New Biorb 60L Tropical... Fish Species Advice..

[chris1984]

Hi All,

Really hoping i can get some sound advice of people that know more than me in this area; After dabbling in fish keeping previously and always showing a keen interest my mother in law has bought me a biorb 60L with heater. Needless to say i need to set this up and make use of it!!
From my research i understand they are not ideal, however she thought she was doing well. I figured with the right fish and proper advice i can make the most of it, and also get a lot of enjoyment from it.
I have cycled the tank and all seems well after 3 weeks with the levels. I also have stress cost and the usual additions. Now im looking forward to adding some fish.. Im being realistic here and need some relatively hardy fish and also ones that can be happy in their new home.. i.e not too big!

I will list what i would really like; It would be great if you could help me based on this as to whether it would work? And hopefully make some suggestions..
Tiger barbs? (like alot)
Neon Tetras?
Glow light Danio?
Would also love a red tailed black shark.. however im guessing this will be too big? Is there anything similar that may work? Would love to have one larger fish that’s happy with the smaller ones.

I am fully aware i cannot have all of the above, it is a starting point for me.
Any advice i can learn here will be very much appreciated and put to good use. I’m determined to make a happy home for my fish!

 

[Tizer]

i honestly dont think you have cycled the tank correctly, i've never known a filter to cycle within 3 weeks from new without mature media. please describe what you have done to "cycle" the filter, then we can move onto fish. Please also tell us what your "levels" are at for ammonia and nitrite. is it a bi0rb life (square) or the round ball shaped tank?

 

[KittyKat]

i honestly dont think you have cycled the tank correctly, i've never known a filter to cycle within 3 weeks from new without mature media. please describe what you have done to "cycle" the filter, then we can move onto fish. Please also tell us what your "levels" are at for ammonia and nitrite. is it a bi0rb life (square) or the round ball shaped tank?

+1

I will list what i would really like; It would be great if you could help me based on this as to whether it would work? And hopefully make some suggestions..
Tiger barbs? (like alot)

Too active, too large, schooling. Schooling means that a species should be kept in a group of at least 6 individual of the same species, and ideally 10-15+. Since you are starting a new tank, there is no excuse for having any less than 10 individuals of a schooling species as you are now aware of their requirements. I described what schooling means in some more detail here: http/aquariumadventure.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/deciding-on-fish-numbers/

Neon Tetras?

Depends on the tank you have, schooling.

Glow light Danio?

Zebra danios are too active, I wouldn't want to keep them in any tank whcih is under 3 ft long as they can clear a 4-5 ft tank from one side to the other in under a second; schooling.

Would also love a red tailed black shark.. however im guessing this will be too big? Is there anything similar that may work? Would love to have one larger fish that’s happy with the smaller ones.

Too big, too aggressive. The problem with large fish is that they need large tanks… and BiOrbs are less capable of supporting these than standard 60 litre tanks..

Any advice i can learn here will be very much appreciated and put to good use. I’m determined to make a happy home for my fish!

That's great! Because you have a lot of work ahead of you By the way, it would be useful to know the tank dimensions, how much ammonia you used for cycling, your tap water parameters and the lighting in that tank before we make some suggestions

 

[chris1984]

Thank you for such detailed replies! Much appreciated.

I must remind you i am no expert, however im a quick study.
I have left the tank running for 3 - 4 weeks and occasionally added a couple of food flakes. I used simple API Testing kits and strips. Whilst these do not give you precise measurements, they did all indicate that the water was safe. Additionally i am only looking to add a couple of fish at first.
The tank is the round 60L type (globe type). This has led lighting which can be set to come on and off at whichever intervals are set.
As far as tap water parameters go, i am afraid i am unsure. However i am in a hard water area, which i assume could present a hazard.

 

[ripil]

the red tailed black shark or epalzeorhynchos bicolor is a no no in my opinion mate they can get quite big over time. i'd only keep one in a large tank. 10 different colour tetras would look good.

 

[ZoddyZod]

the red tailed black shark or epalzeorhynchos bicolor is a no no in my opinion mate they can get quite big over time. i'd only keep one in a large tank. 10 different colour tetras would look good.

if you are recommending 10 different species of tetra then I would have to disagree. Tetra need their own species to schoal with, they would not appreciate being the only one of their kind, no matter how many more different teta are in the tank.

Chris,

Have a read about cycling in the beginers section. It's a much more involved process than occassionally adding a few fish flakes - although I know that this is a recommended process is some literature, it's very hit and miss and could cause you problems down the line.

You are right to be wary of the strip tests - but they are not just unprecise, they can be wildly innacurate. If you are getting false readings then again this could cause you issues. I advise getting a good liquid based kit that includes ammonia and nitrite tests - I don't believe the strips will even test for ammonia?

 

[KittyKat]

I have left the tank running for 3 - 4 weeks and occasionally added a couple of food flakes. I used simple API Testing kits and strips. Whilst these do not give you precise measurements, they did all indicate that the water was safe. Additionally i am only looking to add a couple of fish at first.

This is a good start. So you have been adding flake food, do you know why? Because when it rots, it produces ammonia, which is "eaten" by bacteria and converted to nitrite in the process. The nest step is that some other bacteria use the the nitrite and convert it into nitrate.
Ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish.
Fish poo releases ammonia into the water and they also release ammonia from their gills.
The ammount of ammonia released by a single fish is more than the food it eats and more of it is released at the same time than decomposing food would release.
This is why, while adding fish food to water is a good start, it is better to use household ammonia, as you can monitor concentrations. Basically, the amounts of ammonia you have been putting into the water are too low to give you a reading and the fish will release a lot more ammonia than that.
So, I recommend you read about cycling, finish off with a fish-less cycle and then stock.

The tank is the round 60L type (globe type). This has led lighting which can be set to come on and off at whichever intervals are set.
As far as tap water parameters go, i am afraid i am unsure. However i am in a hard water area, which i assume could present a hazard.

Google tells me that the tank is 50 cm wide. Hard water is fine, it allows for more fish than softwater, although is not amazing for neons.

What about any of these Asian schooling fish? 10 of any one species would work well in the long term: http/aquariumadventure.wordpress.com/species-for-a-60-litre-aquariums/#asian-schooling