Small aquarium help needed

[Help_needed 10]

Hi i have purchased a small 12L tank for my daughter who expressed interest in wanting one. I bought it from the small pet shop at Manor Top and it came with a small air pump (bullet shape) and an artificial plant.

 

I set the tank up as instructed then after 4 days i was told it was ok to introduce some fish so went to Pets at Home in Park gate.

 

I told the guy what tank i had and he suggested Platays? Anyways as i have 2 older children i bought 2 of those fish. They have been in the tank now for 3 days and the it has become very cloudy. I'm feeding them on flake food from the pet shop.

 

Could someone advise if this is because i have done something wrong or the pump isnt working correctly please?

 

Thanks

[megalithic 10]

I'd have had the tank running for at least two weeks before adding any fish, though a month or more would be preferable.

I've three tanks running at the moment, none have air lines into them, they're a total waste of time imo, given the amount of oxygen they actually introduce.

I prefer to let a good flow through the filter agitate the water.

 

As for the cloudiness, that's normal in my experience, and usually disappears as the tank matures.

[Help_needed 10]

Hi thanks for your reply. I did add something called quick start to the tank after setup as recommended by the shop. This said you could add fish immediately but i wanted to wait till the sediment had settled properly. We are new to fish keeping and was told we had to have an air supply to the tank for the fish to survive.

[megalithic 10]

Hi thanks for your reply. I did add something called quick start to the tank after setup as recommended by the shop. This said you could add fish immediately but i wanted to wait till the sediment had settled properly. We are new to fish keeping and was told we had to have an air supply to the tank for the fish to survive.

 

Some form of agitation is preferable/necessary, so an air pump would be better than nothing. you do have a filter running ?

[Help_needed 10]

I am assuming it is a filter as it has stones in one side and foam in the other then pumps out bubbles through the foam.

[mbarret 10]

Hiya, is the air pump used to power a filter? or just to produce bubbles?.

 

I would suspect you or the kids are overfeeding them, and uneaten food is clouding the water.

 

Also you made no mention of a heater, platy's are tropical fish, and whilst they may thrive in a heated room in the summer, cold water is not ideal for them.

 

Whilst i do not wish to sound critical of you, 12l tank is tiny, and if you have gravel, a stone or two, you are probably down to about 10 litres of water, i wish shops would stop selling them, i would not put a single goldfish in one.

 

With such a small tank, and if you dont have a filter, possibly overfeeding, then the water will cloud up very rapidly indeed.

 

Good luck, and if the kids enjoy the fish, perhaps consider a larger tank in the near future.

[Help_needed 10]

The Varitus Platy was sold to me as a cold water fish so no heater used. The air pump i would guess is used to power the filter. as for gravel i have around an inch on the bottom. I understand a 12l tank is tiny agreed but as its our first tank i thought i would start small and progress if the interest is there as kids soon loose it as you know.

 

Thanks by the way

[megalithic 10]

 

Whilst i do not wish to sound critical of you, 12l tank is tiny, and if you have gravel, a stone or two, you are probably down to about 10 litres of water, i wish shops would stop selling them, i would not put a single goldfish in one.

 

I totally echo this.

I'd try and source a bigger tank asap. Unless you've huge experience you'll always be fighting a losing battle with such a small amount of water.

[Help_needed 10]

I have been told 50L minimum would you echo that too?

 

---------- Post added 09-06-2014 at 17:09 ----------

 

I have now bought a 50L tank and a Trigen 300 filter with pump and air stone for £25 so im happy again.

[princesspetr 10]

I have a well planted/cycled/heated set up, so if you can't afford anything better and want a good home for your platy, PM me.

(I'm starting off anew as I recently moved to the UK from America for my bf, and am ready to start adding fish.)