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[v.cooke]

I've had my new tropical set up a few weeks now. I want to get some more fish but not alot because its only a 30L. I have 2 black mollys, 2 platys, 2 amona shrimps and a peppered catfish. So far so good they all get along great and have no territoral issues. Im after something that will get along with these fish. I want something which is colourful preferably blue but it can't be hard to get hold of. Anyone got any ideas? Help would be appreciated

 

[murphyk32]

did u cycle? if not check out cycling, has to be done to new tanks. it is preferred by most of the members on here to do it fishless, but since you have fish, if you have yet to cycle you will have to check out fish-in cycling i suppose.

 

[LauraFrog]

For a 30L you are almost fully stocked. Peppered catfish like to be kept in groups so I recommend you buy another one, and then I suggest a male betta. They are colourful and should get on with all the fish you have, and although they are largeish, they are suitable for very small tanks. You can buy them in many different colours, with a deep sapphire blue being one of the most common and attractive.

 

[Jim Curtis]

What about a baby blue whale if he promises to get a bigger tank after christmas?

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, agree with Laura. Laura, do you think both the mollies and swords should be considered to max out at 2 inches? If so, then the 30L is actually maxed out right now although with good filtration it does seem like the peppered cory could have a buddie.

v.cooke, your tank sounds nice! When you say its been set up a few weeks, do you mean its been going 2 or 3 weeks -after- it was Fishless Cycled? Unfortunately, we get dozens of beginners each month who have a new tank of fish and are focused on what fish to get next right before they discover that their water is basically turning to poison and they are about to lose all their fish.

If you don't have a good water testing kit and haven't had a chance to learn the details of "cycling" from another aquarist then you might be in this same situation and the members here can help.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[v.cooke]

My tank was set up and fish less for nearly 2 weeks. My friend actually did the set up for me and added what i needed. I added the catfish first and left it a week before getting mollies and platys. I got my water checked at the local garden centre. Although my friend has been helping i wanted advice from various sources.

 

[OldMan47]

How much fish food did you add while waiting to get fish? Did you add other organic matter that would decay while you waited? If you didn't do either of these things, you are in the middle of a fish-in cycle. You cannot get any more fish for your tank right now as you will have enough trouble without them. There is a link in my signature that will fill you in on some of the details of fish-in cycling. The problem you are now facing is common enough that I keep that link in my signature all the time just so I can refer people that are in your predicament.

 

[v.cooke]

I added fish food.

 

[OldMan47]

So it is possible that you have a newly cycled tank. As others have already said, you are at or near maximum stocking levels already. Since you went from the single catfish to 5 fish total, I would wait at least 2 weeks before adding any more fish at all. After that, if all is still well and your water chemistry is staying good, you might get away with another peppered cory. At that point I would say you are definitely stocked at maximum.

 

[vinylman]

Bear in mind, too that we don't know the sexes of the Mollies and Platys; if there's mixed sexes in there it won't take long until it's overstocked; the law of averages says that some fry will survive.

 

[v.cooke]

Does anyone know how i can tell the sexes of them? There doesn't seem to be any differences in them. Do they tend to breed in this type of enviroment? Thanks alot for your advice.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yes, the males have what is called a gonopodium, it's a little 'thing' hanging down where you'd expect it. here's a pic to illustrate

 

[v.cooke]

Looks like i have 2 females then!!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ok, now bear in mind that the females can store up sperm for future use if they've been in a tank with males at any point then there's a good chance that they are either pregnant now or will be shortly. Just something to be aware of. If no pregnancy appears after 2/3 months then you can be reasonably safe that they have not got any sperm stored up for future use and as such you won't get any fry unless you add a male.

 

[vinylman]

But of course, if they ARE in the club, that could mean four or five lots of fry.