Fish Selection Help

[dcarmor927]

Hey all, new to the forum, also new to fish tanks. I have a 55 gal tropical tank set up with 3 clown loaches 3 tiger barbs and 3 green tiger barbs. I was wondering if I have done anything wrong so far...I read that clown loaches need a bigger tank than I have but I've also seen they can make it in this size...I also saw i should have waited to introduce the barbs until later since they can be territorial. I had some problems with the wood i got, it turned my water brown, but after my first water cycling it already seems better (i am soaking the secreting log in a bucket elsewhere)... anyway if anyone could help me either selec ofther fish that would go well with the lot i have or give me pointers on what i need to change, I'm open to criticism. Thanks.

 

[kevinthecow]

Hey all, new to the forum, also new to fish tanks. I have a 55 gal tropical tank set up with 3 clown loaches 3 tiger barbs and 3 green tiger barbs. I was wondering if I have done anything wrong so far...I read that clown loaches need a bigger tank than I have but I've also seen they can make it in this size...I also saw i should have waited to introduce the barbs until later since they can be territorial. I had some problems with the wood i got, it turned my water brown, but after my first water cycling it already seems better (i am soaking the secreting log in a bucket elsewhere)... anyway if anyone could help me either selec ofther fish that would go well with the lot i have or give me pointers on what i need to change, I'm open to criticism. Thanks.

eh, if your loaches are happy, let them be. I remember when i was continueously told that my Columbian shark was too big for my 4g tank. Well, it was small and it didnt grow much cause it took its diet slowly. (like what, not even an inch a month?) WHen i moved my columbian shark away fom that tank, it was like isolated and became left active... I put it back in my 4g tank and it liked its mates no matter how crowded it was. You cant just pull away true love <3

I suggest you check out some other tanks on youtube. Gives you an image/idea.

I suggest you get gouramis! Make your tank colourful with the blues and the reds and the yellows and the greys and the pinks!

 

[LauraFrog]

You mention 'cycling' in your post - do you know what cycling is exactly (ie the role that ammonia/nitrite/nitrate plays in your tank)? How long has the tank been set up and did you cycle it before adding fish? How long have the fish been in the tank? Do you know your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

The tank looks nicely set up and I think the fish are suitable. The tank is large enough to have some big schools if you want. Most common tropicals (tetras, rasboras, danios, minnows and cory catfish) are schooling. They are comfortable in schools of five or six, but for the best effect you really have to see them in a big school of 12 to 30 or more.

Clown loaches are large, but they stay around the bottom. Personally I think the tank should be large enough because it's long. If you have a group of loaches (3 is fine) they should be happy enough - they are happier in a group in a smallish tank than alone in a vast one.

Tannins in the water (brown stuff from wood) do not harm fish, they actually create a more natural environment. Personally I like the look of them, but it doesn't matter whether they are present or not, so if you don't like them soaking the wood will eventually stop it from happening so your water stays crystal clear. I will warn you though, I've had a tank set up for six months now with wood in it and the water is still stained. The process of leaching all tannins can take months or even years. This is why non-staining wood is so valuable. The other thing about it is that some wood will acidify the water slightly as long as it is staining - the substance that comes out is tannic acid.

The rule with barbs is the more the better. A large school of barbs will focus its aggression on itself - basically the barbs will beat each other up instead of beating everything else up. This doesn't matter, because they are tough and more than capable of looking after themselves. If you'd like to add more fish, I would recommend adding more barbs first. Are they schooling together? They are colour variants of the same species, so they should. If adding more barbs, put in all of the new barbs at once, otherwise the ones already in the tank may bully the newcomers if there are only one or two at a time. This will probably cause a mini-cycle, so you'll have to monitor your water stats and be ready to start doing water changes for a day or two after adding the barbs.

Virtually anything is suitable in that tank. I would avoid anabantids - gouramis and bettas - because they have long, flowing fins that are a magnet for fin nipping fish like barbs. Ditto male guppies, male swordtails, and just about anything slow, or with long fins or long extensions on the fins. Other than that, it's up to you. Small species are often more colourful, but I'll put in a mention now for rainbowfish. If you have a look at some, what you're likely to see are juvenile (5-6cm), dull, grey and exceedingly unremarkable fish in a crowded dealer's tank. People don't buy them because they just don't realise how beautiful they can be when settled into a tank where they are happy, and when they are mature. They need space though, your tank is an ideal size for a school of six or eight. They need to be kept in groups to show their best colours.

If you want more info on anything stick around, this forum is great and we'll help you with anything! Good luck.

 

[Corleone]

I read that clown loaches need a bigger tank than I have but I've also seen they can make it in this size...

While they will ultimately need a bigger tank, reaching 10-12 inches, they are slow growers (the only shortcoming of the tank is the width - 55's are 12 inches on the short dimension, which will leave a big clown loach with little turning room, particularly if they're impeded by plants or decor). They're often hard to rehome when they get big, but they'll be able to live in a 55 much of their life - if you decide to keep them, you'll probably be looking at an eventual upgrade to a 75 gallon tank. That's likely several years away at least, very different than the all-too-common situation where they're kept in 20-30 gallon tanks, expecting they'll be fine for a very long time and then be easy to unload.

The brown stain from bogwood is harmless, some fish even do slightly better with it. It is a bit unsightly in some people's opinions. Boiling can help get it out faster, or if it's big, running it through the dishwasher without soap.

Anyway, as for additional fish, your tiger barbs do limit some options. being notorious fin nippers, you'll want to avoid slow moving fish and fish with long fins. Gouramis and angelfish are pretty well out, but any quick and robust fish is fine.

My suggestions would be danios, bigger tetra species like black widow, phantom, or serpae. Rainbowfish should also be robust enough to live with tiger barbs.

Small or mid sized Synodontis catfish (nigriventris "upside down catfish" or petricola, maybe, there's some bigger species in the 6 inch range as well) will usually punch back if they're messed with, as would a bristlenose plec (which won't get to the immense size common plecs or gibbiceps will). Corydoras are unimposing and might be fine with tiger barbs, but IME they're also curious and stupid, which is a bad combination - mine tend to take the brunt of any grumpy fish (and probably caused it to start with by insisting on foraging in caves occupied by bigger fish).

A pair of kribensis would provide a colorful addition. They're usually peaceful enough for general communities, but can be terrors if they spawn. Fish like tiger barbs and the others I've mentioned should be up to the challenge.

 

[dcarmor927]

To Laura: Yes i understand how to cycle and check the water as well as how the ammonia nitrate nitrite will affect the tank...The tanks has been running since last sunday, ammonia nitrite/ate are all at 0 ppm. i didn't do a pre fish cycle and understand that my fish could die from that but i guess my impatience is my downfall... so far the I removed the other peices of wood i had just because i hate the brown look in the water...do you know of any sealer that could be used that would lock in the tannins and still keep the fish safe? Thanks a lot for all your info!

To Corleone: I like the dish washer idea but i think my mom would have a fit about it...maybe ill do it when she isn't home also thanks a lot for the help. Much appreciated

 

[Corleone]

I wouldn't try sealing it, some fish will actually graze on it, and it makes a good habitat for all the "biofilm" critters that move into the tank over time. The tanins will stop eventually - filter carbon will help remove it, but it'll get saturated quickly and you'll go through quite a few cartridges. If you can't put it in the dishwasher and it's too big to soak for a couple weeks, you can pour boiling water over it. Won't be as fast as actually boiling it, but it'll help.

 

[dcarmor927]

if i soak it does the water have to be changed?

 

[Corleone]

Yeah. Just dump out the bucket and refill it once a day, until the water stays somewhat clear when you remove it - it would take a very long time before it clears completely, but once it's not making the bucket very dark, diluted in the tank it'll have even less effect.