tonight and have her pick me out another fish, a cleaner fish like a catfish or something that doesn't eat other fish.

Would you happen to know of a good one? One that you can pretty much count on being in stock? Think we'll go to PetSmart, as Pet Supermarket was the store that caused this problem in the first place. They'll never see another dime from me! Thanks, Cheryl

fish_4_all

Hold off on the cleaner fish for a little while. Often times they are more secceptible to ammonia than others. Also, there is really no such thing as a true "cleaner fish". They all produce waste and none I know of will really eat fish waste.

For your tank size a smaller pleco would work fine. BN pleco are a good choice. Just make sure to provide the fish with the right foods. Some driftwood and some roughage, zucchini works well for them as well as a good algae wafer.

1077

I agree with fish4all . you have increased the bioload for your tank considerably and I would wait until it has stabilized before adding ANY more fish. A bristlenose would be a good choice and i would suggest researching them while you are waiting for the tank to stabilize. A good place for info on all things catfish is. www.planetcatfish.com A shoal of corycats could also work but again, I would wait until the tank has matured some.

cMc

Will do. I'm keeping a close watch and haven't detected any ammonia yet, but I know it's coming. Instead of going to the pet shop, I'll just have Sidney research the fish you suggest on the internet, so she can choose one when the time comes. Just pulled out some of the hiding places for Mr. Ghost so the guy won't have too much trouble catching him. I don't have a net large enough! It's a shame though. I'll miss his little head sticking out of that hole in the castle. He's an oddball fish. Guess that's why I like him so much. I'm a bit of an oddball myself. LOL!

Thanks so much for you advice. Before I make any other changes in the future, I'll check this board first. Cheryl

cMc

Well, I just said my farewells to Mr. Ghost. The young guy who came to pick him up from Pet Supermarket (Asst. Mgr) didn't even know he was an electric fish. I failed to mention to you all that, when I first put them all in the tank, the Glow Fish were all over him. Every single one of them. Guess they were attracted to his "electrical" impulse or something. So if any of you plan to get a Black Knife Fish, look out for that to happen.

I looked up the fish you suggested. I like the Albino Bristlenose Pleco. But, that will have to wait for later. Cheryl