A Conundrum

[sumocopter]

Hi guys,

I'm after some advice and ideas on a few fronts.

I currently have:
6 zebra danios
5 five stripe barbs
7 neons
1 dalmation molly (ill come to him later)
1 red gourami
1 sucking loach

in a 60l tank. Overstocked, I know, so I've bought a 30l tank to split the fish.

Firstly, how is best to split these fish so they are all happy in the long run? (60l is the standard rectangle tank, 30l is quite tall)

Secondly - the molly - I had 3 but the two females died. I replaced them with another two females but they died within a day of being in the tank (I did acclimatise them properly), they seemed to die in the order that my male went after them, only when the first had died did he start chasing the second, I've got a feeling he's a bully and the stress of him and moving to a new tank may have done them in! I intend to buy two new females, do you think letting the two females into the tank for a week or so then introducing the male bring me more success?

Thirdly - I've just bought and set up the 30l tank and would normally have it running a couple of weeks before adding fish, is there any way to speed up the tank sorting itself out? I'd like to reduce the overcrowding as soon as possible really. I know patience is a virtue when it comes to these things though.

Any advice would be great, thanks

 

[Ally555]

Are you going to cycle the tank?

 

[sumocopter]

I've never quite grasped cycling. Do you know of any websites or threads with a good explanation.

With my first tank (the 60l in question) I just set it up, left it for two weeks with the live plants and filter then introduced fish slowly, I expected to do the same with this one

 

[sumocopter]

Any ideas guys?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

this topic will help you understand cycling

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=271928

what you can do is to clone your tank, you have a choice of a few methods

1 - run the filter for the new tank in the old tank for 2 weeks then move it over to the new tank and set it up straight away and move fish over the same day.

2 - split the media between both filters so each filter has some of the old mature media and some of the new media, then set the new tank up straight away and move fish over.

the first method will be more reliable and less likely to cause a mini cycle, the second method will enable you to get fish into the second tank straigth away but there's a chance you'd get a mini cycle which could make your fish poorly.


for now put the neons, the molly and the gourami in the new smaller tank and leave the rest be, i think the 5 stripe barbs and the sucking loach will both need larger tanks in the long run though so you will need to think about that.