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adamtweedie

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 26, 2012
Messages
11
Hey guys I got my aquarium a few weeks back , I have a few questions,
first of all it is a 64 litre and I think its over stalked,
rummy nose - 7
guppy - 6
gourami dwarf - 2
silver dollars - 3
tiger barbs- 4
bala shark - 1

also 2 of my guppies are pregnant, I put one (ready to pop) in a breeding trap i woke up the next moning to find her(sadly) dead .. I don't know why this is .. i was thinking it was something to do with the air in the breeding trap ..
also i would like some advice on nitrate nitrite etc etc as i am a beginner i only have tap conditioner. sorry for being such a noob

adam,
 
Don't apologize for being new to the hobby, we were all in your shoes once. ;)

This tank is severely overstocked. I would advise you to immediately rehome:

silver dollars (get too big for tank)
bala shark (needs a group and gets too big for tank)
1 dwarf gourami (one will kill the other)
tiger barbs (need more in their school and are too aggressive for this tank)

I would actually prefer to see the rummys in a larger school in a larger tank, but that's personal preference.

Get yourself an API test kit ($23 online). You need to know your readings.

Read up on this if you haven't already: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Ask tons of questions, that's why we're here.
 
Oh my god ! thanks very much also what fish do you recommend then?
thanks
 
also with regards to the gourami's i thought they had to live in groups of 2 or more? they love each other lol
 
The gouramis may love each other because they're juveniles, but once they reach adulthood, they'll rip each other apart.

I have a tank the same size. I have red cherry shrimp, pygmy corys, assassin snails and peppered corys. It's a calm, peaceful tank and I get tons of enjoyment watching the inhabitants. They all leave each other alone, plus all but the pygmys are spawning, so they're all happy and healthy. When these species spawn, unlike the guppies, I don't have to worry about baby overload. They spawn slowly and there's lots of room for all the newcomers.

I can also very highly recommend ember tetras for a tank this size. They are a small schooling fish, very colorful and shy. With them, you could do pygmy corys.

Unless you really want all the tons of babies those guppies will shoot out, you might want to rethink your entire stock.

When I set up my first tank, I did tons and tons of research PRIOR to buying my first fish. It's much easier on both you and the fish that way.
 
hi linda,

thanks again , i sadly lost 2 guppies this morning , is this due to overstalking? getting red of my fish today ,

adam
 
adamtweedie said:
hi linda,

thanks again , i sadly lost 2 guppies this morning , is this due to overstalking? getting red of my fish today ,

adam

Indirectly, yes. More directly, it was likely ammonia poisoning.
 
I bought them 3 days ago same pet shop.. I need this kit but i am too skint :(
 
Did you read up on the link I posted above? You need to cycle this tank to make it safe for your fish. I agree that they most likely died from ammonia poisoning as you entered the hobby without enough information.

I'm sorry you lost some fish. In your case, you might be best served by returning all of your fish and doing a fishless cycle. Only when you have your kit and your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are good (takes about 6 weeks) then you can get more fish.
 
I can't no one will take my fish , I have done a 50/50 water change..
 
Depending on where you live, see if you can post an ad on freecycle.org or craigslist. There are always people who want tropical fish.

I would take them back to the store where you got them, because they sold you completely inappropriate fish for the tank you have. Take the fish in a baggie with you, even if they say no, leave the baggie on the counter when you go. Their bad advice should be their problem, not yours.
 
adamtweedie said:
I can't no one will take my fish , I have done a 50/50 water change..

The LFS won't take them back? Try another, most will take them and give you store credit, usually only 50% of retail value but it's better than and bunch of dead fish.

With that much stock in a new tank that size you may need to be doing two 50% water changes (or more) daily just to keep ammonia down.
 
I suggest you hit your local fish store for a water changer or your local hardware store for some buckets.

You can't do gravel vacs with a cup, you definitely need the proper equipment.
 
i have a vac,
also my dad said the water here is fine,
he has fish for years and he only used tap conditioner!
 
If you have a vac, why are you using a cup?

Also, it's great that your dad uses only conditioner, that's all you should ever need.
 
A gravel vac and any old bucket will work fine for removing water from the tank. Milk jugs (well rinsed) work good for putting water back in.
 
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