I have some questions

[histo320]

My 10 gal Tank has been set up for 3 weeks and I broke the rule of cycling without fish in the tank. I started out with 5 Platies, a mystery snail, then got 2 Peppered Corys last week. All seem to be alive and well so far no rot and it does not seem that they are having a problem breathing. I know I am stocking to fast and I am changing water every 2-3 days to keep the levels down. I had the water tested today, the nitrate was a little high but everything else checked out.

Okay so here to my questions.

Is the 1 mystery snail enough to keep the algae in check? (honestly he is lazy, stays dormant for hours at a time)Or should I get another one or some type of small algae eater or shrimp?

How many corys could I fit in the tank without the platies? I am thinking 2-6 or is that to many?

Are all of the smaller species of cory compatiable with each other? (Albino and Peppered)

[Torpedos]

1) you shoudnt have any fish at all, with all this water changing you are acctually prelonging the cycle because there is no bacteria to supply the filters.
2) take your fish back!
3) algae depends all on the amount of sunlight your tank gets, the amount of nutrients, amount of current and if you have any living plants. depending on those facters will tell you if you need more algae eaters. I would say 2-3 ottos would be good in a tank that size
4) corys need to be kept in larger groups, so I wouls take them back. You dont have enough room for them sadly.
5) no more platties, you will have hundreads in a few months.

[TheOldSalt]

When you change water, you remove ammonia, not bacteria. The bacteria live mainly on surfaces, not floating in the water. The effect is similar, though, in that you are depriving them of their food and slowing down their growth.

6 cories is fine without the platies. 4 would probably still be okay with them.

Platies don't breed as quickly as all that, so they're fine for now.

People have been cycling WITH fish for over a century just fine. The fishless method is still far too new to be considered an established rule, so don't panic, you rulebreaker, you.

Mystery snails aren't exactly the lean, mean algae-eating machines of the gastropod world, but then again you shouldn't be counting on snails for algae control anyway. There are plenty of other kinds available, but they all have their own peculiarities. Personally, I like Ramshorns.

[JustOneMore20]

I agree with TOS.

As for the cories, I think 4 would be ok. I personally don't like keeping any cories in a 10g (limited space), especially the larger species (peppered, albinos), but what can you do. Get your Peppered cories a couple more Peppered friends and leave them at that. Hopefully you'll upgrade the tank eventually (I hope so atleast).

Are you showing any ammonia or nitrites in the tank? If you are, hold off on adding fish. Make sure you test before a water change and not after (for ammonia and nitrite). Nitrates are fine up to about 40ppm, so I'm not sure how high yours got. You are doing great with the 2-3 day water changes. Keep doing them if you show ammonia or nitrite. Then, when you have been at 0 for awhile with ammonia and nitrite and have some nitrates, you can add in the 2 other cories to complete your tank.

With that stocking, you will be full. I would not put anything else in the tank.

As for the algae, well if you have an algae problem now, its best to try to fix the problem, rather than add in more fish which can contribute more to the problem and not really help you. Keep your 1 snail for now. Tackle the algae problem when it occurs (if it hasn't already). There are a lot of factors that contribute to algae.

[histo320]

currently I am not having any algae problems I just want get it under control before it gets to late.

Thanks for the advice

[CTSrt4]

i cycled with 30 or so fish and only lost two cardinal tetras

[flamingo]

I never do fishless cycles, in most cases... unless it's a very sensitive fish. But then again, I used to have around 20 some tanks with already established media, rocks, that I would switch around. It's not really as horrible as people make it out to be...

And I agree with the algae comment. You don't bring in a fish or invert to battle the algae problem, in reality they do nothing, you try stopping it before it even happens. Or try figuring out what's causing it. I've never seen why people think they need a clean-up crew... when they hardly do much of anything.

[Ricker]

In FW yes but in SW you need it. But SW isn't the topic here. I did my cycle with goldfish the feeder kind.

[histo320]

Thanks for all of the advice. the local pet shop guy told me to do water changes everyday to get the nitrite and ammonia down. after doing changes the levels are almost down to 0.

[CTSrt4]

try bio speara i used it in my tank everything went to 0 the next day and ill admit because of me adding alot of fish at once the everything was way off im taking maxed on the test kit very dangerous i know

[histo320]

I used bio when i first set up my tank about a month ago, would it be okay to use again?

[CTSrt4]

yes you cant over dose with bio i used it twice two i even bought the one for 90 gallons and put a lil in my beta tank and the rest in my main next day water was so clear it made me look twice another thing that worked for me is taking an established sponge from the pet store and putting it into your tank have it anc****************d with a rock or something its loaded with bacteria but id recommend trusting the pet place fist dont want to make ur fish sick

[Gourami Swami]

Bio spira doesnt make your water clear dude, it just cycles the tank.
Also, your last sentence made non sense. What are you trying to say?

[Obsidian]

Anch0red is the missing word. He is suggesting using established media from a trustworthy fish store. Not sure why it doesn't like that word though. Its a weird editor LOL

[purpleflower]

I never used fish to cycle my tank, I used some of the gravel from my old tank, oh and a little of the water too. I did add an apple snail. I left my tank almost 4 months before adding fish.

[guppybreeder!]

i also have never done a fishless water change and i have never lost a fish from it!

[Gourami Swami]

why would you do a fishless water change? There would be no reason to change the water without any ammonia source.