Beginner needs advice starting aquarium

[Seansrt999]

Hello,
I have a 15 gallon column tank and would like to have the following fishes::

-3 guppies
- 3 neon tetras
-2 ghost shrimp
- 1 Cory catfish
(All males)

will this be fine? Will they get along?

 

[dmpfishlover]

to the Forum!!

We need a little more information to go on, in order to provide any recommendations:

What is the hardness (GH), and pH of your Tap water?
What are the dimensions of your tank? You say it is a column tank? What is the diameter and height of the tank?

Unfortunately, the shape of your tank may limit what you can keep in it. A column shaped tank is not an ideal shape for most fish as it doesn't provide enough room for back and forth swimming.

Also, your list includes both soft (Neons and Cories) and hardwater fish (guppies) that might not do well together. Ultimately it is the GH and pH of your Tap water that will determine what types of fish you can keep.

I suspect, that based on the shape of your tank, that it may only be suited for keeping shrimp, or very small/Nano fish? Or a single Betta.

I would definitely not recommend Cories, as they are a shoaling fish that does best when kept in large groups, and they are bottom dwellers. In a 15 gal column shaped tank there likely would just not be enough of a footprint (floor space) for a group of Cories.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

@dmpfishlover made an excellent post.

A 15g column tank is sadly, useless for the fish you have, I suggest getting a bigger tank. (29g+)

There are also a lot more problems, GH and Ph differences, temperature differences, etc.

I suspect, that based on the shape of your tank, that it may only be suited for keeping shrimp, or very small/Nano fish? Or a single Betta.

I personally wouldn’t keep a betta in that type of tank. There is frankest not enough swimming room. You could maybe get away with 5-6 cherry shrimp, if you have it properly heated and filtered.

But other than that, the only other thing I see for this tank is a snail only tank.

 

[dmpfishlover]

@dmpfishlover made an excellent post.

A 15g column tank is sadly, useless for the fish you have, I suggest getting a bigger tank. (29g+)

There are also a lot more problems, GH and Ph differences, temperature differences, etc.



I personally wouldn’t keep a betta in that type of tank. There is frankest not enough swimming room. You could maybe get away with 5-6 cherry shrimp, if you have it properly heated and filtered.

But other than that, the only other thing I see for this tank is a snail only tank.

Im not sure that we should rule a Betta out just yet, as we don't know the actual dimensions of the tank yet. Some column tanks can be more "squat" and have a larger diameter and not be as tall as others... But, if it is a narrow and tall tank, you might be right.

 

[Seansrt999]

to the Forum!!

We need a little more information to go on, in order to provide any recommendations:

What is the hardness (GH), and pH of your Tap water?
What are the dimensions of your tank? You say it is a column tank? What is the diameter and height of the tank?

Unfortunately, the shape of your tank may limit what you can keep in it. A column shaped tank is not an ideal shape for most fish as it doesn't provide enough room for back and forth swimming.

Also, your list includes both soft (Neons and Cories) and hardwater fish (guppies) that might not do well together. Ultimately it is the GH and pH of your Tap water that will determine what types of fish you can keep.

I suspect, that based on the shape of your tank, that it may only be suited for keeping shrimp, or very small/Nano fish? Or a single Betta.

I would definitely not recommend Cories, as they are a shoaling fish that does best when kept in large groups, and they are bottom dwellers. In a 15 gal column shaped tank there likely would just not be enough of a footprint (floor space) for a group of Cories.

Hi,
I haven’t checked the water parameters, what do I need to purchase to check this? I was just going to use API quick start and introduce the fishes.

 

[dmpfishlover]

I would contact your municipality, water provider. They may even have a website where you can obtain that information.

What are the dimensions of your tank?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yes, we really need the dimensions of the tank.

 

[Seansrt999]

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The 15 Column LED Kit features a tall, vertical view so you can enjoy the tranquility of an aquarium in a smaller space.

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[dmpfishlover]

Okay, so the dimensions are 13¾ x 133/4 x 25... That is a tall Cube more than it is a column (although that is what it is called). I think this would be okay for a Betta.

Edit.... The only concern I would have for a Betta is the height of the tank. Because they are labyrinth fish and go up to the surface to breath air the tank might be too tall for a Betta. So although the footprint of the tank might be okay, the tank might be a bit tall for a Betta.

 

[dmpfishlover]

I would suggest you find out what the GH and pH of your Tap water is.. and then look at what your options are. The size of your tank might be okay for some Nano Species of fish, such as Ember Tetras... But you really need to know what your GH is before you can decide on any species.

 

[Seansrt999]

Ok I will get my water tested at Petsmart, by the way would 4-5 neon tetras be ok? The lady at the store said neon tetras are not kept according to the sex and that they will just scoop up the number that you want, does that sound right? I mean I don’t want the tetras mating in my tank.

 

[Essjay]

Neon tetras need more swimming length that 13 inches I'm afraid.

If you have soft water, a group of at least 10 of one of the species in the Boraras genus, such as chili rasboras, would be OK. But these fish do need soft water.

 

[dmpfishlover]

Ok I will get my water tested at Petsmart, by the way would 4-5 neon tetras be ok? The lady at the store said neon tetras are not kept according to the sex and that they will just scoop up the number that you want, does that sound right? I mean I don’t want the tetras mating in my tank.

I wouldn't recommend Neon Tetras for your tank due to it's dimensions, unfortunately. They should be in a tank that is at least 23 inches long, as they need room to swim back and forth. Unfortunately the shape/dimensions of your tank are going to limit your choices quite a bit. If your pH and GH will allow, you might be able to select some Nano species, such as Ember Tetras or Microrasboras. But again, I wouldn't select any fish until you know the pH and GH of your Tap water.

 

[Back in the fold]

I used to have one of those column tanks. I liked it. I had a pair of gold veil tail Angelfish in it that spawned like clockwork every three months. Keep the water turning over. I think they're too deep in relation to surface area but I never had problems. I used an Aquaclear 150 along with an air stone . I think what you want sounds reasonable.

 

[Byron]

Ok I will get my water tested at Petsmart, by the way would 4-5 neon tetras be ok? The lady at the store said neon tetras are not kept according to the sex and that they will just scoop up the number that you want, does that sound right? I mean I don’t want the tetras mating in my tank.

If you get water tests at the store, make sure you write down the number and their unit of measure for GH. It has to be a number or we will have no idea. And write down the pH number too, again don't accept terms like "acidic," or "OK." It would probably be easier to check your water authority website as someone suggested.