What Can I Put In This Tank.

[Evil_Joe]

My fiancée has offered to buy me a larger tank for my Christmas this year. I'm currently looking at a 36" x 15" x 12": 28 US gallons: 106 litres tank and was wondering what I would be able to keep in it?

As a core for the tank I want a good sized plec (recommendations welcome) a couple of angel fish and a Siamese fighter. Are these all suitable together and in that size of tank? I'd also quite like a red tail black shark if at all possible?

Beyond these, what else would folks recommend for me to add? I haven't decided for definite to get this tank but if I can get most of my above choices then I will probably go for it.

Thanks.

 

[James9114]

angels n fighters are a big no no the angels will kill the fighter, others will tell you more and the shark gets too big for your tank and the only plec you can get away with really is a bristlenose plec

 

[DrRob]

Angels are doable in a tank that size, but to be honest they really need to be in a taller tank, they're tall fish and need room.

I'm not really all that knowledgeable on the various plecs out there, and have never really liked the attitude problems that come with the sharks, so I'll pass on advising on those.

 

[nurglespuss]

As a core for the tank I want a good sized plec (recommendations welcome) a couple of angel fish and a Siamese fighter. Are these all suitable together and in that size of tank? I'd also quite like a red tail black shark if at all possible?

Hi there great that your getting a bigger tank! same L as my new one too.

For a plec in that size tank, you might be better of looking at Bristlenose catfish instead, these stay to a much more manageable size! and are very fun to watch (you can breed them easily too!)

Combining siamese fighting fish with community fish can often prove problematic, they are just too slow in terms of swimming, and those trailing fins are too tempting for fin nippers!

Angels are cool, but can get a little pugnatious, though temperament can vary... they are still Cichlids!

as for the red tail black shark.... these guys almost always end up being aggressive bullies, staking a large territory (larger than your tank!) and defending it agains all comers...

I think your best bet would be to go grab a fish book (e.g. at the library?) and take a look at small-medium sized fish that are non aggressive with similar requirements (e.g. corydoras catfish, tetras, live bearers, minnow species etc.)

Hope that helps!

 

[mrp3]

For a pleco I'd get a bristle nose they get about 6 inches the rest aren't compatible I suggest tetras I like cardinals( need 5 at least for all tetras). And all the livebearers are good platys swordtails mollies guppies etc.

 

[Proxo]

Clown pleco is another good choice too, roughly 4inchs.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Small livebearers such as, endlers, guppies, platies, swordtails, and mollies, tetras like, neons, embers, cardinals, black neons, and lots others would be good in this tank, catfish that would be good are, coryordras, Pygmy coryordras, otos, and bristle noses are good catfish choices for a 28 gallon, a fighter could be a good choice, givin many hiding places if it is housed with other fish. Those are all the fish I can think of right now, but I will probably be back, good luck with your new tank, but cycle it first before you get anymore fish

 

[Juggler75]

Clown plecos don't really do algae though if thats what you're getting it for. I love my pitbull plecos that stay really small, are playful and demolish any algae that they come across. Ottos are another good choice for a maturer tank with plenty of bio film for them to feast on.

 

[moochy13]

all those saying the only plec option is bristelnose are uninformed. if a BN sized plec is suitable size for your tank, there are plenty of others that are a similar size - and far, far more interesting. even if the only plec i could have was a BN, i wouldnt bother. in the plec section of the forum theres a list pinned at the top of plecs all under 7". as i said, i dont know if a 7 inch plec is alright in your tank, but if somebody confirms it is, theres a list for you to look through. bear in mind though a lot are shy, so may not be much good as a centrepiece fish. just dont kop out and get a BN because its the 'easy option'.

nobody should buy a plec to deal with alagae. they only eat it if they're starving, and if you've got alage, theres something wrong with your tank setup.

i think i would probably look at having a nice plec, some interesting (ie not bronze) cories, a decent sized tetra school (i like buenos aires, though they are quite active and need room), and a pair of nice bolivian rams. if you could push for a slightly bigger tank, hopolo catfish are awesome. a trio of them are great.

in my opinion, too many tanks have BN plecs and bronze cories, nice fish but nothing compared to what you COULD have if you put a little effort in and dont buy the first fish you see at the lfs. the range of cories is on a par with plecs, and as long as you're willing to spend that little extra, it can make a huge difference in your tank.

 

[nurglespuss]

...And some of us are jusy big fans of bistlenoses..... and bronze cories...

 

[The Taffy Apple]

+1 with moochy13 regarding the Cory comments. I have 3 Albino in my tank , which is a little bigger in volume yet very similiar in dimensions to yours, with the hope of getting a few more in time to come... i would have loved a Plec but the eventual size of the vast majority of them is way too big for a tank of my size. As was stated, the heighth particulary is not sufficient for Angels and they would, in turn, probably kill your Siamese fighter.
If it is fish of these size and nature that you really want then it is a bigger tank that you need... your other option maybe something like i chose.. a peaceful, communtiy tank.

Best of luck with what you choose

Terry.

 

[moochy13]

...And some of us are jusy big fans of bistlenoses..... and bronze cories...

thats fair enough, i have a small tank with a BN and some bronze, and tbh i dont think they add much to the tank at all. the problem is they are the easiest fish to get hold of, you go the the lfs and you can almost guarantee the plecs they commonly have are BN's and commons, and the cories they have are bronze and peppers. if people new to the hobby dont dig deep enough, they will never know about all the other attractive cories you can have, like bandits, adolphis, delphax etc etc. even the humble 3 line and sterbai cories, which aren't difficult to get, look great.

and when they join a forum to get the info of experienced people, and they get 15 users saying "you can only have a BN", what chance have they got ? maybe because i told the OP about the 7" list, he might now be thinking "if i get a slightly bigger tank, i can get a really exotic plec"

and having a tank of fish that you really want is much more interesting than having a tank of fish just because "they fit".

 

[Proxo]

^^ +1 to that, why i suggested the clown plec .