Stocking Ideas For A 60litre Tank

[meowcatroar]

i have a new 60litre tank and am not sure what to put in it, i dont know much about fish so sorry if this is stupid... i wanted to get either some neon or cardinal tetras and a red tailed black shark but not sure if that would fit? also would mollies fit in that size? which fish so you reccomend? any answers/advice will be appreciated thanks.

 

[Curiosity101]

Bit hard to say without knowing what fish you like.
Can you go do some research and come back with some lists of fish you like and want.

http/www.aquahobby.com/e_freshwater_trop...uarium_fish.php
http/www.badmanstropicalfish.com/profile.html

Those two sites will be a good starting point for finding fish you'd like to put in. They tell you the size tank you need and some reviews from people that have owned those fish.
As the the fish you listed.

Neons - Very sensitive to water condition fluctuations so aren't recommended for new tanks as new tanks tend to be less stable.
Cardinals - Grow a bit bigger than neons so create a bigger bioload Eg. 5 neons will make the same amount of waste as only 3 cardinals. Meaning overall if you have cardinals then you can have less other fish. But if you like cardinals more than neons anyways then please don't let me put you off.
Mollys - Some say they have to be kept in brackish conditions (a little bit of aquarium salt in the water), personally I think they'll be fine in a 100% freshwater tank.
Red Tailed Black shark - HUUUUGE no no. 55gal aquarium min which is almost 240l

 

[meowcatroar]

thanks alot,
i am going to our local pet shop to see which fish they have and then check tank sizes ect.

 

[Curiosity101]

Aargh!

Please decide on which fish you want BEFORE going to the pet shop.

Your tank isn't cycled at the moment. Any fish you put in it now will be poisoned by their own waste and will force you into a fish-in cycling situation.

I'm not saying that you will buy any fish today. But really, use the internet to find exactly which fish you want. Get people to check your stocking list.
Then when you know what you want, call the fish shops in your area and ask them if they have the fish you want in stock.
And do it that way.

The cycling period alone takes from 4-6weeks! And I promise you, however boring it is doing a fishless cycle. It's sooooo much easier.
Please go to the 'new to hobby' section and read up on cycling in the 'beginner resource' section.

 

[meowcatroar]

dont worry! i wasnt planning on buying any fish today just checking which fish they sell and im reseaching them now.

 

[meowcatroar]

okay i have been to the pet shop, here is a list of the ones i like:
platy
balloon molly
cardinal tetra
rummy-nose tetra
cherry barb
glowlight tetra
black phantom
according to the aquahobby website they could all fit in my tank. Do you have any suggestions of combinations of these that would work?

 

[Curiosity101]

As you are new to fish keeping my suggestion would be to aim for 1" of fully grown fish per US Gal. Your tank is almost 16 US Gal, so aim for 16" of fully grown fish.

Example...
2 x Platy (2" each when fully grown)
5 x Cardinal Tetra (Just over 1" each when fully grown)
4 x Cherry Barbs (almost 2" each when fully grown)

So that would give you about 17" of fish once they are fully grown.
After you reach the 6 month mark you can think about adding more fish to the tank. But the level of stocking I'm suggesting will allow a bit of room for error whilst you get to grips with fish keeping.

A couple of tips...
Try to stock eat level of your tank. Ie. Top, Middle and Bottom.
And a 'Centerpiece' fish is always a nice idea.

Some examples of 60l centerpiece fish would be: Dwarf Gourami, Honey Gourami and Honey Gourami(Red Robin variety)

So you could aim to have:
5 x Cardinal Tetra (top-middle of the tank)
2 x Honey Gourami (All levels of the tank)
5 x Sterbai Cory (Bottom of the tank)

But perhaps just stick with the tetra and the gourami for the first 6 months and then add corys later on.

 

[arobinson1984]

Curiousity seems to be giving you some sound advice here.

You are on the right track, its nice to see beginners actually researching fish before buying, many dont research and end up with masses of problems. One thing I would say is use the internet and this forum as your main sources of research, dont be afraid to ask any questions. I wouldn't advise relying on your lfs for stocking advise, I'd take all fish stores advice with a pinch of salt, not all but quite a lot are out for one thing only which is to make a profit.

Andy

 

[meowcatroar]

hi thanks
from your first example could i switch the 4 cherry barbs to a balloon mollie and a cardinal making:
2 x platy
6 x cardinal tetra
1 x balloon molly (3in fully grown)
not sure if you can keep a balloon molly on its own?
also im not sure but think they all go in the top-middle of the tank?

 

[Johng89]

imy daughter has a 60l and stocking is in my sig
weekly water change of 40%ish and no issues

 

[Curiosity101]

How long has it been since the last fish and such were added though.

You can only say there are 'no issues' if it's been over a year since the last addition.

 

[Johng89]

last fish in June

 

[Curiosity101]

Then you can't say there are no issues. I'm not trying to be awkward.
But until all of the fish are fully matured you wont know if your filter can handle the bioload or if the fish are actually totally compatible.

You're stocking list looks relatively ok. But you could have issues with the gouramis if one is male. And the serpae may become nippy as they grow.
And depending on the make and model of the filter it may or may no be able to handle that bio-load.

This is why many suggest aiming to hit the 1" of fish per US gal for the first 6months of fish keeping.
As it allows a bit of room for misshaps etc.

 

[Johng89]

most fish are adult other than the panda cory
some fish were bought and placed in the tank without me being around but no more fish to be added unless tank replaced
i was aiming for 1 " per fish but as my mother in law struck !!! with serpae tetra
Gourami are 2 male and are the pride and joy of daughters tank

Filter is standard filter but i keep ontop of the cleaning with a little helper every week

C101 i have no issue with feedback as i dont want to explain to a 4yr old what happened to her little fish

 

[Johng89]

Back to the Original Q

I used to wander round LFS with my daughter to look at fish to see what she liked and note names
I then checked this on www.aquaticlifedirect.co.uk as they have a section that shows suitable tankmates and tank sizes
if you click on tank size in fish spec it shows all fish suitable for that tank size and you can use this to sort out what you can have berining in mind i would still check with others on here as sometimes you might get it wrong

hope this helps you out