Hi Folks

[DeekTic]

Hi Everyone,
Not had an aquarium before, well not a proper one... little tank with a couple of goldfish...managed to keep them alive for a few years...
So, Getting my new (1st) tank next weekend.. (120L).. been doing a bit of reading up & watching you tube. Think we`ve decided on which fish we will get.
Going to start with a couple/few Danio`s. .then build from there (some neons, maybe angels & couple of Plecks)
But 1st were trying to decide on landscpe... & planting....so will be trawling through here for some ideas

so hello everyone...

 

[Essjay]

Before you get any fish you will need to cycle the tank. This is the way to do that https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ The advantage with fishless cycling is that you can get most of the fish you intend as soon as the cycle is complete.
Alternatively, you could plant the tank with fast growing live plants, wait until there are definitely starting to grow, then add fish a few at a time, monitoring ammonia and nitrite levels after each addition.
Cycling with fish is hard work. Daily tests are needed and water changes must be done every time a test shows more than zero for ammonia or nitrite. This could mean daily water changes depending on how many fish are in the tank.


You also need to check the hardness of your tap water - being in Scotland you probably have soft water but I would still check to certain. Look on your water company's website - you need a number and the unit of measurement rather than some vague words.
All the fish you suggest are soft water fish. But there are issues - angelfish need a bigger tank than 120 litres. And they are sedate fish which shouldn't be kept with active fish like danios. Plecs could be a problem depending on the species. While there are small plecs, most will grow too big for 120 litres. Make sure you buy one of the small species.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

I keep pleco's - my largest is about 5" right now, and that should be his max size. I have another one that should grow to 7" but that's over a period of a number of years. I have a couple other species, all looking basically the same on the underside but different on top. I've been rather disappointed in them - they are nocturnal, very shy and over all other than to shock people that look at them, pretty boring. I HATE Danio's - their rushing about drives me crazy and will drive other fish species crazy too. One of my danios killed all his schoolmates by relentlessly chasing them and then ate all the fins off of one of my beautiful dwarf Gourami's. He's lucky I let him live but he has stopped that behavior. My favorite fish of the moment are Dojo loaches - while perhaps max growth may be a little large for you - I have some I bought at the same time ranging from 3" to 6" - they all arrived about 3". Not sure why one isn't growing. My Kuboti Loaches hang out with them and they are just too fun to watch. The dojos even let me handle them. You MUST get an air bubbler and set it an inch or two from the wall - all day long they will fly up that tube of air and shoot out the top, only to dive down and do it again FOR HOURS. They look like snakes, I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't strong enough to walk a couple inches on their fins. They go well color-wise with the yellow bristlenose plecos - all of these are VERY peaceful fish and you will have no battles. You can get your danio's because they're just as hyper as the Loaches but they may drive other fish crazy. You could also get some neon tetras just to fill out that color scheme. They just swim in a group all day- never bother any body and just look pretty. Again, very peaceful. Requirements seem similar. Now one of my plecos may get as big as 1 foot but I just don't see it happening - he barely grows at all so it will take many years. They are very sedate and don't take up much tank room. I would use a soft sandy substrate since many of these guys like to dig down in the sand for a bed and a gravel will be too sharp. Rinse, rinse rinse the substrate to get rid of the black color staining your water - any other color would be gross. I have some in a tan substrate and I cannot get rid of the tan color on the walls of the tanks. They all love caves. My pleco's will hang together in one big cave along with some Cherry Barbs (that was a surprise) while most of the others will bury in the sand or find another cave to live in. Forget the Angelfish - the Danios will chew their fins off once they catch them. I had a danio put a good size nip in one of my bristlenose plecos when she was small too. I just hate Danios - sorry. If you want a slowed down tank - skip the loaches, keep the tetras and get a few dwarf gourami's - beautiful in dwarf size, quite large and some aggressive in their non-dwarf state but a full-size Pearl Gourmio will be much like your Angelfish - slow moving and peaceful but their fins don't stick out enough to get attacked. They are far more beautiful (especially the males) than in any pictures. Without the fast moving Dojo's and other loaches this will be a calm peaceful tank.

 

[Barry Tetra]

Before you get any fish you will need to cycle the tank. This is the way to do that https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ The advantage with fishless cycling is that you can get most of the fish you intend as soon as the cycle is complete.
Alternatively, you could plant the tank with fast growing live plants, wait until there are definitely starting to grow, then add fish a few at a time, monitoring ammonia and nitrite levels after each addition.
Cycling with fish is hard work. Daily tests are needed and water changes must be done every time a test shows more than zero for ammonia or nitrite. This could mean daily water changes depending on how many fish are in the tank.


You also need to check the hardness of your tap water - being in Scotland you probably have soft water but I would still check to certain. Look on your water company's website - you need a number and the unit of measurement rather than some vague words.
All the fish you suggest are soft water fish. But there are issues - angelfish need a bigger tank than 120 litres. And they are sedate fish which shouldn't be kept with active fish like danios. Plecs could be a problem depending on the species. While there are small plecs, most will grow too big for 120 litres. Make sure you buy one of the small species.

I do cycling with fish and its fully cycle in 11 days, i use tetra safe start plus.

 

[Essjay]

But you still have to do water changes during that time to prevent harm to the fish. Any ammonia in the water burns their skin and gills; nitrite binds to the blood and stops it taking up oxygen.

 

[DeekTic]

Before you get any fish you will need to cycle the tank. This is the way to do that https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ The advantage with fishless cycling is that you can get most of the fish you intend as soon as the cycle is complete.
Alternatively, you could plant the tank with fast growing live plants, wait until there are definitely starting to grow, then add fish a few at a time, monitoring ammonia and nitrite levels after each addition.
Cycling with fish is hard work. Daily tests are needed and water changes must be done every time a test shows more than zero for ammonia or nitrite. This could mean daily water changes depending on how many fish are in the tank.


You also need to check the hardness of your tap water - being in Scotland you probably have soft water but I would still check to certain. Look on your water company's website - you need a number and the unit of measurement rather than some vague words.
All the fish you suggest are soft water fish. But there are issues - angelfish need a bigger tank than 120 litres. And they are sedate fish which shouldn't be kept with active fish like danios. Plecs could be a problem depending on the species. While there are small plecs, most will grow too big for 120 litres. Make sure you buy one of the small species.

Hi, Thank you..

Yeh we had planned on having tank running for at least 2 weeks before adding any fish. & with plants already in & Yep, our water is soft...
The only reason for the Danio`s is thats what a shop suggested.. as the are very hardy? .. we`ll rethink the Angels.
We know plecs can grow, thats how we got the tank ( Friend has Plecs, & so he`s had to get a bigger tank... ) We were looking at Golden nuggets, if we need to get a bigger tank down the line, so be it


Deek

 

[DeekTic]

I keep pleco's - my largest is about 5" right now, and that should be his max size. I have another one that should grow to 7" but that's over a period of a number of years. I have a couple other species, all looking basically the same on the underside but different on top. I've been rather disappointed in them - they are nocturnal, very shy and over all other than to shock people that look at them, pretty boring. I HATE Danio's - their rushing about drives me crazy and will drive other fish species crazy too. One of my danios killed all his schoolmates by relentlessly chasing them and then ate all the fins off of one of my beautiful dwarf Gourami's. He's lucky I let him live but he has stopped that behavior. My favorite fish of the moment are Dojo loaches - while perhaps max growth may be a little large for you - I have some I bought at the same time ranging from 3" to 6" - they all arrived about 3". Not sure why one isn't growing. My Kuboti Loaches hang out with them and they are just too fun to watch. The dojos even let me handle them. You MUST get an air bubbler and set it an inch or two from the wall - all day long they will fly up that tube of air and shoot out the top, only to dive down and do it again FOR HOURS. They look like snakes, I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't strong enough to walk a couple inches on their fins. They go well color-wise with the yellow bristlenose plecos - all of these are VERY peaceful fish and you will have no battles. You can get your danio's because they're just as hyper as the Loaches but they may drive other fish crazy. You could also get some neon tetras just to fill out that color scheme. They just swim in a group all day- never bother any body and just look pretty. Again, very peaceful. Requirements seem similar. Now one of my plecos may get as big as 1 foot but I just don't see it happening - he barely grows at all so it will take many years. They are very sedate and don't take up much tank room. I would use a soft sandy substrate since many of these guys like to dig down in the sand for a bed and a gravel will be too sharp. Rinse, rinse rinse the substrate to get rid of the black color staining your water - any other color would be gross. I have some in a tan substrate and I cannot get rid of the tan color on the walls of the tanks. They all love caves. My pleco's will hang together in one big cave along with some Cherry Barbs (that was a surprise) while most of the others will bury in the sand or find another cave to live in. Forget the Angelfish - the Danios will chew their fins off once they catch them. I had a danio put a good size nip in one of my bristlenose plecos when she was small too. I just hate Danios - sorry. If you want a slowed down tank - skip the loaches, keep the tetras and get a few dwarf gourami's - beautiful in dwarf size, quite large and some aggressive in their non-dwarf state but a full-size Pearl Gourmio will be much like your Angelfish - slow moving and peaceful but their fins don't stick out enough to get attacked. They are far more beautiful (especially the males) than in any pictures. Without the fast moving Dojo's and other loaches this will be a calm peaceful tank.

I may re-think the Danio`s & have a look at the Dojos they sound great


Deek

 

[Essjay]

Always research fish before you buy. Shop workers cannot be trusted to give accurate information - too many of them talk rubbish.

The best place for research is https://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ This site gives the temperature range and hardness range for every species; the minimum tank size it can be kept in; comments about which other species can be kept, and which should be avoided.
For example, this https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/misgurnus-anguillicaudatus/ is the dojo loach. You will see in that profile that it needs a tank at least 120 cm/4 feet long.

 

[DeekTic]

Always research fish before you buy. Shop workers cannot be trusted to give accurate information - too many of them talk rubbish.

The best place for research is https://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ This site gives the temperature range and hardness range for every species; the minimum tank size it can be kept in; comments about which other species can be kept, and which should be avoided.
For example, this https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/misgurnus-anguillicaudatus/ is the dojo loach. You will see in that profile that it needs a tank at least 120 cm/4 feet long.

The shop in question was a dedicated aquarium shop...
But yeh, will be checking & double cheking types of fish...

 

[Essjay]

it doesn't matter the type of shop, dedicated fish shops can be as bad as general pet shops. I've heard appalling advice in shops of all kinds.

 

[Waterstrider]

I’d look at gourami more. They have a lot of similarities with angelfish, even though they’re not related.
also they take up less space and do better with small schooling fish.
Pearl gourami are really pretty and can be hardy as can blue gourami. I find them to be the Asian version of angels, mostly slow, long finned but aggressive when necessary. My dwarf gourami even did well with a small tetra school.
If you’re looking at small plecos, check out otos. Just a thought.

 

[Retired Viking]

Hello and welcome to the forum