What size tank for these fish?

[DogFish]

(first note I am months away from this new tank, just in the planning stages of WHAT fish, I know cardinals should be added last to a well established tank.)

I want a tank with small colourful fish. I really really want a school of cardinal tetras (6 minimum), they are the reason for a new tank. So what other fish should I have with them. I have been told platy to clean the algae and cories to clean the bottom.
I also like Serpae tetras and Black tetras and some of the colourful mollies. The question is what is best as a small colourful fish with the cardinals, and to help keep a clean healthy tank.

I would have liked a 10 gal tank, but from reading that may be just too small.
So I am thinking a 20 gal (regular or long?). If I just want a 20 gal, can I have
6 cardinal tetras
? platy (small)
? cory (small)
Maybe a betta? (Gonna have another one, can go in community tank or own tank)
or something else?

Thanks!

 

[Cheese Specialist]

(first note I am months away from this new tank, just in the planning stages of WHAT fish, I know cardinals should be added last to a well established tank.)

I want a tank with small colourful fish. I really really want a school of cardinal tetras (6 minimum), they are the reason for a new tank. So what other fish should I have with them. I have been told platy to clean the algae and cories to clean the bottom.
I also like Serpae tetras and Black tetras and some of the colourful mollies. The question is what is best as a small colourful fish with the cardinals, and to help keep a clean healthy tank.

I would have liked a 10 gal tank, but from reading that may be just too small.
So I am thinking a 20 gal (regular or long?). If I just want a 20 gal, can I have
6 cardinal tetras
? platy (small)
? cory (small)
Maybe a betta? (Gonna have another one, can go in community tank or own tank)
or something else?

Thanks!

I think a long tank is best as it gives more surface area and so more oxygen and can allow more fish than a tall tank would.

I know that there are some small breeds of corys out there but recently I have been seeing ome very big ones. Like 3.5" schwartzi today! Maybe pygmi corys if you want small as it's best to have 3+ of them.

HTH

 

[Morrgan]

My suggestion:
6 cardinal tetras
3 platies (you probably want only one sex, otherwise you'll soon be overcrowded with babies)
3-4 small cories, perhaps pygmi or panda

 

[DogFish]

My suggestion:
6 cardinal tetras
3 platies (you probably want only one sex, otherwise you'll soon be overcrowded with babies)
3-4 small cories, perhaps pygmi or panda

Yep, I'm thinking you are both right on. I will look for a long tank, and exactly the fish you suggest. NOw I get to start shopping for that tank!

 

[Bol]

I personally have never seen a platy eat algae.

For that reason, I'd suggest adding a couple of otos (otocinclus catfish), or, if you can find them, a couple of Siamese Algae Eaters (not Chinese Algae Eaters, which get large, and often aggressive).

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I personally have never seen a platy eat algae.

For that reason, I'd suggest adding a couple of otos (otocinclus catfish), or, if you can find them, a couple of Siamese Algae Eaters (not Chinese Algae Eaters, which get large, and often aggressive).

If they are like mollies then they eat it off the glass and I have read a few times that the back of the tank should not be cleaned as ollies nned the algae to survive.

 

[Morrgan]

My platies nipped on algae almost incessantly. They're not very effective though, especially not compared to ottos, so Bol has a point. If you want fish who are effective at keeping the algae under control, take ottos instead of cories. Siamese algae eaters would be a bad idea for a tank that small though (because of their large size, their need to be in a small group and active swimming behaviour), so I don't recommend them in this case.

 

[Auslander]

With regards to the tank size, the depth is not really the important issue. You need to find the tank with the largest surface area, where the water comes into contact with the air, ie, the largest area when using length * bredth as your parameters.