Cycling Done... Now The Fun Part, Fish!

[Bones1987]

Okay, so the looonnngggg wait is over, and cycling is finally done! Now... Fish... So, I've been looking at different fish and made myself a little list. The list was actually a LOT longer than what it is now, but I went and researched a bit on the web and crossed quite a few fish out. Now, this is what I have left and I was hoping some of you could help me with what types would go well with each other and work in my tank. Also, how many of each type.

Well, I have a 28 US Gal bowfront tank. It's about 24" long, 12" wide, and 18" tall. the fish I have listed are Dwarf Gouramis, Buenos Aires Tetra, Bloodfin, Spotted Rasbora, Harlequin, Cherry/Checker Barb, Guppies, Platties, Black Molly, Rainbow Shark.

Also, feel free give other ideas if they're not even on the list. I would like to have a "shark" in the tank and from what I've read, the rainbow would be the best out of the other kinds. I originally wanted a "shark tank" and even asked the guy at the lfs if I could do it in the tank size that I have, and he said I sure could. He also said I could fit around 8 bala sharks in my tank! Now I know that that is a pretty ridicuous claim! But, if the shark wont work, I could take it out of the picture.

Sorry, I'm sure you guys see these type of posts all the time and get tired of em! I just want to make sure that my fish wont have to battle to live in the same tank and all! Thanks a lot!

 

[tled6448]

It is not a good Idea to put sharks all together shark will fight for territories when older and bala sharks get about 12 inches. I would get the Dwarf Gouramis, Buenos Aires, Bloodfin, Spotted Rasbora, Harlequin, Cherry/Checkered Barb, Guppies, Platties, Black Molly and maybe a Rainbow Shark. I have a Dwarf Gourami and it is skittish. I have Buenos Aires and they are good community fish. I have 4 Bloodfins and they hide sometimes and they are skittish. I have a bunch of Guppies just get male guppies they are much prettier then female guppies. Platties are good and they don't get too big. I have 1 mickey mouse platy. I have had Mollies and I think they would be good for community. I think Rainbow Sharks are pretty and are peaceful , but somewhat territorial. I have one in my 55 gallon with fish of similar size and he doesn't mess with any one. He swims with my Clown Loach, Tinfoil Barbs, and Goldfish. My Buenos Aires and Giant Danios swim together also. My Dwarf Gourami will sometimes swim with the the Tinfoil Barbs. Don't buy a Clown Loach, Tinfoil Barb, Goldfish they get 12 inches or larger. Your aquarium is too small for them. I saw a School of Tinfoil Barbs that were about 10 inches with a huge Arowana. I like Columbian Sharks and Pictus Catfish but they get very large. They get to big for your tank. I saw a 14 inch Columbian Shark. If you have a walmart near you don't buy their fish. Their fish are sick or dieing. Don't buy Plecostomuses, Pacus, or any type of Cichlids they all get large and aggressive when large. I have a 9 year old Plecostomus that is 18 inches long and is highly aggressive. I also have a pacu that is 12 inches that will get 3 feet long and maybe larger. I have New World Cichlids and they won't all live together because all they ever do is fight , so they all live seperately. Don't ever ask walmart staff any questions about fish because they have no clue what they are talking about. I also went to one of my local fish stores and I told them what I wanted and they asked me what fish was which! I showed them the fish to catch! They didn't even know the prices! I hope this was a little bit of help.

 

[rob newland]

Wow that was hard to read.
Erm well in a 24 x 12 x 15 you are fairly limited in what you can have - in that you can only stick to smaller fish.
A planted community tank with a nice shoal of tetras and a few guppies or platties would be nice .
I would stay away from mollies because they aren't as hardy in fresh water - they need marine (not tonic) salt added to their tanks for them to thrive - otherwise they are prone to diseases and infections.
Good luck and be sure to let us know what you choose .
Rob

 

[dwarfgourami]

Out of your list, I would cross off the shark, simply because they are very active and 24 inches isn't really much swimming space for him. They grow bigger than people realise, I just saw an adult one in a shop and it wasn't small.

I would also cross off the mollies- unless you are prepared to base the set-up around them, hard alkaline water with maybe a bit of salt added (which would exclude the tetras and rasboras).

I would also cross off dwarf gourami, because they often carry disease. If you can get hold of a thick-lipped gourami, or honey gouramis that might be an answer. Or just leave gouramis out for now.

Guppies are lovely fish, but you need shopping around, as there are a lot of sickly specimens around. One sickly fish can infect your whole tank. So only buy if you can find a shop that sells big-bodied actively moving gups with NO DEAD or ailing fish in the tank. But if you can find healthy gups- by all means go for it.

The other fish sound fine, but you'll need to make a selection. It might be an idea to think at this stage about whether you want an active slightly boisterous tank (buenos aires tetras) or something more gentle (harlequins and cherry barbs). Not sure about the activity levels of bloodfins, but others will be able to tell.

If I am to make any additions of my own, I notice you don't mention any bottom dwellers. Have you checked out corydoras at all? Lots of different ones to choose from.

You would get a nice peaceful selection with 8 harlequin rasboras, 6 corydoras and either 3 cherry barbs (1 male, 2 females) or 2-3 female platies. But there are lots of possible combos.

Note that a lot of fish are schooling- including tetras and rasboras- this means you have to keep a group of at least 6 of the same species. It's how they feel secure, seeing others like them all around. A schooling fish kept on its own is going to be very vulnerable to stress-related diseases. Platies and guppies aren't exactly schooling, but they are sociable so like to be with others of their kind. With them it's more the sexual behaviour that needs to be considered: males want to mate non-stop so you either have to keep several females per male (to take the strain), no males at all or a sizeable group of males only. Gouramis on the other hand are territorial, so usually only 1 male per tank.

 

[tled6448]

I agree mollies are not very hardy and die easy.

 

[Bones1987]

Okay, after looking around for a good place to get my fish, i got some! Thanks for helping me out with it. dawarfgourami I went ahead and got what you suggested: harlequin rasboras and cherry barbs. I bought 9 harlequins (it was buy 2 get one free!) and 2 cherry barbs. I plan on getting corries next week, BUT something might have skewed my plans, which I'll explain in the next paragraph. My fish are a little shy right now, but they seem to be getting a little more familiar with their new surroundings, they're coming out further and further as time goes along! haha.

Now, the little bump in the road. One of my friends decided my tank was TOO EMPTY looking. So, he decided to go out and buy me 6 black skirt tetras. Me, being the person I am, couldn't say no to them. I mean, he was only trying to help... I think... haha, but I made sure next time he ask me first... Also, he got them from a Petsmart, he said he asked the person and everything (hope it wasn't the guy to said I could fit 8 bala sharks!) So, I looked closely as the fish see if they looked good and healthy and researched them a bit online while they were floating in their bag adjusting to the tanks temp. and they seemed they would be all right in there. I put em in and they're doing good now. But yeah, I was just wondering if I could still put in corries or would the tank have too many fish? I called and they said they do have a return policy... I could tell him that they weren't getting along or something... hehe... Okay, well thanks for all the help ane suggestions once again.

 

[dwarfgourami]

With these particular fish, you could probably get some guidance from the inch/gallon, as they are slim, low waste and no particular territorial or other problems. So let's count:

harlequin rasboras 1.75"x9= 15. 75
cherry barbs 2"x2 = 4"
black skirts 2.4x6 = 14.4
----------------------------------------------
just over 34 inches

Note that I have allowed for adults sizes, the fish you actually bought may well be smaller as the lfs usually sell juveniles. This would seem to make you slightly overstocked, but will probably be ok, just keep an eye on the water stats for the first few weeks. If there is an ammonia spike, be prepared to do water changes.

I would not add any corys atm. It may be possible to up the stocking after the first 6 months, some people do run higher stockings than 1 inch/gallon, but for now I would let the tank settle. If you decide you don't want the black widows, but would rather have the corys, return the widows, but maybe wait a few weeks anyway before adding corys.

One of the first hurdles as a fishkeeper is to train the eye to a nicely balanced tank. It is never going to look like the tanks in aquarium books (set up specially for the photograph) and certainly never like the tanks in the lfs (massive filtration, only used for a few weeks transit, with juvenile fish, not meant for a long term home+ they allow for higher mortality than you would probably be happy with). So compared to the tanks you see there, a home tank will look bare at first sight. But then as you sit and stare into it, you will see things happening, fish interacting with each other, exploring a piece of ornament or a plant thicket. It's like the difference between a family group photo and a home. The lfs does a group photo (or perhaps more like a commuter train), you provide a home.

 

[stang1]

I agree with Dwarfgourami. All tanks look empty to an extent especially when you see display tanks. You have to take into account the adult sizes as once they've grown, they will fill out the tank more. Sit and watch the fish that you have got and you'll realise how active the tank and fish actually are, doesn't seem quite so empty after a while.

 

[Bones1987]

Hello again, thanks for the advice. I didn't think I'd be able to put any more in. I do like the black skirts, but they're a lot bigger than the others in the tank. They look to be almost full grown. But, as fun as they are to look at, they take most of the food from all the other smaller fish... the cherry barbs hardly ate any last time I fed them. Oh yeah, sorry, I made a little typo in my last post, nothing big though. I have 3 barbs... hehe.

And I totally agree with how the tank looks. I tried to explain to my friend(the one who brought the suprise fish) that the fish I had were still young and they will grow. I also told him to sit and watch for a while, and even though they are still small they really are using the open space in the tank... then, told him to imagine when they're a full size. But, I guess it didn't convince him. Then again, this is the guy who was so impatient he was threatening to buy me fish while my tank was cycling for about a months time because he couldn't stand my tank empty for long. The guys been my friend for years and he's great, but I guess we're just on two different wavelengths... haha.

Well, thanks a lot for everything. I'll be deciding on what to do within the next few days while watching my new found friends! hehe. They're all doing great so far. Once again, thanks!