Hi everyone! I’m a beginner at all of this. Looking to further educate myself in the world of fish for my fish sake and my own understanding. I currently have a 29 gal with a silver dollar, yo-yo loach, baby parrot, 6 tiger barbs, 4 black tetras, 2 Dalmatian mollies, small pleco and a gourami. Currently worried I may have overstocked a bit. Good news is my boyfriend (who has much more experience) just got his 60 gal ready for fish so if need be, some can make a move on over there. I also have a 10 gal with a beta, baby bristlenose pleco and 6 neon tetras.
Hi from NY! (Beginner)
- Thread starter Ksven
- Start date
Jessie J.
Fish Crazy
Welcome to the forum, fellow molly raiser! glad to have you with us.
Hi and welcome to the forum 
How long has the tank been set up for?
If less than 2 months I would suggest you reduce feeding to 2 times per week and only feed the fish a bit of food. They should eat it all in 20-30 seconds.
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding.
Monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate on any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0.
*NB* Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
Get couple of new buckets and use a permanent marker to write "FISH ONLY" on them. Use these buckets for the fish and nothing else.
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What sort of filter do you have on the tank?
Established filters that are more than 2 months old should be cleaned at least once a month and every 2 weeks is better.
If the filter is less than 2 months old then do not clean it at all unless the water flow slows down.
When you clean power filters, you squeeze the filter materials out in a bucket of tank water. Then wash the filter case and impellor assembly under tap water. When its clean, reassemble and fill the filter with tank water and turn it back on.
If you have a filter that "needs the filter cartridges replaced regularly", add some sponge from another brand of filter and don't bother replacing the cartridge for the first 2 months. Then after 2 months you can throw the cartridge away and don't bother replacing it. Just have sponges in the filter.
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If you can give us the tank dimensions (length x width x height) it will also help us advise you on what fish are suitable for it.
If you can contact your water supply company (via website or telephone) and find out what the general hardness (GH) and pH of your water is, it will help with stocking the tank.
If your water is too soft (lacking minerals) the mollies won't do well. Mollies need a general hardness above 250ppm and a pH above 7.0. The rest of the fish you have require soft water with lower GH (less minerals in the water).
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Silver dollars and yoyo loaches are schooling fish that need to be in groups of at least 6 and preferably more. Silver dollars also eat plants and grow too big for your tank. I would suggest returning the one you have.
re: the baby parrot, I assume this is a parrot cichlid?
If yes, then return it because they grow to about 6 inches and will probably eat the tetras and gourami (depending on what type of gourami).
What sort of gourami do you have?
What type of pleco do you have?
Some plecos grow huge (2 foot long) and will not be suitable for your tank. Other species are smaller and will be fine. If you're not sure what type of fish you have, post a picture of them and we can identify them for you.
The black tetras should be kept in groups of 6 or more and preferably 10 or more. Same with the tiger barbs. Depending on the species of fish (black tetra) they could be peaceful or fin nippers. If they are black skirt or black widow tetras they are fin nippers. Post a pic of them and we can ID them for you.
---------------------
If any of your fish look off colour, get sick or die, test the water for ammonia and nitrite and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate immediately. Then post a picture of the sick fish here, along with the ammonia and nitrite readings.
Do not treat fish with chemicals unless you know what is wrong. Do water changes first and post pics asap.
There is more information about what to do if your fish get sick, at the following link. It is pretty long and boring but worth knowing. I recommend printing it out and reading it in bed to help fall asleep.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-gets-sick.450268/
If you have any questions, feel free to ask and we will do our best to help.
How long has the tank been set up for?
If less than 2 months I would suggest you reduce feeding to 2 times per week and only feed the fish a bit of food. They should eat it all in 20-30 seconds.
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding.
Monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate on any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0.
*NB* Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
Get couple of new buckets and use a permanent marker to write "FISH ONLY" on them. Use these buckets for the fish and nothing else.
---------------------
What sort of filter do you have on the tank?
Established filters that are more than 2 months old should be cleaned at least once a month and every 2 weeks is better.
If the filter is less than 2 months old then do not clean it at all unless the water flow slows down.
When you clean power filters, you squeeze the filter materials out in a bucket of tank water. Then wash the filter case and impellor assembly under tap water. When its clean, reassemble and fill the filter with tank water and turn it back on.
If you have a filter that "needs the filter cartridges replaced regularly", add some sponge from another brand of filter and don't bother replacing the cartridge for the first 2 months. Then after 2 months you can throw the cartridge away and don't bother replacing it. Just have sponges in the filter.
---------------------
If you can give us the tank dimensions (length x width x height) it will also help us advise you on what fish are suitable for it.
If you can contact your water supply company (via website or telephone) and find out what the general hardness (GH) and pH of your water is, it will help with stocking the tank.
If your water is too soft (lacking minerals) the mollies won't do well. Mollies need a general hardness above 250ppm and a pH above 7.0. The rest of the fish you have require soft water with lower GH (less minerals in the water).
---------------------
Silver dollars and yoyo loaches are schooling fish that need to be in groups of at least 6 and preferably more. Silver dollars also eat plants and grow too big for your tank. I would suggest returning the one you have.
re: the baby parrot, I assume this is a parrot cichlid?
If yes, then return it because they grow to about 6 inches and will probably eat the tetras and gourami (depending on what type of gourami).
What sort of gourami do you have?
What type of pleco do you have?
Some plecos grow huge (2 foot long) and will not be suitable for your tank. Other species are smaller and will be fine. If you're not sure what type of fish you have, post a picture of them and we can identify them for you.
The black tetras should be kept in groups of 6 or more and preferably 10 or more. Same with the tiger barbs. Depending on the species of fish (black tetra) they could be peaceful or fin nippers. If they are black skirt or black widow tetras they are fin nippers. Post a pic of them and we can ID them for you.
---------------------
If any of your fish look off colour, get sick or die, test the water for ammonia and nitrite and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate immediately. Then post a picture of the sick fish here, along with the ammonia and nitrite readings.
Do not treat fish with chemicals unless you know what is wrong. Do water changes first and post pics asap.
There is more information about what to do if your fish get sick, at the following link. It is pretty long and boring but worth knowing. I recommend printing it out and reading it in bed to help fall asleep.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-gets-sick.450268/
If you have any questions, feel free to ask and we will do our best to help.
The tanks been running for 4 months. The dimensions are as follows; L30” W12” H18.5”
Currently Ammonia is at 0, P.H 7.4 Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 15ppm
The parrot is still a baby (Just about 1.5”) and we already planned to move it once it gets too large for the tank. I was assuming the silver dollar would need moved as well. He’s 5 years old and was raised alone (he was given away with the tank) though I do want to find others to school I don’t want to raise another school. The search for adults is on! The tigers will be moved and added with 5 more to the 60 gal. And I had no idea loaches were schooling! He also came with the tank. The pleco is a common, only about 2.25” at the moment. He will also be headed to the 60gal when he outgrows this 29gal. I have a bristlenose in my smaller tank which I plan to move to the 29 when the common outgrows. Also the Gourami is a dwarf
What kind of sponges do you refer to when talking about the filter? I know I’m definitely about due for a clean/switch as far as filter goes. I have a Marineland penguin 200 power filter with bio wheel
I currently feed on off days with tropical flakes and one algae disc
Thank you for such thorough input!!
Currently Ammonia is at 0, P.H 7.4 Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 15ppm
The parrot is still a baby (Just about 1.5”) and we already planned to move it once it gets too large for the tank. I was assuming the silver dollar would need moved as well. He’s 5 years old and was raised alone (he was given away with the tank) though I do want to find others to school I don’t want to raise another school. The search for adults is on! The tigers will be moved and added with 5 more to the 60 gal. And I had no idea loaches were schooling! He also came with the tank. The pleco is a common, only about 2.25” at the moment. He will also be headed to the 60gal when he outgrows this 29gal. I have a bristlenose in my smaller tank which I plan to move to the 29 when the common outgrows. Also the Gourami is a dwarf
What kind of sponges do you refer to when talking about the filter? I know I’m definitely about due for a clean/switch as far as filter goes. I have a Marineland penguin 200 power filter with bio wheel
I currently feed on off days with tropical flakes and one algae disc
Thank you for such thorough input!!
External Filters with bio wheels can be difficult to add things to. The best thing to do with these is get a cylindrical sponge from an internal power filter and put it on the intake strainer of the Penguin filter.
There are lots of internal power filters and some use rectangular shaped sponges and others use round/ cylinder shaped sponges. The cylindrical shaped ones have a hole through the centre and these usually fit straight over the intake strainer of most external filters. This sponge will act as a prefilter and helps keep the main filter cleaner for longer. You can take the round sponge off each week and wash it in a bucket of tank water and put it back on the intake, and this will give you additional filter bacteria and help remove more gunk from the tank water.
If you pop down to the local pet shop they should let you look at different sponges and see if they have any that fit over the intake of your filter. You don't need to take anything in to do this, just get the shop to open one of the products in the shop and try it out.
The following link is for a foam insert from a Fluval Edge, and this is the type of sponge you want to put on the intake strainer. It doesn't have to be this brand, just a sponge that is similar to this and that fits on the intake of your filter.
https://storage.googleapis.com/petcircle-assets/images/products/p/fluval-edge-pre-filter-sponge.png
There are lots of internal power filters and some use rectangular shaped sponges and others use round/ cylinder shaped sponges. The cylindrical shaped ones have a hole through the centre and these usually fit straight over the intake strainer of most external filters. This sponge will act as a prefilter and helps keep the main filter cleaner for longer. You can take the round sponge off each week and wash it in a bucket of tank water and put it back on the intake, and this will give you additional filter bacteria and help remove more gunk from the tank water.
If you pop down to the local pet shop they should let you look at different sponges and see if they have any that fit over the intake of your filter. You don't need to take anything in to do this, just get the shop to open one of the products in the shop and try it out.
The following link is for a foam insert from a Fluval Edge, and this is the type of sponge you want to put on the intake strainer. It doesn't have to be this brand, just a sponge that is similar to this and that fits on the intake of your filter.
https://storage.googleapis.com/petcircle-assets/images/products/p/fluval-edge-pre-filter-sponge.png
I notice the intake strainer on your filter is tapered outwards. Most are the same diameter and not tapered. You might need to change the intake strainer on the filter if the cylindrical sponge doesn't fit. Any brand of intake strainer can be used as long as it fits on the intake tube.
Make sure your silver dollar gets some plant matter each day. Live aquarium plants are best and you can grow Duckweed (a small floating plant) outside in plastic tubs and add a handful of that to the tank each week. They also eat fruit and veges like pumpkin, zucchini, broccoli, apple, spinach, etc.
Make sure anything they get is clean and free of chemicals.
Do not feed onion or onion relatives (spring onion, leeks, shallots, garlic) and no potatoe.
Your loach needs somewhere to hide during the day. A piece of driftwood or a couple more rocks to make a bridge that it can hide under.
Make sure your silver dollar gets some plant matter each day. Live aquarium plants are best and you can grow Duckweed (a small floating plant) outside in plastic tubs and add a handful of that to the tank each week. They also eat fruit and veges like pumpkin, zucchini, broccoli, apple, spinach, etc.
Make sure anything they get is clean and free of chemicals.
Do not feed onion or onion relatives (spring onion, leeks, shallots, garlic) and no potatoe.
Your loach needs somewhere to hide during the day. A piece of driftwood or a couple more rocks to make a bridge that it can hide under.
I have a ball of seaweed (left side in pic) is that enough or should I get more plants? I’m really kicking myself rn, I did have a plant that sure as hell did get eaten up so I never replaced it! I guess I didn’t realize that it’s okay to be eaten! Oops
And I had no idea they could benefit from the foods you mentioned!And I’ll definitely get some more hiding spots! Thank you again!
Any live plants you put in the tank will get eaten, which is why I mentioned growing Duckweed outside in a tub. It grows rapidly and doesn't cost you anything to grow. This gives you a steady supply of live plants for the fish. And if you feed fruit n veg it will reduce the amount of aquarium plants the fish eats.
Most people that keep silver dollars keep plastic plants in the tank with the fish and grow their own plants in a pond, tub or another aquarium and put the live plants in with the silver dollar to vary the diet.
Most people that keep silver dollars keep plastic plants in the tank with the fish and grow their own plants in a pond, tub or another aquarium and put the live plants in with the silver dollar to vary the diet.
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