fish for starters!!

[daveip]

right ... im a noob to all this and i want to make sure that the fish i get are going to be suitable and wont die or kill each other and what not.

anyways ... i have a 16gal/60 litre tank. i didnt want something too big because this is going to be for uni to keep me out of trouble and sane when things get tough =p

i've researched into the tank equipment and stuff and i think i'm pretty much sorted that side of things with cycling and not bio-overloading and that stuff but im really not sure what fish i want in there. i've kinda worked out that i can get 60cm of fish in the tank.

i really wanted to get cardinal tetras and guppies in the tank but i;m really not sure about it all now.
like the thought of honey gouramis, tiger barbs and some zebra danios in there but yeh ... feedback from the experts would be much appreciated

 

[tttnjfttt]

Have you looked into fishless cycling? Once you have completed a fishless cycle, you can generally add almost any fish and have them survive, assuming they arent sick once you get them from the store. Also, stocking levels are 1" for every gal, or 1 for two liters. So its 30 cm, not 60.

In your tank, I would recomend not getting tiger barbs. They are very active and need alot of swimming space. The minimum tank size for them is a 30 gal. Zebra danios are ok, but remember, they are a schooling fish so you need to have atleast 5 of them. Same wiht the tetras. Honey gouramis would also work in your tank.

 

[Snailguy101]

Tetras might be good for you or guppies and platies

 

[pica_nuttalli]

heh, "tetras" encompasses a LOT of fish... for the best effect in a tank, you want a nice balance between the layers (bottom 3 inches, top 6 inches, & everything in between).

Bottom Dwellers, Pick ONE option:
~4 cory cats (just not pandas--too delicate)
~4 kuhli loaches (any color)
1 bristlenose pleco
1 rubbernose pleco

Mid-Level Dwellers, Pick ONE option:
3-5 platies (all male if you can get them)
~5 danios
~5 lamp-eye tetras
~5 black neon tetras
~6 harlequin or lambchop tetras
~8 cardinal or neon tetras
~7 DWARF platies (don't get them if they aren't orange and specifically called Dwarfs)

Top-Dwellers, Pick ONE option:
1 Dwarf Gourami
2 Honey Gouramis (or one if tank is unplanted)
1 Paradise Fish (reduce number of mid-level fish)
1~3 killifish (depends on the species)
3-5 platies (all male if you can get them)

Obviously, any of these combinations would have to be checked for compatibility and overstocking before actually using them. But these are some pretty good fish that are fairly hardy and generally available. Please remember that careful planting of your tank will greatly assist in reducing aggression and padding maintenance schedules. If you have territorial fish like gouramis, use tall plants to break-up sight lines. Long, streamlined fish such as danios enjoy a lot of swimming, so use short plants to create a corridor along the front. And so on.

Here are some other options that require more stringent maintenance but are quite eye-catching:
--a pair of German Blue Rams with a small school of Neon/Cardinal/Harlequin Tetras. Rams are semi-aggressive bottom dwellers, but readily breed. They're brightly colored and sensitive to water conditions. Actually, this information would apply to pretty much any pair of S. American dwarf cichlids.

--a Peru/South American Puffer and a bristlenose. The Colomesus Asellus is a very interactive and small freshwater puffer. They are reportedly quite sensitive to water conditions. While most puffers are excellent fish-killers, the typical Peru Puffer is rather docile and can be kept with more aggressive small-sized plecos such as male bristlenoses. However, this puffer is also quite sensitive to water conditions and has to have its teeth trimmed if not feed enough crunchy foods. (Trimming the teeth is more nerve-wrecking than difficult.)

--An African Butterfly and bottom dwellers. The ABF is a bizzarre looking fish with a gigantic mouth, but rarely ventures more than a few inches below the waterline. So just no other top dwellers and no mid-dwellers under 2". Fish on the bottom will not be harassed.

--Possibly 2 or 3 dwarf puffers. The tips and tricks of dwarf puffers are an essay in themselves; just look around in Oddball's for more info.

 

[daveip]

thanks for that great reply pica!

i think i'll stick to the more hardy fish in the top half of that post.

i think i'll get 4 corys, 5 platies and 2 honey gouramis.
going to start the fishless cycle soon. which fish should i get first after the cycle has worked??

 

[Erised]

--a Peru/South American Puffer and a bristlenose. The Colomesus Asellus is a very interactive and small freshwater puffer. They are reportedly quite sensitive to water conditions. While most puffers are excellent fish-killers, the typical Peru Puffer is rather docile and can be kept with more aggressive small-sized plecos such as male bristlenoses. However, this puffer is also quite sensitive to water conditions and has to have its teeth trimmed if not feed enough crunchy foods. (Trimming the teeth is more nerve-wrecking than difficult.)

--Possibly 2 or 3 dwarf puffers. The tips and tricks of dwarf puffers are an essay in themselves; just look around in Oddball's for more info.

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I wouldn't put a SAP in a 15G tank, unless it's on it's own. Do not add any other fish (nor with the dwarf puffers), even though they're supposed to be more docile, they'll be cramped for space in a 15G when it's got other tank mates as well, meaning higher levels of aggression.

Dwarf puffers are fantastic fish, and you could keep 2 or 3 in that tank. I don't recommend it though, because chances are that you'll end up having 1 of them that doesn't get along with the others, and will either end up with 2 dead puffers or having to seperate them. Seeing as you (being limited for space) don't want to seperate them, I don't recommend them.

Zebra danios, though great fish and can be kept in a 15G, I don't recommend either. Simply for that fact that with a proper size shoal of zebra danios (5+, preferable 8+) your tank will be near stocking limits already, and you seem to want a selection of fish in your tank

pica_nuttalli wrote a very helpful post there, I think you should have a lot of options mixing those fish together and getting the combi that suits you! Hope you'll let us know which fish you'll end up with

--Edit--
I'm a slow typer, nm me

 

[pica_nuttalli]

if you used the fishless cycle, then you should get everything but the honey gouramis. i'd let things settle in, make certain your plants are growing (look for new leaves) and then add the honey gouramis.

 

[daveip]

right ... went for a poke around the closest fish store to see what fish they stock there.

i saw some coolii loaches there ... are they the same as kuhli loaches??
if so would it be possible to have 2 loaches and 2 corys?? i really liked the way the loaches swam but at the same time i want some sort of catfish like thing.

as for the platies there .... they were all orange with a black anal fin but they weren't marked as dwarf platies. how do i tell the difference between a normal platy and a dwarf platy??

and i think im still going to stick to the 2 honey gouramis for the upper level. but i couldn't figure which ones were honeys =/ if they dont stock them should i ask them to order them in???

 

[@ombomb]

i saw some coolii loaches there ... are they the same as kuhli loaches??

Yes it's the same, just a different spelling.

The reason Pica suggested 4 is that both types of fish prefer being in groups of 3+ so really you should stick to one or the other.

Here's what Honey Gouramis look like:

 

[daveip]

right ... went back to the LFS to get some matured gravel for the cycle.
i've decided i dont want honeys anymore =p=p they're not that colourful. but they stock dwarf gouramis! i think i'll get some of them. they looked pretty nice in the tanks

 

[UBigBobby]

Tiger Barbs are great fish, but I found out first hand that they aren't great starter fish if you use them in a cycle. They are sensative to elevalted Nitrite and will become extremely stressed by rising levels. My Nitirite is starting to peak in my cycle and they've gotten through it like champs thanks to daily 25% water changes. I'd reccomend not starting with them due to their nitrite sensativity.

On the minimum of 30 gal for tigers...I have a 10 gal and my idiot fish shop said they'd be fine. So far the 3 of them have taken to the tank very well, but I am considering finding a bigger home for them, as 3 is too few for tiger barbs, and anymore would just be too many for my 10 gal.

 

[IMCL85]

I think feeders altho they r ugly but as they dont come in expansive price good for starter. I begin with them as I get in to fish keeping hobby. And still have a few on my 20g atm. They r really good fish for beginer even if they die you wouldn't be suffering as much $ lose . Good luck.