New Aquarium For Newbie

[kris2112]

Hi there im new to the site so firstly id like to just say hi to eveyone.

i have just recently bought a 56 gallon corner tank it is mt 2nd tank i have had it for around
3 weeks and its has nearly finished its cycle i think

i started off with a 30l tank about 2 months ago and got hooked straight away.
my parents and family have always has tropical fish but i never really paid much attention when i was growing up
apart from my uncle still having his 2 7 year old pirhannas nobody else i know has kept fish for quite a while.

i got the 30l for my son originally for his 2nd birthday foolishly thinking that fish are nice and easy to look after
much to my suprise after me telling the pet store i had now idea about looking after tropical fish. they simply told me
to take my tank home fill it and leave it a week before filling it with fish.
it was only a day or 2 later when i decided to go searching the net to see what types of fish my son would like it was then that i realised
there was alot more to keeping these fish happy and healthy than i first realised.

however im glad my son decided he wanted fish and since i got the tank home i have spent a fair bit
of time trying to research as best as i can and i am loving learning about this amazing hobby and boring my friends
everyday with what i have learnt.


anyway thats enough about me i just want abit of advice about stocking my newer 56 gallon tank.
i have read alot about the fish already
but seem to get very contrasting opinions on various sites.

this is what i have in mind would like some opinions and advice please.
and any others i could add if i have enough space for them


5 bettas female
7 glowlight danios
2 choclate mollys
1 bristlenose pleco
1 red tail shark
2 swordtails

p.s i already have the 2 mollies and 4 danios in my big tank

and the 2 swordtails in my small tank (planning on moving these into big tank when cycle fully complete)

also any ideas for my small tank would be great thanks

 

[rdd1952]

Hi kris and welcome to the forum.

It is fine to keep female bettas in groups but a lot of bettas don't like the flow of the filters so they may have issues. Danios can also be nippy and could present problems for the bettas. The mollys, swordtails and BN should be fine. RTBS are aggressive and could also cause the bettas problems. I think I would leave off the bettas or put them in the smaller tank by themselves.

 

[kris2112]

i have read that the red tail can be quite aggresive i really like them tho i did want a bala but think they grow a little large for my tank and like to be in groups.
i thought of some koi angel fish but they grow quite big from what i gather and mite just make a meal of my little fish what do u think about the angels.

and are there any other nice bright long fins that u could recommend. that would make a really nice main attraction along with my rts providing they get along?
as i said i am aware that they can get aggresive and have recently found a new aquatics supplier which told me they are happy to take the rts back if he bothers his tank mates.

 

[rdd1952]

I don't think the angels would eat any of the fish you currently have picked out. They only eat what they can fit in their mouths. I think the danios, mollys and swordtails would be too big. Mainly have to worry about slim bodied fish. I guess the danios fall into that catagory but are much longer than something like neons which are definitely in danger with angels. I've never heard of angels eating danios.

I think if you leave the bettas out, the RTS will probably be ok although they say you shouldn't keep them with fish of similar body style and I guess the danios are close. They definitely are lovely fish. I also like the red finned/rainbow sharks. I think they are said to be slightly less aggressive than RTS but still there is risk with any sharks. You could give them a try since you've got someone that will take them back (see if they will give you credit or just take them off your hands).

You are right about the balas. They can grow to a foot long and do need to be in groups. They need a minimum of 75 gallons.

 

[theshadowinc]

5 bettas female
7 glowlight danios
2 choclate mollys
1 bristlenose pleco
1 red tail shark
2 swordtails

Do you mean glowlight tetris? About 1-2" long with red belly and blue strip

A red tail shark is semi aggresive all fish have there own personalities, I use to keep a red tail with Angles and SAE's a combination not recomended. The more you read the more you will learn its usually the only way besides getting the first hand experience.

Ideas you are after for your big tank have you looked into what you need for filtration for a tank that big etc. Do you like live vegatation, what do you think about a planted fish tank its an idea but it also costs alot of money to get started in it properly.
Open your mind and ask questions there is alot you can do, be willing to read and learn and don't always listen to everything you hear on the internet that is simply what sets a few people apart in the hobby and makes them stand out.

I guess a good question for you would be, Why did you go to a bigger fish tank any reason at all??

 

[rdd1952]

Do you mean glowlight tetris?

I'm taking it that she meant glofish or glo danios, the ones that have been genetically bred to the odd, dayglo colors.

 

[kris2112]

they are definitely glowlight danios

http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Glowlig...nio_choprai.php

i got the bigger tank purely so i could have a bigger variety of fish and hopefully make a
bright attractive focal point as soon as people walk into my house it fits perfectly under my stairs and is viewed as soon as you walk through the door

my tank has a few caves towards the front with variations of plants round the back (not live plants) it is not overly crowded but there are still plenty of hiding places for my future tank mates and places where they can claim as there own should they wish to

i have an atman 882 internal filter the reason for this being it came with the tank.

in regards to the plants i would like to look into live plants in the future but for the time being i am happy to concentrate on learning about the fish.