how many Gouramis can I have in a 40ltr tank
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What are the dimensions of the tank, and is your water hard or soft?
There are a lot of different gourami species; nearly all of them are going to be too big for a 40l.
There are a lot of different gourami species; nearly all of them are going to be too big for a 40l.
they are dwarf Gouramis and I haven't got the tank yet but the dimensions are 51.3 cm L x 26 cm W x 32.8 cm H
SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
im afraid its still to small.
what size would you suggest for a starter tank
A 60l is about the smallest size tank for dwarf gouramis; you'll also need a trio of one male to two females, as the males are quite feisty and might bully a lone female. I should also warn you that many dwarf gouramis these days carry an incurable disease called iridovirus.
But you still haven't told us if your water is hard or soft. DGs need to have soft water. If you don't know about your water, you can look it up on your suppliers website.
But you still haven't told us if your water is hard or soft. DGs need to have soft water. If you don't know about your water, you can look it up on your suppliers website.
going off topic, what beginner tropical fish could I fit in a 40ltr
We need to know how hard your water is before we can answer that question.
Hardness is important to fish. They have evolved over millions of years to live at a certain hardness. If we put fish in the wrong hardness they will suffer. We need to match fish to your tap water hardness. If we suggest soft water fish and you have hard water the fish will likely get sick and vice versa.
Your water supplier's website should have your tap water hardness somewhere. We need the number and the unit as they could use any one of half a dozen different units.
if you can't find the info, tell us the name of your water supplier and we'll see what we can find.
Hardness is important to fish. They have evolved over millions of years to live at a certain hardness. If we put fish in the wrong hardness they will suffer. We need to match fish to your tap water hardness. If we suggest soft water fish and you have hard water the fish will likely get sick and vice versa.
Your water supplier's website should have your tap water hardness somewhere. We need the number and the unit as they could use any one of half a dozen different units.
if you can't find the info, tell us the name of your water supplier and we'll see what we can find.
SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
im sorry but i must add that a 60 l tank allows for so much more variety and options.
if you are heart set on a 40 l then i would suggest something like a guppy tank(males only) or if you do careful research and are willing to do a bit more complex fish then dwarf puffers.
also we need your water parameters as this is vital to the well being of your fish.
if you are heart set on a 40 l then i would suggest something like a guppy tank(males only) or if you do careful research and are willing to do a bit more complex fish then dwarf puffers.
also we need your water parameters as this is vital to the well being of your fish.
my tap water parameters are 10 no3
0 no2 5th is >7°d .kh is 6°d the ph is 6.8 and the chlorine levels are 0.2
not 5th I meant gh
I'm afraid "greater than 7" is not terribly helpful. How much greater? 7.5 is not soft but not hard either; 10 is moderately hard; 13 is hard; 20 is very hard.
It really would be best if you looked at your water supplier's website.
From the results you give, you are using a strip tester which does not test for ammonia. You will need to cycle the tank once you get it http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ and to do that you will need to be able to test for ammonia. And liquid reagent test kits (the kind with test tubes) are more accurate than strips.
It will take several weeks to cycle the tank so you do have some time to get the fish list sorted out.
It really would be best if you looked at your water supplier's website.
From the results you give, you are using a strip tester which does not test for ammonia. You will need to cycle the tank once you get it http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ and to do that you will need to be able to test for ammonia. And liquid reagent test kits (the kind with test tubes) are more accurate than strips.
It will take several weeks to cycle the tank so you do have some time to get the fish list sorted out.
I'm not sure whether this is helpful but this is what the website said
Attachments
That is perfect, thank you.
There are 2 hardness units used in fishkeeping; some sites use one of them some use the other. The best site for looking up fish is Seriously Fish http://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ and that uses both.
The two numbers you need from the website page are:
CaCO3 mg/l = 94. You'll find this called ppm in fish profiles.
German degrees = 5.27. This is often called degrees or dH in fish profiles.
It looks as though your strips are somewhat inaccurate at >7 - they use German degrees.
So you need fish that are suitable for a tank the size you intend to get and that need soft water.
I'm afraid the tank is too small for the dwarf gouramis you asked about and also the slightly smaller honey gourami. A tank that size is more suited to the so-called nano fish, which tend to be shoaling fish so that you would need a group of at least six, preferably a few more, of the same species.
For example, ember tetras http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hyphessobrycon-amandae/ These tend to look washed out and boring in a shop tank but they colour up nicely once they've settled in and their colour lives up to their name.
Or fish in the genus Boraras, there are a few species http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/search/boraras
For the bottom, one of the dwarf species of cory, pygmy cories are the most common in shops http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-pygmaeus/ The other dwarf cories are less common in shops - Corydoras habrosus and Corydoras hastatus.
So perhaps 10 ember tetras or one of the Boraras, and 10 pygmy cories (though some members will say that is too many fish!)
I would also suggest you have plants with these small fish as they get quite nervous if they have nowhere to hide if they get scared.
But as I said before, you'll need to cycle the tank first and that will give you plenty time to decide on fish.
There are 2 hardness units used in fishkeeping; some sites use one of them some use the other. The best site for looking up fish is Seriously Fish http://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ and that uses both.
The two numbers you need from the website page are:
CaCO3 mg/l = 94. You'll find this called ppm in fish profiles.
German degrees = 5.27. This is often called degrees or dH in fish profiles.
It looks as though your strips are somewhat inaccurate at >7 - they use German degrees.
So you need fish that are suitable for a tank the size you intend to get and that need soft water.
I'm afraid the tank is too small for the dwarf gouramis you asked about and also the slightly smaller honey gourami. A tank that size is more suited to the so-called nano fish, which tend to be shoaling fish so that you would need a group of at least six, preferably a few more, of the same species.
For example, ember tetras http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hyphessobrycon-amandae/ These tend to look washed out and boring in a shop tank but they colour up nicely once they've settled in and their colour lives up to their name.
Or fish in the genus Boraras, there are a few species http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/search/boraras
For the bottom, one of the dwarf species of cory, pygmy cories are the most common in shops http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-pygmaeus/ The other dwarf cories are less common in shops - Corydoras habrosus and Corydoras hastatus.
So perhaps 10 ember tetras or one of the Boraras, and 10 pygmy cories (though some members will say that is too many fish!)
I would also suggest you have plants with these small fish as they get quite nervous if they have nowhere to hide if they get scared.
But as I said before, you'll need to cycle the tank first and that will give you plenty time to decide on fish.
the thing is I live in a place where there is only 1 let's store and that's let's at home and the only showing fish they sell are neon tetras do you suggest any websites to buy fish from
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