I hv a 4 gallloon tank with 14 guppies(7m,7f), 3redplaty,4blackmolly.

I think I am way over the limit...the tank has got a filter and airpump...i change water every week...i feed them hikari fancy guppy,micro pellets,microwafers and flakes...

D female guppy was so pregnant the stomach look so full...when i came back after dinner 2hours later, it just died...can this be coz of stress? i have got stones in the tank...(stones only cover 1/4 of the tank,the rest got no stones) for the fry to hide...but the female guppy jz died suddenly..ouch...

and some males just suffer from the tail rotting...then cant swim and died...quite a lot died during that period...

what shall i do? and how many fish can i keep in that tank?

hi

i was wondering...how did you come up with so many fish??

In my case....I had in begining two goldfish and a comet and my son got a red platy on a b-day party, that turned out to be very pregnant...and end up with 10 red platies and the goldfish....that is when I got interested in getting a bigger new tank. Now fish is my hobby...
Going back to your tank...I believe that your filter will tell you how many fish you can have in the tank...it is good that you make water changes every week for all those fish...but still its is too many!
How many fish do you have right now...you were saying that some have died...I'm sorry about that...

Depending on how many fish is left you may want to split half the fish to another tank...unless there's not toomany
you can tell also when they are swimming and "socializing" if there's not enough room for everyone.

I wolud like to know how are you doing right now...hope this helped
Good luck!

How long has your tank been set up?
Do you have any plants in the tank?

It may be that your tank is still new and the filter has not had a chance to cycle. This would mean that the nitrite and ammonia levels are too high.
Also, if you have no plants in the tank the fish are stressed from the tank of privacy. Add some undemanding plants like cabomba or elodea. This will help.

hi peces,

i ended up with so many fish coz they are so cheap compared to my goldfish, so i bought alot...they all look nice...and i was hoping they will produce more if there is more fish inside...

now there are 18 fish...3 guppies died yesterday night...=(

i couldnt split them cz i dont have enuf space to put one more tank..perhaps il just release the molly and platy free...n just keep the guppies only...

yeah now i noe its too many fish in such a small tank...and they are producing lots of droppings...

yes it helped thank you...im trying to do water change more regularly...

hi gus,

the tank set up almost a month now and i dont have any plants...il try get those that u mention at the lfs...dont know if they have it o not...

If your tank is only a month old - then I presume that your filter is also only a month old. The problem may be too high ammonia and nitrites and your filter is too new (and lacks bacteria) to biologically convert the wastes (ammonia and nitrites) to nitrates. Also, there are no plants to make use of the nitrates that are produced so the nitrates are also becoming a problem for the fish. Get some instant filter bacteria - the most reliable one I have found is Cycle by Hagen. It will kick-start your filter. In the meantime, increasing the frequency of water changes is a good thing to be doing. Cut back on the feeding too - once a day should be enough. The fish should finish what you feed them in 2 mins. Anything else still there after 2 mins is really excess food and that will foul up your water.

Elodea and Cabomba are the two most common and easy to maintain plants to find in the LFS. If one LFS doesn't have it, try another. It is unusual NOT to be able to find either.

I don't think you have too many fish - I think it's just that the filter is new and there are no plants. Your tank has not had a chance to stabilise.

I think you're overstocking. Way too many fish for that small a tank. It holds a total of 15 liters, for 21 fish... that's not quite ideal. I don't think having a cycled filter will do much, it's just too much load on a tank. While you may be able to keep them alive, they cannot expect to thrive. I guess it depends on the shape of your tank as well, more surface area equals to more fish you can keep in there. Still, it's a matter of having healthy happy fish or surviving, cramped fish that will not fulfil their potential in terms of growth or anything.

__________________
Learn how to cycle and you'll never forget how.

I wouldnt keep more than 3 guppies in a 4 gallon tank.
You have two options, either buy a bigger tank that will hold all these fish, preferably two tanks so you can seperate the sexes so they stop breeding and producing MORE fish! You will need at least 30 gallons.
OR you can take most of the fish back to the shop or find another home for them, where they wont be overcrowded. And keep just a few male/female guppies.

If you dont do any of that you will end up with a tank of dead fish, it doesnt matter how many water changes you do or what size filter you have. That many fish (and all the babies that are coming) is just far too much for your tank/filter to cope with.

In the future, dont buy fish because its 'cheap'.. I hope you've learnt from this.

I was wondering if 20 fish in a 4.5 gallon tank was too many.
i have 3 female guppies (approx 4 cm)
3 male guppies (approx 4 cm)
3 red platties (approx 3 cm)
1 speckly platty (approx 3 cm)
5 zebra danios ( approx 2 cm)
5 bristlenose catfish (approx 4 cm)
i do water changes twice a week and clean the filter once a week(it needs it this often). i also top up the water a little every one to two days.
i have only had one fish die (female guppy) and this was when i hadn't changed the water or cleaned the filter for 2.5 weeks

There are general rules of thumb, but 1 usually don't go by those. In theory, what is preventing you from putting 100 fishes in a 4.5 gal tank ... only 2 things ... 1. poor water condition. 2. territory & compatability.

1. Poor Water Condition ...
After so much water changes, you still MUST clean your filter once a week. Clearly, your water is not "clean" enough.
TWO options ... change water EVEN MORE OFTEN (note: max of 50% every change ... only 20% is better) or upgrade your filter system. If you don't, I suspect that more fish will die later. Some breeders do not even have a filter system, but change 50% water every day!!!

NOTE: If you have regular light, observe your algea growth ... brown slimy ones = insufficient filter ... green tough ones = OK.

2. Territory & Compatability ...
I don't think you have a territory issue. This is very common with cichlids, saltwater fishes, or some fishes in breeding season.
However, you might have a compatability issue. I worry about your zebra danios with guppies. Zebras swim fast, and guppies have long tail. Guppy tails are an instant magnet for others to nip at their fins. If you notice broken guppy tails, than observe who is the gulty party, and isolate either side.

NOTE: Spend more time with your fish ... if they are chasing away and fighting each other, than you either have a territory issue or a compatability issue.

Soooo ... just observe your tank. They are trying to tell you something, but are we listening ...

hope this helps.

i havn't had any problems with fins. the only guppy with a hole in it's fin has had it since it was a baby...
i havn't noticed any problems with zebra danios but i will be moving the fish into a bigger tank soon anyway

Thanks for the advice