Problem tank - Advice needed

[jcheater]

Hi All,

I have a 64 litre aquarium with the following fish:

2 x Fishnet flying fox - Did have 3 but 1 died.
3 x Red Platey - Did have 4 but 1 died.
5 x Neon Tetra - Again, did have more but 2 went AWOL.
3 x Red Eye Tetra

I have noticed that nearly all of our fish have nipped fins, and i suspect it might be the red eye tetras. I have since read you should keep these in larger groups but sadly didn't realise when i got them.

The red eyes were added before the flying foxes and the platys.

The red platy gave a still birth in the tank and then deteriorated.
The neon tetras have completely gone missing.
The fishnet flying fox was found on the bottom of the tank under a rock.

We have 2 live plants and the tank is always kept in top order with regular water changes.

Can anyone give me any advice for my setup?

Im thinking of re-homing the red eyes as i think they are the culprits.

Thanks in advance.

[Trillianne]

How long has this tank been established?

What is your water parameters? (Ammonia, Nitrite/Nitrate)

[sheamurai]

Hi Joe

There's a few questions we need to ask before we can start advising you on how to improve your tank.

Fish deaths in new tanks are almost always caused by ammonia poisoning. Your tank has only been running a few weeks and you have full stocking in it - do you test for ammonia? If not, that's your first order of business. You need to monitor for ammonia in your tank and keep it below 0.5 until your filter has a colony of beneficial bacteria to process it for you. So you need to get a test kit and monitor your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. There are good threads on here regarding cycling your tank - run a search for them and have a read of some of the articles.

Your water changes have saved your fish this long, but it may not be quite enough.

Secondly, your flying foxes are algae eaters. Rarely does a new tank have enough to keep these alive, and you had three of them. You need to feed them algae wafers and maybe a few fresh veggies as treats to keep them alive. However, your tank is too small for a fish than get get 5-6" long, let alone three of them, so I'd recommend bringing them back to the fs.

those are the two largest problems we can address at the moment.

Once you get your ammonia under control, and remove the foxes, you'll be on your way to having a healthy tank.

[Lady Hobbs]

I would have asked what the above poster, Trilliane, asked. Without knowing that, then it's impossible to give informed answers.

[sheamurai]

Lady H has links to the cycling threads in her signature that I was referring to, save you searching them.

OP in his first post under Introduce Yourself stated his tank was only a few weeks old.

[mermaidwannabe]

How many gallons is 64 litres?

You need to get an API Master Freshwater Test kit and test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. It wouldn't hurt to know what the pH is, either, and they provide testers for that, too.

Are you dechlorinating all new water before refilling the tank? With a product that neutralizes both chlorine and chloramines? Seachem's Prime is ideal for that.

Learn your tank's parameters, and then we can advise you. "A few weeks" is a little vague. How many weeks, exactly, has your tank been up and running?

What kind of filtration do you have, and what size tank is it rated for?

-- mermaidwannabe

[Trillianne]

How many gallons is 64 litres?

[jcheater]

Hi All,

Thanks for all your comments.

The tank is approx 6-7 weeks to be more precise.

The flying foxes i have fed Tetrawafer since buying them and they have cleaned up the tank massively. I think they are doing well in the tank.

I know it sounds silly but i am yet to buy a water test kit but it is something i plan on buying within the next week or so. The store i go to also test water for free.

I can kind of justify a few of the deaths or disappearances as the red platy had a problem birth and didn't recover. I think the red eye tetras have eaten the two neons and the flying fox i think might have got stuck somewhere unable to move.

I have put the 3 red eye tetras in a small fry tank for the time being to isolate them from the others until i figure out what to do with them. Its strange as every species has nipped fins apart from these guys. I think i will either give them away or buy 2 more to bring the pack up to bring down aggression.

I do need to buy another platy or 2 as currently now i have 2 males and 1 female which i know isn't great for dominance and fighting.

I bought the tank as a start up kit so i have adequate lighting, heating and filtration for the size of the tank.

My only question is, how many fish should i really have for a 64 litre tank, which i think is roughly 13 gallons?

[jcheater]

Also, yeah i use TapSafe with adequate quantities before adding any new water.

[Lady Hobbs]

A test kit is vital in the keeping of fish. Not always can we scoop up water and head to a fish store to have it checked. You can order the API Master test kit online but it's as important as having tires on your car. You can not even cycle a tank without knowing what parmeters are.

Even the test strips are better than nothing but you have to know ammonia, nitrites, nitrates.