50/60 litre tank?

[bella2260]

Hiya!

Ive kept fish before but never tropical fish (both my parents have though) and just wondered what kind of fish i can keep together and how many as do NOT want to overcrowd. ive had platys and goldfish in the past now want something a bit more exotic!
also random other question, what’s the deal with sand instead of gravel? i quite like the look of that but not sure if it’s good for the fish or not.
anyways thanks guys and if there’s any other tips n tricks let me know!

 

[Essjay]

The first question we need to ask is how hard is your water? Your water company's website should have your hardness on their website, normally we have to enter our address or postcode to access it. You need a number rather than vague words, and the unit of measurement as there are about half a dozen different units they could use. if you can't find it, tell us the name of the water company and we'll see what we can find.
The reason we ask is that soft water fish kept in hard water develop calcium deposits in their kidneys so they don't live as long as they should; hard water fish kept in soft water suffer calcium loss and they get sick more easily.

It's not a question of how many fish. You can keep more small fish than large fish in a tank, whatever the size. Then there are fish which need to be in a group of at least 10 (shoaling fish) and those that need just one or maybe one pair per tank.

So first of all, find your hardness, then tell us the dimensions of the tank. In the UK, tanks of the same volume can be wide and shallow or tall and narrow. The wide ones have more swimming length than the tall ones which does affect which fish are suitable.


Sand or gravel, the choice is yours. The only way it affects fish is that those fish which live on the bottom, cories and loaches for example, do a lot better with sand. But if you don't want any bottom dwellers it doesn't matter which.




Two final things:
Never ever take advice from a fish store. Most workers have been trained in how to sell things, not in fish care and they can give terrible advice. Always do your own research - including asking on here
Do you know about cycling - the process of growing bacteria to remove the ammonia made by the fish? If you don't, can I suggest reading this before buying any fish.

Cycle Your Tank! A Complete Guide For Beginners

Fishless cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ Silent or plant cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/planted-silent-cycling.470400/ Fish-in cycling...

www.fishforums.net

 

[sharkweek178]

Hiya!

Ive kept fish before but never tropical fish (both my parents have though) and just wondered what kind of fish i can keep together and how many as do NOT want to overcrowd. ive had platys and goldfish in the past now want something a bit more exotic!
also random other question, what’s the deal with sand instead of gravel? i quite like the look of that but not sure if it’s good for the fish or not.
anyways thanks guys and if there’s any other tips n tricks let me know!

To answer your first question, we need to know your water hardness. If you don't know it, you can find out online.

And sand is great. You just have to be a little careful about what kind you use. There are aquarium sands out there but they are a waste of money, IMO. Some people use pool filter sand. Some people even use blasting sand, although if any of your fish are bottom dwellers it's best to avoid that. But for my money, play sand is the best. In Britain you can use Argos play sand, available at hardware stores. Since it's designed for children to play in, it's non toxic and non abrasive. It won't affect your water parameters. It's actually necessary for corys, who sift through sand for food, or fish that like to burrow, like loaches. As long as you avoid dyed sands or something that would affect the water chemistry, sand isn't bad for fish at all. Just the opposite. And also, sand helps keep your tank cleaner because uneaten food and fish poop doesn't fall between gaps and fester in the water. Plus, it helps your tank cycle by providing more surface area for the beneficial bacteria.

 

[Essjay]

In Britain you can use Argos play sand, available at hardware stores.

Just a heads up - Argos play sand is only available in Argos stores

 

[sharkweek178]

Just a heads up - Argos play sand is only available in Argos stores

Thanks for that correction.

 

[bella2260]

The first question we need to ask is how hard is your water? Your water company's website should have your hardness on their website, normally we have to enter our address or postcode to access it. You need a number rather than vague words, and the unit of measurement as there are about half a dozen different units they could use. if you can't find it, tell us the name of the water company and we'll see what we can find.
The reason we ask is that soft water fish kept in hard water develop calcium deposits in their kidneys so they don't live as long as they should; hard water fish kept in soft water suffer calcium loss and they get sick more easily.

It's not a question of how many fish. You can keep more small fish than large fish in a tank, whatever the size. Then there are fish which need to be in a group of at least 10 (shoaling fish) and those that need just one or maybe one pair per tank.

So first of all, find your hardness, then tell us the dimensions of the tank. In the UK, tanks of the same volume can be wide and shallow or tall and narrow. The wide ones have more swimming length than the tall ones which does affect which fish are suitable.


Sand or gravel, the choice is yours. The only way it affects fish is that those fish which live on the bottom, cories and loaches for example, do a lot better with sand. But if you don't want any bottom dwellers it doesn't matter which.




Two final things:
Never ever take advice from a fish store. Most workers have been trained in how to sell things, not in fish care and they can give terrible advice. Always do your own research - including asking on here
Do you know about cycling - the process of growing bacteria to remove the ammonia made by the fish? If you don't, can I suggest reading this before buying any fish.

Cycle Your Tank! A Complete Guide For Beginners

Fishless cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ Silent or plant cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/planted-silent-cycling.470400/ Fish-in cycling...

www.fishforums.net

it says under 60 ppm, is that an accurate enough measurement? and also my tank is wider rather than taller. also yes i have read up about cycling!

 

[bella2260]

To answer your first question, we need to know your water hardness. If you don't know it, you can find out online.

And sand is great. You just have to be a little careful about what kind you use. There are aquarium sands out there but they are a waste of money, IMO. Some people use pool filter sand. Some people even use blasting sand, although if any of your fish are bottom dwellers it's best to avoid that. But for my money, play sand is the best. In Britain you can use Argos play sand, available at hardware stores. Since it's designed for children to play in, it's non toxic and non abrasive. It won't affect your water parameters. It's actually necessary for corys, who sift through sand for food, or fish that like to burrow, like loaches. As long as you avoid dyed sands or something that would affect the water chemistry, sand isn't bad for fish at all. Just the opposite. And also, sand helps keep your tank cleaner because uneaten food and fish poop doesn't fall between gaps and fester in the water. Plus, it helps your tank cycle by providing more surface area for the beneficial bacteria.

it says under 60ppm for water pressure. also that’s perfect! i’ll have a look on argos now what a bargain. or i’ve seen that soil you can grow plants in for fish tanks, is that okay too? or would you need some sandy areas as well

 

[Byron]

If the GH (general hardness or total hardness) is given as less than 60 ppm, that is soft water so you have more options especially for a small tank. And on the dimensions, can you give us the actual numbers (cm is fine) for the length? This is more important as some fish need length to swim, others are more "cruising" in nature.

I would not recommend any of the so-called plant substrates. These have bacterial issues that can impact substrate-level fish, and in a small tank (60 liter or 15 gallons) one of the good choices is Corydoras catfish, especially the pygmy. These can have serious issues over anything but straight inert sand. The Argos is used by other UK members with good recommendation. All plants will grow as well in inert sand as in any other medium.