Starting From Scratch!

[ddmcg]

Hi guys i have just bought my first tank and am hoping to draw on the wealth of experience on here!

The tank is an 80 litre and some of the fish i am thinking of are guppies, tetras of some sort, danios, harlequin rasboras and white clouds - basically fish that i have read are good for beginners such as I!

OK first question! As these fish are all 2 inch or less am i right in thinking that I could fit 12 in to a tank this size?

Would i be best choosing three types and getting 4 of each to make up the 12 - and are there any among these types that wont get along?

Are there any problems you can see me encountering with a combination of these fish?

Also i was planning on having artificial plants only in the tank - is that a good/bad idea?

Im hoping to figure a way to fit in a red claw crab but ill leave that for another day!

Many thanks for all the good advice i have already read here

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Definitely read the sticked topics on fishless cycling and how to perform weekly maint... very informative and good to know.

First I'd say...avoid the whiteclouds. Technically they are a cooler water fish preferring temps lower than most tropical fish.

Next...Danios, Tetras and Rasboras are schooling fish and often do best in slightly larger groups of their own species...like 6 or more. You can keep them in a smaller group they just might just be a bit more shy, not school properly, and/or have more dominance issues.

Artificial plants are fine. Fish like decorations like plants (real or fake) because they give them something to "hide" behind.

If you get guppies, try to get all males so you don't end up with tons of fry!

If you'd like a nice mix I'd suggest something like 6 small tetras like neons, cardinals, or glowlight tetras, with 4-6 harlequin rasboras, and maybe 3-4 male guppies.

 

[ddmcg]

I have read and re-read the fishless cycling topics and think i might be getting close to understanding!

Thats good to know about the white clouds as i had been led to believe they would be almost the best fish to start with so thanks for setting me straight.

Your suggestion sounds very nice - it comes to 14-16 fish would my 80ltr be ok with that?

Thanks for your informative reply

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

In some peoples opinions what I suggested would be slightly over stocked. Considering all of those fish are quite small and fairly low-bioload I think you should be fine as long as you keep a good maint schedule, and check your water parameters often to ensure good water quality.

 

[ddmcg]

Thats a great help thank you!

I was concerned that having only artificial plants may cause some problems as the dont contribute anything to the water like real plants.

Would i need some sort of algae eating fish or would the merry little band you suggest fare ok by themselves?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

I wouldn't recommend getting an algae eater unless you started to have a problem. You may get some brown algae (diatoms), but that comes off very easily and eventually goes away.