Stocking Ideas for 130L or 182L

[Ryan_F]

Hello again all, I am planning on getting a new fish tank for Christmas. I’m excited already but wasn’t really sure what to stock it with. I feel I’ve managed my 65L and a very small probably 20L if I was lucky, I feel like I could have to more “Advanced” fish now that I don’t feel like I’m a novice. I am tempted for a salt water but it might be a bit to much work for me yet. So my PH is around 7.2-7.3, this is what my tap water comes out as and need to check at my LFS for GH.

Anyway enough Blabbering.
I am interested in Bristlenoses or other smallish Cats, angels, and other cichlids.
I like discus but was told they can be touch and go. A big school of rummy noses? 8-12?
Rainbows mabye. I’m just not sure. Any help would be much appreciated. 130 is 90cm long and the 182 is 120 long. Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

We need the general hardness (GH) before we offer ideas. If we suggest rainbowfish and you have soft water, the rainbows will suffer. If you have hard water and we suggest tetras and Apistogramma dwarf cichlids, they won't be happy.

----------------------
Saltwater is not that hard. The biggest issue is the salt water. You can make seawater with artificial marine salts or go to the beach and collect it from the ocean.

Marine tanks have very hard alkaline water with shell or beach sand/ coral sand on the bottom. You decorate the tank with limestone rocks and a few plastic plants if you want some.

The main thing with marine tanks is to cycle the tank before putting any livestock in it. Due to the high pH of seawater, any ammonia becomes extremely toxic. But once the filter has been cycled, you maintain the tank in the same way as freshwater tanks. You do regular water changes using seawater, you monitor salinity (salt levels), ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH levels. If you keep hard corals then you also monitor carbonate hardness and calcium levels.

If you keep hard or soft corals you need good light and lots of water movement.

The only other difference between fresh and salt water fish is the food. Very few marine fish take dry or flake foods and need fresh, frozen but defrosted or live foods.

 

[zain611]

With my 130 litre tank I'm going to set up I'm thinking of getting between neon tetra, cardinal tetra or green neon tetras. Might get about 10. I like shrimps so might get some cherry and velvet blue shrimps.

I think the hardest thing for me is aquascaping. My imagination isn't great when it comes to that.

My tank is 62cm across by 39cm wide so I'm sure you could look at fish which grow longer on yours.

 

[Ryan_F]

With my 130 litre tank I'm going to set up I'm thinking of getting between neon tetra, cardinal tetra or green neon tetras. Might get about 10. I like shrimps so might get some cherry and velvet blue shrimps.

I think the hardest thing for me is aquascaping. My imagination isn't great when it comes to that.

My tank is 62cm across by 39cm wide so I'm sure you could look at fish which grow longer on yours.

I heard you could fit around 12 gnt in a 65L.. so you probably could fit like 20+ quiet easily. I might be wrong but I’m sure I read they only grow to like 1/2 an inch.

 

[Ryan_F]

With my 130 litre tank I'm going to set up I'm thinking of getting between neon tetra, cardinal tetra or green neon tetras. Might get about 10. I like shrimps so might get some cherry and velvet blue shrimps.

I think the hardest thing for me is aquascaping. My imagination isn't great when it comes to that.

My tank is 62cm across by 39cm wide so I'm sure you could look at fish which grow longer on yours.

And yeah. About size I would like some bigger fish but I don’t want them to eat my other smaller fish. Because I’m probably sell my 65. I want something exciting but reasonably peaceful

 

[Ryan_F]

We need the general hardness (GH) before we offer ideas. If we suggest rainbowfish and you have soft water, the rainbows will suffer. If you have hard water and we suggest tetras and Apistogramma dwarf cichlids, they won't be happy.

----------------------
Saltwater is not that hard. The biggest issue is the salt water. You can make seawater with artificial marine salts or go to the beach and collect it from the ocean.

Marine tanks have very hard alkaline water with shell or beach sand/ coral sand on the bottom. You decorate the tank with limestone rocks and a few plastic plants if you want some.

The main thing with marine tanks is to cycle the tank before putting any livestock in it. Due to the high pH of seawater, any ammonia becomes extremely toxic. But once the filter has been cycled, you maintain the tank in the same way as freshwater tanks. You do regular water changes using seawater, you monitor salinity (salt levels), ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH levels. If you keep hard corals then you also monitor carbonate hardness and calcium levels.

If you keep hard or soft corals you need good light and lots of water movement.

The only other difference between fresh and salt water fish is the food. Very few marine fish take dry or flake foods and need fresh, frozen but defrosted or live foods.

Yeah thanks again for your help. I will get my water tested on the weekend as I’m a bit sick atm. I would go for saltwater but I will probably sell my 65L as I’m not aloud to have more than one tank we’re im staying

 

[Colin_T]

If you're only allowed to keep one tank, set the big one up and keep the smaller one empty and say its a hospital tank. When you move somewhere else you can set them both up.

 

[Tiger Tiger]

Or a breeding tank later on .

 

[zain611]

I know that feeling Ryan. My room is getting refurbished so had to put my current 28 litre tank in the living room and my mum isn't happy about It . If you aren't going to keep the old tank I'd say try to keep the filter media so you can use that to seed the new tank. That's the reason why Im still running my current tank. That and I have fish in it

 

[Ryan_F]

If you're only allowed to keep one tank, set the big one up and keep the smaller one empty and say its a hospital tank. When you move somewhere else you can set them both up.

Oh! That’s a great idea. Thank you so much. Didn’t think about that. I got the water tested and the Gh was 142.3. The guy said 8 drops?

 

[Ryan_F]

I know that feeling Ryan. My room is getting refurbished so had to put my current 28 litre tank in the living room and my mum isn't happy about It . If you aren't going to keep the old tank I'd say try to keep the filter media so you can use that to seed the new tank. That's the reason why Im still running my current tank. That and I have fish in it

Bahaha yeah. I’m pretty sure my roommate would be a bit annoyed if I put a fish tank in the living room. Yeah I will put some gravel and the filter media in. Do plants carry BB?

 

[Ryan_F]

Or a breeding tank later on .

Yeah that’s not a bad idea. Thanks I would be interested in breeding down the line. Purple Harelquin Rasbora Baby’s?

 

[zain611]

I'm not sure about plants as I only keep a moss ball but plants will help if you get an increase in nitrates. Swapping the gravel from your old tank to new is beneficial as you will transfer that beneficial bacteria over. I once changed from gravel to sand and I noticed the ammonia had gone up because most of the bacteria had been removed with the gravel.

 

[Essjay]

I got the water tested and the Gh was 142.3. The guy said 8 drops?

A lot of test kits measure GH by adding drops of reagent till the water in the tube changes colour. You count the drops and the number of drops = GH in German degrees (also called dH). Then multiply by 17.9 to convert to ppm.

So your hardness is 8 dH and 142 ppm

 

[Ryan_F]

A lot of test kits measure GH by adding drops of reagent till the water in the tube changes colour. You count the drops and the number of drops = GH in German degrees (also called dH). Then multiply by 17.9 to convert to ppm.

So your hardness is 8 dH and 142 ppm

Oh ok, thanks, what fish are suitable then?