Piss taking aside.
I miss my tank and we only have a three foot left that I keep looking at wanting to start up again. We used to have (in one room) two four foot tanks, a three foot, a 19 litre (goldfish) and a 12 litre for a Betta. We had everything from mollies, guppy's, a dragonfly? crab, angel, gourami, clown loaches, plecs, sharks and others I've long since forget.
We also had a couple of Oscar's with an armoured catfish etc.
We also paired many of them for entertainment, and also at our eldest's age with the guppy's especially it was a great introduction to sex ed lol
Some of the mixes it produced I've never seen before.
It's not difficult to keep them but you have to put the work in on maintenance. And it's a weekly job whether you like it or not.
I know you have, but do not pair them for breeding, if you aren't prepared to put the work in and especially not if you're squemish about the fact they eat each other.
Some good advice already, especially about taking time when stocking and what to look for at shops.
Never add more than three at a max at one time and always when adding, I found melafix was a great help when introducing, not a full course, just a single to help the tank adjust to the new inhabitants and of course whatever they might come with and introduce to the tank.
When buying new fish, if ONE fish in the tanks looks dodgy walk out. Shops operate a central filter system (sump system) ie the tanks don't have an independent water system (filter) so if there is a disease in one, it's in them all mate. Only ever buy from shops where every tank they have has healthy, lively fish without marks and blemishes other than those that can be explained by a little bit of fighting.
A healthy fish in a tank with one corpse or swimbladder (floating sideways or upside down) etc could be carrying, and I've lost an entire tank the hardway learning that despite melafixing. It was a 4ft so I'm talking 20 fish.
Being over cautious is always the best policy.
Never feed more than once a day, it's basically accepted a flake per fish. If bloodworm and krill, two blocks max but spread round the tank entirely depending on numbers ie 6 minimum who would eat that.
As above, test levels weekly, and regardless do a 10% water change as a matter of routine. You only do more when levels are high.
When water changing, if you have a spare air pump, fill a ten litre bucket and airate it for at least 12 hours. If no extra pump let it stand for a minumum of 24 hours and when making a coffee or passing, stir the bugger to help the process along.
NEVER put water from the tap straight into a tank. Again I learnt the hard way, water companies only guarantee safe drinking water, not fishtank water and they fucked up the levels one day and me and three other people with trop tanks in my street lost the lot over that week - we'd got complacent on 10% changes and didn't test as we should, so for different reasons we made the tanks more toxic than they would've been had we not bothered.
Personal choice, but also when adding new fish, don't pour in the water they come in, net them out after letting them adjust to the temperature in the bag for at least an hour, if not two - but you brace the bag and open it for oxygen obviously.
LOL PMSL LMFAO again I learnt the hardway NEVER put a betta with a guppy, because you will be quickly without a guppy lol
I managed to save the poor bugger thankfully, but he was minus most of his tail for the rest of his life.
There are fish a betta can be with, but then you are down to individual attitude lol but they are better (no pun) alone with a mirror.
I had our betta with a red tailed black shark and figure of 8 puffer/spotted puffer? at one point, and after 2 hours both the shark and the puffer didn't bug it again, and it was daftly then one of the best and quietest tanks I ever had despite the mix. I'm not sure knowing what I know now I'd take that risk again.
It became the only tank the red tailed was bloody quiet in, as he didn't like the dragonfly despite it beating the shit out of him every 12 hours lol
It must be said though, there is some perverse pleasure in seeing a tiny fish chip away at one four times it's size for five minutes and then the larger fish going depth charge on it's ass once and then the tank is quiet lol
Anyway back to the point, never put a betta with a fish with colour or a flowery tail...they think it's a fellow male and unless they happen to be another betta, that won't end well for the non betta mate.
Stupid hat back on....what do you mean power PMSL
Get yourself some live plants in their as well, it helps with the oxygenation of the tank and plugs the dead gaps especially if you only have Nemo farting dude. You want every area of the top of the water moving to ensure it carries the oxygen you need.
Am I right in guessing 65 litre is 3 foot by 1 1/2 high?
Going off the photo with your filter, can you shift that up so the outlet disturbs the surface water mate just to help?
And with a gravel subsoil they recommend a quick vacuum every month. I didn't bother, get a couple of suckers who feed on algea and they'll handle that. Loaches aren't perfect but they do their bit and they are fucking lovely to watch darting around because they're always in a rush and if you get the joy of hearing them click it's almost magical, especially when they are flying vertically up the glass because I always thought it meant 'were the fuck are we going'.
Oh talking about subsoil, always make sure the gravel is bigger than the mouths of your fish as well. For obvious reasons lol If it barely fits in their mouths, it ain't coming out their arse.
Yeah right, brains gone. Think that's everything I can scare you with at the moment lol
