Hi from Essex and help needed

[40greenways]

Hi,

After some advice as a new fish owner. I bought a 40litre tank from pets at home and have a filter, lights and heater And live plants. We originally bought 3 male dwarf gouramis and I have been cycling the water and all the tests seem fine. We then added 5 tetra neons and then more recently 3 platys. All seemed OK...then one of our gouramis died, he always seemed weaker than the others and didn't seem to grow as much as the others. We have also seem to have had 4 of the neon tetras literally disappear and today one of the platy has disappeared too, I am somewhat dismayed and clearly concerned. Could the gouramis have eaten them??? I'm concerned from other forums that I shouldn't have two male gouramis together and also now concerned whether my tank is big enough despite following the guidelines on fish points from the shop. I have done everything I have read about and tried my hardest but really after some advice as to what I am doing wrong as I envisaged a happy tank of fish.

Please don't berate me if I have done something obviously wrong as I am new to this and hence wanting some advice! Any tips or advice greatly received.

Thanks,

Chris


Just editing this as from further investigation it would appear one of the platys has died so hadn't disappeared but was dead hidden behind one of the plants which I couldn't see properly. Still not great at all.

[Delapool]

Water check would be first as per standard. What results on water tests did you get and what test kit did you use? Also do you know at what point you are in cycling the tank?

Neons (at least here) would not be the hardiest of fish for fish-in cycling.