What do i get!!!

[30galBarbs]

I`m new to the whole tropical fish thing and i cant find the information i want so i thought i would come here.

So i got a new tank 2ft About 44l 10 Gallons.
And i don`t no which fish will get along together, I Originally was going to get two Blue powder dwarf Gouramis (But apparently they don`t get along well) With some platies maybe tetras But i have no idea if that lot would get along.
If they wouldn`t can you please recommend me some fish that will get along together and are suitable for my tank.
Thank you.

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

First thing we like to know is your water parameters. Your source water (tap or well) will be soft to hard, with a pH level. Fish have preferences and some of them must have this or that. We will be better able to suggest species when we know the GH and pH. You may be able to get these from your water authority if you are on city water, check their website or contact them. We need the number and their unit of measurement for the GH as there are several.

I would agree that two gourami in a 10g will have problems, whatever the water. And platies get a bit large for a 10g tank. But we can suggest other fish when we have the parameters.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Platies, swordtails, mollies and guppies naturally occur in hard water with a GH (general hardness) above 200ppm (mollies have a GH above 250ppm), and a pH above 7.0.

Tetras and gouramis come from soft water with a GH below 150ppm and a pH below 7.0.

If you can find out the GH and pH of the water it can help us give you better information. You can normally find the GH and pH on your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, then take a glass full of tank water to your local pet shop and ask them to test the water for you. Write the results down in numbers at the time they do the test. Ask them what the test results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else). Post the results here.

If you go to the pet shop, make a list of fish and plants you like and post it here too. We can make suggestions on that.

-----------------------
Dwarf gouramis (Trichogaster lalius) and all their colour forms can carry 2 nasty diseases (the Iridovirus and tuberculosis) and should be avoided if possible. There are other small species of gourami (sparkling, licorice, Indian banded, honey dwarf) that will fit in that tank and don't normally carry the diseases. However, you need to know the GH first.

 

[30galBarbs]

Welcome to TFF.

First thing we like to know is your water parameters. Your source water (tap or well) will be soft to hard, with a pH level. Fish have preferences and some of them must have this or that. We will be better able to suggest species when we know the GH and pH. You may be able to get these from your water authority if you are on city water, check their website or contact them. We need the number and their unit of measurement for the GH as there are several.

I would agree that two gourami in a 10g will have problems, whatever the water. And platies get a bit large for a 10g tank. But we can suggest other fish when we have the parameters.

Hello i know the Ph is 7.7 Im not sure what my GH is though.

 

[30galBarbs]

Hello i know the Ph is 7.7 Im not sure what my GH is though.

The only thing i found on GH in my area is this 12 – 45 mg/L will that help?

 

[Essjay]

Assuming that's mg/l calcium carbonate, that is very soft water. There are two units used in fish profiles, ppm (which is the same as mg/l calcium carbonate) and dH. Your 12 - 45 ppm (aka mg/l) converts to 0.7 - 2.5 dH.

I'm afraid your water is unsuitable for livebearers, but very suitable for soft water fish, and there are lots of those.

A 2 ft, 44 litre tank is suitable for only small fish which are not very active swimmers. Some of the small tetras or fish in the Boraras genus would be fine in this tank. But you need to avoid very active small fish as they need a longer tank.




Do you know about cycling a tank before you get fish? This article explains what cycling is and how to do it http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/
Alternatively, you can plant the tank quite heavily with live plants, especially floating plants, wait till you are sure they are thriving not dying, then add fish a few at a time. You would need to monitor the water for ammonia and nitrite to make sure the plants are taking up all the ammonia made by the fish.

 

[Colin_T]

was it 12-45 mg/l CaCo3 or just 12-45 mg/l ?

mg/l (milligrams per litre) is the same as ppm (parts per million).

I'm guessing it is 12-45 mg/l (ppm), which is very soft water so avoid livebearers.
Tetras, barbs, rasboras, gouramis and most catfish like Corydoras will be fine in soft water.

 

[30galBarbs]

was it 12-45 mg/l CaCo3 or just 12-45 mg/l ?

mg/l (milligrams per litre) is the same as ppm (parts per million).

I'm guessing it is 12-45 mg/l (ppm), which is very soft water so avoid livebearers.
Tetras, barbs, rasboras, gouramis and most catfish like Corydoras will be fine in soft water.

Yeah its just 12-45 mg/l

 

[Essjay]

If the unit is just given as mg/l with nothing else after it, then it is mg/l CaCO3 (calcium carbonate).

There are 2 other mg/l units but they always have something written after the mg/l. These are mg/l Ca (calcium), commonly used by UK water companies, and mg/l CaO (calcium oxide), which I have seen used by one UK water company. In this case, even if it is mg/l Ca it's still soft water.

 

[Byron]

So we have very soft water (much like what I have where I live). You have many choices, just stay with soft water species, and obviously keep in mind essjay's advice on behaviours (swimming activity) and size with respect to this tank size.

Your options are from the species native to South America and SE Asia. Small tetras like the Ember Tetra, some of the pencilfish, some of the hatchetfish, the pygmy/dwarf corydoras catfish, dwarf rasbora (Boraras species), etc.

 

[30galBarbs]

So we have very soft water (much like what I have where I live). You have many choices, just stay with soft water species, and obviously keep in mind essjay's advice on behaviours (swimming activity) and size with respect to this tank size.

Your options are from the species native to South America and SE Asia. Small tetras like the Ember Tetra, some of the pencilfish, some of the hatchetfish, the pygmy/dwarf corydoras catfish, dwarf rasbora (Boraras species), etc.

Could i get flame tetras? with some maybe neon`s and some other types of tetras.

 

[Byron]

Could i get flame tetras? with some maybe neon`s and some other types of tetras.

First, after reading back through this thread, I think we should pin down the tank size. Can you give the dimensions (in either inches or cm)? I want to be certain we are dealing with a 44 liter (which would be about 12 US gallons) or larger.

 

[Essjay]

It is possible that 30galBarbs is using imperial gallons. Using the calculator on here, 44 litres = 9.7 imp. gallons. But the dimensions would say if this is true or not.

 

[30galBarbs]

First, after reading back through this thread, I think we should pin down the tank size. Can you give the dimensions (in either inches or cm)? I want to be certain we are dealing with a 44 liter (which would be about 12 US gallons) or larger.

My Fish tank is 60cmL30cmH30cmD

 

[30galBarbs]

It is possible that 30galBarbs is using imperial gallons. Using the calculator on here, 44 litres = 9.7 imp. gallons. But the dimensions would say if this is true or not.

I am using US gallons