somw questions for someone new at this

[Brenda]

Hi everyone i just want to say thanks for the warm welcome. My tank is just about cycled another few days and it should be ready. I have been told to start of with Danios then after 2 weeks introduce other fish can anyone recommend any for me?


thank you in advance....

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Hi Brenda,

to the forum!

Now then, what size is your tank? What kind of fish do you like generally?

Thanks way we can advise you better

 

[Brenda]

sorry it holds 13 gallons of water. I like angel fish and anythin really that will make my tank quite colourful.

 

[tstenback]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm for angels but a 13 gallon is not large enough for a full grown angel. These can get very tall and the generally held opinion of minimum tank height for angels is 18". This will allow the fish enough room to enjoy the environment.
As for color i am sure you will get lots of suggestions on that. My 2 favorites are cardinal tetras and bettas. HTH

 

[Brenda]

Cheers for that, its just my daughter has big tank and she has angel fish they are so lovely. she also has fish that kiss each other they are so cute too, but then again do not think i would be able to get them either.

 

[duendecillo]

Well, my suggestion may be quite common, but I really like guppies. One kind of fish with so many colour varieties...

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I think those are kissing gouramis you are talking of. Their 'kissing' is actually a test of strength!

As tstenback has said, angels get too big for that size tank I am afraid. I always think it's a good idea to have a good mixture of top/middle/bottom dwellers to make the most of the space you have.

Seen as though you like colour, male guppies would be good to occupy the 'top' area of your tank. You could get male and female but be prepared for a lot of babies!

Middle could be tetra such as glowlight Link or x-ray/pristella Link. You could also consider cardinals or neons but these are best put into a mature tank (about 6 months after cycle).

For bottom there is of course cories Link. These like to be in groups of 3+ and are a firm favourite among fish keepers. You could have a group of 4-6 pygmy cories as these only get to 1".

Another option is otos for the planted aquarium (people keep them without plants too, but I think plants are better) Link. These would go fine as well as cories as these only get to 1.5". These also like to be kept in small groups and are very useful for cleaning algae.

HTH I am sure many people will have suggestions for you!

 

[Brenda]

Thank you very much Cheese specialist you have been more than helful for me. You have give me a variety of fish i can keep. Think i might go shopping this weekend and get a few fish so as the tank does not look bare. I do have plants in my tank.

Thank you very much again.
Brenda

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Thank you very much Cheese specialist you have been more than helful for me. You have give me a variety of fish i can keep. Think i might go shopping this weekend and get a few fish so as the tank does not look bare. I do have plants in my tank.

Thank you very much again.
Brenda

I am glad to help,

Just be sure not to add too many fish at once.

 

[crazie.eddie]

I would not suggest tetras either. Even though these are small fish, they are shoaling fish. Therefore, a 13 gallon tank would not give them enough room to swim around. They would just sit there.

Guppies (males) and corries would be a good combination. Maybe also an otocinclus catfish to clean off some algae, once you do get them.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I would not suggest tetras either. Even though these are small fish, they are shoaling fish. Therefore, a 13 gallon tank would not give them enough room to swim around. They would just sit there.

Guppies (males) and corries would be a good combination. Maybe also an otocinclus catfish to clean off some algae, once you do get them.

As far as I am aware, tera only shoal when threatened. Also, otos should be kept in groups.

How many would you say need to be as a group for tetra? I have 4 x-rays and they seem totally fine and split up often to wander in pairs or singly.