60 litre tank

[dadsangel]

Hi I have a 60 litre tank was all going well but recently had a couple of fish die,guppies, mollies,neon's couple of shrimp snails 3 bottom feeders
It's been running 6 weeks I have some live plant,they are fed live food and tetra min algae wafers,feeding twice a day is that too much alternating food.
I had 2 male 6 female guppies one of each died
4 mollies now 3
4 neon's now 3
3 shrimp now 2
Any help appreciated
A week ago the nitrate was higher

 

[BBradbury]

Hello dads. Can't understand why no one responded to your question. Anyway, small tanks aren't good for even the most accomplished keeper. The water chemistry will never be constant enough to keep the fish healthy. That's why if you do your research, you'll find out that the larger the tank, the better your chances are for success. Bigger tanks are always better when it comes to keeping fish. If you're determined to keep this small tank, then you've simply got to remove and replace most of the water every two to three days. Slowly work up to this point and don't feed the fish more than a pinch or two every day. Keep posting your progress and I'll be happy to respond.

B

 

[dadsangel]

Hi thank you,I did get a answer but on another of my posts anyway thank you I'm having a lot of fish die,never realised this to be the case maybe I should just keep this tank for my quarantine tank if I purchase any new fish would that be ok? Also why do they sell this size tanks if they aren't any good not a criticism obviously,I suppose logically thinking people buy what's astetically pleasing rather then practical.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello again. The pet stores are in the money making business and not necessarily into customer service. A small tank would be fine for a quarantine or hospital tank. But, if you get at least a 115 liter tank, you'll double your chances of success. I don't keep small tanks, they just take too much work. My tanks are large and I know if I just remove and replace most of the water every few days, my fish will stay healthy and I'll never need a hospital tank. A good rule to follow is this: A tank less than 30 gallons needs half the water changed twice a week. A tank 30 gallons or more needs most of the water removed and replaced every week. No exceptions!

B

 

[Andy Sager]

Hi thank you,I did get a answer but on another of my posts anyway thank you I'm having a lot of fish die,never realised this to be the case maybe I should just keep this tank for my quarantine tank if I purchase any new fish would that be ok? Also why do they sell this size tanks if they aren't any good not a criticism obviously,I suppose logically thinking people buy what's astetically pleasing rather then practical.

I'll add that there are fish that can live in those small tanks but that list is short. The problem most of them have is that their packaging usually shows pictures of fish that cannot live in that size tank so those who do not know, buy them in the hopes of replicating the picture on the box. In your case, the Mollies were the wrong fish for a 60L. The 8 Guppies would have filled the tank without the other fish. Guppies and Neons are a bad combination as Neons tend to chew on Guppy tails. So you see, you were behind the 8 ball from the start.
As BBradbury said, larger tanks are easier to care for because they take longer to go bad and usually, with a good weekly maintenance schedule, you are eliminating a problem before it has a chance to happen. With smaller tanks, they take more diligent care and a more close eye to keep problems from happening.

Hope this helps.

 

[dadsangel]

Thanks very much I put the mollies in with the angel whose in a larger tank but they kept bothering her

 

[dadsangel]

So what is suited to the 60l just guppies

 

[Andy Sager]

So what is suited to the 60l just guppies

No, Guppies, Endlers, I was spawning my Corydora sterbai in one that size, Platies, some killifish, MicroRasbora species.... these are a few. They also are good tanks for spawning fish vs just keeping them as active community tanks. So they do serve a purpose.

 

[dadsangel]

Another one didn't make it

 

[Andy Sager]

Another one didn't make it

For what it's worth, that does not look like a very good quality fish to begin with. Guppies unfortunately, have been so over bred that it doesn't take much for them to pass on. In this case, the fish does not appear to have been eating well for some time. But here's the bigger problem in figuring this out, Mollies can interbreed with Guppies so they could be the cause of the guppies dying. Mollies are a much stronger fish than Guppies. I don't see any definitive disease on this fish other than possibly something going on at the back of the head area but that easily could have been caused by another fish pecking at it. As long as your water parameters are correct for these fish, you have to chalk this one up to the fish being the problem, not the tank.

 

[dadsangel]

Thank you,I'm going to buy a larger tank but for now do 2 water changes a week as advised previously. I didn't realise they interbreed thought someone asked this before and was told they wouldn't anyway thanks for the help.
I will not put mollies in with guppies moving forwards..parameters are fine tested this am

 

[Andy Sager]

Yes, there are Muppies ( male Molly + female Guppy) and Gollies ( male Guppy + female Molly). It's my understanding that these fish are sterile so they can't reproduce but that's not to say that some form down the line won't be fertile. I remember the days when approximately only 1 in 300 male Gold Severums was fertile and now, they all, or close to all, are.