Starting a tank

[Hugheskc]

Hey! I’m new to this forum and new to owning tropical fish!
I’ve previous owned goldfish which have now been gone to a new home with a much larger tank as they outgrew mine
I have a 60 litre aquarium which I’m currently cycling out and have a heater will allow to settle for a few days then test water of course before purchases any new fish but I’m looking for advise from you guys as I’m sure majority of you are farrrrr more experienced than I am and will know the right numbers/species I should go for…

So I’m thinking I’d like balloon mollies but then I’ve read that they can come with health issues due to be classed as deformed? And I’ve seen some blue and red dwarf gouramis which would be lovely! Im definitely interested in colour! But I also want a community tank with one or two small shoals so what would you guys reccomend? I appreciate my tank isn't the largest so I know anything I go for needs to max size 3” roughly and obviously peaceful with each other this is where I need more experienced hands for advice!
Appreciate any help!

 

[Essjay]

Welcome to the forum

The first thing to ask is the hardness of your tap water. I know that other members from Norfolk have hard water so the chances are yours is hard as well. Look on your water company website for hardness - you need a number and the unit of measurement rather than some vague words. Once we know the hardness, we can discuss colourful fish suitable for your water and tank size.


Of the fish you have mentioned, 60 litres is a bit small for mollies, balloon or normal. While it's a good size for dwarf gouramis, this species is often infected with an incurable disease be the time they reach the shop. And it would be just one colourful fish as females are plain silver and the tank isn't big enough for more than one male.
But as I said, once we know your hardness we can take it from there.

 

[Essjay]

Forgot to mention - for our non-UK members, 60 litre (16 gallon) tanks here are usually 60 cm, or 2 feet, long