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LewKeat96

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Aug 12, 2020
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Hi all,

Just set up my first ever tank a little over a month ago, tropical. Looking forward to getting into the hobby, just thought i'd introduce myself.

Any tips and tricks regarding layout, plants etc. would be appreciated, currently have 49 fish in my tank, a 125L Fluval Roma.

Fish include a handful of Guppies (3 adults, 4 babies), a shoal of 15 Neon Tetras, 5 Peppered Corys, 5 Scissortail Rasboras, 6 Silvertip Tetra, 6 Orange Swordtails, 2 Clown Loaches (For my snail issue) and 3 Angels (one sadly died this evening and I don't know why :( ).
Tank.jpg


I look forward to being part of the forum and exploring the world of aquatics!
 
Thanks beedobu, pretty pleased with it. Yeah I thought I might have an issue with them, but the neons are a fair size and I'm planning on a second tank for the angels in a few weeks when I can afford one. With regards to parameters, PH is 7.5, GH is 8 which I think may be a bit too high? And KH is 3, which also may be a bit too low? As I said, any advice would be greatly appreciated as a newcomer
 
I had a mated pair of angelfish that grew to be about 6 inches (body) in a 55 gallon tank. You should have 5 or more if you do not have a mated pair and your tank is too small for them sorry. I agree with @beedobu as they grow they may view your neon tetra as fresh food,
 
I don't want to come down on you either, but is it possible for you to return the clown loaches? They're a very bright and social species that need a group of five or more in order to form the social bonds and hierarchy they need. Keeping two alone will result in problems for them, they get very unhappy, and one will eventually bully and dominate the other. They need a group to disperse that kind of aggression and targeted harassment, if you notice the bullied one "greying out" (their colours go pale) it's a stress reaction. They also get huge. A tank over a hundred gallons to house a group of them. If you can't house a group of adult clown loaches and keep them in the kind of social group they need, it's cruel to keep the juveniles as snail control.

There are lots of ways to reduce a snail population manually, you don't need a fish to do it. And explosions in snail populations happen as a result of over feeding and not enough substrate cleaning. Adding more fish that need to be fed and contribute to the mess might actually be making the situation worse.

Again, I don't mean to come down on you, a lot of us made mistakes like this when new to the hobby! And continue to make mistakes. There's a lot of misinformation out there, and I've seen loaches recommended as snail control before, so I understand why you got them. I just want you to consider the whole lifetime of the fish, and what they really need.

have a look at how big they can get. It's not fair to stunt their growth by keeping them in small tanks
 
Thanks for the welcomes guys. I think it's possible to return the loaches, or I have a friend with a much larger aquarium that would happily take them off me. Think I've made the classic mistake of too many fish in a relatively short space of time. I had no idea they got that big! I knew they'd grow eventually, the assistant at the store I bought them said they were a relatively slow growing specie so I figured i'd be able to keep some of them in this tank for a while before moving them onto another tank, as i'm definitely planning on more than 1 tank.

Like I said any advice is welcome, even if I do need to return or pass on some fish, I just want them to be happy.
 
Thanks for the welcomes guys. I think it's possible to return the loaches, or I have a friend with a much larger aquarium that would happily take them off me. Think I've made the classic mistake of too many fish in a relatively short space of time. I had no idea they got that big! I knew they'd grow eventually, the assistant at the store I bought them said they were a relatively slow growing specie so I figured i'd be able to keep some of them in this tank for a while before moving them onto another tank, as i'm definitely planning on more than 1 tank.

Like I said any advice is welcome, even if I do need to return or pass on some fish, I just want them to be happy.

It happens alot, mistakes happen, after all we're only human :)

It's a very common thing, but as long as the problems are rectified then all is well in the world, just remember to research. I'm quite new and I'm always looking up this that and the other, it's quite the job to own fish, but definitely worth it in the end!

EDIT - also, it's nice to hear you want your fish to be happy! It's a shame how so many people see them as decorations! It's good to know you care for them :)
 
Thanks for the welcomes guys. I think it's possible to return the loaches, or I have a friend with a much larger aquarium that would happily take them off me. Think I've made the classic mistake of too many fish in a relatively short space of time. I had no idea they got that big! I knew they'd grow eventually, the assistant at the store I bought them said they were a relatively slow growing specie so I figured i'd be able to keep some of them in this tank for a while before moving them onto another tank, as i'm definitely planning on more than 1 tank.

Like I said any advice is welcome, even if I do need to return or pass on some fish, I just want them to be happy.
It's awesome that you're willing to take feedback, it can be tough to hear these things! You deserve a lot of credit for that, and for being willing to do whatever it takes for the welfare of your fish. It's always best to consider what your fish will need as an adult before you get them, and have a tank that can house them as adults already, unless you're positive you'll be able to upgrade them to what they need, and upgrade them before you think they really need it. It happens to often that people plan to upgrade them, but when you see them daily, it's easy to not realise how much they've grown. Or life happens, and you don't have time or space for a much larger tank, and it gets put off. Then fish become stunted, which has lifelong health implications for them and shortens their lifespan.


Clowns can be relatively slow growing, but the groups they need are as essential as a large tank, so returning them to the store would be for the best, unless you or your friend are planning to have a 200 gallon tank and up the group to five or more? My dad has had a pair for botia (not clowns, but same social structure) for five or more years now, and they've definitely suffered from not having a proper group. I hate to see loaches go through that, they really are a smart fish. Think of them as mini dolphins, and you'll have a good idea of how they can be, and the family bonds they make.

Personally I don't think clown loaches should be sold in most normal fish stores. Given the size they grow to, not very many people can house them. There are some lovely smaller loach species that can work so well in a smaller tank though, that don't become giants! They still need groups or 5-6 or more, but a 55 or 75g can house a group of dwarf chain loaches, yoyo loaches, or zebra loaches, and there are many more! Clowns are just an exceptionally large loach.
 

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