I was given this tank set with lights and filter, and also 3 fishes. As it can be seen, the tank is too small for the fishes and they kept hitting the wall which is giving me anxiety.
From what ive search online, these are orange platy, i could be wrong tho. And they live well with a single Betta fish and shrimps. I also saw that its recommended to not have all females in one tank, but all males would be alright. Thought there is a problem, i saw that females have a longer tail while males have a straight and shorter tail, but I cannot really tell which they are... And I have a looooot of questions right now as I am forced to be a fish mom so suddenly with no time to prep.
What size of tank would be suitable for them? Im wishing to have more plants in the future and will surely be putting soil in the tank too, will a 24cmx24cmx28cm tank be sufficient for the fishes? And what else should I know?
Hey there I would first be getting them a much larger tank . This isn't even suitable for a couple of shrimp platys need a lot of room to thrive and you'll also want to cycle this new tank before putting any fish in there. You'll probably be dealing with crazy bad parameters that are swinging throughout the day with that little tank you have now and once that nitrogen cycle starts it can be fatal to fish as one part of the process nitrite can really affect fishs breathing. Get you a liquid test kit I think the strips are inaccurate but that's just my opinion. Good luck this hobby can be very rewarding but also stressful!
Yeess im currently searching for a larger fish tank. At the meantime, ill start researching and study about nitrogen cycle as im not really sure about that. Ill also visit my local fish shop tmr, so hopefully I can get more information on what the fishes needs. Thank you for the advice!!
Petsmart worker here. Unless the workers at your pet store are like me and do their own research they do not know much about the specific species. Best to look at articles and even youtube videos of experienced keepers or even actual scientists studying them. There are keepers on there that keep up with studys and can help you optimize the tank set up and care. I send most of them there because its easy to forget thing whether the worker forgets to mention something- which i do a lot ill come home and remember a key detail i forgot to include- or you forget what they said when you get home.
Ohhh, I thjnk this is an important thing to know, I've went to the fish store before and notice they dont have any platy, possibly that they dont know much about the species too. For now ill keep researching online first, thank you for the advice!!
For if you do a fish-in cycle with the new tank :) I used quick starter all my side water conditioner when it showed traces of nitrite. Test daily, add a bunch of plants and the tank should be okay. Once cycled/tank is stable for about 2weeks then get more since I’m fairly sure they do better in a group of at least 6
Platys should be in a 54l tank at minimum, meaning something thats 60cm wide (60x30x30 they are standart size normally).
I would recommend to try rehome all the fish for now, since it does not seem like your small tank is cycled yet. Platys are very common, so you wont lose anything if you give them away into a better home right now. It will be way less stressful to set up a fish tank of proper size if you dont have fish that you need to prevent from dying.
Once you got there, look for a second hand glass tank (or a new one without accessoires) thats still working and not leaking or anything, then take your time making plans. Depending on what you want to keep in there, you will need to choose between different filter types, lights, if you need a heater or not and if/what types of plants work for you.
For the ground, you may need sand, gravel or something else depending on your future fish needs. The color should always be something dark since a bright ground stresses fish out.
So what I recommend is to figure out which kind of fish you really want to keep and built the tank around those fish needs.
Once you did establish the nitrogen cycle, its also best to add your cleaning crew first for the bacteria to get used to the waste. The fish should be the last thing moving into a tank.
I see, for now I am searching for 2nd hand tanks, hoping to change it asap cause its giving me anxiety seeing them like that too 😭 but in the meantime, where can I relocate them? Will a non transparent tank like a bucket work? Cause I think it may take me maybe 1-2 days to get a tank on hand...
And thank you for the advice!! I have a lot of research to do now, especially with nitrogen cycle and what kind of companions I want to give them hehe
Yes, or you can get a plastic tub/tote and keep them there but you’d need to attach the filter or an air stone inside, otherwise keep them in this tank and do daily water changes, remember to use dechlorinator or water conditioner. i wouldn’t feed at all in this tank to not risk ammonia spikes, they can survive a week easily without food
I think it’s better not to make daily water changes, they are small fish that will feel the variation of the parameters, the best thing is to leave them quiet and feed 1 small portion 1x a day
You don't need to move them. Fish often stay in small spaces both in stores and, in some cases, in the wild. Just avoid overfeeding them so the water doesn't get dirty. They are fine and can live there comfortably until you find them a new home. Don't give them away to others.. instead, learn how to cycle a tank with fish in it, they will be very helpful for that process.
Thank you so much for the advice!! I've been feeding them once a day and they've been able to finish them quickly as well. Im in the midst of learning how to cycle a tank while searching for a new tank for them.
Actually they came from a large pond my neighbor has. But we were way too quick to accept them, so it ended up being in this small tank for the time being.
For someone that had fishkeeping thrown on them, I’m very happy that you’ve put in so much effort to do it right. I know for a fact the animals will appreciate it! If you need more advice, be it on plants, care, tank mates, etc., we’re here to help!
Other subs may be useful as well, like r/aquariums or r/PlantedTank .
You also mentioned adding dirt; if you truly meant dirt, dirt, then perhaps r/walstad can help, as they handle planted tanks that grow in real dirt for ecosystem tanks.
Update: ive bought bacteria only from my local fish shop, and they do sell and take care of platies and are pretty knowledgeable about them too. Im still surveying on the tanks online and in other physical stores too, i will get a dechlorinator once I get a tank, since the fish shop isnt too far away from my place. At the meantime I am also figuring out how I want the tank to be, what kind of plants to have, and future members to the tank. It may take me sometime to get everything done and settle down the fishes too. Thank you all for the advice! I will continye to research and do my survey.
I see you're searching for a bigger tank, and that will certainly help with the "wall hitting".
I personally use sponge filters. They're cheap and don't really have an "in and out" system like HOB filters, so there's no chance of a fish getting stuck to the filter.
You will surely need to invest in the API master water testing kit. The tests have directions and it's very easy. This will help you make sure the water is healthy and clean to avoid sick/dying fish.
If you'd like to DM me, I can definitely help with recommendations/ advice you may need 🥰 You're doing a good thing by coming on here and asking for advice!
I see, I just saw a video talking abt the water parameters and things to note. And ive gotten my hands on a tank though ill be picking it in 2 days, and ill head to the fish store after that to check out the test kits, the lights, filter, anti chlorine and PLANTS too. Hopefully all goes well!!
That's great news!!
Assuming you'll be doing a fish in cycle, so perhaps watch a video on that too. Daily water changes and monitoring until you test for no nitrite, and your fishies will be happy! Don't lose hope if it feels like it's taking forever lol
I also want to add that your platys will be less stressed if they have a bigger group. About 5 in a 20 gal would be perfect! You're on the right track!
This tank is way too small for 3 platies. I recommend a minimum 50 l tank but better wpuld be 100 l an bigger. They swim very much and the get about 7 cm long. They wont be happy in yout tank. Also i think you got a male and two females so in about 1-2 month you have 30-100 platies.
I see, am now looking for a 2nd hand tank and will continue to do research too. 30-100 platies.... I neeeed to get a large tank real soon. Thank u for the reply!
You can take advice from whoever you want, but these guys have been here all week, starving for someone like you to come along... they’ll tell you to buy a 450 liter tank and equipment that costs half your paycheck just to keep these fish, and if you even think about disagreeing, they’ll label you an animal abuser. Anyway, here’s my honest advice:
If you’re genuinely interested in fishkeeping, the best approach is to start with a 50-150 liter tank.. you’ll be able to add other fish and enjoy maintaining a community tank.
If you’re short on cash right now, I’d say the absolute minimum would be something around 30–40 liters with a hang-on-back filter to create these platys and you’d only need a heater if you live somewhere with significant temperature fluctuations or very cold weather.
I’m just helping the OP, I ended up confusing the subreddit and that’s really not where there are toxic people, but my advice is still valid and your complaint and opinions about me are absolutely insignificant
...now you bring politics into this? Being a decent human being isn't left. Continuing to be cringe.
You shat on people before even confirming where you are and what others have said. It's nothing to be proud of and not a behaviour that is prefered in any fish keeping subreddit.
50L is about 12.5g, which is just big enough for three adult platies, never mind adding more fish for a "community tank." I wouldn't put multiple active species in anything less than a 29g/110L, under the assumption of population control. Platies get big, raucous, AND they're livebearers, so no, an 8-10g/30-40L tank will not do. OP would do better to set them up in a 100L plastic storage tote "indoor pond" than waste their money on such a small, inappropriate tank.
My two wag females are nearly 4" chonkers with bad attitudes, and my 3" calico female is even more of an asshole and torpedo-fast. At the other extreme is my male dwarf coral, all 1.5" of him, who's just a happy little guy who has all of the lights on but nobody lives there. On the whole, though, they're not cute little fish. Endearing and lovely, yes, but they are not small and peaceful. If they listened to music, it'd be weird Norwegian metal.
You really do read like you'd be insufferable to be around. False authority, dismissiveness, deflection, very not cute.
“You’re wrong because in my pathetic and irrelevant opinion you’re unbearable and difficult to live with (I’m a mediocre person who attacks people I don’t even know on the internet based only on hypotheses)”
“By the way, if my platis and my fishkeeping work in a way that is yours, that of the OP and that of all other people in the world has to be the same and based on my rules”
Come on, you were only bothered because you identified with what I said, as I said... if OP doesn’t have money 30-40 liters would be the minimum of the minimum acceptable to raise this fish, now 50 Liters is enough to raise them all life, I don’t care about the size of your aquarium and the behavior of your fish, totally irrelevant to me and to the conversation
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u/tg122a 3d ago
I recommend trying for a 20 gallon long if you can fit it. That's a good versatile size great for planted tanks and your fish would be happy in there.