Which Tropical Fish? Can Filter+Air Be Turned Off?

[lukyjay]

Hello my name is Jay,
 
I have just bought a 65 litre tank on Saturday.That's roughly 17 gallons for those from America. The size is 61cm x 30cm x 38cm. I also bought an Aqua One 102F filter, an Aqua One 100w heater and some API Stress Coat. Last night I purchased a Tetra Whisper 10 aerator UL which I don't expect to arrive for another 10-20 days, but that's okay because my filter can throw water in from above which makes enough bubbles to more or less cover 3/4 of the tank.
 
I am an absolute begginner. At the moment I've set up my tank on Saturday, and I used the recommended amount of stress coat and set up my pump and heater I don't know why, but I set them up after I used the stress coat. On Sunday night I added a further 1/4 the dosage of stress coat to the water.
 
Here is what I would like to know,
 
What tropical fish am I able to keep in this size tank? I was really interested in the Bala Shark. The pet store told me I'd be able to have no more than 2 Bala Sharks in a tank of my size, but Google has since proven her wrong as they like to be in groups of 3+ and have at least twice as much space as my tank can offer. Is this correct?
 
I would love to have 2 types of swimming fish, maybe 5 - 10 in total depending on size? And one type of fish for the gravel, was thinking a catfish is the only viable option

The hardest part is picking the right fish for a tank of my size, and making sure they're not going to become aggressive to each other.
 
Also, I'm planning on buying a bridge or cave for my catfish but I should note that this aquarium is in the same room that I sleep, so I won't have live plants since they require a light above the tank right? I'll mainly have natural light/bed room light.

 
Last question: Since this is in the room where I sleep, I was told my the pet store staff (but not sure how accurate this is) for most types of fish you can turn off your filter and aerator for as long as 6 hours and they'll be fine. I don't know how much I trust that, so here is what I was thinking I could do: Buy an electronic timer and set up a schedule like this: (green = filter+aerator on, red = off) 7am-9pm, 9pm-12am, 12am-1am, 1am-4am, 4am-5am, 5am-7am and repeat that cycle. How realistic is this? Is it okay to use a schedule like this for both the filter and aerator, or can I only do it for one or neither? Heater will be 24/7.
 
Any help and advice that you guys could offer would be fantastic!
Please be nice, I'm new and at least I'm asking for help before just going out and killing a school of fish from trial and error

 

[fluttermoth]

Bala sharks would be a definite no no in a tank for that size; they can grow to a foot long!
 
Choice of fish really depends on what kind of water you have; hard or soft.
 
You do need to keep your filter running 24/7; the bacteria can survive occasional short periods without flow over them (like in a power cut, for instance), but not on a regular basis.
 
You don't need to run additional air, as long as your filter is rippling the surface of the water; you don't need actual bubbles.

 

[Clearwaters]

Your gonna need a light for the tank plants or not and why not just leave the filter on? They're not that loud that you won't be able to sleep.

 

[lukyjay]

Bala sharks would be a definite no no in a tank for that size; they can grow to a foot long!
 
Choice of fish really depends on what kind of water you have; hard or soft.
 
You do need to keep your filter running 24/7; the bacteria can survive occasional short periods without flow over them (like in a power cut, for instance), but not on a regular basis.
 
You don't need to run additional air, as long as your filter is rippling the surface of the water; you don't need actual bubbles.

Thanks a bunch for your help

I was planning on changing the attachment on my filter so it'd be completely under water. Would it still be fine to have that running 24/7 (it'd not add any air to the water) and have my aerator on that schedule?

What do you mean hard or soft water? A quick Google showed it's based on the minerals in the water right? I'm yet to buy a pH test kit, if I buy one of those $60 all in one test kits, will I be able to check using that? I'm using regular tap water with stress coat. House/suburb I live in was built around 1994.
 
 
 

Your gonna need a light for the tank plants or not and why not just leave the filter on? They're not that loud that you won't be able to sleep.

 
Why would I need a light for a tank with no plants? I thought it was common to not have a light in your tank as long as natural light is provided during the day? Are you sure I need one?
 
If I do need a light, then I guess I could buy one and only run it during daytime, I know when I was a kid we used to turn the light off on our fish tank when it was bed time and turn it back on again in the morning. Can I do that if I must have a light? Edit: But if I'm doing that, would I be able to have plants in my aquarium, because I do prefer to have real plants it's just I don't want light in my room as I sleep. If I can turn it off at night I'll be happy

 

[fluttermoth]

Fish and plants need a day/night schedule, same as everything else; you wouldn't run the lights all the time! Planted tanks need between six and eight hours of artificial light a day.
 
It is true that you don't need a light if you're not having real plants, but most fish do look better with one.
 
You'd probably know if you had hard water, as you'd get a lot of limescale build up in your kettle/showerhead/washing machine.
 
Your filter will be perfectly alright underwater, as long as it's rippling the surface; bubbles don't add oxygen to the water anyway, to any great extent, they just help the water move so that it can release carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen at the surface, so you don't need to run an aerator at all, unless you like the look of the bubbles.

 

[Clearwaters]

Ye light on through day and off at night, let's you see your tank and enjoy it more, no lighton it you will struggle to see all of it. And also means you can pop a few plants in, give it a nicer look.

 

[lukyjay]

You'd probably know if you had hard water, as you'd get a lot of limescale build up in your kettle/showerhead/washing machine.
 
Your filter will be perfectly alright underwater, as long as it's rippling the surface; bubbles don't add oxygen to the water anyway, to any great extent, they just help the water move so that it can release carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen at the surface, so you don't need to run an aerator at all, unless you like the look of the bubbles.

Ah I get what you mean, like the green/white stuff you find on peoples shower heads? I have a little, but no more than the average household.

Okay so I'll make my filter ripple the surface, then I can just have my aerator on between 7am and 9pm and that'll be enough?

Also for the light, does it matter what kind of light? Or can I just use a standard LED

I already have a cheap white LED lamp that's about the same length as the tank. Colours don't matter right?

 

[lukyjay]

Here are some pictures, so hopefully you can tell me if I've goofed up on the lighting and filter.
 
Lighting on water + gravel and the ripples:
http/imgur.com/a/RXdrv
All pictures were taken with my light off, in a dark room by the way (curtains closed)
 
How are these ripples? You saying these are enough to provide oxygen to my tropical fish?
 
Also a side note, while I changed the attachment on my filter, I noticed everything felt slimy. I hope I haven't added too much stress coat, gotta get a testing kit asap!

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes; those ripples are plenty of agitation. Remember, where fish live in the wild, there are no aerators or bubbles to keep the water oxygenated!
 
Moving water is all that's needed; the water gets oxygen directly from the air/surface interface.
 
Your light is quite low, but there are some 'low light' plants; both Java fern and anubias should do well; they both need to be attached to rock or wood rather than planted in the substrate.
 
'Slime' on surfaces in a tank is normal. It's called 'biofilm' and is made up of various (harmless!) algae and bacteria.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

I've not seen any mention of cycling in this thread yet. How are you planning to do it?

 

[b3cca]

Best way to find your tap water hardness, chloramines etc is to ask your local water suppliers.
 
All I did was google my local water suppliers and read through their most recent tap water stats for my area, so knew instantly that we have soft water with neutral P.H so i then chose fish that like those specific conditions.

 

[lukyjay]

I've decided that I've made a few to many mistakes by trying out different things. Filter and heater are now out of my tank and I'm going to buy a new filter. An eheim 1103 I think? It's basically a classic 250 canister filter. My reason is the noise. Apparently those are the quietest small filters you can buy, according to my googling for 2 hours, fluval came second. When I get that, I'm going to set it all back up and follow the cycling thread or my local aquarium store advice. Hopefully ask goes well, I'll start a new thread if not

Lunar: I'm still waiting on my api test kit before I check everything for cycling

I'd love a plant that lives on some wood but super scared about getting wood because it might not be safe for the water, not so convinced I'd buy it at the price my local shops charge. Maybe I'll ask my brother, he has a 1.5m long tropical, he might have a spare

 

[Essjay]

Java fern and anubias can be attached to any decor in the tank not just wood. Mine are on plastic ornaments as well as wood.

 

[the_lock_man]

follow .... my local aquarium store advice.

 
That part is usually a very bad idea.....

 

[lukyjay]

I need some help choosing tropical fish that are not aggressive, won't eat each other and can live in similar environments. Preferable not too fussy (like I am hehe)
I'm set on catfish that move around the floor and suck the gravel, but which ones and how many?
For swimming I think I'd like some blue tropical fish that won't grow larger than around 5cm or so? I think I should be able to have 3 or 4 of those, do you think I can have more?
Also should I still get plants, if so which ones and how many would I require? Will probably get Java Fern, thanks Fluttermoth and Essjay
 
Not really important, but just an update on things:
 
Today I bought and set up an Eheim 250 (2213) filter, works flawless! Not silent like everyone says, but it's more or less quiet and if it's placed in a cabinet or a box with some sponges under it, and a weight on top it is then more or less silent. I don't know why you need a weight on top, but I added a 5kg weight on top of mine and the vibration noise from the propeller went away instantly. Weird. Flushing the air out of the thing is a pain in the neck also, you need to shake it. I wish there was an easier way, maybe they could've designed the top like a cone to force the air out?
 
I also bought a net to catch dead fish and maybe move stuff without getting my hands in the tank. I got an APi master test kit (A lot of people seem to use these) and an airstone with 5m of air tubing. I've got it all ready for when my aerator arives.
 
This was a different store, not a pet store but an aquarium/fish store that's been open for as long as I can remember. It's called Aquotix. The lady who has been working there for 10+ years told me that Bala Sharks would be fine in my tank because they wouldn't grow too big in a small tank, they adjust. It sounds to me like she's talking about stunting their growth which sounds unhealthy and incredibly cruel...
 
Anyway I ran a pH test (no other test since there is no fish in there yet, right?) and it's showing quite blue... a 7.6 maybe a tiny little bit higher. There is also a 'high pH test', should I use that? I need to know what fish I'm going to get before I adjust the pH anyway.
 
So far this is quite expensive, almost spent $400 and I haven't even got a fish yet!
 
 
 

follow .... my local aquarium store advice.

 
That part is usually a very bad idea.....

Read the part above about stunting growth of Bala Sharks to fish in smaller aquariums. I don't know much about fish yet, but I don't think you should force any animal to live in an environment small enough that it would affect their growth. This is why I'm trusting FishForums.net members like yourself

Crowd sourced information is more reliable I believe, as others can point out mistakes of their peers.

Edit: Oh and she told me to never ever cycle my water before adding fish! I should add the fish first, then the fish can do it for me. I told her I have to wait for my aerator to arrive from the Internet anyway, so I'd rather be patient and see what's better in the long run. I'm thinking she's wrong about that part

Java fern and anubias can be attached to any decor in the tank not just wood. Mine are on plastic ornaments as well as wood.

Found this gem on Google Images. It looks beautiful, I think I like Java Fern.

If there are no problems, it'll be my plant of choice as it not only looks amazing but it seems pretty versatile in growing on anything.