Any Advice For A 16 Litre Tank

[poohpouri]

Hi I have not kept tropical for over 20 years but have a 5ft marine/reef tank so do know about cycling,water parameters etc.
I have brought a second hand tank (a small one ) as she is fascinated by my marine tank she is 8 yrs old.I have told her if she is serious about learning to keep fish she must start with tropical first until am sure she does not lose intrest(don't worry I will be doing water changes testing water etc until she learns)
What I needed to know was what sort and how many fish we could keep in the tank,I would like plants as well so need some names for some that dont mind flow and are pretty hardy.Any Advice will be good
Thanks Amo
(UK)

 

[Larissa]

In a tank of that size a male betta would probably be your best option. You could also have an apple snail and maybe a couple otos, but that's just about it really. However, bettas can't tolerate high flow levels so you might need to slow the flow from your filter down and make sure the tank has a lid - bettas are jumpers. Plant wise, some sort of floating plant would be good, as well as some low-light plants such as Anubias nana - you anchor them to rocks or wood so they are easy to rearange if you want to, and they are pretty much impossible to kill. Some moss balls might be nice too to help keep algae down. Hope this helps.
-Larissa

 

[poohpouri]

In a tank of that size a male betta would probably be your best option. You could also have an apple snail and maybe a couple otos, but that's just about it really. However, bettas can't tolerate high flow levels so you might need to slow the flow from your filter down and make sure the tank has a lid - bettas are jumpers. Plant wise, some sort of floating plant would be good, as well as some low-light plants such as Anubias nana - you anchor them to rocks or wood so they are easy to rearange if you want to, and they are pretty much impossible to kill. Some moss balls might be nice too to help keep algae down. Hope this helps.
-Larissa

Thanks can you tell me what atos is? or a link to a pic

In a tank of that size a male betta would probably be your best option. You could also have an apple snail and maybe a couple otos, but that's just about it really. However, bettas can't tolerate high flow levels so you might need to slow the flow from your filter down and make sure the tank has a lid - bettas are jumpers. Plant wise, some sort of floating plant would be good, as well as some low-light plants such as Anubias nana - you anchor them to rocks or wood so they are easy to rearange if you want to, and they are pretty much impossible to kill. Some moss balls might be nice too to help keep algae down. Hope this helps.
-Larissa

Thanks can you tell me what atos is? or a link to a pic pls

 

[Larissa]

An oto is a small suckermouth catfish. Here's a link with some more info: http/www.fishforums.net/content/Catfish/35094/Oto/
They are good algae eaters and should keep your daughter's tank nice and clean. You do have to suppliment their feeding though with vegies like blanched cucmber, zuchinni, lettuce, and algae wafers - basically everything you would feed an apple snail.

 

[OldMan47]

An oto is an otocinclus. As already stated, they are small fish that are oracious algae eaters. I got 2 that cleaned up a badly overgrown 10 gallon in less than a week. They can be supplement fed algae wafers if you don't have an algae problem or as soon as they clean it up for you.