Hi Everyone.

[PxlBld]

Hi all.

New to the forum. I have a 64ltr fishbox which has been set up for a couple of months. I have collected tropical freshwater since childhood, but have spent the last 10 years without any fish, so I decided to start small while I get my confidence up and my knowledge back.

I didnt do a fishless cycle, and apart from a few casualties (which I dont think is related to the cycle), my fish are very happy. I have a bristlenose pleco, 3 red platys, 1 gold platy, 4 cherry barbs (2m, 2f), 2 neon tetras and a male guppy.

Obviously I want to bring my neons back up to a shoal of at least 6, and I need a few female guppies, and I'm hoping to get a couple of shrimp (ghost most suitable for community?)

I also have a little breeding tank floating in the tank with 23 guppies that are about 4 weeks old, 6 fry that I am assuming are gold platy (approx 2 weeks old - I dont know where they come from, my female hasnt appeared pregnant, and 2 fry that are a sort of orangy colour (like a male cherry barb), which are around 3 weeks old. If I could turn back the clock I would let nature take its course, but I didnt and now I'm in a bit of a pickle as to what to do - I feel too attached with looking after them to release them into the tank and risk most of them being food, and I dont want to give them to a pet shop that will probably use them as angelfish treats.

I'm looking for a bit of advice about what to do with the fry before they become too big, and a guide to stocking levels for the 64ltr fishbox.

I'm looking forward to getting involved with the forum too

 

[laura120381]

hi there and welcome to the forum!

i am afraid i know nothing about guppy fry so i will leave that part of your question to someone else!

glad to see that you realise that neons need to be kept in larger shoals...the same goes for cherry barbs i'm afraid. i am also sorry to tell you that your tank is way 2 small for a bristlenose pleco. although i am sure he is very small at the moment, he will very quickly outgrow your tank. maybe you could return him to the shop and swap him for something else?? if you are going to rehome the pleco, once you have upped the neon and barb numbers, and added the additional guppys you mentioned, you will really be pushing it for space i'm afraid. the choices you have in your tank sound good though (with the exception of the pleco) and i reckon when you up your current numbers, your tank will look great. just be very careful about overstocking!!

L

 

[colleen0309]

Good afternoon and welcome to the forum! If you get female guppies, you will be adding to the overstocking. The females will reproduce like rabbits! The platys will also reproduce very quickly.

 

[PxlBld]

Hi guys.

I originally had 6 neons and 6 cherry barbs, but I lost 4 neons and 2 barbs, plus I also lost 2 female guppies and 1 gold platy. Not all at once obviously, and some fish replaced ones that died, so it was a slow stocking process, not all at once.

I didnt realise the pleco was unsuitable, I asked for advice from the aquarium, which is a quite reputable one in my area, and they advised the bristlenose was a smaller variety suitable for the smaller tank. I am hoping to upgrade to a larger tank, but not for at least 6 months, and I want to cycle it first too, so if he is too big before them, I will rehome him. I was hoping to bring my fish levels back up with the replacement neons and cherrys, maybe keep a couple of my fry, and get some shrimp to help keep waste levels down. (Although I do regular substrate vacuuming and water changes too).

I think any future fish breeding I will not intervene and let nature take its course.

 

[mike455555]

amano shrimp are fairly friendlily i think iv got 10 in my tank with neon's fighter and plattys

 

[eli3000]

the bristlenose IS a small species, no more than 6 inches you should be fine, i have one full grown at 6 inches in a 30g tank

 

[laura120381]

mmm not so sure eli. although they don't grow as big as other species, all plecos are poop machines and small filters in small tanks often can't cope. keeping water parameters stable in smaller tanks is hard enough without that!! lol also is 30g not about 120l?? if so your tank is around twice the size of the tank we are talking about!!

pxlbid....i thought from the way you were talking you must have lost some barbs and neons...you seem to know your stuff!! your plans for the future sound good and a bigger tank is always exciting!! keep us posted!! nice to speak with you again

L

 

[eli3000]

i had no idea what the tank sixe was when i said that, and you're probably right.

 

[laura120381]

eli...i could be entirely wrong!! my maths is c""p!!! lol you are right about the bristlenose though...will be great in a tank the size of yours.

L

 

[Frazzledazzle]

Ask your local pet shop to take the fry off your hands. The chain ones will probably turn you away but the little aquatic dealers will probably snap your hand off at saving them a pretty penny. They just ask that they're old enough to start showing their colours, so can be between 3/4 weeks. Then you can determine sex and they can separate them. Just ask for some flakes or packets of bloodworm in return. That way you'll save over-stocking, interbreeding and you'll get new food once a month!

Welcome!

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Welcome to the forum! You should definitely post some pics of your tank! I would love to see it! I am a big livebearer fan myself, currently in the process of creating a larger tank. I have a 40g livebearer community and yes, Platys will breed like rabbits if you let them! I have 10 juvies in my tank right not and she had another batch yesterday (I let nature take its course) I know most LFS will gladly take fry off your hands, so use that to your advantage until you get a larger tank, then you can convert the smaller tanks into fry homes If you are interested in saving some money, check locally for second hand tanks. I bought a 55g for a fraction of the cost new, and they clean up nicely!

 

[PxlBld]

Thanks for the welcome and advice guys. I do have an oversize filter which will help to some degree with the waste, but I'll still keep a close eye on things.

I'll try and take a pic of my tank soon.