Aquarium Help Needed

Barrel of Fun · May 7, 2015

Never mind the election...

I've got a small 28l aquarium and did have 6 Guppy boys, but sadly the smallest two have died already.

Are these fish quite fragile or am I likely to have a problem with the tank? I followed lots of advice and believe I have a clean tank. They both died near the same spot next to a shipwreck, if that could be relevant.

Thanks.

Dan Aitch · May 7, 2015

Did you let it cycle for at least 8 weeks before you put the fish in?

Barrel of Fun · May 7, 2015

The advice I received was for a fortnight. Uh oh.

8ace · May 7, 2015

Barrel of Fun said:
They both died near the same spot next to a shipwreck, if that could be relevant.

Maybe the ship was carrying some hazardous cargo when it sunk

Stumpy Tim · May 7, 2015

I had two of those really small fish & they both got munched by the filter. I also had two snails, who proceeded to mate repeatedly & was stuck with a zillion of the f*ckers.

The advice I received at the pet shop was really poor on both things. They should have told me to have a sock for the filter & only one snail.

ExmouthExile · May 7, 2015

Conditions have to be perfect for guppies to survive, they're not hardy fish at all.

moggy · May 7, 2015

If you introduced them all at once, that may be why.
You need to introduce fish gradually the the water levels can adjust. The nitrate levels may have been too high, in other words, too much fish piss and pooh

Daddies_Sauce · May 7, 2015

1st rule of fish keeping, learn how to look after water, then slowly add some fish, the filters need to build and mature, http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=62

Barrel of Fun · May 7, 2015

Stumpy Tim said:
I had two of those really small fish & they both got munched by the filter. I also had two snails, who proceeded to mate repeatedly & was stuck with a zillion of the f*ckers.

The advice I received at the pet shop was really poor on both things. They should have told me to have a sock for the filter & only one snail.

It seems that the advice on offer may be pretty empty. I guess the positions are not well paid and you'll be lucky to find someone incredibly knowledgeable.

moggy said:
If you introduced them all at once, that may be why.
You need to introduce fish gradually the the water levels can adjust. The nitrate levels may have been too high, in other words, too much fish piss and pooh

Pets at home gave me four and then two a week later. So far it is 3 survivors from the first lot and 1 from the following couple.

Daddies_Sauce said:
1st rule of fish keeping, learn how to look after water, then slowly add some fish, the filters need to build and mature, http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=62

I feel a bit guilty now. Perhaps I was too eager. They were meant to calm me, but I'm now worrying about them all the time!

Barrel of Fun · May 7, 2015

They were talking about shrimps to clean the place. Maybe best to add them first?

Daddies_Sauce · May 7, 2015

No need for shrimps or other gimmicks, whats to clean? I'm assuming this is a new setup? you need to get the Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates cycle going first.

Get the water right and the fish will look after themselves.

Wrong-Direction · May 7, 2015

mine always used to die quickly, either by illness, eating each other or getting sucked into the pump..

moggy · May 7, 2015

Don't get put off, and don't let the shops just sell you lots of fish, never buy more two at any time and that's dependant upon their sizes.
Back in the day I had 8 tanks
2 x marine ( one dangerous fish like lion fish, a shark, snowflake moray, porcupine puffer etc and the other one tranquil )
2 x tropical
1 x brackish
1 x local sea aquarium
2 x tropical breeding tanks for feeding live food for the marine tanks

SIMMO SAYS · May 7, 2015

Wrong-Direction said:
mine always used to die quickly, either by illness, eating each other or getting sucked into the pump..

Correction----you never fed them punish:

AlastairWatts · May 8, 2015

Someone once said that keeping fish in an aquarium is like going down to the pet shop after it's shut and sliding £5 notes under the door. What sort of filtration have you got? Not worth (in my book at least) relying upon an under gravel filter - I have an Interpet PF3 in my admittedly bigger tank (I think that smaller models are available) and whilst it's ugly and you have to occasionally clean the wretched sponge inserts out the water is crystal clear and I haven't lost a fish in two and a half years...

SpidersLegs · May 8, 2015

Water quality is the key. In a smaller tank it's a lot harder to keep the water right than a larger tank. Also I would steer clear of pet shops & get your fish from an aquarium specialist, their staff are a lot more knowledgable & normally won't let you buy too many fish in one go. They should always ask you what fish you already have & advise what fish live best with each other.

father_and_son · May 8, 2015

Barrel of Fun said:
Never mind the election...

I've got a small 28l aquarium and did have 6 Guppy boys, but sadly the smallest two have died already.

Are these fish quite fragile or am I likely to have a problem with the tank? I followed lots of advice and believe I have a clean tank. They both died near the same spot next to a shipwreck, if that could be relevant.

Thanks.

We are building up a 45L tank at the moment. We were advised that guppies should be among the last fish into the tank because it does need to be fully established.

Because we are impatient, we have had 7 5-striped barbs in there from 2 weeks (because they are really hardy - and are thriving!) and have been checking the water regularly for when we can introduce the next fish. We are at about 30 days now

After about 50 days, the tank should be established for whatever you want, but you really need to introduce the right fish at the right time (so the water is right and the existing fish are right).

The shop next to Lidl by Portslade Station (damned if I can remember the shop name) are fantastic. Very good advice all the time and are good at letting you down gently when the fish the kids have set the hearts on won't live in the same tank together!

Dan Aitch · May 8, 2015

A planted tank massively helps with water quality but it's likely to be hard to establish if you already have fish in place. A good alternative is those plants that float around on the surface but you have to remember to scoop the extra ones (that grow from the originals) out so that your tank gets enough light. Under the right conditions those plants thrive and do a lot of the water quality work for you.

jevs · May 8, 2015

Forget Guppies, BoF....they've been bred to death and their genetics are so weak now that they rarely last more than a few weeks or months. If you can get them, try getting home bred guppies....i've got a few you can try if you want some in my little tank at work. They seem a lot hardier.

Spadge · May 8, 2015

Take a sample of your water to a good shop and they will test it for you to check the PH balance etc.

Not sure where your located but I know the fish shop next to Sainsburys at Lyons Farm Worthing offer this service.

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