Are My Choices For A First Time Setup Ok So Far?

[MrBThatsMe]

First of all I apologize if I'm asking questions that have been answered repetitively already, but I'm having to tether my phone's internet onto my laptop in order to browse websites and it takes FOREVER to get anywhere, hence me just starting a new topic in the hope that I can find the answers that I need.

I have a 24"x12"x13" tank ready for water, all I need is a suitable filter (and I know that there are further steps and a lot of time needed before any fish are introduced). I've done some reading today and it seems that guppies, neon tetras and zebra danios are recommended as beginner fish. I've just thrown some numbers into the air and came up with 6 male guppies, 5 neon tetras and 5 zebra danios. Is this a good idea and will it 'work' in terms of having a friendly, peaceful community?

If the answer to that question is a yes, then which filter would you recommend? I was going to buy one Elite Singray 15 filter but after entering the info into www.##151###.com it seems I'd need two of them to meet the requirements for my tank and those fish. That leaves me wondering whether it would be more practical to buy one single filter or not. Any help with this would be great! I've just moved into my new flat though so money is a bit tight right now so please bear this in mind when thinking of the most ideal filtering solution for me.

Thirdly, I like the idea of having some live plants as opposed to fake and I believe this can also help with filtration and water conditioning. Again, some help in this area would be really appreciated and if someone could tell me some suitable plants and quantities, I'd be very grateful. I currently have blue gravel as a substrate, and the fitted light in the hood that came with the tank so I think that's an ok situation for live plants.

Thanks for any advice and again, sorry if I'm asking the same questions that 100's of other people have asked.

 

[creeker]

The Zebras would not be good tankmates for guppies. They would try to get the slower guppies up to speed with them and would nip the long flowing tails. I would double the number of Neons instead. It will look better and the fish will be happier. Of course, you will need to cycle the tank first.

 

[MrBThatsMe]

Thank you! I'll take that advice onboard and go for a selection of only guppies and neons. Is it advised/possible to sex the neons and go for only males to avoid breeding like you can with guppies?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I have a 24"x12"x13" tank ready for water, all I need is a suitable filter (and I know that there are further steps and a lot of time needed before any fish are introduced). I've done some reading today and it seems that guppies, neon tetras and zebra danios are recommended as beginner fish. I've just thrown some numbers into the air and came up with 6 male guppies, 5 neon tetras and 5 zebra danios. Is this a good idea and will it 'work' in terms of having a friendly, peaceful community?

This tank holds ~54 lires, the same as my Juwel Korrall60, which has a group of 8 Persian Killifish in it... Your stocking idea is way too many fish for such a small tank, not to mention that Zebra Danios are hyperactive fish that need a 4-foot tank that stays under 20C for most of the year.

Realistically, you are looking at a group of six midwater schooling fish of the same species, either the Guppies or Neon Tetras. Having said that, neither of these fish are ones that are associated with being hardy these days and Neon Tetras are known to suffer in "hard water." After the tank has matured for a month or two, you might get away with adding a group of small bottom dwellers such as Kuhli Loaches or "Pygmy" Corydoras.

Have you tested your planned tank water to find out its pH; gH and kH? This will arm you with vital information that will enable you to choose suitable fish for your water.

 

[creeker]

Thank you! I'll take that advice onboard and go for a selection of only guppies and neons. Is it advised/possible to sex the neons and go for only males to avoid breeding like you can with guppies?

Unneccessary. They are egg layers with specific needs for breeding. If they did lay eggs they would eat them before you noticed them.

 

[MrBThatsMe]

I haven't even filled it with water yet. I want to know as much as I need to before even filling it. I have used the tool on aq advisor to find out which fish are suitable for my size tank and it seemed to indicate that the guppies, tetras and danios are fine but obviously it's not 100% accurate.

Would you recommend that I fill the tank now and then take readings each day in order to help me on my way? Like I said in my first post, I don't have a filter right now so I thought I'd at least need to buy one and get it running before it would be beneficial to fill the tank with water.

Thanks again

 

[willowstwin]

you definitely need a filter, and you also need ammonia to start dosing so your cycle can start.

Tetras won't breed unless in specific conditions. I've seen mine ready to lay eggs, months ago and although I know she did, between them and the gourami, they ate them all.

Hows about... 8 neon tetras, 3-4 male guppies and 6 pygmy corydoras? IMO I think that would be fine and you would have a nice mix of bottom (cory), mid (tetra) and top (guppies) dwellers.

 

[MrBThatsMe]

you definitely need a filter, and you also need ammonia to start dosing so your cycle can start.

Tetras won't breed unless in specific conditions. I've seen mine ready to lay eggs, months ago and although I know she did, between them and the gourami, they ate them all.

Hows about... 8 neon tetras, 3-4 male guppies and 6 pygmy corydoras? IMO I think that would be fine and you would have a nice mix of bottom (cory), mid (tetra) and top (guppies) dwellers.

That sounds excellent but then I'm reading your comment followed by the one left by "N0body Of The Goat" and I'm unsure whether that would be too much for my tank. Would a total of 17 fish not be way too much? I'm doing as much reading as I can at the moment but like I said, my internet is so slow and a lot of sites are turning up as blanks so you guys are really helping me out here!

Advice on my filter would be appreciated also. I did have a Fluval 2 Plus but I stupidly cut it into a smaller unit to use as a filter/pump for a custom waterfall so it's now a redundant waste of space!

 

[MrBThatsMe]

OK, using the "aq advisor" website I've entered in:

5 x Neon Tetra
2 x Guppy
4 x Pygmy Cory

The website tells me that the Hagen Elite Stingray 15 filter is suitable for my size tank and the above selection of fish.

It states that the recommended levels are:

Recommended temperature range: 22 - 27 C.
Recommended pH range: 5.5 - 7.5.
Recommended hardness range: 1 - 15 dH.

And the tank population level would be at: 62% (so not too crowded)

Does this look ok to everyone? I know that the tool on that website can't be 100% accurate but I've been recommended to use it by several fish keepers so I'd like to think it's a good base to start out with.

If the above selection is ok, I need to then decide which live plants would be good.

 

[Tizer]

aq advisor is a terrible site, we recommend people steer clear of it on here and with good reason. There are too many factors involved to be able to "calculate" the correct setup of a tank.

I dont like the Stingray filters myself, the Fluval U range would be my choice or even the Aqua Flow range of filters stocked by the Maidenhead Aquatics chain of stores.

4 pygmy cordoras is not a good number, they are extremely small and shy fish and will only do well in a decent size group, 6 is simply not enough, bare minimum i ever recommend is 10. The problem with your tank, once you have put sand in, decorations, plants, wood, its not 54 litres, its closer to 45.

With only 12 inches of depth, there really isnt a way of getting these fish dwelling at different depths of the tank, its simply not deep enough for that idea.

I might sound negative, but a better stocking plan would be smaller rasbora species, a nice group of ember tetras instead of neons (which do not fare well in new tanks).

But again, as its already been suggested, you need to find out what your water parameters are from the tap for more accurate stocking ideas.

Small tanks are a bit of a pain to stock but with a little thought it can be a wicked little tank. While you are pondering your stock, read into filter cycling in the beginners section linked in my signature. A filter needs to be cycled for a number of weeks, often 5+ before you can add fish to a tank, else they will simply die in their own waste. Gluck.

 

[MrBThatsMe]

OK I'm going to see if I can fill it tonight and then do some testing. I read some reviews of the stingray filters and they were for the most part, positive! I do wish I hadn't destroyed my fluval plus 2 pump now. I have seen the Fluval U filters on offer in various places so I might go ahead and take your advice on that one. As for my selection of fish, it seems my quest is still ongoing but thanks for the info regarding the height issue.

More research for me!....

 

[lucasluke]

I don't think 10 litres of water would be lost with just decorations and substrate.
I heard stingrays are rubbish - steer clear of them.
Neons would probably do fine in a cycled tank... they just don't do well in one that has any amount of ammonia in it.

 

[MrBThatsMe]

OK I'll take that on-board too. This tank, at least as far as aesthetics go, is for my girlfriend so it would be really great if I could get some colourful, exciting fish living together in harmony. I'll be doing all the maintenance though.

 

[Tizer]

I don't think 10 litres of water would be lost with just decorations and substrate.

A tank thats 24x13x12 with 1 inch of sand in it will lose 5 litres of water space. Add a few bits of wood and it wont be far off.....

 

[willowstwin]

woah ok, I missed the 12 inch tall part I skipped to the "54litres" comment. Oh dear.. hmmm... why not try a school of mosquito chilli micro-rasboras? They're extremely pretty but small fish

They're soooooo cuuuute! I want a large school of them but I don't have space for another tank.... yet..