Fish for a 45g tank?

[Inkweaver313]

Hi Everybody!

I recently just moved my goldfish from my 45g tank to my new 125g tank and I'm undecided/unsure what I should put in my 45g tank. Do you have any suggestions?

I'm pretty much good with anything fresh water. I was leaning towards either cichlids or angels. If I go with cichlids, can any kind of cichlid go together or should I stick to just one kind? If I go with Angels, what sort of tank mates go well with them?

Any suggestions? All are welcome, even if it's not the two I stated!

 

[Jeremy180]

Is this the standard 36" x 21" x 12" aquarium?
If so, mixing Cichlid species (aside from the less aggressive of the South American Dwarves would be limited, although it is just under the limit for minimum tank size for angelfish, which IMHO really should not be kept in tanks any less than 18" tall, and bare minimum of 30" long for one by itself.
A Standard 45 gallon is too small for the "get a school and let them pair" method for angelfish.
Instead, you would be limited to either a single fish, or possibly a bonded pair, although since each full grown angelfish should be given 12-18 gallons to itself a pair would not leave much room for other fish, especially if they breed.

Edit: if you do decide to get a pair, please note that simply getting two angels and hoping they pair can quite possibly result in one severely injured or possibly even dead angelfish, especially if you get two males, which is not unlikely since angels are nearly impossible to accurately sex when not in breeding condition.

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

I personally would maybe do a few Angels (4-6) with some corydoras, plant it well and enjoy. Provided the tank is deep enough, they can get quite tall ( I've had ones at 12 inches tall) so it would need to be maybe 15 inches or more tall, probably go 20 inch tall?

 

[Byron]

Knowing the tank dimensions will help. Unless this is a 4-foot tank minimum, angelfish in a shoal is not possible. This fish attains six inches body length with a vertical fin span of eight inches, and in a group there must be five or more to avoid a dominant male picking on another, and even with five this is not guaranteed. If you want slow and sedate fish, gourami species would be a better option.

Cichlid species, thinking neotropical here, are best with one species to a tank unless it is very large. The African rift lake cichlids are a very different thing. You haven't mentioned water parameters (especially GH and pH) so that will affect this too.

 

[Inkweaver313]

My apologies!

The tank is 37 in x 13 in x 59 in.

There are no water parameters yet, as I completely broke down the tank (not including the bio-media) to clean it out and prepare for whatever my new fish needed, as I doubt it would be the same as what a goldfish needed!

So it's looking like Angel fish are out. Any other suggestions?

 

[Jeremy180]

In relation to this conversation, I am going to link a study that, while not as the primary purpose, gives a table showing the full size, including weight and finnage, (which is usually excluded from most websites) of what Are apparently average lab raised female angelfish.
http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442009000300022

Edit: Well, part of it would depend on if you had water that tended toward soft neutral, or hard.

 

[Byron]

My apologies!

The tank is 37 in x 13 in x 59 in.

There are no water parameters yet, as I completely broke down the tank (not including the bio-media) to clean it out and prepare for whatever my new fish needed, as I doubt it would be the same as what a goldfish needed!

So it's looking like Angel fish are out. Any other suggestions?

These dimensions don't seem correct...59 inches high? This would be closer to 120 than 45 gallons, but I canot see a 5 foot high tank...??

On the parameters, what are your source water parameters? Those are what matter, as the fish should be suited to your source water unless you intend water adjustment which is possible but not at all simple or easy, depending. The municipal water authority web site might have GH and pH posted, or you can ask them directly. Get the number and their unit of measurement as there are several.

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

These dimensions don't seem correct...59 inches high? This would be closer to 120 than 45 gallons, but I canot see a 5 foot high tank...??

I think it was meant to be 13 tall, 59 long 37 wide...?

 

[Byron]

I think it was meant to be 13 tall, 59 long 37 wide...?

That is still over 120 gallons, and this was said to be a 45 gallon tank. ??

 

[Jeremy180]

I think it was a typo myself.

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

In relation to this conversation, I am going to link a study that, while not as the primary purpose, gives a table showing the full size, including weight and finnage, (which is usually excluded from most websites) of what Are apparently average lab raised female angelfish.

1) this isn't a very well done paper.
2) I would be careful with those measurements, it doesn't say they measured the fins (unless I missed it) Which would suggest that they used Standard length and standard height which is usually the body only. Although they should have said either way... not a well done experiment or well written up

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

That is still over 120 gallons, and this was said to be a 45 gallon tank. ??

No idea then...

 

[Inkweaver313]

Yes... it was a typo. My goodness, my brain today.

The tank is 37 x 13 x 24

I don't know where i got the 59 from...

 

[Jeremy180]

Wow, 36" long by 24" high by 13" wide! That's tall!
Also unlikely to house any but perhaps one of the small apistogramma species of dwarf cichlids, and these need water on the soft side.

It really would help if I knew whether your source water was hard of soft, I do not feel comfortable suggesting species without this knowledge, Because putting as an example blue rams in very hard high ph water, or black mollies in very acidic soft water would go bad very quickly for either fish.

Have you ever had the ph and or kh, carbonate hardness, or the gh, general hardness of your aquarium water tested?
Edit: one of the smallest, least aggressive cichlids can be kept with other non Cichlid fish here, with species depending on water hardness or softness.

 

[steelo]

Hi Everybody!

I recently just moved my goldfish from my 45g tank to my new 125g tank and I'm undecided/unsure what I should put in my 45g tank. Do you have any suggestions?

I'm pretty much good with anything fresh water. I was leaning towards either cichlids or angels. If I go with cichlids, can any kind of cichlid go together or should I stick to just one kind? If I go with Angels, what sort of tank mates go well with them?

Any suggestions? All are welcome, even if it's not the two I stated!

If the tank is well established and stable, a school of 6-10 neon tetras look awesome together.