When can I buy some fish??

[Popadoodledoo]

Just a quick question, Can't seem to find any advice anywhere.

So I have a small 12L tank with a filter. It's for cold water fish. It's only small it's for the kids.

I'm wondering how long I have to wait before I can buy some fish?

I've had it set up 2 days with the filter running. It all seems and looks ok.

Would i be ok to buy a few small cold water fish today? And put them in?

If so how do i?

Thanks x

Minimum of 3 days after the tapsafe is added but ideally longer to let the water mature, add the fish one at a time.

In a small 12l tank the maximum amount of fish you can keep is 2 platys and a few Armano shrimp, they grow to around 5/6cm each. If you keep too many fish (or a fish that's too big like a goldfish) it will send your water levels all over the place which will involve more cleaning for you and also dramatically shorten the fishy's life span!

I hope that helps!

To be honest I wouldn't keep any fish in a 12 litre tank. These very very tiny tanks are commonly marketed for kids or beginners, but they are quite the opposite! The smaller the volume of water, the less stable it is to maintain. It might work as a shrimp tank, but they can be quite sensitive to water chemistry. I have a 30 litre shrimp tank and consider it small!

Platys do best in groups of 6 or more in at least a 2ft long tank - they're quite active. If you get females they multiply FAST so better in an all male group - that means you have to go to a shop that can actually be bothered to sex them (which is really really easy so there's no excuses on the shop's part!). Danios also get sold for small tanks, but again they are really active and can bully each other in a smaller tank.

It also takes 4-6 weeks, not a few days, before a filter has fully matured enough to truly support fish. Look up fishless cycling and new tank syndrome. The most toxic properties in a fish tank are completely invisible - nitrite and ammonia - and only build up once there's something biological in the tank, including fish.

Also a tank in a house without a heater isn't cold water - it's just room temperature. In the summer that can heat up to tropical temperatures! A true coldwater tank has a chiller on it which is way more expensive to maintain than a heated tank. Fish are very sensitive to fluctuating temperatures in an unheated tank.

Completely agree with bunnygeek tbh. Fish aren't easy to keep at all, I've kept a lot of different species (small furries, cats, reptiles ect) and fish are definitely the hardest!

Please don't it a goldfish in it :(

12l is tiny. I have a 40l tank and I worry it's too small as maintaining good water quality can be a real issue with smaller ones.

Is it filtered? If it is you could probably get 2/3 white cloud mountain minnows in there.

You can get filter aid which introduces good bacteria to help get your tank cycled before you add fish. Ideally leave it at least a week.

Thanks for everyone's advice.

Yes it is for the kids so wouldn't be getting anything fancy. My husband and I would of liked a goldfish (the ones with the big eyes) but they would need bigger tanks.

We have bought 2 platys. Only.

They're both male so no chance them multiplying. That's why we bought both male.

Will 2 platys only be ok in this tank? We're not going to buy anything else and stick to very small and the minimum as possible Because I'll end up cleaning them out

Sorry, to answer some questions,

Yes it does have a filter in it. We put it running when we first bought the tank.

We added tapsafe when we very first set it up.

We bought everything from pets at home, They told us today when we bought the fish we could take 2 platys today, and let them settle for a week. Then after a week we can come back and get another 4 platys, and 4 other fish (can't remember name but they were smallish, some were black and white stripe and some plane white) and some snails and shrimps..

I'm taking this advice is wrong then for a 12L tank??

Pets at Home are notorious for giving out bunk info on fishkeeping. Most fishkeepers refuse to shop there. They have serious issues with quarantining their stock and diseases too.

I would personally not keep Platys in less than 60 litres. A 12 litre is really just a puddle and you're going to have to work a LOT harder to keep it healthy than you would a larger tank. There's a science to keeping fish properly, the small tanks are best for experts who understand the management of the water chemistry better.

All I'd keep in a 12 litre is snails or small shrimp, not even Amanos. Or moss balls. Or a daphnia tank (live food for fish).

To keep an eye on chemistry as only now will your tank have started to cycle, you'll need a water test kit. DON'T rely on a shop to test for you, I've seen them completely misread kits or use out of date kits, or just lie for a quicker sale. www.amazon.co.uk/Freshwater-Master-laminated-color-holding/dp/B00E8B10D8/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_199_tr_t_2?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforum-21&refRID=5DAKA83EM1ATBB6QGQJX

Yes pets at home lie unfortunately, they can't give such bad advice accidentally. Is there a Maidenhead aquatics near you? They tend to be good for proper advice

Agreed regarding P@H for terrible terrible advice. I complained to customer services and she openly said that they knew that goldfish need huge tanks but they would never be able to sell tanks at all if people realised this initially so advise the smaller tanks under the assumption you’re going to upsize further down the line (even if you specifically say you will not be buying a larger tank).

Maidenhead aquatics have been nothing but fantastic for us. Please pop there and see what they suggest