Tank size??

[Kai4]

Hi,
I'm new (wave), I had a question which I was hoping for some help with.

We have a starter kit aquarium (65litres). We currently have tetras and as we're getting more into this we are looking at other fish we could get.

With that in mind a new tank would need to be bought as even though the tetras are still tiny we can see the tank isn't an ideal home for them and certainly not for more/ larger fish. We were thinking of getting one that has a built in cabinet like an Aqua One Oak style, Fluval or Juwel.

We're still very much in research phase and obviously have to be sure that the fish we get are likely to live well together but could you help advise on the size of tank we should be looking at for, say:

6-8 dwarf rainbow fish
12-18 tetra's
6-8 harlequins
6-8 corydoras
a plecko (or a small to medium catfish type)

I'm interested in Rams too but haven't researched them enough to know who they can live with.
We also like Angelfish but don't think they could go with our existing tetras - again still researching those sorts of things. But before we get too carried away picking fish we need to look at tanks, sizes and equipment and cost it all up.

What we want to avoid is buying say a 145litre tank and getting half way and realising it's really not big enough at all. We won't be buying multiple tanks so we need to choose well and it be big enough that it has longevity but not so collossal that we get overwhelmed.

My gut feel is that a circa 200 litre tank would suit great but unfortunately haven't seen one that would work in our house. The Aqua One Oak style 235litre, we absolutely lovd but it's just too long for the space we have (we could potentially make it work if we moved some stuff in our kitchen but it would be a squeeze). The Juwel 190 litre corner would work perfectly but the style they sell them in doesn't work from a decor perspective at all.

Also, I understand bigger tanks are easier to maintain but a bigger tank is a much bigger job to do cleaning and a water change. I can find 30 minutes to an hour every week to maintain a tank but I'm going to struggle to find a block of 3-4hours every month. I'm worried we could run the risk of buying a tank that would be overwhelming when it comes to cleaning/water changes. So my mind then says the 145litre would be better but then I think it wouldn't be big enough for the fish we're currently researching!

Figured a forum where people have these sorts of tanks, fish and the experience of looking after them would be the place to ask!

Thank you!xx

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

A minimum size tank for angelfish is 4 foot, but longer is better and a 6 foot tank is great. Don't get an aquarium that is more than 2 foot high because they are hard to work in. Don't get a narrow tank (ie: 12 inches wide) because they have a small surface area. A good size aquarium is 4 foot long x 18 inches wide x 18 inches high, or wide and bigger if you like.

The fish you listed below can go in a 3 foot tank, but a 4ft would give them a bit more room.

Rainbowfish do better in harder water with a pH above 7.0, whereas most tetras, harlequin rasboras and Corydoras catfish usually come from soft water with a pH below 7.0.

Do not get medium sized or large pleco type catfish because the medium sized fish grow to over a foot long and the large ones regularly hit 18 inches long. These bigger fish do not belong in captivity. A couple of small pleco type catfish Peckoltias, whiptails, bristlenose, etc) are fine in a 3 or 4 foot long tank.

6-8 dwarf rainbow fish
12-18 tetra's
6-8 harlequins
6-8 corydoras
a plecko (or a small to medium catfish type)

----------------------
What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.

Angelfish, most tetras, barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.

Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.

----------------------
You should be able to water change and gravel clean one tank in an hour once you work out how to do it. It used to take me 6-8 hours to do a fish room with 40 tanks in so one tank shouldn't be too hard.

Get a basic model gravel cleaner and a long hose. Run the hose out the door onto the lawn and use the gravel cleaner to clean the substrate and drain water out the door. Then have a couple of big buckets full of dechlorinated water and pump it into the tank.

You can make a gravel cleaner out of a 1, 1.5 or 2 litre plastic drink bottle and a garden hose or length of clear hose. These work well on big tanks and help reduce cleaning time significantly.

The following link has a basic gravel cleaner so you know what to look for. If you do get a 4 or 6 foot tank, let me know and I will tell you how to make the drink bottle gravel cleaner.

Aquarium Cleaning Made Easy

Aquarium cleaning should take 30 minutes every two weeks. Learn how the professionals do it in 18 easy steps.

www.about-goldfish.com

 

[Guyb93]

Hi,
I'm new (wave), I had a question which I was hoping for some help with.

We have a starter kit aquarium (65litres). We currently have tetras and as we're getting more into this we are looking at other fish we could get.

With that in mind a new tank would need to be bought as even though the tetras are still tiny we can see the tank isn't an ideal home for them and certainly not for more/ larger fish. We were thinking of getting one that has a built in cabinet like an Aqua One Oak style, Fluval or Juwel.

We're still very much in research phase and obviously have to be sure that the fish we get are likely to live well together but could you help advise on the size of tank we should be looking at for, say:

6-8 dwarf rainbow fish
12-18 tetra's
6-8 harlequins
6-8 corydoras
a plecko (or a small to medium catfish type)

I'm interested in Rams too but haven't researched them enough to know who they can live with.
We also like Angelfish but don't think they could go with our existing tetras - again still researching those sorts of things. But before we get too carried away picking fish we need to look at tanks, sizes and equipment and cost it all up.

What we want to avoid is buying say a 145litre tank and getting half way and realising it's really not big enough at all. We won't be buying multiple tanks so we need to choose well and it be big enough that it has longevity but not so collossal that we get overwhelmed.

My gut feel is that a circa 200 litre tank would suit great but unfortunately haven't seen one that would work in our house. The Aqua One Oak style 235litre, we absolutely lovd but it's just too long for the space we have (we could potentially make it work if we moved some stuff in our kitchen but it would be a squeeze). The Juwel 190 litre corner would work perfectly but the style they sell them in doesn't work from a decor perspective at all.

Also, I understand bigger tanks are easier to maintain but a bigger tank is a much bigger job to do cleaning and a water change. I can find 30 minutes to an hour every week to maintain a tank but I'm going to struggle to find a block of 3-4hours every month. I'm worried we could run the risk of buying a tank that would be overwhelming when it comes to cleaning/water changes. So my mind then says the 145litre would be better but then I think it wouldn't be big enough for the fish we're currently researching!

Figured a forum where people have these sorts of tanks, fish and the experience of looking after them would be the place to ask!

Thank you!xx

What tetra do you already have ? If your thinking about adding cichlids the type of tetra is important , in my opinion 200l is a min for angels and want to be avoiding smaller tetras and opting for larger body tetras like skirts or Colombian
Most tetra will do well with rams but not always a guarantee
I always say get the biggest tank you can possibly fit in your house weather you plan on keeping neons or oscars more water is always beneficial . Don’t be afraid of a big tank the only extra time they take is water changes but even in a standard garden hose and a gravity syphon you can remove 250l water in less than 15mins and then another 15 to refill
The run cost is a little more on a big tank because bigger filters , heaters and lights all use more wattage so over time the run costs are more but it’s worth it in my opinion, I see too many people with 5 x 100l tanks when there maintenance would be so much easier to just have one 500l