Destined To Only Have Platy Fish!

I need help. I started a 15 gallon tank 3 months ago with 1 pleco, 1 Platy and 3 mollies. The mollies all died within a week. The platy and pleco were still going strong so we decided to try to add more fish. Added 2 more mollies about 2 weeks ago, both gone. Added 1 more platy, a guppy and another molly last Friday. 2 days later the platy seems ok but the guppy and mollies are gone. What am I doing wrong???

 

Welcome to fishlore!

What is the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
What type of pleco?
Did you cycle the tank before adding fish?

Mollies need 29 gallons minimum.

Some of the smallest plecos like BNs, clowns and rubberlips need 29 gallons minimum but commons and sailfins get to 2 feet and need 180 gallons+. Plecos create a huge amount of waste and unless you have extremely good filtration I would expect a pleco to be creating some ammonia in your tank.

 

Do you add them all at once?
Do you have a liquid test kit?
Do you have a heater?
Sorry to hear of your troubles.

 

By gone, did you mean the died or they disappeared?

How long did you aclimate for?

As stated before, I recommend getting a larger tank for your pleco and platy.

 

Ok. I took the water to petco to have it tested and they said it was fine. Didn't get the numbers. He suggested a bubbler. Of course my kid has to have the volcano so another $40 down the drain. It is an albino pleco. That's all I know. I'll take a few pics. Now with the bubbler I'm hoping it's not over crowded.

Here is what I know abou the fish in there right now.

Albino pleco and Mickey platy - both have been in there about three months
Another platy - seems to be healthy
Balloon molly and Dalmatian molly and guppy - all recently added and not looking good.

 

not saying this to be sarcastic or anything but return the volcano bubbler, and purchase a bigger aquarium 30g+.I'm sure on Craigslist you can easily find an 30 gallon for under the price of that bubbler, and all your issues will most likely be solved .

your tank is over stocked and half your fish need a larger aquarium.

 

Mollies are sometimes difficult to keep. Do you happen to have any aquarium salt? Sometimes that helps depending on where the mollies originally came from. I think sometimes certain fish just don't work for certain people or in specific tanks. It might have something to do with how they were originally bred or how you keep your specific tank. I've had customers tell me they have two different tanks in their house and in one tank the fish do awesome and in the other that same kind of fish always dies.

Also talk with the people you got the mollies from, maybe they just got a few bad batches and it has nothing to do with you.

 

mollies are large fish up to 4-5in and solid bodied. they have reduced fitness in a small tank like yours. you should not have many fish that have over 3in max size. I'm assuming your pleco is a bristlenose since u got it from Petco.

 

not saying this to be sarcastic or anything but return the volcano bubbler, and purchase a bigger aquarium 30g+.I'm sure on Craigslist you can easily find an 30 gallon for under the price of that bubbler, and all your issues will most likely be solved .

your tank is over stocked and half your fish need a larger aquarium.

Ok. Apparently I got in way over my head. We have already spent so much! Will all of the accessories we've bought (hood, light, penguin 150 filter) work on a 30 gallon tank or do you suggest we start over.

IMG_0769

• Jenny830
• May 8, 2017

 

The accessories will be fine (the light may be an issue cause if size)

What was your pleco sold as?

 

honestly check Craigslist , they ussualy sell them with light, hood and filter all included for extremely cheap prices. I've payed 50$ for a 55 gallon with hood, light, filter. you could probably find a 30 gallon for under the price of the bubbler you purchased, and then you could sell your current aquarium but keep the filter and add it to the new aquarium you'd purchase so you could have even better filtration.

 

Get a bigger aquarium, put the filter in it if it will fit, if not, get another filter and use the media in the old one, in a new filter. The light can be used as back up lighting (possibly). Keep the 15 gal for a qt tank, but take everything out of it....put it all in a 30+ gallon aquarium.

 

Chances are if it's an albino pleco it's probably a BN.

Whenever you next get your water tested it woud be really helpful to get the exact numbers.

If you could get a 30 gallon you could do this
1 BN pleco
3 Male mollies
3 Male platies
8-10 Zebra danios, neon tetras, skirt tetras or other small compatible schooling fish
2 Nerite snails
8-10 panda cories

Or you could rehome some of your current fish and restock your 15 with this
2 Platies
8-10 Ember tetras or CPD
6-8 KuhlI loaches
1 nerite snail
5-8 amano shrimp

 

So are there any fish that would work in this set up

 

We have become used to looking at tanks via incomplete test kits, and it is derailing this discussion. API "master" kits don't measure hardness. It is essential to know.
Mollies need quite hard water - not aquarium salt, but a high mineral content. Platys love high mineral water, but can adapt to softer water. Mollies can't.
I think we have a clue here.
Ancistrus don't need minerals, and they and adaptable platys survive. Mollies die. If the mollies are swimming with a wobbly motion, there is your answer.

If your destiny is platys, then it is a pretty cool destiny. Guppies should be fine too, but they are often sick from the store and it can be hard to get healthy ones sometimes.