My 15 Gal

[ben1987]

Hi im new . From Sheffield UK.
I set up my tank with some advice i got at pets@home, they said leave the tank a week then put fish in

A lot of stuff died and went crazy so i gave the surviving fish back and thought id read up how to set up right.
I want to do a fishless cycle and iv read a few different articles on it. Iv got the household ammonia (from boots) i was just wopndering how much im supposed to be adding?Are we talking drops or a cup full?

After iv done cycling i was hoping you could help me with my fish...i want some colour but i dont want a mass warzone with things getting munched everywhere! its 15Uk gal about 2'x1' and 1' deep. i think thats right...used aquarium calculator ro find out what gal it was

thanks sorry its long too

 

[donna123]

hi, welcome to tff,
all the best donna

 

[chibi]

Congrats on your new tank! If you want color, I suggest livebearers like guppies. They come in so many colors and patterns, and are easy to take care of.

You'll want to balance your tank with a few fish on the bottom and some on the top. 3 or 4 corydoras of any species will help with that. They are little catfish that sit on the bottom of the tank. You'll need atleast 3 because they are better off in groups.

The rule of the trade is 1 inch per US gallon. I'm guessing you're from the UK, so I'm not sure how to put that... that's about 3 cm per UK gallon. So, since you have 15 UK gallons, you don't want more than 45 cm of fish. I'd always go less though, because the less stocked a tank is, the better.

Sooo, here's what I would suggest:
3 corydoras, any species (I have panda corys, but I'm in the US, so I'm not sure how available they are)
3 guppies
1-3 smaller fish that suit your fancy at the local fish store; tetras and rasboras reccomended

Corys and guppies grow to about 5 cm, so if you get 3 of each, that is 30 cm. That means that you have another 15 cm of fish, enough for maybe 3 tetras. You should be good with just guppies or corys, but you'll always see a fish at your local fish store that just intrigues you. I'd buy it, but not until you ask the clerk about it! Be sure to ask its adult size, temperment, and wether or not it will get along with the other fish in your tank (be specific). If it sounds like a good match, get it! If you're still not sure, come back here and ask. I'm sure you'll get the information you'll need.

Good luck~! Feel free to ask any more questions.

 

[ben1987]

ty! i just need 2 know roughly how much ammonia to add to get my cycle started...dont wanna add loads so it spoils it and i dont wanna add too little so i dont get a reading.

 

[Kame-San]

Ok, first off, the above stocking that has been posted for you has a few problems (though I'm not objecting, just letting you know that there is a bit of a better thing to do. no offense to you, chibi ^-^)

Corys need to be kept in groups of 4 or more, and pandas tend to be a little less hardy so you should probably start off with bronze/albino (they're the same sub-species so you could keep 2 of each if you wanted) or you could get peppered, or some other species. i just know pandas are a bit harder to make happy.

Guppies, if you want fry, should be kept 2-3 females for every male. If you wanted a breeding trio, get 2 females and a male. If you don't want fry, get 5 males. Your tank should be big enough for this, though I have no idea how UK gallons and US gallons compare.

Also, tetras need to be kept in groups of 6 or more. So you could either go with the tetras or the guppies, but not both.

Sorry for the long post, and I hope everything goes the best for you

 

[ben1987]

thanks a lot! what about maybe a dwarf gourami? i think they grow to like 6cm? are they aggressive though? maybe they need a bigger tank...i dunno

 

[chibi]

Thanks, Kame! I've only kept pandas, so I wasn't sure how hardy they were compared to others.

And ben, I wouldn't suggest getting a dwarf gourami in your tank. He would survive, but he wouldn't thrive and would probably chase the others. They need a nice amount of room. I had one in a small tank and he wasn't very happy.