Fish Compatibility & Questions

[kimnici]

Hi, I'm really new on here and you were so helpful with my last question I have another if you don't mind. I have just been kindly given a much bigger tank as I was after one for my two angels which were in a small tank and were fighting. I think the tank is about 70 litres (UK) and it came with a big plec, a silver dollar, one that I can't remember it's name and a swordtail. My angels are still pretty small and I'm in the process of filling up the tank after transporting everything in buckets and bags etc. The water in it is pretty brown due to bog wood and when I tested it, it was showing a lot of nitrates and must have been due a change anyway. Will my little angels be ok with these other fish? It's all taking a while as I have an RO system under the sink and the tank the filtered water sits in doesn't hold a lot so I'm having to wait for it to filter some more. Also, I'm a bit reluctant to put that bog wood back in as I don't like the brown water. Do you think the fish that came with the tank need it? I think probably the plec and silver dollar need hiding spaces but that could be provided in other ways maybe.
Sorry for so many questions, but a little guidance will be much appreciated as I want a nice happy tank.
Thanks.

 

[Kelly-Jo]

The plec will NEED wood, it's absolutely vital.

Plus, a silver dollar should not be in a 70 litre, he needs rehoming or moving to a bigger tank.

 

[kimnici]

Thanks, well maybe I could put just one of the three pieces of wood in, I just don't like the brown water. Not sure what to do about the silver dollar then. He has been in this tank for a while I believe.

 

[creeker]

The big pleco should go. He's also too big or will be too big for that tank.

 

[kimnici]

Thanks for the replies. When relocating this bigger tank at home I obviously replaced a lot of the water. I have RO water so not too much of a problem however, the tank is still very dirty. It has a good 3 inches of gravel in the bottom which seems a lot to me, but is very dirty. The Nitrate is very high when I tested so still needs a good clean. It would be easier if the fish weren't in the tank, mind you they must be very hardy. I am asking around to rehome the big ones. I suppose all I can do is a lot of syphoning through the gravel but I didn't want to cause too much disruption to the fish. I want to get it clean enough to put my own fish in. Any suggestions on the best way to tackle this please? I just want a nice clean tank and water.
Thanks.

 

[colleen0309]

Good morning and welcome to the forum! As stated above, the pleco needs the wood for digestion. As for the cleaning problem with the gravel, can you temporarily transfer the fish to another tank or a plastic tote? You could then stir up the gravel and syphon off the dirty water? If you do this a few times, the gravel should clean up nice.