Can you cycle a small tank (fish-in) in a week?

[plankton]

I suggest you use the Safestart or Stability to help finish the cycle.

Sorry for possibly silly question - are these different / better than the bacteria starter I am using (daily) at present: Microbe-Lift Nite-Out II?

That's the one from MA. I have some that I use when adding new fish. I don't think it's as good as the Tetra and Seachem products for usung during the cycle. If you're using Prime as a conditioner then get the Stability as Prime can upset other "bacteria-in-a-bottles".

[bensmithuk]

Do you have pictures of the tetras? Could be that they are compatible temp wise as suggested IF they are cardinals and not neons.

Here's our's:


Here's a snap I took of the tank they came out of at the shop (with the temperature range):


And here'a a close-up of the label:

[VikingMummy2015]

Can you add the pictures using the “add image to post” link? Don’t have Dropbox for the link to work.

[bensmithuk]

Can you add the pictures using the “add image to post” link? Don’t have Dropbox for the link to work.

Updated to directly hosted images. Hope these work OK

[VikingMummy2015]

Seriously Fish say 21-25 for neons, 22-30 for betta. Given 25 is the absolute top end for neons, long term best temperature for them is 22-23 degrees. Betta is best at 26-27. It doesn’t sound much but it can have a big impact on metabolism and shorten lifespan.
For a 25L tank, it’s really only suitable for a single Betta long term and definitely too small for any species of tetra just because they’re such active swimmers.

Maidenhead/Fishkeeper stores are only as knowledgeable as the member of staff serving you (or their manager). Some are genuinely caring fishkeepers but others are simply looking at the bottom line and following sales procedures that aren’t based on genuine welfare.

[plankton]

I've always kept neons at 22C, cardinals at 27C with no problems. Anything else will cause problems long-term.
I've always managed to keep them between 5 and 7 years, which is a relatively long time for small tetras.

[bensmithuk]

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. Navigating this stuff feels so overwhelming early on, especially as younger family members are involved and were very upset when we lost some fish. I'm learning to seek a consensus view on what's 'best'.

I think we'll make the existing 25L tank into a home just for the Betta and either re-home the Tetras or get a 2nd larger tank suitable for them (and some friends so they can school).