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Gavilb

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Hi everyone,

ive just set up a new tank. (180 litres/45 US gallons)...

My water is hard and alkaline.

Could you suggest a good balance of fish that are compatible in this size/condition tank?

ive started off with 5 zebra danios. now im stuck!

thanks!! :cool:
 
How long as your tank been set up? Have you tested the water for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate etc? I would do this before adding any new fish.

What about some mollies? Guppies? Angel Fish? Clown Loaches? :wub:

Claire xx :*
 
Hi Claire,

done the cycling....

just want a good selection of top, middle and bottom feeders for my tank.. i think i'll go for swordtails x2, platies x4, tetras x5, gourami x2 and mollies x4... and maybe a clown loach x2???
 
Gavilb, i have been advised that Clown Loach are better either on there own or more than 3.Supposedly 2 is a bad option..? You might want confirmation from others on this.Im only new.
 
Clown Loaches need to be in groups of 3 or more

Good bottom dwellers are corys, i have 3 bronze corys, they also need to be in groups of 3 or more ;)

Claire x
 
180 ltrs is too small for clown loaches in the long run. They are shoaling fish and grow big.

Angels need a high tank, not sure of the proportions of yours.

Corys are an excellent suggestion. Need to be in a group of 4 and 5, and the substrate needs to be kept quite clean, but otherwise they are easy to cater for. Avoid panda corys though at first as they are more sensitive. Bronze or peppereds are a good choice. Gender ratio does not matter; they are not macho fighters but more into giggly cuddly sex (well, that's what it looks like anyway :lol: ).

Livebearers are another good suggestion. There is an excellent introduction thread in the livebearers forum; in particular, take note of what it says about gender ratios. 2 swordtails or 2 platies are not a good idea unless they are both females. A male will harrass a lonely female to exhaustion, 2 males may well fight.

Gouramis again are often best as a female only group or 1 male with a small harem. On no account try to stick 2 male dwarf gouramis in a tank together; they will rip each other apart.

Some tetras such as neons and cardinals are sensitive to water stats, so better in a mature tank. (and they don't really like hard water either). Black widow tetras are said to be hardier.

Be careful not to overstock.

Good luck!
 
Hi,

Good posts here. As DG has said, the recommendations are a good starting point.
Make sure you read into each of the fish you are looking to keep as much as possible. Have a read of the profiles on this site, and search for the fishes name on google.

Your tank will be too small for clown loaches in the long term, and as mentioned, tetras are something best left until your tank has matured.

But, with a tank that size you have a lot of possibilites!

Good Luck, and lets see some pics when you're up and running!
 
Livebearers would be decent for a tank that size. If I were you I'd try maybe some Mollies. Or you could go with some schooling tetras. As mentioned, neons and cardinals are tough to keep, but something like a serpae are less picky and still very pretty if you like brighter oranges/reds. I had a group of serpaes in my first fishtank that lived for longer than I could remember
 

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