new fish

[tomer126]

what i was thinking after reading a bit was a fighting fish (betta), group of tetra cardinal and a group of corys. the tank size work for those, but i am not sure of what type of cory would be the best

 

[fluttermoth]

Bettas should not be in community tanks. Cardinals and most corydoras need soft water. Sorry.

 

[tomer126]

ok, you tell me what i can't put in the tank, which is great, but it would be more helpful if you tell me what can i put in... and is there any way to soften the water? if there is, it could be helpful, i guess

 

[SeanTrollope]

most live bearers prefer hard water but my knowledge is very limited when it comes to this and you will have to wait for someone who does have the knowledge.

 

[fluttermoth]

ok, you tell me what i can't put in the tank, which is great, but it would be more helpful if you tell me what can i put in... and is there any way to soften the water? if there is, it could be helpful, i guess

I'm sorry, I have a few things going on this evening, but I'll give you an answer later! Softening water is difficult, so it's much easier to just keep fish that like the water you have.

 

[Essjay]

We are looking for fish that are suitable for a hardness of 247 ppm/14 dH, and a tank that has a volume of 60 litres and a length of 60 cm.

Celestial pearl danios http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/celestichthys-margaritatus/
Emerald rasboras http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/celestichthys-erythromicron/ (but not with celestial peral danios as there is a rick they will hybridise)
Endlers livebearers http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/poecilia-wingei/ But males only as they breed like rabbits.
Pseudomugil signifer http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pseudomugil-signifer/

Not all of them together of course

 

[fluttermoth]

Thanks, essjay

There's also some of the smaller rainbowfish; Celebes, threadfin or dwarf neon.

 

[tomer126]

i saw this thing after looking on how to soften water http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4048 do you think it can work?
and way did you put the endler but not the regular guppi?

 

[tomer126]

by the way, most of the fish you have pointed at are described as not recommended in a community tank because they are small and might get eaten or nibbled on, so that's not a problem if i put them together with another fish with the same description? (for example- endler fish and threadfin rainbowfish)

 

[Byron]

i saw this thing after looking on how to soften water http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4048 do you think it can work?
and way did you put the endler but not the regular guppi?

Guppy would also work, again males only to avoid hundreds of fry. Personally, I would look at some of the rarer fish that essjay mentioned in post #21. I suggest this because a tank with a good sized group of one of these is a thing of beauty. Not ot say a tank of male Endlers isn't, up to you.

Now on this API water softener pillow. The problem with something like this is that it is a temporary not a permanent solution. If you read the directions on the linked site
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4048
you will see that it works for 48 hours, then has to be "recharged," and this continues until it no longer works at all. They do not say how long this takes, but such filter pads usually have fairly short lifespans and it depends upon how much softening it is having to do. They don't say this either. As for telling when it is no longer functioning, you would presumably have to be testing the tank water every day and when the GH no longer lowers, replace the pad. I can imagine this getting fairly expensive.

I have been in this hobby more than 25 years, and the only safe and effective way to "soften" hard water is by diluting it with "pure" water. Pure water can be rainwater if you live in a safe area for collecting it, distilled water, or RO (reverse osmosis) water. The latter two can get expensive too. And remember you need to have this "prepared" water on hand for regular partial water changes, and for emergencies--and they will arise--when a massive water change is needed.

It really is much safer and simpler to go with your source water and select fish suited. Nothing drives people out of this hobby like failures and fish deaths.

 

[tomer126]

thanks, byron, guess you are right... i'll check around stores near by and see what nice fish they got

 

[Essjay]

by the way, most of the fish you have pointed at are described as not recommended in a community tank because they are small and might get eaten or nibbled on, so that's not a problem if i put them together with another fish with the same description? (for example- endler fish and threadfin rainbowfish)

Your tank isn't big enough for a fish that can eat the small fish I suggested


I do wonder if your hardness is a bit high for featherfin rainbows. Seriously Fish gives a maximum of 215 ppm, and yours is higher at 247. Hopefully Byron can comment on this.

There are other fish that would work in a 60 cm long tank, those were just the first ones that came to mind at the time I posted.
The best thing for you to do is make a tour of all your local shops. Do not buy anything but make a note of all the fish that catch your eye. Then go home and spend some time looking them up on Seriously Fish to find out what kind of water they need, how big they grow and what size tank they need. There are some small fish that need big tanks because they are such fast swimmers, for example. Other fish don't go together because one likes cool water the other likes warm water. And remember that the fish in the shops are babies. Just because they are small now doesn't mean they'll stay small.
Another reason for not buying fish on this tour of the shops is that you may see a fish you like in the first shop and buy them only to find a fish in the last shop you really really must have, then discover it is not compatible with the ones you bought at the first shop

 

[tomer126]

i know that the fish in the store are babies, learned it the hard way... anyway, it is a bit of a problem to go to each store around, because of two reasons- 1. every pet store that sells fish are 15-40 minutes drive away from my house. 2. my only transportation is my dad, and i don't think he will take me to all the pet stores around, go back home and go again after i decide...

 

[Essjay]

Ahh, I do understand that problem because I don't drive so I have to get my husband to drive me. In that case you can only look at fish on-line. And the best approach once you have finalised your list is to ring round and see who stocks what.


I have soft water so I am not really aware of which fish like hard water and would suit your tank size other than the ones I mentioned. Hopefully some other members who have hard water will be able to suggest more fish that are good for a 60 litre/16 gallon tank that is 60 cm/24 inches long.

 

[Byron]

I do wonder if your hardness is a bit high for featherfin rainbows. Seriously Fish gives a maximum of 215 ppm, and yours is higher at 247. Hopefully Byron can comment on this.

I have no personal experience with this species, and in my previous research I did not come across any reference for harder water than 12 dGH (214 ppm). SF gives pH as 5 to 8, but a profile I did a few years back suggested below 7 for this species. From all this, I couldn't advise it here.

Hard water is certainly more of a challenge, especially in small tanks. I've been blessed with very soft water over my 25 odd years in the hobby. I did keep rift lake cichlids and livebearers back in the 1980's but I had dolomite-based substrate to harden the water and raise the pH and this worked well. But that has been the extent of my hard water fish keeping.