Was This Lfs Advice Correct?

[TestingTheWaters]

Hi all, I'm new here and hope someone can give me some advice?
 
My girlfriend and I purchase a new fish tank today as she has wanted to get another fighter fish for a long time now. We owned one about 4-5 years ago but it sadly only lasted a year thanks to poor advice from our (then) local fish store which is why I want to make extra sure by asking you all.
 
Our tank is currently cycling ready for our new fighter which we will pick up on Saturday (or earlier? I thought a week would be suitable). Now... our store advises us that in this tank we would be able to keep a fighter, up to 8 platy (I think that's too many... 4 maximum?) and maybe some shrimp/snails as well.
 
I would love for some of you guys, who almost certainly know more than they do, whether this would be suitable or not? If you need any extra info please ask and I will also add it in the below section.
Many thanks in advance for any help/advice you can give!
 
Important information
 
Made and Model - SuperFish Home 25 Aquarium
Tank Size - 25 Litres
 
Images

 
 
The fighter we are going to get kinda looked like this for anyone that was interested in knowing

 

[NickAu]

 
Now... our store advises us that in this tank we would be able to keep a fighter, up to 8 platy (I think that's too many... 4 maximum?) and maybe some shrimp/snails as well.

With a 25 litre tank a fighter and maybe some shrimp and that depends on a fighter, No you can't keep any platy in that tank its too small, as for snails it depends on the type.
 

 
Our tank is currently cycling ready for our new fighter which we will pick up on Saturday (or earlier? I thought a week would be suitable)

This process can take several weeks.

 

[Akasha72]

how are you cycling this tank? The best place for you to go is to our beginner section and to read about the cycling process there. I'll give you the link 
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/291-cycle-your-tank/
 
I also agree with Nick, this tank is far too small for the stock the lfs suggested 

 

[Byron]

I agree with previous members, completely.  That store giving out such erroneous advice either doesn't care or they are only interested in selling more fish to customers as they die.
 
Stay with the single Betta, plus some snails.  Shrimp would be OK, unless the Betta decides to eat them.  Floating plants are also wise, as Betta naturally remain near the surface among floating vegetation, browsing the dangling roots for food.  If you do have floating plants, and they are alive and growing, you could easily forget about any "cycling" with the Betta.
 
Byron.

 

[Jeremy180]

I agree with the previous posters, there is no possible way that you could ever safely stock anywhere near that much in your tank.
I'd say one betta and one (male, females are too big) Platy and you would be at full capacity, if not slightly over, and with that combo not only would the platy be stressed by being alone, but both of these fish can leave a good bit of food uneaten, and That leftover food could really lead to trouble.
If it were my tank, The first thing I would do is a fishless cycle.
Afterward, in addition to the Betta, I would add one nerite snail of your favorite type, and one Ghost/Glass Shrimp (The Shrimp May or may not be attacked/eaten, depending on the individual betta, and either way, it will need a place to hide when molting) both are very good scavengers/.algae eaters with a light bioload that add a lot of interest for their size.
This should just about bring you right up to what the LFS guy Should have said was your stocking limit.
 
Incidentally, If you decide to get the ghost shrimp, be sure it's a genuine ghost shrimp, and not a Macrobrachium ("freshwater prawn") species.
The ghost shrimp have arms about the same size or slightly bigger than their legs, While the Macrobrachium has very obviously oversized arms and claws.
Freshwater Prawns are sometimes mixed in as contaminants with ghost shrimp, get much larger than ghost shrimp (Some species may actually outgrow your Betta!), and are very predatory/Aggressive.
 
Edit: you will need a good test kit (drops, not strips) to check your ammonia and nitrites, otherwise you have no way of knowing whether the tank is cycled, If you haven't already, please click on the link provided by Akasha72 for more on fishless cycling.

 

[NickAu]

 
 Floating plants are also wise, as Betta naturally remain near the surface among floating vegetation, browsing the dangling roots for food.  If you do have floating plants, and they are alive and growing, you could easily forget about any "cycling" with the Betta.

Seeing how much my Betta enjoys her floating plants, I would say live floating plants are essential, Well over 3/4 of the top of my tank is just a Riccia water sprite and duck weed mat with a few small openings, and I only clean the top up a bit once I cant feed my fish any more because the pellet cant drop thru the vegetation any more, The bottom of my tank is almost all covered in Anubias Valis and a big Crypt and my readings for ammonia nitrites nitrates is always zero, I think the only reason I run a filter is for circulation.
 
I would go with a heavily planted tank, a Betta and some assassin snails if you can get them. or ( some people will think I am strange ) Malaysian Trumpet snails, These can be as colour full as assassins and are beneficial to the tank and plants ( no they wont eat your plants ) They stir up the substrate and eat decaying stuff on and in your substrate breaking bad stuff down faster into something the good bacteria can process, well that's the simple explanation.
 
Personally I think a 25 litre tank is too small for a mystery snail, If you are feeding your betta correctly then there is no food in the tank for the snail, Forget this snails live on algae they will quickly consume any they do eat, So you will need to feed your snails or they will starve to death, No feeding brings about 2 other issues with mystery snails, they eat a lot and poop a lot, and the more they eat the bigger they grow and they grow quick, 

 

[Jeremy180]

Agreed, Mystery snails are messy, and like regular servings of fresh salad (live plants), that's why I didn't recommend one..
Additionally, most species are not truly tropical and without a "cooldown" period in the winter, their lifespan is greatly reduced, often to less than a year. (Incidentally testing the waters, do you have a heater? These aren't optional in Betta tanks.
On top of all this, Mystery snails can be a bit more sensitive to nitrates than Nerites, Which also have a smaller bioload than mystery snails.
Lastly, While it is true that Nerites cannot live on algae alone (At least not in a tank this small) they do a much better job of cleaning it than Mystery snails.
It's really not all that hard to not overfeed a snail though, all you have to do is get one or two pellets past the betta and that's enough., (and don't tell me this never happens accidentally)
About the only real problem with nerites is they don't handle a PH below 7.0 too well...
 
 And yes, a densly planted tank is Ideal for bettas, but the plants should not be used as a primary filtration, at least not in a tank this small, although they make great "failsafes" to help cushion ammonia and nitrite spikes, as well as helping to absorb nitrates (but there's no real substitute for water changes)

 

[NickAu]

 
And yes, a densly planted tank is Ideal for bettas, but the plants should not be used as a primary filtration, at least not in a tank this small, although they make great "failsafes" to help cushion ammonia and nitrite spikes, as well as helping to absorb nitrates (but there's no real substitute for water changes)

Regular water changes are a must I do water changes at the drop of a hat I always have 30 litres of good water ready to go, Once I put the clean water from the drum into the tank I mix up a fresh batch of water straight away, I keep my betta in a 70 litre 2 foot tank, with about 10 Kuhli Loaches 2 mystery snails more shrimp that my Betta can eat and some number of Malaysian Trumpet Snails ( I love these guys ) and I change 30 litres of water 2 every 4 days and I run a big canister filter on the tank