New Tank, A Few Questions Please :)

[LittleMolly]

Hi all! I was wondering if anyone could answer some questions. I have a 54 litre tank with the following:

- one blue gourami
- two black Mollies, one small and one large
- A silver Molly
- one spa doctor fish
- 5 Guppies
- A leopard cory
- 3 Glass catfish
- 3 tiger barbs
- one Plecostomus

I did have an Angelfish but it ate all my tetras (I wasn't aware they were so vicious!) so I gave it away, and one other spa doctor fish that died for unknown reasons, plus a yellow snail that also died.

My tank has been up for about 7 weeks. The fish seem quite happy at the moment, and I've tested the water using a 6 in 1 kit and all seems fine.

The questions I have are:

- how stocked is my tank? Do I have too many fish or could I have more?
- at some point would I be able to add a dwarf frog? Would it eat anything else?
- my fish do chase each other a lot, especially the gourami - he seems quite... Tense... Is this normal?
- a couple of days ago my tank went really cloudy. I tested the water and it was all fine. I brought a water clarifying product which helped a little. What could the cloudiness be?
- the Plecostomus, although relatively small, poos a lot! Should I fish the poo out when I see it? Or just leave it?
- how often should I clean the filter sponge?
- I have plastic plants, do they ever need cleaning?
- could I add anything other than fish? For example, crabs, lizards, shrimps etc.

Sorry if these seem silly questions! I am a newbie!

Thanks in advance!

 

[phoenixgsd]

ok, im no expert but first of all i see your tank isnt cycled, standing empty isnt cycling, please read the link in my signature on cycling and ask any questions if you dont understand something, and also its overstocked, i dont want to be the bearer of bad news but plecos do poo alot and a several of your fish are not suitable for a tank so small, the cory should be in a group of about 6 too, the aggression you see is because your over stocked

how often should I clean the filter sponge? hardly ever, only rinse in old tank water when really gungy

have plastic plants, do they ever need cleaning? if dirty yes but its not necessary

could I add anything other than fish? For example, crabs, lizards, shrimps etc.as your tank stands now i wouldnt add anything else in fact i would take some out........but when your tank is sorted possibly shrimp depending on what fish you have

 

[LittleMolly]

Hi! Thanks for your reply.

I didn't mean standing empty as in no water etc. it was full of water and I added aqua safe, with the filter and heater on - sorry I should have been more clear!

How overstocked would you say the tank is? I think I've been given some bad advice, the guy at the aquarium shop said I could have around 20 medium sized fish!

Thanks.

I will edit my post to clear up the cycling bit!

 

[phoenixgsd]

Hi! Thanks for your reply.

I didn't mean standing empty as in no water etc. it was full of water and I added aqua safe, with the filter and heater on - sorry I should have been more clear!

no, its ok i understood, i meant empty of fish , its actually quite common for people to assume that filling the tank with water and letting it run for a while is fine, many are given this advise from fish shops because they can sell you stuff you dont need, then when your fish die you go back to the same shop and buy more fish, its the shops way of making a profit from you, hopefully with the advise you get here we can save your fish and your money

 

[LittleMolly]

Well I'm certainly not going back to that shop!

Would you possibly be able to give me your opinion on which fish/how many do you think I should give away?

Btw The info in your link is great, thanks!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Welcome to the forum!

- one blue gourami
- two black Mollies, one small and one large
- A silver Molly
- one spa doctor fish
- 5 Guppies
- A leopard cory
- 3 Glass catfish
- 3 tiger barbs
- one Plecostomus

First thing is this: Some of these fish need more numbers than you have to be able to survive "happily". Corys are social, shoaling fish. They need at least 6 to be comfortable. Tiger barbs can get quite persnickety without proper numbers, I suggest 12, but certainly never less than 6. Also, they are generally too big and too active for that size tank. I'd not put them in a tank smaller than 30 gallon (~110 liters).

What type of pleco do you have? Some of them are tankbusters (growing more than a foot long!).

I've never heard of a spa doctor fish.

Blue gourami? - Do you mean dwarf neon gourami, or something else? A dwarf neon would work well.


54 liters is a fairly small tank. You should stick with smaller varieties of fish and small numbers. Two small groups of fish (one top dwelling, and one bottom dwelling), with maybe a single individual of a larger variety would be best.


BTW, the angel wasn't "vicious", angelfish naturally feed on neon tetras.




Next, the 6 in 1 kit is worthless. They are the strips, right? You need a liquid test kit, like API. They are far more reliable than the strips.

 

[LittleMolly]

Fab, thank you for the excellent advice!

 

[max123]

in a 54l tank you could have about 15-18 small- medium sized fish.