anything wrong with my fish?

Fiddler · 05/18/2006, 08:15 AM

i just bought my first fish, a green chromis, i was going to get 3 but the guy at the store told me my tank has not cycled yet since i haven't had any fish yet!

anyway, it's been about 15 hours, he's just been swimming around like crazy, is he still just nervous? should i get him two buddies to swim with? i've seen him eat a couple pellets of food. ( NOTE. he seems a lot more relaxed when only the moon lights are on )

AdidaKev · 05/18/2006, 08:38 AM

Green chromis like to swim a lot in general. He's probably also still nervous, yes. Getting him a few friends couldn't hurt, but I wouldn't worry about him unless he stops eating completely.

Randall_James · 05/18/2006, 08:41 AM

Key words here "Tank not cycled yet"

you should have skipped purchasing any fish... The system must cycle to enable the system to sustain life without killing it

hanas · 05/18/2006, 09:04 AM

agreed, although a Green Chromis can probably withstand the cycling process, in the future you should let the tank finish it's cycle first.

To answer your question, they are very active swimmers.

Fiddler · 05/18/2006, 09:06 AM

my tank has been up since the begining of march, it has cycled, just without any fish, it was the guy at the store that said i needed a fish to make it cycle, but thanks for trying to tell me what to do

Randall_James · 05/18/2006, 09:33 AM

It is best to use "fish food" or a raw shrimp to cycle your tank. Using a fish is just hard on the fish (who wants an ammonia dunk)

I have seen fish jump clear out of a tank that has excessive ammoina levels (must burn)

At any rate you are where you are, keep the levels at .15 or lower via water changes (.20 is lethal for many fish).

The amount of drop in ammonial via water change is pretty linear.

If you have 10G and a level of .20, a 5 gallon (50%) will drop the levels 50% to .10

Sk8r · 05/18/2006, 08:26 PM

Chromis are never still. They just do that. If you put other chromis in at this point, there may be a fish fight.

angelsj247 · 05/18/2006, 08:31 PM

you shouldnt add 3 fish at a time to a tank.. only 1-2 at most at a time per week. to make sure the tank wouldnt crash.

Randall_James · 05/19/2006, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by angelsj247
you shouldnt add 3 fish at a time to a tank.. only 1-2 at most at a time per week. to make sure the tank wouldnt crash.

I would mostly agree with this, tank size is relelvant however as is the size of the fish. Chromis could go 3 at a time in perhaps 55G or larger.

The problem is they need to be added at the same time so a smaller tank would probalby require some water changes in the first 2-5 days to keep it safe is all

05/18/2006, 08:15 AM	#1
Fiddler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: western hemisphere, northern hemisphere, east coast, just south of mason-dixon Posts: 225	anything wrong with my fish? i just bought my first fish, a green chromis, i was going to get 3 but the guy at the store told me my tank has not cycled yet since i haven't had any fish yet! anyway, it's been about 15 hours, he's just been swimming around like crazy, is he still just nervous? should i get him two buddies to swim with? i've seen him eat a couple pellets of food. ( NOTE. he seems a lot more relaxed when only the moon lights are on )

05/18/2006, 08:38 AM	#2
AdidaKev Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NA Posts: 624	Green chromis like to swim a lot in general. He's probably also still nervous, yes. Getting him a few friends couldn't hurt, but I wouldn't worry about him unless he stops eating completely. __________________ ... Current Tank Info: NA

05/18/2006, 08:41 AM	#3
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	Key words here "Tank not cycled yet" you should have skipped purchasing any fish... The system must cycle to enable the system to sustain life without killing it __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/18/2006, 09:06 AM	#5
Fiddler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: western hemisphere, northern hemisphere, east coast, just south of mason-dixon Posts: 225	my tank has been up since the begining of march, it has cycled, just without any fish, it was the guy at the store that said i needed a fish to make it cycle, but thanks for trying to tell me what to do __________________ on the seventh day the lord reasted, but before that he did, he squated over england and what came out of him... was ireland - Bill the Butcher - Gangs of New York Current Tank Info: 75 in construction.... construction at a stand still...

05/18/2006, 09:33 AM	#6
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	It is best to use "fish food" or a raw shrimp to cycle your tank. Using a fish is just hard on the fish (who wants an ammonia dunk) I have seen fish jump clear out of a tank that has excessive ammoina levels (must burn) At any rate you are where you are, keep the levels at .15 or lower via water changes (.20 is lethal for many fish). The amount of drop in ammonial via water change is pretty linear. If you have 10G and a level of .20, a 5 gallon (50%) will drop the levels 50% to .10 __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/18/2006, 09:04 AM	#4
hanas Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Fairfield, CT Posts: 795	agreed, although a Green Chromis can probably withstand the cycling process, in the future you should let the tank finish it's cycle first. To answer your question, they are very active swimmers.

05/18/2006, 08:26 PM	#7
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Chromis are never still. They just do that. If you put other chromis in at this point, there may be a fish fight. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

05/18/2006, 08:31 PM	#8
angelsj247 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Joliet, IL Posts: 866	you shouldnt add 3 fish at a time to a tank.. only 1-2 at most at a time per week. to make sure the tank wouldnt crash. __________________ 2 perc clownfish, 2 peppermint shrimp, astrea, turbo, & nassarius snails, 20 lbs Live Rock Current Tank Info: 20gal FOWLR