First Fish Tank

[lixylou]

Me and my partner have recently purchased a 95L tropical fish tank. Here is a list of fish we would like to put in it.

Siamese Fighter Female Red
Siamese Male Fighter Red
Cory Bronze
L176 zebra Plec
Ram Bolivian
Loach Kuhli
Shark Ruby Albino
Shark Stripped
Tetra Neon
Tetra X Ray Albino

Any advice regarding numbers, or fish that should not go together, or anything else would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[anwhyte]

hi, siamese fighters don't do very well in community tanks (with other fish) so i'd rethink that. cory's like to live in groups so you'd really want at least 4-6 of them, the same goes for the tetra's you've listed. i also think your tank may be a bit small for a bolivian ram, not sure about the other fish you've listed though.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

Hi lixylou - welcome to our little community

Don't put the neons in for a long time. They need to be in a mature tank to avoid stressing them out. Watch your sharks too - they can get pretty big.

Make sure that you read everything in the beginners resource centre - especially the stuff on cycling! I think there's a link in my signature line for fish in cycling. Most choose fishless cycling but I did fish in. Either way - take your time and do it properly. It's less stressful (for you and the fish ) that way.

Most of all ENJOY IT! It's a great hobby and you're lucky to find this forum. There's some very experienced folk on here that have helped me out no end.

 

[lixylou]

Thanks for your advice.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi lizylou and Welcome to TFF!

It can be a shock landing in a forum of experienced hobbyists when trying to get your bearings setting up your first tank (if indeed this is your first tank..) There's just a jolt as you realize the folks who have been through it have developed a different set of priorities than you imagined would be needed for setup. But you have stumbled on a great forum and a wonderful way to make the change and to learn, prior to actually getting fish, and that is rare for the typical beginner!

Good fishkeepers learn that its all about water chemistry.. prior to worrying about the fish. If you have good water, the fish will come easily. Meanwhile, the skill of developing a good "stocking list" (list of fish that will be added to the tank in certain timed batches) can be quite hard and having the time to get it right is thankfully given to you by all the time it takes to grow the correct two species of bacteria within the "biofilter" that you need to have prior to getting any fish!

Our Beginners Resource Center can be overwhelming, so I think your first homework assignment should be to read The Nitrogen Cycle, The Fishless Cycle and The Fish-In Cycle situation articles and then try to ask some questions based on those. Meanwhile its also a lot of fun to begin reading some of the threads of other beginners, especially ones who are showing you their fishless cycling diaries as these can give you a real flavor of things.

Your stocking list has a large number of problems that need to get worked out and another good thing that may happen by you taking time to read things and adjust is that some of our really good folks who know the stocking topic well will probably happen along and help you make adjustments. It all feels ridiculously slow at first but later you realize it was well worth it! Another good initial thing may be to describe your filter and filter materials to the members as that's always a good thing for them to know. Good luck!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Do not add a male and female fighter fish to the same tank. You can add one male to a community tank (depending on the other species) or you can add a group of females

 

[Curiosity101]

Here are my suggestions (in blue) Some of my comments may have already been covered so sorry to whoever originally posted if you have.

Siamese Fighter Female Red Cannot be mixed with a male fighter. I would suggest getting a single female and no male, or a male with short fins and no female.
Siamese Male Fighter Red As above. But just to add, long finned males often become the target of nippy fish due to their long fins and therefore don't always do well in community tanks. Also so of them hate sharing the tank with any other fish so because inactive and 'grumpy'.
Cory Bronze Must be kept in a group of 5+ to allow them to feel comfortable. If they don't feel happy and confident then you will never see them.
L176 zebra Plec Be aware this is a very expensive fish and although isn't hard to keep it does have some special dietary requirements, make sure you look these up before purchasing
Ram Bolivian Tank is a good size for a single ram, however don't mix it with anymore rams/any other cichlids.
Loach Kuhli Lovely little fish, keep in groups of at least 6. These fish are gregarious and so really benefit from being in a group. If they aren't in a decent sized group they tend to hide the whole time.
Shark Ruby Albino Too big for your tank in the long term so I would advise against buying this
Shark Stripped There is no such thing as a striped shark as far as I know... perhaps you mean a flying fox? Or a true siamese algae eater? Please clarify with a picture/latin name if possible
Tetra Neon Good fish, should be kept in groups of at least 5
Tetra X Ray Albino Similar requirements to the neons, groups of 5 or more

Find below my suggested stocklist, this is based on the fish, your tank size, making sure there are fish on each level etc etc.
6 x Neons Tetra
6 x X-ray Tetra
1 x Female siamese fighter
1 x Bolivian Ram
6 x Corys or 6 x Kuhlis
1 x Small pleco, you listed the zebra plec. Incase you want it a cheaper alternative would be a chocolate zebra.

 

[meguro]

Me and my partner have recently purchased a 95L tropical fish tank. Here is a list of fish we would like to put in it.

Siamese Fighter Female Red
Siamese Male Fighter Red
Cory Bronze
L176 zebra Plec
Ram Bolivian
Loach Kuhli
Shark Ruby Albino
Shark Stripped
Tetra Neon
Tetra X Ray Albino

Any advice regarding numbers, or fish that should not go together, or anything else would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

as already mentioned 1 fighting fish or a group of 5+ females. personally i'd go with 1 male. bronze corydoras need to be in groups of 6+. i wouldnt recommend a zebra plec. 2 bolivian rams will be fine in 95L, try to get male and female. kuhli loaches need to be in groups of 6+. both rainbow and redtailed sharks get too big for 95L. striped shark, until u know its scientific name i would advise against it. tetras do best in groups of 6+ and can be fin nippers.

if u want 2 or so top swimming fish, in place of ur desired 2 fighting fish, consider looking into honey gourami or similar

i would go with the folllowing:
1 male or female fighting fish (short fin is preferable)
10+ neon tetras or 8+ xray tetras (i would refrain from compromising and getting smaller groups of both. 1 larger group of 1 species would be better)
6+ bronze corydoras or 6+ kuhli loaches
2 bolivian rams (preferably m/f)

dont make the schools of fish too big where i suggest u could go higher than the number given eg. 100 neons where i say 10+ isnt really appropriate, but 11, 12 or 13 is.

edit: sand would be a more preferable substrate to use instead of gravel due to the loaches and other bottom dwellers. though it is not essential

 

[lixylou]

Can't find the real name of the striped shark... Are there any types of shark which would be suitable for our size of tank?

To answer an earlier question we have an elite stingray filter.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Lixylou.
As usual, WD will give you good advice about getting the tank ready before adding any fish. He is one of our most expert members in terms of actually performing a filter / tank cycle. Learning about and performing a cycle is really your first priority in a new tank. After that is soon enough to worry about stocking levels. One thing that jumped out at me about your plans is that you listed both a male and a female betta, the fighter. It turns out that they are called fighters in some places for obvious reasons. If there is a male with any other fish of the same species, male or even female, the male will relentlessly attack them unless he is actively breeding at the time. There are wild type bettas that are not that aggressive but they are rare indeed in a local fish shop. I have one of the species Betta pugnax but he is not a fish you will likely ever find in the LFS. The ones we see are called Betta splendens and are bad news with their own species.
Many of the fish you have listed require rather soft water wit a neutral to low pH. Is that the nature of tap water you are working with? It is always better to have fish suited to your local water supply than to try to match the water to the fish. Moving the water parameters is hard and is often not worth the effort, unless you a a breeder devoted to a specific species that requires it. Please check up on your local water supply and find out what you are working with. You can often find such information on the supplier's web site.

 

[Essjay]

I would also be concerned about using a stingray filter in a 95 litre tank. Unless they've recently brought out a bigger one, the largest is rated for up to around 60 litres. There are also a lot of posts about people modifying them, replacing the boxes with more sponge to increase the biomedia for the bacteria.

 

[lixylou]

It is the filter supplied with the tank

 

[Essjay]

Have a look at the post by waterdrop in this thread - post 8
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/334278-sand/

And unless it's bigger than the stingray 15, it won't be big enough for your tank.
http/www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=107&PROD_ID=01001440030401
This is the stingray 15 filter. The tank size in litres given here is a misprint - the box itself says 57 litres not 75, and 15 galls is 57 litres. Is this the same one you have? If it is, I would think seriously about getting a bigger filter, or a second small filter for a 95 litre tank.

 

[arobinson1984]

I'd also second the opinion on the stingray filter.

I personally dont like these filters anyway, whether it is big enough for the tank of not, these filters have very small surface area on the internal media sponges giving limited filtering options. You would be so much better replacing the elite filter with something like a fluval 4+ or a fluval U4, both of which are fairly cheap and great filters

Onto the stocking ideas:

Siamese Fighter Female Red - As mentioned, these shouldnt be mixed with a male, death is highly likely to follow. Pick either 1 male or 1 female, preferably short finned. Also ensure you have an alternative option if the siamese fighter (aka betta) doesnt accept other fish in the tank, its down to pure luck, each betta has their own temprament, some will tolerate tankmates others won't.

Siamese Male Fighter Red - As above

Cory Bronze - As mentioned before, should be in groups ideally of 6+ these shoal in groups on hundreds in the wild so will feel more comfortable the larger the group they are in.

L176 zebra Plec - As mentioned a true L176 will be expensive, I believe they are currently on the import ban list which will increase the price.

Ram Bolivian - Should be ok with a pair of these (ideally 1 male & 1 female)

Loach Kuhli - Ideally group of 6+

Shark Ruby Albino - Will get too large for the tank and can become territorial

Shark Stripped - Fish doesn't exist so can't say either way with a scientific or correct common name

Tetra Neon - Should be kept in groups of 6+ also requires a mature tank of 6 months+ these tend to drop like flies in new tanks

Tetra X Ray Albino - Also should be kept in groups of 6+


So to summarise:

A pair of bolivian rams
6 neons & 6 xray tetras OR have a few more of one of these (10 neons OR 8 xray tetras)
6 cories OR 6 khuli loaces (tank footprint wouldnt really be big enough for both, too crowded at bottom layers)
L176 plec if you are willing to pay the money, other possiblities could be a bristlenose plec or bulldog plec

No shark type fish would stay small enough for the tank


Before even thinking of adding any fish you would need to ensurte the tank is cycled correctly (not how tank instructions says) Have a read of the links in my signature for lots of information on cycling.



Andy

 

[BethK]

Defo do not put female and male bettas (siamese fighters) together, either 1 male or a couple female. I would say scrap the male and have 5 females in there, if you are not overstocked. Female bettas, as a group, would be better in a community tank IMO.

Sharks are off the list, tank isn't big enough.