New 90Litre Tropical Tank

[AlexW]

Hi , iv recently set up a 90litre tropical tank , iv had it a good few weeks now with 2 mollies/sword tails , 4 cherry barbs (lost one) after 2 weeks added a catfish im unsure of its name , a feathertail catfish and 2 plecs . i only got the mollies/barbs to mature my tank for a few weeks (advice from someone in the shop) . One of my mollies had 80 fry which are in a breeding net till they get big enough for my local pet shop to take them.
But im after advice on how many fish i can have in a 90litre tank ? What is a good shoaling fish i could have ? whats the biggest size fish i could have? could i have discuss?

Thanks in advance

 

[AlexW]

Anyone?

 

[DrRob]

Hmmm, where to start? I think we need more details from you.

There are lots of great fish you can keep in a 90 litre tank. Sounds like you're looking for some of the smaller shoaling fish, but some of what you've got there gets quite big.

Generally, for capacity, it's best to work on the adult size of the fish and then, depending on all sorts of factors, rules of thumb run around 1cm per litre as a maximum. Remember that not everything in a tank is water. The gravel and decor do take out some of this capacity.

Sounds like you're doing (or have pretty much finished) a fish-in cycle, which is what a lot of LFS's recommend. Not a popular method here but it looks like you're a fair way through it. Do you have any test kits? It'd be good to know that your filters are coping with what you have, ideally you want an ammonia and nitrite of 0 with a low nitrate. An idea of what water you have will also help people answer what sort of fish might work for you.

Next up, if we're going to advise you we need to know what you already have. Sounds like a synodontis, which is a fair sized and long lived catfish, which I personally quite like, but you are looking at a 6 inch fish there, which will take a fair amount of your tank space by itself. Plecs are interesting fish, most of what is sold are very big fish, and a 90l isn't really big enough for one, and they get boisterous pretty quickly, and don't like similar company. Some of the small plecs you may get away with, but they're often expensive. Can't really comment on the other catfish without more detail.

If you're looking at discuss then you need a lot of kit and research. They need RO water systems and meticulous water quality, but it's certainly a worthwhile dream. I still don't trust myself to keep them.

For shoaling fish, there are many, many options. With an idea of what water you have, and what sort of fish you like, we can probably give advice, but the best I can offer is wander your fish shop, write down the names of the fish you like the look of and try not to buy any until you're had a good think, if for no better reason than that some of the fish you'll see will be drab juveniles or simply not in ideal conditions to show off in the shop and you could miss some gems.

 

[fluttermoth]

It would be best if you could post pictures of your plecs and catfish so we can identify them for you, but they're probably none of them suitable for a 90l tank, unfortunately.

If they're 'normal' plecs and cats, they're going to be taking up all your available space, so you won't be able to add any more fish until you've re-homed them, I'm afraid.

 

[DrRob]

Part of me is hoping it's a corydoras. Part of me though is hoping that it's not a single corydoras. We shall see though.

 

[AlexW]

The plecs are just normal cheap plecs

How would 10 red jewel chichilds do be in my tank ? ignore the mollies + thier fry they are going , they where just to mature my tank abit .
I donht have any test kits but i took a water sample to be tested and they said it was looking fine for how long iv had it set up , but there was something in the water(unsure of what it was now) that they said is quite high so would leave it another week before getting any more fish , but they said its natural for it in the cycle .

Thanks for your replys



the first pic of my tank is how it was at first , then how i changed it , last pic is how it is now

 

[Tizer]

the plecs are probably common plecs and they grow massive, they need to be returned to the fish shop. Get a picture up for confirmation.

you need to buy a freshwater test kit, all responsible fish keepers need one, its like driving a car without a spare tyre if you dont have one.


cant comment on the jewels, but gut feeling screams "no".

 

[DrRob]

ok, so it looks like we've got 2 different synodontis, both having an adult size of up to 6 inches. Maybe only 4. 2 plecs that can easily reach over a foot each and will eventually take each other out in a tank that size and a collection of barbs and swordtails.

To be brutally honest you're already overstocked for a tank of that size. I'd take back, preferably both, of the plecs, unless you have somewhere you can move one onto fairly quickly and even then I'd take back the other.

Even then you're at least fully stocked, and possibly overstocked.

Jewel cichlids are for big tanks only really, and they're territorial, so not 10 anyway. Although they are very pretty. You'd probably get away with a pair of them in a species only tank at that size but they're not a good fish for starting cichlids with. You're right that they'd make good tank mates for the synodontis though, although you really don't have room and the swordtails would probably end up being food eventually.

It's a nice looking tank though. I like the layout you've got there. Out of curiosity, why isn't it full?

 

[AlexW]

Ok I will return the plecs, and get rid of the mollies / barbs. Any advice on what would look nice in my tank then? I like unusual fish , nice eye catching ones , but not into neons/guppies ect. Always liked pictus catfish aswell . As for the water level , there is only about a cm of glass maybe less above the bottom of the lid so thought it best I leave it like that , but I'm new to tropical fish / fish keeping so everything I'm doing is things iv seen as common sense reallly

 

[AlexW]

' You'd probably get away with a pair of them in a species only tank ' What do you mean by this ? that a pair of them would be ok with other cichilds?

 

[DrRob]

I meant with nothing else.

Try this,

http/www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/african-cichlids/blue-jewel/100150.asp

 

[AlexW]

Had a read, thanks! do you think having one sex only to prevent them breeding/becoming more aggressive would be worth while?