Topic: ZEBRA DANIOS-NEED HELP

[Fish Meister]

I'm currently at the very beginning stages of cycling my new 29gal, and I bought 3 zebra danios yesterday to help with the process.  They were getting along fairly well yesterday, but today the biggest Danio is constantly chasing around the other 2 and nipping them.  The big one is, what it seems like to me, being very aggressive all the time, especially during feeding.  One of the danios now hides behind the filter sometimes to get away.  I am aware that they are best is schools of 6 or more but I only bought 3 to start the cycling.  Is there anything I can do to make the fish more peaceful or should I just buy 3 more and risk a high ammonia level temporarily?

[Essabee]

Buy 3 more and go easy with feeding.

[Aiptasia]

Danios do best in large groups, where there's multiple fish to swim and chase and nip. No few fish will get picked on too much in a larger group. The difficult situation is, since this is a new and uncycled tank, is you can't start off keeping them in a group. I'd suggest cycling the tank first with a solo fish (or better, fishless cycle, see our articles section) and then when it's cycled, group them together.

[LittlePuff]

We need a "like" button!

[ShieldWolf]

Danios tend to be hardy fish so getting a few more will help wih the aggression. Just closely monitor your water parameters while cycling & you should be fine.

[Santaaa]

If you can find a retailer that carries Safestart made by Tetra you can skip cycling it is bacteria in a bottle. An instant cycle that really works. My petsmart started carrying it so maybe check your local petsmart. It works great and is worth the money. Still buy a test kit and monitor the water parameters to make sure it takes but I have never had a problem starting a tank with it.

[Aiptasia]

If you can find a retailer that carries Safestart made by Tetra you can skip cycling it is bacteria in a bottle. An instant cycle that really works. My petsmart started carrying it so maybe check your local petsmart. It works great and is worth the money. Still buy a test kit and monitor the water parameters to make sure it takes but I have never had a problem starting a tank with it.

Safestart only has the nitrosomonas bacteria inside of it, not the bacteria that loves nitrobactir. Therefore, it doesn't completely cycle the tank right away. It's still advised for anyone to cycle their tank properly by using test kits and monitoring the situation by doing a fishless cycle (see our articles section) until you're 100% positive the tank is cycled.

[Santaaa]

Safestart only has the nitrosomonas bacteria inside of it, not the bacteria that loves nitrobactir. Therefore, it doesn't completely cycle the tank right away. It's still advised for anyone to cycle their tank properly by using test kits and monitoring the situation by doing a fishless cycle (see our articles section) until you're 100% positive the tank is cycled.

Actually it does. I can say that I have tested it myself and it works perfectly. I set up my tank with it and it was cycled that day. I even used test kits to get results. I tested ammonia and NitrIte and NitrAte 1 day after I set up the tank and  I had fed it a decent amount of food. It works perfectly. I swear by it and I have used it personally. The parameters came out 0 for ammonia and NitrIte and about 10-20 ppm for NitrAte. Which would indicate since it was set up wtih new water and everything that it was working perfectly fine as the bottle states. I have noticed that many people are against new products like this as it is true most products do not work at all. Most are garbage and I can say that as I have tried a few different products when setting up my tanks. This one though is the exception and it does work instantly as it claims.  Fishless cycles are not bad ideas but you don't have to do them if you get this product. They will work just as well as if you did the same thing with Safestart. It is cheaper and if you can wait feel free to use that as it is cheaper by far. Now if you really can't wait and you are willing to pay top dollar for it you can have your tank up and running that day with it already cycled. It works great.  So either method is acceptable both will work in my experience.  You already have fish though and your best option in my opinion would be to use Safestart. It is the same product as Biospira which I don't know if anyone remembers. They have just figured out how to store it on a shelf without refrigeration. Not sure how but they did. Biospira was bought by tetra a few years ago. I  have used both original freshwater biospira and Tetra's version Safestart. They both have worked wonderfully for me when starting new tanks. If you choose to do fishless cycling I would return your fish to the store and wait until it is cycled. Also, filter squeezings from an already established tank works good too if you can get a local pet store to give you old filter media or a cup of gravel from their tank that is already established then you just throw it in and stock slowly and the bacteria will grow with the population of the tank. There are many many ways to cycle your tank properly. Many people disagree on how best to cycle a tank. It really is what is most convienient for you to do. I have heard everything from bottled bacteria cultures all the way to some weirdo urinating in their empty fish pond to provide an ammonia source. I do not recommend urine as that is just nasty but it has been done successfully.  The point is do what works for you. If you decide to go the way of an old fashioned fish cycle get a bottle of Prime water conditioner it binds up the ammonia. When I lived at college my tank got unplugged while I was gone for a week by a stupid floor attendant and the filter bacteria died well all my fish survived as I had always added Prime. I would double the dose of Prime for a fish cycle and do partial water changes to bring ammonia levels down even though it is bound up it can only bind so much ammonia before it can't do it anymore.  It is a good back up in case of a power outage.  So choose what works best for you.   One thing i have noticed, no offense meant to anyone on this forum, is that many aquarists find one way that works and they stick with it and do not try new ideas and are usually not accepting of new ideas. They believe their way is right and that it is the only way. I encourage you to explore different ideas and different ways of doing things and see what works best for you. Another thing I like to do which I am usually told I am wrong for is changing the PH of my water. I do it for breeding projects and because I have a low KH that really could be called non-existant. KH buffers the PH and prevents crashes in the PH. Most people's water is not affected by this and most will not have to deal with it. I do not recommend changing PH if your water supports your fish and you are not breeding. I am told it is unsafe which it can be if you do not do your research. It can be done safely and it can remain stable. We all have our own way of doing things and you will notice I have a tendancy to go against the grain personally. I am more interested in finding new ways and better ways to improve our hobby while some are content to do what they always have and never try new ideas.  Now there is nothing wrong with being content to do what works. Please don't think I look down on people that do not wish to try to innovate.  Some people like to play around to find easier and better ways to do things. Some don't feel comfortable.   Of course without innovation many people would never have progressed beyond an undergravel filter. I do recommend an undergravel filter as a back up filter along with an HOB filter. In case the HOB filter breaks it will allow your tank to remain filtered until you can fix the problem. You have to vacuum it regularly and it may be more difficult to grow plants if you grow plants maybe add 2 HOB filters instead as a back up if you wish to grow tons of plants although it is possible to grow plants with an undergravel filter it is easier without one. Although I have grown a few plants successfully with an undergravel filter. Good Luck to you and have fun with it.