Would anyone give me a quick spot of advice, please? I've done as much reading as I can so I'm not being lazy, I'm just wanting to get this right. Cliffnotes:
I used to import, raise and breed genuine 5* and 6* fighting Bettas (plakats) from various Thai, Malay and Viet bloodlines. Being Anabantoid (having a lung organ) they are relatively easy to keep and don't need much fuss about water quality etc so long as it's soft, full of tannins (almond leaves) and changed every month or so.
This means I'm a bit clueless about 'normal' fish, but I've done a crash course the last few weeks since our 18 month old decided she desperately 'needed' some fish. Our LFS sold us a Superfish Home 80 which is basically 24x18x12 inches (60x45x30cm) and about 80 litres. They told me fish keeping tech had moved on massively since I last raised fish, and that cycling was old fashioned. I should just use the 'quick start' products to add nitrifying bacteria, in addition to the usual chlorine/chloramine water conditioner etc. They told us to set up the tank and come back in a couple of days to grab some fish.
The tank was set up with tap water (first mistake?), which was duly conditioned and bacteria added at the specified dosage for three days. The rear of the tank is 'planted' with enough water weed to mostly fill the back of the tank, in order to provide cover for small tetras etc. The substrate is aquarium silver sand and the only decor is safe rocks and a fake resin tower/tunnels. Lighting is provided by inbuilt bright white and blue LEDs, filtration is a standard internal cartridge filter (sintered glass for bio, carbon and foam - rated for up to 300L tanks) and the heater is a standard Fluval 150W set to 26oC.
Everything seemed fine and when we returned to the LFS they sold us 11 neon tetras and 8 standard platies (they were prettier than most of the others). I asked if that was too many fish but was told again that's fine and that the modern wonder liquids would have sorted everything out and to just keep an eye on the water for a few weeks.
They have been fed very sparingly (half a dozen small pellets a day tops between them) while the tank settles, to help avoid excess ammonia etc. However today I received my API Master Test Kit and the results are thus:
pH - 8.0
Ammonia - 0.25ppm (lowest on the scale)
Nitrite - 0.25ppm
Nitrate - 5ppm
I know ideally on a fully established aquarium it should be 0, 0 and <20ppm so that doesn't seem bad at all for a five day old tank with 18 fish. The pH needs lowering towards 7.5 (I guess our local tap water is very alkaline and/or full of minerals and buffers), but aside from that I was relatively happy. Until one of the neons went belly up and floated to the bottom a few minutes ago, that is...
I know neons tend to prefer slightly more acidic water, but in communities they are supposed to be quite tolerant. I did read they're fairly weak fish after years of inbreeding, so that's something of a ray of hope. Does anyone have any advice, hints or tips?
I am aiming to do a 25% or so water change today using warmed and treated mineral water (pH 7.3) rather than our local tap water. The idea being it's relatively chemical free, and switching 25% of the water for pH 7.3 rather than pH 8.0 can only help balance things out and reduce the little ammonia and nitrite that's present. Right? Or am I looking at it wrong? I was thinking do the water change, then hold off food for a couple of days while things settle to save adding more ammonia/nitrite to the water if possible and then test again. Instead of, or as well as, I have also picked up some Easy Balance which claims to instantly remove ammonia and nitrites and balance pH, removing the need for a water change. I thought it could only help until things settle down?
Because of what the LFS told us, I'd already ordered another £50 of fish (2x A. gardnerii Killifish, 2x Full Red Agassizii and 1x Orange Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid). I only did it because the LFS said all was fine and everything seemed hunky dory until Nemo there rolled over for seemingly no reason. The rest seem happy, if rather active (low food and water on the warm end, I thought). Help?
