What shall I do with this tank?

[Hellooooo2013]

My dd had 6 white cloud mountain minnows in a 60 litre tank in her room but she has lost interest in them and I am the only one that feeds them, checks on them, watches them. So I'm thinking I might make the tank more interesting, put something in I like as well. There's no heater in at the moment but I have one I can put in. How best do I increase the temperature, just at the speed the heater heats it or more gradually?

There are only 4 minnows left, what can I add to live with them? Could I add in maybe 6 small tetras of some sort or would that be too much?

This all depends on me finding somewhere to put the tank in the living room...

Minnows are temperate fish, they don't like it too warm. I wouldn't mix them with tetras. If you only have 4 minnows then I would either increase the shoal size to more than 6 or rehome them and get something else.

60 litres is a brilliant size for small tetras or other small tropical fish, you could have a shoal of something brightly coloured (I've got cherry barbs in mine, pink-obsessed DD1's choice ). I would stick to just one shoal of fish though, it's not really big enough for 2 shoals. At a push you could have a pair of small gouramis (sparkling gouramis maybe) with a small shoal of small fish but you'd have to keep a close eye on the water.

If you've got hard water then shell-dwelling cichlids might be a better option, they are really cute and interesting little fish.

Depends on water conditions really.

Thanks, that makes sense.

I don't know much about cichlids - never heard of shell dwelling ones, so I'll look into those.

Tbh I don't really want to rehome the minnows (hate catching them and bagging them, plus they are a few years old now, don't know anyone who would want them). May just have to hang on until they die.

You could get a weather/dojo loach. It would need a bigger home in couple of years. But if you think there's a chance you'd buy a bigger tank later on they are really fun to watch.

I think 60 litres wouldnt last a weather loach long, sadly. They like being in groups and enjoy winding.eachother up, its a shame to keep them alone.
I had three of them in a 300litre tank and they were HUGE. After a year the biggest was about 8 inches and im.certain will be massive now. (had to get rid of the tank due to move.)
I have a 185 litre tank now and wouldnt.put a weather loach in there.