Fish Size And Hardyness

[kieran1104]

Hey guys, i have been cycling my tank for a period of time now and i took a water sample to the store today to be tested, the guy said that the levels within the water are good and that considering it was my first time keeping tropical fish i should get some "hardy" fish to start with just encase things go wrong. He recommended I looked around his store and noted down what type of fish i liked and that i should come home and research them because he felt if i learnt the info myself then i would remember it better as opposed to him simply telling me. Hes a really nice guy and i know he is just looking out for me and the fish as hes owned the store for around 15 years.

The fish i liked the look of have been listed below and i was wondering if anyone could tell me if these fish are hardy and if possible what are their adult sizes. The tank i am currently using is 25 litres so if you feel the tank will not be big enough for a fully grown version of any of these fish then that would be greatly helpful. I've read on the internet that fish only grow in accordance with the size of their tank however i think even a novice such as me knows this is not true so im not going to risk buying a silver shark haha

Fish List:

- Neon Tetra
- Cardinal Tetra
- Scissortail rasboras
- Electric Damsel
- Domino Damsel
- Yellow tail damsel
- Red tail sharks
- Black lyertail mollies

Some of these names may be slightly off as i was jotting them down as i walked round the store.

Thank you for any help you can offer

 

[fluttermoth]

25 litres is very small. You're really limited as to what you can put in it...

From your list;
Neon Tetra- you could possibly have 6, but they don't do well in new tanks
Cardinal Tetra- too large and active
Scissortail rasboras-as above
Electric Damsel-this is a marine fish, all the damsels are
Domino Damsel-as above
Yellow tail damsel-as above
Red tail sharks-far too large
Black lyertail mollies-far too large

You could have six or eight of any one of these; Dwarf emerald rasbora, chilli rasbora, Celestial pearl danios, ember tetras, male guppies, OR one betta. You could have some shrimp too, if you like

Oh, forgot to say; fish do not grow to the size of their tank, you're quite right not to believe that; what happens is they grow until they run out of room, get sick and then die. Or they become stunted and live a short, unhappy life until their internal organs fail

 

[The chilly dipper]

25 litres is very small. You're really limited as to what you can put in it...

From your list;
Neon Tetra- you could possibly have 6, but they don't do well in new tanks
Cardinal Tetra- too large and active
Scissortail rasboras-as above
Electric Damsel-this is a marine fish, all the damsels are
Domino Damsel-as above
Yellow tail damsel-as above
Red tail sharks-far too large
Black lyertail mollies-far too large

You could have six or eight of any one of these; Dwarf emerald rasbora, chilli rasbora, Celestial pearl danios, ember tetras, male guppies, OR one betta. You could have some shrimp too, if you like

listen to these guys mate. they are not trying to rain on your parade. get a bigger tank too when you get the cash defo.
they are right 100 % of the time.

do this and you will get your joy out of fish keeping

 

[njstockley]

i dont want to read the above post wrong but its not all about huge tanks/huge fish.

i think that smaller tanks can look great too...my landlord recently made me shut down my 80 gallon tank (stocked with some good sized cichlids), and now i'm left with a 30 litre. the only inhabitant is a red male betta. but i love the tank - its nicely planted, and has a good feel to it. maintenance is easy, and is still a nice feature in my room! if anything im actually happier with

admittedly, it is harder to find suitable fish, and research is key to ensure they are compatible with tank size, but theres still a good choice of fish that are available in most LFS. a small group of chilli rasbora would look great, and shrimp are fascinating to watch.

i would recommend doing some internet research - theres a good thread somewhere on here about stocking smaller tanks, and if you google the question then there is a good amount of info. take a look at some of the fish profiles on the forum too. might be worth another visit to some of the other LFS near you and seeing if they have any different stock that interests you.

as above though, the members on here know LOTS (more than me anyway!) and its always a good thing to check before you buy with the members here.

nick

 

[fluttermoth]

Your absolutely right; there's nothing wrong with little tanks; I've got a 80l with a dozen silvertips and a pair of rams (it's a three foot though) and it's one of my very favourite tanks.

You just need to stock them appropriatately.

 

[OldMan47]

I have some wonderful small tanks with small fish in them. I like things like Heterandria formosa, golden teddies and black chins. Any of those fish will do well in a small tank like yours but are not easily found at the typical LFS. Some tough as nails fish for a new tank includes common guppies as well as zebra danios. I like to reserve the zebras for slightly bigger 10 gallon, 37 litres, tanks but they could serve as a first stocking for your tank.