# Some advice need.



## Daz. (Sep 14, 2011)

*Hi all sorry if ive put this in the wrong section. Im in need of some advise, well two question really.

I have no fish at the moment an have just set my tank up. The tank is only a 1.6 liter coldwater tank.

Ive got my tank set up an ive had it up for the past few days with Airstone and pump also a filter system. But no light is this going to be a problem?

Also there are bubbles been left on top of the water caused by the pump but i cant adjust this will this affect the fish?. If so what should i do?

Thanks for any advise :fish10:
Daz*


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## MissPisces (Jun 8, 2011)

Well, first of all, what kind of fish are you planning on keeping? Lighting and surface agitation can affect different fish in different ways. Though if you want my opinion, a 1.6 liter without a heater isn't really a suitable environment for any kind of fish... Are you sure it's only 1.6 liters?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Guppies do alright in cold water and are small enough you could keep one or a few in a 1.6L

The bubbles won't bother anyone, neither will the lack of a light. However, to help make your fish more comfortable, try placing the tank near a window where there will be a modicum of a daylight cycle.

Make sure your tank is ready for fish BEFORE you put the fish in. I would suggest dropping a raw piece of seafood or some fish food into the tank and letting it decompose to simulate what a fish would cause - an ammonia spike.  Then, bacteria will set up shop naturally and process the ammonia first into nitrite, then to nitrate. Nitrate can build up safely in the tank until it gets into very high concentrations, at which point it will need to be removed by partial water changes.

Google the "aquarium nitrogen cycle" for a better explanation than what I just gave you.


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## Daz. (Sep 14, 2011)

*Hi thanks for the advise.

Im sure its a 1.6 liter tank. I took the mesuments of my tank an put them into this site Calculating Aquarium Volume - The First Tank Guide - How Can I Figure Out How Much Water My Fish Tank Holds?. I did it in centimeters.

I have also been reading about small tanks an read that they are harder to keep than a large thank i dont no if this is true or not?. Also that they need to have a part water change of 50% every other day.

I like guppies how many would you advise for my tank?

Thanks Daz (sorry if im asking poor question)*


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## MissPisces (Jun 8, 2011)

No, your questions aren't bad at all! It's good to ask lots of questions! 

It is true that small tanks are harder to keep. I started out with a 1.5 gallon tank for my male betta, and he ended up in a 5 gallon because the 1.5 just wouldn't cycle. Usually, the bigger the better. I found that the 5 gallon is easier to maintain than the 1.5, and it actually wasn't expensive. You can find all sorts of good deals on websites like craigslist, and there's even a seller's forum on this site. 

For a 1.6 liter tank, I would not suggest guppies. Gizmo might be right on that, but I've never heard of anyone keeping guppies in an unheated tank because they do prefer warmer water. Goldfish are more suitable for cold water, but you need 10 gallons for just one. The only fish that you could keep healthy would be a betta, and even then I'd suggest you use a heater. 

If you do go with guppies, get just one. That's really all your tank could support.

Good luck!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Wow, it should be illegal to call something that small an aquarium.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Agree with Ben.i dont suggest that small of a container for anything except possibly a marimo ball.In one so small you will be changing 100% of the water about every other day.Even my breeders are in more water than that and they get daily changes.


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## Daz. (Sep 14, 2011)

*I'm very very sorry my tanks measurements are totally wrong i do apologise :-(. My tank is 27 liters Conversions and Aquarium Volume Calculator @ petfish.net

(S.I./Metric measurements)


Your tank's Length (centimetres): 38 
Your tank's Width (centimetres): 25.5
Your tank's Depth (centimetres): 28

Your tank holds aproximately: 27litres = 7Gallons
*


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## MissPisces (Jun 8, 2011)

Ah, it makes better sense now!  I was thinking, "where on earth can you even buy a 1.6 L tank?!" lol 

If that's the case, I'd still suggest you get a heater (a 5-15 gallon heater would work well). Don't know what they sell in your part of the world, but Tetra makes a 5-15 gallon heater. Maybe they sell an equivalent in your country or online? 

With a 27 L tank, you could have four or five guppies. Word of warning about guppies: they are livebearers, and they reproduce rapidly. If you're worried about overpopulation, you can get neon tetras. They look lovely, and they don't breed as quickly as guppies. 

Or you could get a betta. One male would do very well in a tank that size, or maybe two females (DON'T mix them, though! Male bettas are very aggressive to other fish, especially other male bettas and even to females). If you get a betta, then you should remove the air stone. The bettas won't like the strong current, and because they're labyrinth breathers (they breathe air from the surface of the water), they don't need the extra oxygen in the tank. 

For the light, if you don't want to buy a hood/light for the tank, then you can put it next to a lamp. Putting it next to a window for natural sunlight presents the problem of temperature changes. It can get much too hot in direct sunlight, so a lamp would be safer.


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## Daz. (Sep 14, 2011)

*Apologise for the sticker to the front of the tank its my son's. But this is the tank i have. An sorry for the sizze of the photo's but i dont no how to resize

















An the bubble i spoke of in my first post here is a picture. An i clean my tank with very hot water an nothink else.








*


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Ooooooooooh, lol ok! I posted in your welcome thread and said you can't keep anything in a 1.6L (.5gallon) tank, but glad to know it's 7 gallons!

Still quite small... you _may_ be able to keep some White Cloud Mountain Minnows....3-4 maybe. That's about it... anything else and you will run out of room.

One gold fish needs 20-30 gallons and an extra 10 gallons need to be added per gold fish after that. (Ex: 2 gold fish would need a 30-40 gallon tank.)

You're still going to have to get the tank through the Nitrogen Cycle before you can keep anything alive in it.


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## Russell (Jun 20, 2011)

No need to apologize for the stickers. I'd love to know where to get some myself. I could claim they're for my kids but they're almost 16 and 18.


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## Daz. (Sep 14, 2011)

Well i think im not going to go ahead with this tank. Am going to wait till end of the month an go for somethink a little bigger also the will give me a little more time to gather some info an learn a little more.


The fish i really had my eye on where some tiger barbs i no i would have need a heater for these an they like to live in groups. What do you think to these.?


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## MissPisces (Jun 8, 2011)

Good idea. The tank you have now would be good, but if you want more fish anyway it would save you time and money in the long run to wait and get a bigger tank.

I don't have any experience with tiger barbs, but I think they're pretty hearty.


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## Daz. (Sep 14, 2011)

Thanks for the advice.

If i where to buy a heater for this small tank How many guppies would you suggest i keep?


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## MissPisces (Jun 8, 2011)

That really depends on the filter you have. If it's a 5-gallon filter, then you could probably keep three or four. If it's a 10-gallon filter, then you could keep five or six. No matter how many you get, it's best to start with just two. Whether you do a fishless cycle or one with fish, adding fish slowly helps to build up the beneficial bacteria. Too many at one time can overload the tank with ammonia before the bacteria has time to grow and eat it all. 

Whatever you decide, good luck!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I wouldn't go any higher than 4 no matter what...and they would have to be all males. Keeping at 4 or below should keep them healthy. Anything more you risk it.


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## MissPisces (Jun 8, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> I wouldn't go any higher than 4 no matter what...and they would have to be all males. Keeping at 4 or below should keep them healthy. Anything more you risk it.


That sort of makes me concerned for my tank! Sorry to divert the conversation for a second, but do you mean that the filter doesn't really matter anyway? I have a 10 gallon tank with a 20-40 gallon filter, and I was told I could keep up to six or seven platies in it because I have a filter and live plants... Is that wrong? I only have two in there for now, but I want to know how many I can have total that would be safe for the fish...

Sorry for butting in with my own question like this, Daz!


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Tiger barbs are tough fish and are also semi-aggressive, so I wouldn't put them in a community tank with anything but zebra danios. They also get BIG (up to 4" long!), so be warned.


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## Daz. (Sep 14, 2011)

*No its fine Miss Pisces ask away .

An i dont no the make or anythink about the filter all i have is a few number from the side. And they are (sorry for this)


QD-1900/F
CA.-450L/H
220-240V~50Hz 3W​*


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

Guppies are active little fish, and I feel a little bad when they're in small tanks, but mine did fine in my tank and it's much smaller than yours. If you can get any, I'd suggest adding some live plants like java fern and anubias to make the guppies feel a bit more comfortable


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