[xfatdannx]

<--- link to aquarium for details.

Now that i have added java fern on one end of the tank and a few stems of anacharis, my fish seems to hide when i feed it. Not a big deal, i understand that Serpaes are shy but the problem is bc of my tank i think. B/c i only have a 6"x6" opening in the top, whatever food i add gets swept down right away by the filter. It then settles on the substrate before he comes out from hiding. Will it just sit there and rot? Is a fish that stubborn? Or, will he find it when he is hungry enough? Its been 2 days since i fed him last and the most recent plant, anacharis, wasn't there then. Any tips, ideas, anything? thanks guys!

 

[xfatdannx]

derr...i just read somewhere else...turn the filter off when feeding. ha i bet that will work.

 

[xfatdannx]

well that doesn't seem to be helping. filters been off just shy of 30 minutes and all the food is still floating. ugh!

 

[1077]

With just the one fish,,you would only need to feed maybe half a dime size amount of food once every other day.(actually,this amount would feed six to eight of the tetra's)
If the fish get's hungry enough,,it will forage along the bottom.
Might also consider shrimp or a few Malaysian Trumpet snail's.They will help police the bottom.

 

[MMAfish35]

Do you only have one tetra? If so, it will be really shy and stressed without other tetra. The minimun I would keep together would be 4-6 tetra. They are schooling fish and need other fish to really do well. I have neon tetras and started with four. They would really school tight and hide. I added four more and now they swim all over and interact a lot.

 

[xfatdannx]

yes i know this now, but at the same time its too soon to add anything else or else they will probably die. I think i got lucky with this guy. More fish will be added after the cycle...

picture updated.

Also, MMAfish, I think having more than one in there will help him find food bc 12 eyes are better than 2

He didn't have as much space to hide completely before and i think the plant blocks his view of where the food comes from now. i did manage to get him to eat something so i okay for now. Maybe he is a little stressed from his environment changing the last few days. I introduced the Java Fern, then 2 days later i took the ship out and put the Anacharis in and did about a 40% water change. I will update you on his habits in 2 days.

p.s. i have been feeding once every other day for about a week now. before i was feeding him twice a day. I had a HUGE ammonia spike shortly after that and changed my feeding habits.

 

[MMAfish35]

I would also put some stress coat in if you have it. It helps them to adjust. I feed my Neons once a day. A little extra food isn't bad, because it will help your plants. Like you said, too much will cause Ammonia. Good Luck.

Luke

 

[xfatdannx]

i still have not completed my cycle so i am trying to take it easy. Seems my nitrates and nitrites are at good levels but too much ammonia still. Once that levels out, i will introduce a few more fish and maybe even up the feeding. depends on how many fish i get. I want 6 but that will be pretty crowded in a 6 gal. I was told as long as i am meticulous about my testing and cleaning it can work though. I have not made a decision on how many fish to go with in the end seeing as the end is still a ways away.

 

[Byron]

As someone mentioned, the lone Serpae Tetra is hiding because it is stressed out by being alone. All tetra are shoaling fish, they live in large groups of hundreds, and they "expect" to have several of their species around them for security. They also have social interactions within the group. This species is best with no less than 8 fish, more being even better.

But here we come to some problems.

This is only a 6 gallon tank. There is insufficient space for this many fish, both from the standpoint of water quality and physical space. When this species, even more than most tetra, is in too small a space, it can increase the aggressive nature. The fish will literally nip each other to death.

I would strongly suggest that you consider different fish for this (small) tank, and hopefully return the Serpae. You can read more in our profile, click the shaded name. And browse the profiles for some ideas on suitable fish; minimum tank sizes and minimum numbers for each species are given.

Byron.

 

[FishyFishy89]

I agree. This poor fish is severely stressed because it is alone. I would attempt to return the fish and start fishless cycling your tank. It will take less time to fishless cycle your tank than it would to fish-in cycle.
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...inners-guide-freshwater-aquarium-cycle-38617/

 

[1077]

No need to start fishless cycling with plant's in the tank.
Swapping out the lone tetra, for maybe three Glowlight tetra's and then three more in a week to ten day's assuming the ammonia level's are brought under control would be what I might consider.
Am troubled by continued elevated ammonia level's with one fish and addition of plant's.
Would expect the plant's to have near immediate impact with only one fish, and reduced feeding's.
Wonder if there is ammonia from the tap?

 

[xfatdannx]

i actually tested my tap water, i kept getting the same results on my ammonia there for about a week and a half to two weeks, so i tested tap water, there was some but it was just trace levels. between 0 and .25 ppm on the API chart.

 

[FishyFishy89]

well there's ammonia in your tap. Constantly having levels of ammonia isn't that great. Over time, they'll just keep building. I would suggest planting your tank with some more hornwort, cabomba and anacharis. My experience with Anacharis, it grows best floating. I've never been able to get it to take root. My cabomba(aka fanwort) is starting to root in my 75 gal tho. Hornwort is also a floating plant.

 

[1077]

I would agree with adding some fast growing floating plant's .
I very much like the fast growth of Watersprite.
Slower growing plant's(did I mention this already) will not be as effective as fast growing.
I sometimes get confused cause I visit several forum's and thread's get jumbled in this old brain.

 

[FishyFishy89]

Water Sprite! I knew I was missing another one! I believe Wisteria is also another one.

 

[xfatdannx]

Okay so an update.

As stated before i tested my tap water and there were and still are trace amounts of ammonia. On a whim i pulled out our drinking water from the fridge, a Brita filter pitcher. Poured a small glass and tested it. NO ammonia was detected in this water. I also tested PH and GH and everything seemed to be okay. The ph was a little lower than my tank but i figured the ammonia being at zero was a bigger benefit that the ph levels being harmful. I did a 40-50% water change with the filtered water. (not straight from the fridge, that would be too cold) Ammonia levels were cut in half within an hour. From the 2ppm to 1ppm. So i think i have figured out my source for water changes. Very inconvenient but worth it for the fish.

Now that i am slowly getting the finishing stages of the cycle under control, i am still worried about his eating habits. Again, as i stated, he will not eat now. He gets scared and hides when i go to feed him now that he has the hiding spots. I think adding more fish will help him in the end but i do not want to add more fish to the cycling aquarium. If i would have done my research before setting it up and buying i would have no fish in there but here i am now. I tried covering the sides so he couldn't see me and drop food in when he is out and about, nothing. I tried putting the flakes in a syringe and squirting it to his hideout, just a nibble. In the last 5 days he has only eaten one small piece of food and i am getting worried it will not be good for him soon.

Any other suggestions?

 

[FishyFishy89]

As stated before, this is a schooling fish. He will not come out unless he has the company of his own kind.

I would just put a few flakes in there. Let it fall to the bottom, he'll eat it when he feels safe to come out.