Beginner Advice

[Matt_]

Hello,
I'm thinking about buying a tank and some fish. I dont want a massive tank, and I'm looking into fish such as, zebra danios, giraffe danios, lemon tetras, maybe a siamese flying fox? I'm not really sure how to go about how many fish for the tank and stuff? Only want small fish like I've said..any advice would be helpful.
Thanks

 

[rabbut]

Hello,
I'm thinking about buying a tank and some fish. I dont want a massive tank, and I'm looking into fish such as, zebra danios, giraffe danios, lemon tetras, maybe a siamese flying fox? I'm not really sure how to go about how many fish for the tank and stuff? Only want small fish like I've said..any advice would be helpful.
Thanks

Danios want a tank that is at least 75cm long, so plan for that if you are planning on these fish Flying fox can limit future stocking options, as they require protien when older. If this is not supplied in their diet, they may become preditory towards slow moving or large fish, so keep an eye out for this. Lemon tetra are mildly nippy so cannot be kept with anything with long finnage.

As a gideline for this type of fish, you need a maximum of 1 inch of fsh per gallon of water for the first 6 months, then 2 inches per gallon after this. These are only guidelines though, and can be bent to achive better results.

Buy the biggest tank you have room and funds for. Every fishkeeper I know has wanted a bigger tank within 6 months of buying anything smaller than they can get, so save yourself upgrade expences now, by getting a decent size tank. 2-3 foot tanks are a good starting point. Large enough to be stable, but small enough to make maintanance easy The bigger the tank, the more fish you can have

HTH
Rabbut

P.S. don't forget to fishless cycle, rather than doing the fish-in cycle the shop will recomend. Fish-in cycles are bad for the long-tearm health of your fish, and in worst case scenarios will lead to deaths. [topic="113861"]fishless cycling link[/topic] Mature media will speed things along when you get your tank [topic="150631"]mature media suppliers[/topic]

 

[Matt_]

Thanks for that! I'm guessing this tank is too small to house Danios? http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...e090915e748d723

 

[rabbut]

I'm going to contradict myself, just for added confusion sorry

That tank IMO would be fine, despite being 15cm smaller that I recomended above I have kept them in tanks with the same dimentions, and seen no long-tearm ill effects, with the group living well past the predicted 3 year life span

60l would be about what I consider minimum for a starter tank, and Tetra do good gear, so all in all, good choice

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Matt_]

Thanks for that. Any other suggestions for fish? I want some colourful active fish, maybe a shrimp too?

 

[rabbut]

Mebe a lone dwarf gourami, or a couple of honey gourami, or red honey gourami (sometimes also called red robins) would liven things up a bit. In a 60l, you have approx 12 gals, so 12inches of stocking for the first 6 months, 24inches after.

To start I'd go for;

6 zebra danios (2 inches each)

then after 6 months,

6 zebra danions (already in there)
2-3 of gourami(all above get to 4 inches each)

With two gourami you will be slightly understocked, with three slightly over. IMO, it is better to be understocked, but gourami will do best with 1 male and 2 females in a tank, so from the fishes point of view, the latter is better. The latter will require larger waterchanges, or changes more often, say 2 20% a week, or 30% at the end of the week, instead of 20% at the end of the week with the first option

HTH
Rabbut

EDIT: to add;

Shrimp are fine. A group of 6 would do great. Don't count them in you stocking rules though, as they don't add to the bio-load in the tank (don't use additional resorces basicaly)

 

[Matt_]

Sorry about all the questions, but is it possible to mix types of Danio? As I do like the zebras, but my LFS has some amazing giraffe danios.

 

[rabbut]

Would be possible, but would push stocking a bit in that tank...how about;

6 zebra danio's
6 girafee danios
1 of the gourami

This leaves you a little overstocked, but nothing waterchanges can't deal with

HTH
Rabbut

 

[Matt_]

What else is compatible with Danios? Something of a large tetra kinda shape/size?

 

[JodeeGust]

Well, I know you probably want more than one fish, but I suggest investing in a Betta. They're very interactive once they get comfortable in their new surroundings. They're fairly easy to care for and they can live in a small tank. I currently have one (male), and he's beautiful! I have him housed in a 2 US Gallon tank with a lighted hood and he is very happy in there! The only bad thing is, if you get a Betta, you can't get any more fish. They're very individual creatures. If you try to put another fish in the same tank as a Betta, it'll attack the intruder and most likely kill it. Despite the disadvantages, keeping a Betta can be very rewarding. My Betta likes to look at people. It's so cute! If you walk up to the tank, he'll swim up and just look at you. If you touch the tank, he'll come up and "nibble" on your finger. Not to mention, the males are pretty.

But, if you want a larger amount of fish, Bettas aren'tt he way yo go. However, don't completely rule them out! They're great pets.

 

[Matt_]

Not to keen on the Bettas, they're very pretty, but I'd want more than one fish.

 

[rabbut]

Yes, there are larger Tetras, but most have realy bad attitudes. Corries are another option, but require a mature tank (cycled isn't good enough for them ). The difficulty with 60l tanks is centre piece fish, as most colourful fish will grow too large for that tank You may get away with a pair of dwarf cichlids, say some apistogramma if your water is soft, or some keyhole cichlids if the water's hard. Other than that I don't realy know what to surgest.

It may be an idea to go to your LFS, and look at the fish they have on offer again. Look for something that catches your attention, and jot it's name down. Once you have a list, come back here and ask about them. You may find a fish small enough for your tank that I have forgotten about.

Bettas are a possibilty, but they are hard to mix. Tetras will usualy nipp them, danios will stress them with their quick movement and most fish that aren't live barers will outgrow a tank of your size if they are compatible.

Guppies, Plattys and Swordtails may be worth looking into. Don't bother with mollies as they need Salt to do well long-tearm IME. With live barers though, you will be over-run with babies, so look to see if your LFS will take some off your hands at a later date, or ask for all males. Females may be pregnant upon purchase, and can have numerous lots of fry from one mating, thus the possibility to still be over-run with fry is still there.

All the best
Rabbut

Edit: for spelling

 

[JodeeGust]

I completely forgot about guppies! They're awesome! They only require 1 US Gallon of water per guppy and they prefer to live in groups. If you want multiple fish, these guys are for you!

 

[Matt_]

After doing a bit of research I've decided on
A few Cardinal Tetra's
A few Harlequin Rasbora's
and a Flying Fox or shark of some sort?

These good choices? Will the Flying Fox be aggressive towards the tetra's and rasbora's?

 

[muckluck]

Hello,
I'm thinking about buying a tank and some fish. I dont want a massive tank, and I'm looking into fish such as, zebra danios, giraffe danios, lemon tetras, maybe a siamese flying fox? I'm not really sure how to go about how many fish for the tank and stuff? Only want small fish like I've said..any advice would be helpful.
Thanks

apparently tiny fish like tetras are very hard to keep - they need a particular water balance of acidity etc, i'd advise only to get them when you've got the tank up and running for a while and know what you're doing. Having danios as a starter is a good idea - they are good for starting the nitrogen cycle and aren't thay fussy when it comes to water. Thats what i started off with anyway.