# How many fish to my tank



## tillymaud

Hi

My tank is currently going through its first cycle and has been set up for 5 days, so early days yet

Its a 60L tank which i think is 15 gallons, please inform if wrong and i want to get Tetras & small same like fish when tank is ready.

How many little fish is safe to go in that size tank.

How often do you fed these type of fish as i read its 3 times a day, is that correct? 

Should the temp be set to 26 for these fish,

Please advise


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## Guest

Indeed, a shoal (about 10 should do it) of the smaller tetras (i.e neons, cardinals, glowlights) would be ideal, or you might want to try small rasboras or danios. You could also have a group of small catfish such as Corydoras or a small L no. Plec (_Panaque maccus_ springs to mind).

You might also like to consider a pair of small, South American cichlids such as Keyholes (_Cleithracara maronii_).

While many people will recommend feeding fish around three times a day, I find this to be somewhat excessive. I offer one feed a day and with some fish skip a feeding once a week. It doesn't harm the fish and it does actually benefit the entire system. In their natural habitats, these fish will receive less food than what they're offered in aquariums.


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## tillymaud

Thanks for the advice i did think 3 times a day was to much.

I was told i could have 6 neon tetras,6 small other fish that were in the same tank,2 small and stay small fish that clean the bottom, i need to go back and write the names down and 3 other small fish that all go well together thats 17

I would rather have 8 neon Tetras and the 2 ground cleaning fish if you think the tank is ok for that.

What temp should it be on 24 or 26 was told 24 from one place and 26 today.

Iv put a photo of tank which will give you a better judge for fish. The plants are all live.


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## Guest

It is much better to have a large shoal of a single species, rather than just half a dozen of 2-3 different species. 

A word of warning about 'bottom cleaners', very few (if any) species will actually perform such a function and while some catfish (i.e Brochis, Corydoras) will mop up uneaten food, they still have to be fed on a varied diet. Adding more fish only produces more waste in the first place. The secret to a clean tank is regular maintenance, including the periodic removal of uneaten food.

Most tropical fish will thrive in a temperature range between 24-28 degrees C, a few species (i.e certain barbs, danios and catfish) prefer slightly cooler conditions. It doesn't really matter what the temperature is at so long as it remains stable within the acceptable limits. Maintaining stable parameters is far more important than trying to achieve a specific level.


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## tillymaud

thats been very helpful as iv had 2 people say different things.


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## Guest

tillymaud said:


> thats been very helpful as iv had 2 people say different things.


Just take everything you hear with a pinch of salt...


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## damianhucker1

a lot will be nothing to do with how many litres the tank holds , its more to do with the surface area , the filtration level too can make a diffference to how many fish you can include . a good starting point would be to specify the measurements of the tank rather than its volume , or if its easier just state which tank it is , i managed a branch of maidenhead aquatics for 3 years until october , when i had to leave as my fiance wants to return to the area we used to live . so im usually going to know exactly whats what with a specific tank .

in a 60 litre , if we presume its the most common one , a tank made by hagen called the elite style 60 , the only sure fire way to guarantee success is the most long and drawn out one , if you put some food in the tank and just leave the tank running with filter etc and let the filter bacteria to develop and eat away at the ammonia and nitrite thats caused , when levels are back to zero , which would be usually about 10 days later , repeat , do this 3 or 4 times before adding fish , after youve done that , pick a type of tetra youd like and put maybe 6 in , at this point just feed the fish once every 2 days , and just as much as they can eat in 2 minuttes , if it takes longer than that to eat then it was too much . do not add anything else for at least 2 weeks and only if your ammonia and nitirite levels are zero , for the time being ignore ph as thats only really important if your trying with something a bit more specialist and has far too much emphasis put on it for community tanks which is needless . also for now disregard nitrate ( be aware that nitrite and nitrate are completely different things ) it would be wise to purchase your own test kits so that you check on a regular basis , the jbl ones are the best around but there expensive , so might be better to go for the hagen ones for now , do not use a strip tester as there useless , makes sure its a liquid test .
once its all fine add a trio of corydoras , all corys are shoaling fish so the more the better but as its a smaller tank 3 would be about the correct number , ensure though that your gravel is not too course so they dont damage there barbels when rummaging for food .
as a 3rd set of fish , again 2 weeks later , id ad soemthing more of a feature fish , this will really depend on your taste but something a little larger than your tetras but no bigger than a maximum size of around 8 centimeters , maybe something like dwarf gourami if your shop can get a descent quality supply as there quite regularly naff quality and die real quick , a pair of sailfin mollys would be ok but certainly nothing bigger . if at a later date you wanted an algae eater , do not get a plec , the more common ones grow massive and the really nice ones can be pricey and need a far more stable environment than a tank as small can provide , maybe as an alternative you could have a group of japonica shrimps , a bristlenose ancistrus (which is similar to a plec but only reaches a much smaller size) or maybe a panda garra ( not otocinclus as there wild caught so need acidic water like in the wild) .
do not do any water changes until the tank has been running with fish in it for 6 weeks and then change 25% fortnightly , you can change more if you want and it can be beneficial to the fish but never change more than half in a week , also one of the most important things is DO NOT EVER WASH YOUR FILTER MEDIA IN TAP WATER , use water youve taken out of the tank during water changes , the chlorine in tap water kills the filter bacteria and in turn causes amoonnia and nitrite to build up and poison your fish . another usefull tip is to read up as much as possible on any fish before you buy it , to prevent any problems that may arise .
anthing else you might need to know just ask , but i think that should be enough to keep you going for now .


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## tillymaud

Thanks for that and yes my tank is the elite 60L. I was told to add the fish gradually but i didn't know i would have to wait so many weeks for setup, again i was told 2 weeks get the water tested and if ok add some fish.

My aquarium is on day 8 on first cycle, so leave this till day 10 get water tested, if ok then take 25% of water out, add same temp water, leave for another 10 days and repeat one more time before adding some fish if everything is ok.

One question the aquarium came with Aqua +Plus and Cycle do i use them or not as if i can do without them i would prefer to. Testing kit is on order.


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## damianhucker1

yes you do need the aqua plus but you can do without the cycle , cycle is more of a bacteria boost type product but as it adds sugar to the tank to boost bacteria it menas the bacteria will eat the sugar before the waste so your ammonia and nitrite levels would go up before they came down , if you cycle the tank properly you wont need it .
aqua plus is to take chlorine out the water , this is necessary unless your using rain water , but even that has its own problems , so any fresh tap water thats put in the tank you need to add the appropriate dose of aqua plus . dont change any water at your day 10 mark , dont change any until youve had fish in , for 6 weeks , as you need it to stabalise first


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## AngusChild

you can cycle a tank in 6 hours - my friend has just done it and added in loads of fish. there have been no spikes and the tank has only been set up for a week!


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## Guest

AngusChild said:


> you can cycle a tank in 6 hours - my friend has just done it and added in loads of fish. there have been no spikes and the tank has only been set up for a week!


Hardly recommendable, either you have a dud test kit or your fish are the aquatic version of 'The Incredibles'...

Fishkeeping requires patience and time, if this is short, find another hobby.


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## Guest

damianhucker1 said:


> yes you do need the aqua plus but you can do without the cycle , cycle is more of a bacteria boost type product but as it adds sugar to the tank to boost bacteria it menas the bacteria will eat the sugar before the waste so your ammonia and nitrite levels would go up before they came down ,


Nutrafin cycle doesn't contain sugar (or glucose, call it what you like). Cycling products claim to contain 'beneficial bacteria' which are supposed to colonize the filter media, they don't 'feed' the bacteria. Sadly though, many fishkeepers fail to realize that these bacteria are either of the wrong type or dead in the bottle.


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## AngusChild

dont suggest I'm lying because I know what I have seen and soon will post the whole diary of the six hours, the way to do it and what you need. by the way you don't have fish in for this method. The fish are all still OK and the third round of fish have just gone in. the first round went in on Saturday.


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## mattstringfellow

hello i am the one that cycled my tank in 6 hours :

1st you put a chemical into a bucket of tank water until the smell is gone (not telling u what it is), then you get a glass of tank water and as 1 third of a teaspoon of sugar into it to feed the bactria/ bactrium. then when the smell has gone you put the water into the tank then add the sugar water. and then add another chemical (not telling you what it is but if u send me a private message i will tell u then i dont want the secret getting out) then you test every half on hour.

1st test: NH4/NH3: 0.25 ppm
NO2: 0ppm
2nd test: nh4/nh3: 0.50ppm
NO2: 0
3rd test: NH4/NH3: 1ppm
NO2: 0ppm
4th test: nh4/nh3: 1ppm
NO2: trace
5ht test nh4/nh3: 1.25
NO2: o.25
6th test: nh3/nh4: 1ppm
no2: 1ppm
7th test: nh3/nh4: 0.75ppm
no2 1ppm
8th test: nh4/nh3: o.50ppm
no2: 0.75ppm
9th test 0.25ppm
no2: 0.50
10th test: nh4/nh3: 0ppm
no2 0.25
11th test : nh3/nh4: oppm
no2: trace
12th : nh3/nh4: oppm
no2: oppm

i am not lieing the data is correct the test kits are fine it is true my nh3/nh4 are still at 0ppm so in no2 oppm. it works!!


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## Guest

AngusChild said:


> dont suggest I'm lying because I know what I have seen and soon will post the whole diary of the six hours, the way to do it and what you need. by the way you don't have fish in for this method. The fish are all still OK and the third round of fish have just gone in. the first round went in on Saturday.


I never said you were lying, however I wouldn't suggest it to a beginner, too risky...


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## AngusChild

its not risky - you test it, if not right do it again


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## mattstringfellow

i see wot u mean about not for a beginner but if you understand the nitrogen cycle then that is all you need. but you do need to half stock your tank within 2 days otherwise the bactiria will die so it dose cost a lot of money. the chemicals and test kits alone were £30. iv spend about £130 on fish lol


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## damianhucker1

pleccy - the sugar was the simple way to describe it , trust me you dont need to use cycle or any other similar product , i swore by them at one time until i discovered bactinettes ( a product no longer available in most countries ) when youve used that instead which is actual bacteria that you purchase from the fridge , youll realise just how bad the others are , i did an experiment with tetra's product safestart and that made the ammonia worse before it got better , bactinnettes has instant impact pretty much .

and on the 6 hour cycling ,cant remember your name but continue your little jolly alone and dont involve others unless you want loads of dead fish on your conscience , you may believe what your doing is right and therfor wouldnt call you a liar , but i will say your very wrong .

the natural environments of fish are eveloved over many years , you could never replicate it in 6 hours , theres more to it than simply removing ammonia and nitrite , there the balance of the entire ecosystem in the tank for starters , as you said " its just about understanding the nitrogen cycle " i would personally say that you dont fully understand the nitrogen cycle otherwise you wouldnt spout such nonsense .

even if it was true you should never advise a beginner to use it as theres too many things that can go wrong , if a more experienced fish keeper wants to try it then fine as at least theyll know how to put it right , the orignal post was a question , asking how many fish can go in an elite 60 , someone asking that question is obviously very inexperienced and not someone to offer radical advice to .


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## Guest

AngusChild said:


> its not risky - you test it, if not right do it again


After potentially killing a tank-full of fish? I'm sorry, but in my experience that is downright irresponsible.

I shall say no more on the subject, however there is biological, chemical and ethical proof to say that the quick way out of the cycling process is the wrong way.


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## Guest

mattstringfellow said:


> i see wot u mean about not for a beginner but if you understand the nitrogen cycle then that is all you need. but you do need to half stock your tank within 2 days otherwise the bactiria will die so it dose cost a lot of money. the chemicals and test kits alone were £30. iv spend about £130 on fish lol


No amount of knowledge on earth can replace patience, the nitrogen cycle is a very complex biological process that can take all the time in the world to complete. You can never harness any form of control over mother nature.


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## Fishyfins

Pleccy is right, a cycle in 6 hours may well work in a few cases, but such methods will always be frought with dangers, and are certainly not for beginners. ive been keeping fish for 12 years, and even i wouldnt risk it!

the thing you have to remember is that what makes aquariums work (or the filters at least) is bacteria! and bacteria has a growth rate, which cannot usually be sped up to that extent, not when it would normally take 6 weeks under average conditions! im sorry, but basic biology and chemistry is against you. i dont know what you did, but i honestly wouldnt trust it in the long run.


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## AngusChild

The Guy in the shop had 6 very ill discus and he did this method and all 6 £125 fish survived. Your going to have to accept that this way does work.


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## AngusChild

look at special blend
Ecological Laboratories


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## mattstringfellow

i never advised to the begined i said that it is a way of doing it! and plus you didn't just add the bactiria there are other bactiria too whitch kills and toxins that will kill the fish and it pre-cycles your tank whitch means that the amonnia and NO2 spike will not be as high and there is less chance of loosing fish, but everyone has their own opinion.


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## Nonnie

Can we keep this on topic please.

If you wish to discuss/debate the nitrogen cycle, then please make another thread.


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## Guest

AngusChild said:


> The Guy in the shop had 6 very ill discus and he did this method and all 6 £125 fish survived. Your going to have to accept that this way does work.


I don't really have to accept anything, having studied biology at IGCSE level and achieving an A* in the exam (now studying it at A-level) I could say that I have a good understanding of the nitrogen cycle, not that I'm trying to be a belligerent big-head. It is the opnion of myself and probably every other reputable fishkeeper that fishless cycling should not be rushed, you can of course do it your way, however I couldn't recommend it myself. Even a week would be better than six hours.

I do apologize if I sound abrupt, however that's just the way I think...



AngusChild said:


> look at special blend
> Ecological Laboratories


Again, I don't believe in the use of 'cycling products' and 'bacterial cultures', apart from cross-seeding new filter media with media that is already biologically active.



Nonnie said:


> Can we keep this on topic please.
> 
> If you wish to discuss/debate the nitrogen cycle, then please make another thread.


I concur, I'm sure we could create another thread and divulge some facts and opinions on the subject in a healthy debate.


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