Is this too many fish??

[rami84]

I have 3 ft tank 140 litres with two young pearl gourami's, 3 platties, 3 small clown loaches and 2 small siamese flying foxes.
Is this too many for the tank and my nitrate level is sitting @ 20 its a 2nd hand tank but it has a brand new external filter.
If anyone has suggestions please help.......people have told me this amount of fish is fine but I feel it may be the maximum for this size tank,
thanks
Lisa.

 

[JPKeenan]

hmmm mental conversion l to g... 30g tank.

I have two HOB filters on my 20g tank and have that many fish in it. You should be OK.... But there are other more experienced folks here than I am.

 

[HN1]

Not too many fish, but the wrong type in one case IMO. Clown loaches get very large and require a group. Your tank will eventually be too small for them even though they are slow growers. I'd advise that you trade them in for Yoyo loaches to avoid any possibility of stunting them. How long has the tank been set up? Do you have a test for Ammonia & Nitrite? Did you cycle it first? Sorry for all the questions... just want to give good info.

Welcome to AA Lisa!

 

[severum mama]

Not too many fish, but the wrong type in one case IMO. Clown loaches get very large and require a group. Your tank will eventually be too small for them even though they are slow growers. I'd advise that you trade them in for Yoyo loaches to avoid any possibility of stunting them. How long has the tank been set up? Do you have a test for Ammonia & Nitrite? Did you cycle it first? Sorry for all the questions... just want to give good info.

Welcome to AA Lisa!

+1.

Also, keep an eye on those flying foxes. Mine did well in community tank for a while, but got aggressive as it got larger. I ended up having to give it to the LFS.

 

[rami84]

Yes my ammonia and nitrate fine had the tank for approx a week all going well lost 2 platties but were not very healthy bad aquarium dealer dirty tanks fish with fin rot and overstocked.

 

[rami84]

whats LFS

 

[kaiofcanada]

whats LFS

local fish store

 

[johnny_zanni]

as HN1 said the numbers arnt your problem its the clow loaches as they can grow around a foot long also as he said they grow slow so you have a little time to eaither get a new tank or bring them back/find someone with a huge tank

 

[rami84]

I am an idiot I thought cycling was when u had no fish in it and just let the water cycle through the filter so no I haven't cycled my tank.....and how big of a tank would I need for my 3 clown loach's I am really disappointed that ,my LFS didn't tell me this and they knew how big my tank was and how many fish I had so how long before I would need a new big tank for the loach's?????

 

[kaiofcanada]

I am an idiot I thought cycling was when u had no fish in it and just let the water cycle through the filter so no I haven't cycled my tank.....and how big of a tank would I need for my 3 clown loach's I am really disappointed that ,my LFS didn't tell me this and they knew how big my tank was and how many fish I had so how long before I would need a new big tank for the loach's?????

We all have to learn...so don't beat yourself up too much. You are doing a good thing my seeking information and advice here, which shows that you are responsible.
First thing first though....get a water testing kit...the liquid are better and more accurate than the litmus strips. You will want to monitor your water parameters. Your tank is completely cycled when you have no ammonia and no nitrites which are highly toxic to your fish. You can refer to this Beginner FAQ: The Nitrogen Cycle to get you started.

As for the fish you currently have in your tank....most LFS will accepot returned/sick/dead fish within 10-14 days of purchase. You may wish to take back the clowns and wait until your tank has fully cycled to add any more fish to it. They can give you a refund which you can use to get something else once your tank has cycled.

If you tank has ammonia or nitrites you will want to do daily water changes until it has compleyelt cycled for the sake of your fish. There are several threads on Getting Started in the forum that will help you.

 

[HN1]

+1 on what Kai said. Don't sweat it, if anyone here says that they've never made a mistake, you may want to take anything they say with a grain of salt.

Do what you need to do now and post any questions you may have. As far as the LFSs go... they tend to be a bit biased since they want to sell fish and / or the employees are often misinformed and unknowingly regurgitate bad advice.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ady-have-fish-what-now-116287.html#post983258

Good luck! It gets MUCH easier and more enjoyable once you establish everything for awhile.