Hi :)

[Ell1989]

Hi there newbie doing some research before buying. Looking forward to getting tips and advice.

Ellen

 

[This Old Spouse]

Welcome, Ellen! You should find lots of good things here.

 

[Ell1989]

Thanks for the welcome I can't post on the tropical discussion board for some reason, so I have a few questions.

Compatibility; which tropical fish are most compatible in reasonably soft water (6.0-7.0)ph. I was looking at the bala shark, red fin shark, 3 spot gourami and betta? Not sure they would all be compatible just looked at rough charts.

Second question is, is a 3ft by 1ft tank big enough to house all of the above if they are compatible?

Thanks for reading that long winded set of questions lol.

Ellen

 

[This Old Spouse]

I don't think your tank is big enough for either of those sharks. The gourami would likely nip the fins of the betta, who wouldn't be happy in a tank that large.

Here's a fish compatibility chart from another site that I found helpful when I was first starting out. There are always exceptions to every rule, but this tries to take into account every scenario when buying fish.

Good luck!

 

[SchottayB]

Glad to see people still doing research before going out and buying any old fish / tank

You will get loads of help and advice here mate

 

[Ell1989]

Thanks for the advice . Which fish would you recommend for my tank size and water ph? Also thanks for the chart, a lot clearer than the ones I've seen.

SchottayB thanks I strongly believe in researching any future pets, have seen the result of poor research at animal shelters.

Ellen

 

[rob158]

Welcome to the forum,

 

[Ell1989]

After a day of full on research I've a rough plan.3-4 black tetras, 3 platies, 2 crabs, maybe 1 blue gourami (female) and 4 guppies. I'll be finding out the tank capacity tonight, I've estimated it to be 20-30 gallons. Any advice on my new idea would be much appreciated also thanks again for the welcomes.

Ellen

 

[This Old Spouse]

It sounds like my 29g tank.

I would up the tetras to at least 6 and forget about the crabs. They need to be in a specialized habitat, which of course the LFS doesn't mention. I have a female fiddler crab (the male escaped) and conditions have to be very particular in order for them to thrive.

You could actually up the numbers to the fish you listed.

 

[Ell1989]

Ah brilliant thanks. I now have the volume of the tank which is currently empty it's 29.0976 UK gallons, so 29 gallons will give me a reasonable community of fish. Will be running full fish-less cycle until I have clear readings, just waiting to get the tank now.

So now the question is how many of each species do I get Haha. So many questions.

Ellen

 

[This Old Spouse]

I really like my 29g. Big enough to house some great fish but small enough to handle water changes and such easily.

The tetras, guppies and platies like to be in larger groups. I'd also consider getting some cories, who are bottom feeders and just plain fun to watch.

 

[Meggie :)]

if you can squeeze them in there, I would suggest mollies They have to be some of my favorites, and they are pretty hardy...My favorites are the balloon mollies

 

[Ell1989]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've calculated estimated adult sizes and I can get 6x tetras, 2x platy, 2x mollies and 1x corydoras. I'm hoping platies can live in pairs.

Ellen

 

[This Old Spouse]

I think the platies can live in pairs but the corydoras need to be in groups of at least 6!

Up all the numbers to 6 and you'll be fine, especially the cories. If you get some smaller ones like albinos or trillis, six won't be a problem.

How are you coming up with these calculations?

 

[Ell1989]

Changed my list again haha.4-5 panda corydoras, 6 tetras and 2 honey gouramis. Finally ive made a compatible list... I hope.

Ellen