Hi, I have a 28L tank with neon tetras, guppies and 2 dwarf chain loaches. The first day I got them they were chasing other fish around and nipping at their tails but after that they mostly hid coming out occasionally. I’ve had them for 2 weeks now and they are much more active but today they are attacking all the other fish. One of my tetras I found dead which I don’t know the cause of but am worried the loaches are causing stress and harm to my other fish. Most things I’ve read say they get on well with other fish. I know they are better with more dwarf loaches but due to my small tank I don’t want to put a whole new school in and I’ve been told as long as they have places to hide they’ll be ok. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Dwarf Chain Loaches
- Thread starter Djoyce
- Start date
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Every fish and every aquarium is going to be different. You can do everything that would ordinarily work and it wont in your aquarium with your individual fish. You can do what everyone will tell you doesnt work, and it might be fine in your aquarium with your individual fish. All you are really doing is playing the odds as best as you can. But at the end of the day some fish are just jerks.
Adding more loaches might destress them, or it might keep any aggression within the loaches. It might not. Adding more fish into a 28 litre tank isnt going to help though, it will just cause overcrowding, water quality issues and increase the stress levels.
You need to have a think about what you want to keep. 28 litres/ 7.5 gallons isnt really suitable for the loaches. Of the fish you mention in your first thread, guppies will be most suited to your aquarium. Neons really need to be in a bigger tank too, to support a suitably sized group and give them enough swimming space 40 to 60 litres would be better. If you really want to keep a community type tank, i would look at an 80 litre/ 20 gallon tank.
If the loaches are causing problems they need to be rehomed/ returned to the store. IMO the store have been negligent selling them to you for such a small tank in the first place.
Adding more loaches might destress them, or it might keep any aggression within the loaches. It might not. Adding more fish into a 28 litre tank isnt going to help though, it will just cause overcrowding, water quality issues and increase the stress levels.
You need to have a think about what you want to keep. 28 litres/ 7.5 gallons isnt really suitable for the loaches. Of the fish you mention in your first thread, guppies will be most suited to your aquarium. Neons really need to be in a bigger tank too, to support a suitably sized group and give them enough swimming space 40 to 60 litres would be better. If you really want to keep a community type tank, i would look at an 80 litre/ 20 gallon tank.
If the loaches are causing problems they need to be rehomed/ returned to the store. IMO the store have been negligent selling them to you for such a small tank in the first place.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
What Aiken said. 
You have to match the right fish for the size of the aquarium NOT just putting what you want to put into the tank you have. If a fish is best in larger schools, it means they will be unpredictable in smaller amounts. Some may just become scared to death. Some may just become totally aggressive. There's no telling until it happens. When you see a fish you like, you have to do the research to see if they will fit in your aquarium or you need to set up another one that they will fit in. ( Just an FYI, when it comes to fish keeping, using the " minimum" sizes of anything is best ignored and go with something at least one step up. For example: if a 10 gal tank is a minimum, go with at least a 15. If a filter says " up to a 15 gal tank, go with one for up to a 20 gallon tank. ) A 28L tank is a very small tank with very few fish that will do well in it. The " micro/ nano" fish species are the best for it because they are pretty to look at but not active swimmers. It's not for fish that need swimming space. If you want to see fish actively swimming around, you need a larger tank.
Hope this helps.
You have to match the right fish for the size of the aquarium NOT just putting what you want to put into the tank you have. If a fish is best in larger schools, it means they will be unpredictable in smaller amounts. Some may just become scared to death. Some may just become totally aggressive. There's no telling until it happens.
When you see a fish you like, you have to do the research to see if they will fit in your aquarium or you need to set up another one that they will fit in. ( Just an FYI, when it comes to fish keeping, using the " minimum" sizes of anything is best ignored and go with something at least one step up. For example: if a 10 gal tank is a minimum, go with at least a 15. If a filter says " up to a 15 gal tank, go with one for up to a 20 gallon tank. ) A 28L tank is a very small tank with very few fish that will do well in it. The " micro/ nano" fish species are the best for it because they are pretty to look at but not active swimmers. It's not for fish that need swimming space. If you want to see fish actively swimming around, you need a larger tank. Hope this helps.
