Obsessed with which fish are best for my tank...help!

[JoP]

hi, I have a new 110L tank set up with dark substrate and background, lots of plant (artificial and a few real), we live in a hard water area and I don't want to artificially alter the ph etc.

I have six zebra danios in the tank at the moment, I love guppies but don't want babies so only male, like neon tetra but worried they will not thrive in our water, would love some Cory but again concerned about the water. Absolutely love dwarf gourami and Betta male fish but again stressing over water and how they would get along in the tank etc

As you can probably tell I'm driving myself a bit nuts making fish decisions...please help!

Any advice on happy, peaceful, colourful tankmates, who thrive in hard water would be appreciated, thank you.

 

[seangee]

How hard is the water? Captive bred Tetra and Cory may be ok depending on how hard it is. Don't put a betta in with the guppies.

For a different idea how about Celestial Pearl Danios. They do need placid tank mates and are tiny - so you would probably want about 50

Here are some of mine]

 

[JoP]

My water is 7.8 ph 10 KH and 8 Gh

I guess the Betta would see the guppies as a threat or another male Betta, I love the look of them but think guppies are easier, so scratch the Betta.

My zebra danios are currently very active and one seems a bit dominant or a bully depending on your point of view. Are Pearl Danios as active and fast?

 

[Essjay]

A GH of 8 dH (142 ppm) is not considered hard for fish keeping. For example, the neon tetras that you mentioned are OK up to 12 dH/215 ppm.

Since you have zebra danios, you need other fish that are active. Sedate fish such as bettas and dwarf gouramis would be stressed by the fast swimming of the danios.
And since I mention bettas I need to tell you that are not community fish. They should be kept alone, no tank mates except perhaps a snail.

The best site for researching fish is http://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ I would look up any fish species on there before buying. You need to match fish to your hardness, tank size, temperature requirements and the swimming behaviour of your danios.

 

[JoP]

A GH of 8 dH (142 ppm) is not considered hard for fish keeping. For example, the neon tetras that you mentioned are OK up to 12 dH/215 ppm.

Since you have zebra danios, you need other fish that are active. Sedate fish such as bettas and dwarf gouramis would be stressed by the fast swimming of the danios.
And since I mention bettas I need to tell you that are not community fish. They should be kept alone, no tank mates except perhaps a snail.

The best site for researching fish is http://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ I would look up any fish species on there before buying. You need to match fish to your hardness, tank size, temperature requirements and the swimming behaviour of your danios.

Thank you for answer, it's good to get expert knowledge when you are starting out, I'm most grateful.

That surprised me, our water quality is shocking and we suffer from limescale, so I guess I looked at the ph and jumped to an assumption.

I'm reading seriously fish at the moment, what would you consider with this type of tank and water?

 

[seangee]

I'm reading seriously fish at the moment, what would you consider with this type of tank and water?

Most Tetras and Corys will do well in this water. I am biased because that is what I keep in my community tank. SF will recommend a minimum group size of 6 but they are much better off in larger groups of 10 or more. They will be healthier and display more natural behaviour. I have cardinals (paracheirodon axelrodi) and glowlights (hemigrammus erythrozonus) in groups of 15 each. These make a lovely and peaceful display - but they may not appreciate the energy levels of your danios.

 

[JoP]

Most Tetras and Corys will do well in this water. I am biased because that is what I keep in my community tank. SF will recommend a minimum group size of 6 but they are much better off in larger groups of 10 or more. They will be healthier and display more natural behaviour. I have cardinals (paracheirodon axelrodi) and glowlights (hemigrammus erythrozonus) in groups of 15 each. These make a lovely and peaceful display - but they may not appreciate the energy levels of your danios.

I like that idea, I am getting the feeling that my danios may be a bigger problem than the water!

 

[JoP]

My original plan was zebra Danios (LFS advice), neon tetra, guppies, corys and maybe platies....in your experience would these make a good community tank?

What sort of numbers in a 110 litre tank, with 250 litre filter?

 

[Byron]

My original plan was zebra Danios (LFS advice), neon tetra, guppies, corys and maybe platies....in your experience would these make a good community tank?

What sort of numbers in a 110 litre tank, with 250 litre filter?

First issue is the water parameters, of which the GH (hardness) is the most important. If it is actually 8 dGH as stated in post #3, it is moderately soft (a subjective term) which is not hard enough for livebearers that must have calcium and magnesium in the water. Guppies and platies (along with swordtails and mollies and Endlers) are all livebearers, so avoid these. However, your mention of lime scale puzzles me a bit, as this is not hard water...are you sure about the 8 dGH? Can you confirm this with your municipal water authority?

Moving on...

Zebra danio is a very active swimmer, and it really should have a longer tank (I am assuming the 110 liter (29 gallon) is 30 inches (75 cm) in length?) but as you have them I wouldn't remove them. Their level of activity must be kept in mind though, as sedate fish will not be appreciative as essjay mentioned in post #4. Cories will bee OK, and neons should be; neons will keep to the lower half of the water column, while the danios tend to stay in the upper half.

All of these species are shoaling, meaning they need groups of their own species. You have space for a decent number, so aim for more of the species rather than fewer with more additional species. Neons at 10-12, Zebra Danio maybe 8-9, and cories 12-15.

 

[Gracie4816]

I have a male double tail betta and he seems to be quite placid towards any fish he has been with, I had endler guppies with him and he didn't pay them any attention at all, I currently keep 4x peppered and 4x albino corys in my tanks & a male betta and have had no trouble with water. Mine can be quite hard. Corydoras are quite hard fish anyways

 

[fluttermoth]

Corydoras are quite hard fish anyways

Do you mean corydoras like hard water, or that they're difficult? Because they're not really either; most species of corydoras prefer soft water (although some will tolerate neutral water), and most species are not difficult to keep

 

[JoP]

Just checked my waterboard and it's saying hard water, so my test must have been wrong, also says ph 7.95

 

[Byron]

Just checked my waterboard and it's saying hard water, so my test must have been wrong, also says ph 7.95

That makes a difference. The English/French/German degrees in that chart do equate, so the water is 14.9 dGH or dH for our purposes.

Livebearers are now an option, but some of them do get a bit large. Platies are OK, since you mentioned them, and guppies. Males only of livebearers will avoid dozens of fry every month which will occur with male/female present or even just females that may likely have been impregnated in the store tank and can produce several batches without males present.

 

[JoP]

That makes a difference. The English/French/German degrees in that chart do equate, so the water is 14.9 dGH or dH for our purposes.

Livebearers are now an option, but some of them do get a bit large. Platies are OK, since you mentioned them, and guppies. Males only of livebearers will avoid dozens of fry every month which will occur with male/female present or even just females that may likely have been impregnated in the store tank and can produce several batches without males present.

Thank you for those figures, I like those fish so that will be ok. Definitely just boys!

 

[Colin_T]

Do not get a dwarf gourami (Trichogaster lalius) or any of their colour forms. They are riddled with diseases (particularly the Iridovirus & Tuberculosis) that cannot be cured and those diseases spread to every fish in your tank. Do not waste your money on them.

If you want a small gourami look for Honey Dwarf gouramis, Licorice gouramis, Indian Banded gouramis or Sparkling gouramis. They don't have anywhere near as many issues as the normal dwarf gourami.