New Tank - Starting from scratch

[n0rm]

Hi all

Me and my girlfriend are looking into getting a tropical fish tank. We have investigated the purchase of a tank (but haven't got one yet) and are probably going to go with the Tank and Unit purchased together. We have a space of about 4ft so will probably be going for a tank 48 x 14 x 18 (L, D, H) This should give us around 200l or 45 gallons.

When we decide on the purchase we will probably keep it pretty simple on decor, black backing and dark substrate and will hopefully plant it quite heavily.

We plan to fishless cycle, using substrate from a friends tank and ammonia(suggestions on where to buy this?)

I like Neon Tetras apart from that don't really have a major preference. I would like a community of peacful (ish) fish i.e no eating the cool little Tetras. I quite like the ruby shark and some algae eaters such as the bristlenose Plec.

What would be a good setup of fish and numbers for this size of tank and any particular order they should be added after the fishless cycle has completed?

These are some basic choices I am interested in

Neon Tetra
Black Neon Tetras
Ruby Shark
Bristlenose Plec
Dwarf Rainbowfish
Black Molly
Dwarf Gourami (Female)
Agassi’s catfish

Basically if you were starting from scratch to and you liked Neon Tetras, what else would you get?

Sorry for the long post!!

Tom

 

[emma12321]

Hi Tom and welcome to the forum,

The list of fish you like seems ok. I would avoid the ruby shark though as they grow quite big and are often aggressive. Personally i would avoid the mollys also as they will over populate you tank with babies they also do better with a bit of salt in their tank which the other fish wouldn't like, so from your choice of fish i would put

Neon Tetra (6 or more also take a look at the cardinal tetra which i have found to be more hardy)
Black Neon Tetras (6 or more)
Bristlenose Plec (1 or 2 if you get a male and female they will possibly breed in the tank, mine did)
Dwarf Rainbowfish ( 6 or more)
Dwarf Gourami (Female) (you could get a male and female)
Agassi’s catfish( if this is the cory, get at least 3 preferably more, in a 45 you could have a couple of different varieties of cory)

There are loads of other tetras that would be fine, just research before you buy.

Where in the world are you? There is a pinned topic somewhere on buying ammonia. In the uk you can get it from boots or either focus or homebase, can't remember which. Just make sure it is pure with no fragrance etc.

The hardiest fish out of your list is the black neon.

Hope this helps

Emma

 

[n0rm]

Cheers for all your information. I will look into the options you have suggested.

I am in Taunton, Somerset. I believe there are a few good lfs around the area and will be investigating them in due course

Thanks for your help

Tom

 

[n0rm]

Hi guys

What other interesting, larger fish could i add to this list, I quite like the look of some of the Sharks (are these all no no's)

My girlfirend saw a really nice blue/purple fish she thought it was a japanese fighting fish or something, I will have to check it out. What about this?

Although I like the tetras I don't necessarily want to overload the tank with them and not sure if it would be best with just 1 larger shoal of 1 variety or just 2 smaller shoals or 2. e.g just the neon tetras, or neon and black, or neon and cardinal!

Cheers

Tom

 

[rixy]

hi,i'm from cornwall.i would avoid black mollies.mine were nasty and chased everything in the tank.trimar in cambourne is the best mail order for fish around.order today,recieve fish the next day.they have a good website.just type in trimar. ps read as much as you can and look on the pc.see what fish you like,how much they cost etc.it's very east to make costly mistakes.pps don't rush putting your fish in the tank.

 

[BigC]

Starting from scratch Eh! Well my advice to anyone starting a community aquarium is exactly that, a community, where everyone gets along with no major hassle or constant squabbling. Then and only then is it theraputic to sit down and unwind after a long day at work and observe the fish.
Try to fill all the water layers, Top, Middle & Bottom.
Here are some suggestions for a peaceful aquarium.
For the surface dwellers the I would choose Marbled Hatchets
For the middle areas, a small school of Black Phantom tetras coupled with a large shoal of Cardinal tetra (soo much nicer than the Neon)
Then to the bottom dwellers. I like Corydoras and there are a lot of different varieties out there. Again buy half a dozen or so.
Keep it simple and avoid sticking in an outsized fish which disrupts everything. Don't just rush out and buy anything. Take you time, do your homework. Then you will be able to observe a peaceful setup and not a boxing match.
I hope this was of some help to you.
Regards
BigC

 

[n0rm]

Yep

That sounds good - I like simple, Do you see any other fish fitting into the equation?

e.g from the list I have already

Bristlenose Plec (this i assume is mainly at the bottom?)
Dwarf Gourami (middle?)
Dwarf Rainbowfish (middle?)


So from the advice so far
------------------------------------------------------

Surface dwellers
Marbled Hatchets (3)

Middle
Black Phantom Tetras (6)
Cardinal or Neon Tetras (12)

Bottom
Bristlenose Plec (1)
Corydoras should i get 2 lots with 3 of each or will they mix therfore get a variety of corys e.g 4-6 of differing species.


How does this setup sound - any other fish you would add in. Is this too many, i would rather be way under and them have lots of space to move around than crowd it, but then i don't want the tank to look barren? I guess only time would tell in this as I add them and see!

Cheers

Tom

 

[BigC]

Sounds good to me.
What size is the Plec?

 

[n0rm]

smaller than the common Plec I think it said it grew to 15cm

Is that ok about a mixture of Corys, would that still be ok as a group made up of 3 or 4 different species?

 

[BigC]

I'm not fully up to speed on Plecs (Killifish is my bag) but upon reading some data on another site it states that they are OK with smaller fish, but may suck on goldfish, discus, and other large, flat-bodied fish. I suggest getting some of the larger varities of corydoras just to be on the safe side.
Perhaps some other forum member with knowledge of Plecostomus would like to advise further.

 

[n0rm]

Hi All

Any views on this list of fish to fit in a 200l 45g tank

Marbled Hatchetfish (5) TOP
Zebra Danio (5) ALL - TOP

Tiger Barb (6) MIDDLE
Ruby Barb (4) MIDDLE
Black Phantom Tetra (6) MIDDLE
Cardinal Tetra (12) MIDDLE

Bristlenose Plec (grows to about 15cm) (1) BOTTOM
Peppered Corydoras (5) BOTTOM

Is this too many? on www.Thinkfish.co.uk it brings up no conflicts with this combination (and it is roughly based on the RSPCA book on "Care for your tropical Fish", 1990) it states I have a guide stocking level of 414cm and have stocked to 237cm

Any views?

Cheers

Tom

 

[BigC]

Tiger barbs are notorious fin nippers, they look good in a shoal but in my experience they tend to upset the balance of things.

 

[playfulalliecat]

I kept Tiger Barbs for a long time. They get a bad rap as fin nippers but in my shoal of around 6, they spent more time chasing each other showing dominance. Its cute when they do that, they kind of turn in circles facing each other. They truly never bothered my other fish at all. I wouldn't recommend putting them with a betta, angel, or anything else with long flowing fins. That might be too much temptation. Mine were with black skirt tetras (really awesome community fish IMO), corydoras, platys, swordtails, and a pleco. Various other fish at times as I had quite a few tanks and moved things around a bit back then.

I have a bristle nose that is over a year old and its still only about 4 inches or so. They grow slowly and I think it should be ok in your setup.


I think your list would present a nice selection of tropicals. Good starter fish, IMO!

HTH,

Allie

 

[UBigBobby]

I keep a shoal of tigers and they should be fine in that tank, as long as you get 6 or more. They tend to get along with danios just fine, as well as the other fish mentioned. Just keep them away from angels, bettas, and gourami.

 

[xxSarahxx]

The 'japanese fighting thing' you were talking about is known in most lfs as a siamese fighting fish. Known on here as Betta fish / bettas! These are gorgeous and truly addictive. You will have to be careful with what you put in with it as long-finned fish can be a no-go with these, especially if you get males. The females are not so nippy but be aware.
Have you considered livebearers such as guppies and platties. If you are careful with the fry and allow them to be eaten by the main population of the tank then they can be lovely. I am particularly fond of guppies due to the different colours and species/strains of them.
Please keep us updated on all of this. It sonds as if you are planning everything out wonderfully and taking your time whilst asking lots of advice. Can't ask more than that really. Pictures would be great when it's all set up!