"froggo" wrote in message
oups.com...
hi, i have just got my first tropical fish aquarium. set it up two
weeks before adding any fish and took the water sample to shop, the
advised it was ok - a little high on the nitrite side but nothing to
worry about too much.

i have a small tank so started with 3 guppys and 4 tetras. all was
well for 3 days and then 1 one of the tetras died. i have done my own
tests for nitrite and amonia which seem ok. have done water changes of
about 5l from a 35l tank. what am i doing wrong?

I was told to feed the fish only 3 times aweek and as such so far they
have only had two feeds - they seem to eat it really quickly when i do
feed them - am i not feeding them enough perhaps? (they only get
literally a couple of flakes).

any thoughts ?

thanks


Your tank is still cycling. Ammonia and nitrite should be 0 before stocking
your tank. Any detectable amounts at all of either is NOT ok, and can be
deadly to your fish.

It can take over a month for a tank to cycle. Only very hardy fish, such as
White Clouds, should be added to facilitate the bacteria culture by
providing a source of ammonia. Tetras need excellent water quality and
therefor are definitely not good candidates for the job.

John