Firts tank advice

[One_Trick_Pony]

Hello

I am thinking of statring with a 15 gallon tnak, mainly due to price and space limitations both at my parents house, and my room at uni.

is this a sustable size, i have read that larger tnaks are more forgiving to mistkaes which i am sure i will make.

Fish wise i want a few small schools of samll fish,

and have earmarked, some silver tipped tetras, and some harliquin rasboras, and maybe either some phantom or balck widow tetras,

how many of each would there be room for, if indeed there is room for all to be inculded!

cheers

OTP

 

[karrihug]

rule of thumb is 1" of fish(adult size) per US gallon. you need a minimum of 3 of any schooling fish. if you plant the tank well, after you have become familiar with your setup and if you do regular maintenance, you can usually stock a little heavier than this. good luck and hope i have helped some.

 

[fufanu360]

acually i think that rule is rubbish... and u can not stock more than that rule at all.... it really depends on the fish and its full size

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

yeah thats greta thanx mate

 

[bunjiweb]

Go for the biggest tank you can afford and comfortably house, as you already seem to have realised, the bigger the tank, the less hassle you get from beginners mistakes, which everyone makes...

The fish you mention will go great in smaller tanks but won't truly "shoal" unless they are in a big enough tank.

Razboras and Tetra do best in 30G or bigger tanks, in groups of 8+. In this size tank you could easily have 8 silver tips and 8 harlaquins and still have space for a fewmore middle swimmers and some corydoryas or loaches as your bottom feeders.

Look here:

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...tory_search.php

To find fish shops in your local area by choosing "Cheshire" from the drop down box and then clicking "Search".

You should be able to pick up a 30G tank new for £100 or less, including all the things you need to get you started

Also, remember to think about the decoration as well as the fish, and try to go for natural materials and substrate.

Ben

 

[sylvia]

Great to see you doing research BEFORE getting into it

If you have room for it, a 20 gallon doesn't cost much mroe than a 15 and the extra volume is priceless.

Read up on cycling first - the link in my signature will help you avoid any mistakes.

Once you've (fishless) cycled the tank, you could fit 6 of 2 of those species. I'd personaly reccomend 6 harlequin rasboras and 6 black phantom tetras. Both are great fish and relatively hardy so good to start out with. Th harlquins are by far the best schooling fish and the phantom males will display wonderfuly to one another. You may even see them rapidly change color from almost pure white-grey to coal black.

The 'one inch per gallon' GUIDELINE (not a rule) is only that - a guideline. A lot of things can effect it. Also, schooling fish like tetras and rasboras should be kept in groups of 6 minnimum. Barbs groups of 7 and danios groups of 5. With the fish you mentioned, 2 groups of 6 would be all you could fit in a 15 gallon.

Good luck, have fun and always do your research first!

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

Thanx for that guys.

I have just been to the LFS with my girlfirend to get a coupkle of things for her dad, and am astounded by the sheer choice and as a result more fish have couaght my eye, so much chocie so little space! lol

I have spooted a variety of platys which i like a lot, and also, a couple of angel fish, as well as a shark cat fihs which is just fab!, i assume that this would be the sort of bottom feeder mentioned ealier.

OTP

 

[yvez9]

angelfish would most likely grow to large for your tank. they need at least 18 inches high for proper growth.

Shark cats will most likely grow large also, although you didn't name the species. They sure are fun to watch but they like so swim a lot and usually need bigger tanks.

Platys are fun fish and colorful. Watch though if you pick up male and females, always have twice as many females as males to relieve stress off the females. Also expect alot of fry. Don't worry about that though, if you don't want to raise them, your fish will gladly snack on them

For bottom feeders, I think cories would be the best. They're small and fun to watch!

Don't forget you might wanna get an algea eater in there, a smaller pleco or some otos. Otherwise, you might be lucky and not have any algea or you might just want to scrub it off.

Have fun with your new hobby!

 

[BobK]

What type of filtration are you looking at? If you're going for the 1" rule make sure you have some good filtration and you should be okay with proper maintenance - regular and frequent partial water changes and gravel vacuuming.

 

[wer34]

i would say go for a 20 gallon high has the same size footprint a 15 gallon does, its just a few more inches higher, and if u would like those angels u saw a 20 high would be a perfect tank for a pair of angels

Nick

 

[Alurny]

Hello, i too am getting a tank for uni. Im getting a 18/15/12 tank(11 UK, 14USA gallons) and worked out it is easy to carry between home(s). I guess what ive seen of the halls available 18" long/15" back is your optimum size as u need space to do some work in, plus this will comfortably fit on your desk. Good luck for stocking id recomend: 6 harliquin rasborta 6 (insert name here) tetra and a bristlenose plec for algae(trust me they love it!)

 

[littlefishie]

All the fish in my signature are in my dorm room, and I am possibly getting a 15g by the end of the week.
Trust me, it will work in a dorm. Just check with the rules your uni has on it, as some have a volume limit, of anywhere from 5 to 20 gallons of water. I think mine is 5, but my don knows that I can take care of the fish properly so I won't get in trouble.
I'd say go with the tetras. I wish I'd gotten something flashy, but at the beginning I didn't have a heater for my tank. Now I'm stuck with the guppies my boyfriend picked out, and I don't want them anymore. Make sure you love the fish you choose -- some LFSs are picky about trade-ins. Mine refuses to take my juvenile guppies. They want entirely full-grown.
Why not consider neons or cardinals? They're also a tetra, and their colours are gorgeous and flashy. Very entertaining to a uni student.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

thanx for all the advice. any more apricated

it may now be staying at home as my mum wants to keep them as well lol. she was dead against it 6 months ago!!!

OTP

 

[littlefishie]

Your mom will soon want a 55g! lol

Originally my 5g tank was supposed to be my only one, but when I got the chance to get a 15g with an Aquaclear Mini for $15, I wasn't passing it up. My parents were against it at first, but now my dad's offered to make me a custom hood and stand! I'm begging for a 55 one day lol.

Good luck!

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

yeah all i have to do now is convicne her about the dog....