New Tank & Tropical Fish List

[elope]

some quick info: my current tank is 29gl(30x12) I have two filters on it a Aqua Tech 30-60 and a Tetra Whisper EX20 Still in the process of cyclying my tank but want to be ready when its done in a monthish. My Tank stays at 80 degrees and my water is very hard up here. My thank theme is "Sunken City" with black and red gravel

I have read the red tail can kinda be kinda mean in tanks about my size so I am gonna be adding decent plants and hiding spots. 

here is my list


Red Tailed Shark-1 (Want this to be my main)
Dwarf Gourami- 1
Harlequin Rasbora- 5
Tiger Barbs- ?
Swordtail- 2 Male




This puts me at about 103% stock level If all goes well I do see my self upgrading tanks in the future. Any advise or tips is what im looking for  Thanks for the help in advance

 

[Wills]

Hi elope welcome to the forum
 
Just wanted to double check how you are cycling your tank - are you using fish or is it a fishess cycle where you add liquid ammonia?
 
With the stocking, have you thought about a Rainbow Shark? They are slightly smaller than Red Tails and have red on all their fins rather than just the rail they are also slightly more peaceful. Ideally though you want to have a 4 foot tank for these red and black sharks - how realistic is the upgrade in the future?
 
I am also wary of advising people to stock tanks with plans to upgrade in the future. I started out like that but my plans developed slower than planned which meant the fish I had in my three foot at the time had to be rehomed because my six foot took about 18 months longer to get. My advice on this would be to get fish now that will thrive in a bigger tank with bigger fish should that be the route you take. I would also wait right now for a few of the species you want to get, I would do this kind of tank for now.
 
3 Dwarf Gourami - 1 male 2 female (males have long flowing dorsal fins, females have small semi circular dorsal fins)
12 Harlequin Rasbora
1 Rainbow Shark (though a Red Tail Shark may be ok on the very minimum size for it and the prospect of a larger tank at some point in the future)
 
I left the Tiger Barbs out as you need to keep them in a much bigger school than is possible in this tank, in low numbers they are very boisterous and nippy and they do bother other fish... where as if you keep them in a group of 12-15+ they school together better and they dont nip other fish, sometimes each other but mainly they will spend their time trying to be the most dominant in the school. So they are distracted from the other fish.
 
I have suggested 12 rather than 5 Harlequins as in a larger school you will see they are much more active and their colours will be better for the same reasons as the tiger barbs although they are not as nippy but a larger school will help keep them interested in each other where as in a group of 5 one will become the dominant one and the rest will just follow in much duller colouration. Although 5-6 is the minimum recommended number for schools always aim for 10, a good rule to live by is minimum standards = minimum expectations which is really true in fish keeping. We have a chance to keep fish that will really thrive in our tanks and its often through changes like cutting down the number of species to up the numbers of one species is a great example of that.
 
I also left out the Swordtails - main reason was to add in the Dwarf Gourami females, but also because it then gives the Gourami the whole of the top of the tank where as you could have had a lone Dwarf Gourami nipping at the male Swordtails sword as they will both inhabit the upper quarter of the tank. These would also be a prime candidate to include in a larger tank.
 
For example if you were to upgrade to a 240 liter tank which is sort of the next off the shelf tank size your stocking list could be something like
 
3 Dwarf Gourami - 1 male 2 female
3 Sword Tails - 1 male 2 females (you have enough fish in the tank to deal with the population control)
15 Tiger Barbs
12 Harlequin Rasbora
1 Rainbow Shark
 
Hope thats helped
Wills

 

[Byron]

I concur with what Wills mentioned.  My one addition would be not to combine Tiger Barbs with sedate fish (gourami) regardless of the tank size; this is just too risky.
 
I would also caution on dwarf gourami in general.  This species is notorious for carrying the iridovirus, even in fish that do not show symptoms, and it can spread.  Neale Monks frequently advises not to acquire this fish unless you know the breeder and buy direct, and I think this is sound advice.  There is no cure for this virus, and it now seems it can spread to other species.
 
Byron.

 

[SeanTrollope]

i had rainbow shark and they were always fighting with other fish and themselfs althou oone was clearley dominant

 

[elope]

Hi elope welcome to the forum

 
Just wanted to double check how you are cycling your tank - are you using fish or is it a fishess cycle where you add liquid ammonia?
 
With the stocking, have you thought about a Rainbow Shark? They are slightly smaller than Red Tails and have red on all their fins rather than just the rail they are also slightly more peaceful. Ideally though you want to have a 4 foot tank for these red and black sharks - how realistic is the upgrade in the future?
 
I am also wary of advising people to stock tanks with plans to upgrade in the future. I started out like that but my plans developed slower than planned which meant the fish I had in my three foot at the time had to be rehomed because my six foot took about 18 months longer to get. My advice on this would be to get fish now that will thrive in a bigger tank with bigger fish should that be the route you take. I would also wait right now for a few of the species you want to get, I would do this kind of tank for now.
 
3 Dwarf Gourami - 1 male 2 female (males have long flowing dorsal fins, females have small semi circular dorsal fins)
12 Harlequin Rasbora
1 Rainbow Shark (though a Red Tail Shark may be ok on the very minimum size for it and the prospect of a larger tank at some point in the future)
 
I left the Tiger Barbs out as you need to keep them in a much bigger school than is possible in this tank, in low numbers they are very boisterous and nippy and they do bother other fish... where as if you keep them in a group of 12-15+ they school together better and they dont nip other fish, sometimes each other but mainly they will spend their time trying to be the most dominant in the school. So they are distracted from the other fish.
 
I have suggested 12 rather than 5 Harlequins as in a larger school you will see they are much more active and their colours will be better for the same reasons as the tiger barbs although they are not as nippy but a larger school will help keep them interested in each other where as in a group of 5 one will become the dominant one and the rest will just follow in much duller colouration. Although 5-6 is the minimum recommended number for schools always aim for 10, a good rule to live by is minimum standards = minimum expectations which is really true in fish keeping. We have a chance to keep fish that will really thrive in our tanks and its often through changes like cutting down the number of species to up the numbers of one species is a great example of that.
 
I also left out the Swordtails - main reason was to add in the Dwarf Gourami females, but also because it then gives the Gourami the whole of the top of the tank where as you could have had a lone Dwarf Gourami nipping at the male Swordtails sword as they will both inhabit the upper quarter of the tank. These would also be a prime candidate to include in a larger tank.
 
For example if you were to upgrade to a 240 liter tank which is sort of the next off the shelf tank size your stocking list could be something like
 
3 Dwarf Gourami - 1 male 2 female
3 Sword Tails - 1 male 2 females (you have enough fish in the tank to deal with the population control)
15 Tiger Barbs
12 Harlequin Rasbora
1 Rainbow Shark
 
Hope thats helped

Wills

Thanks for the reply! A fish in Cycle plan is to do it with 4 Harlequin Rasbora from what i have read its about 1 fish per 10 gallon and I do have the API master kit.
 
As far as upgrading it will be within 6 months for sure. Currently leaning towards a 55gl for around 100$ then random mis things with it.
 
Rainbow shark and the Red Tail has been my biggest debate personally. The RTS just stays my personal favorite and im kinda set on keeping him on my center piece.  
 
Loving your list for my current tank of:
3 Dwarf Gourami - 1 male 2 female (males have long flowing dorsal fins, females have small semi circular dorsal fins)
12 Harlequin Rasbora
1 Rainbow Shark (though a Red Tail Shark may be ok on the very minimum size for it and the prospect of a larger tank at some point in the future)
 
But what Byron said kinda has me worried with the Dwark Gourami now..
 

I concur with what Wills mentioned.  My one addition would be not to combine Tiger Barbs with sedate fish (gourami) regardless of the tank size; this is just too risky.
 
I would also caution on dwarf gourami in general.  This species is notorious for carrying the iridovirus, even in fish that do not show symptoms, and it can spread.  Neale Monks frequently advises not to acquire this fish unless you know the breeder and buy direct, and I think this is sound advice.  There is no cure for this virus, and it now seems it can spread to other species.
 
Byron.

 Well that has me worried now..

 

[Byron]

What has you worried?
 
Something I learned the hard way: never acquire a fish today if you do not now have the suitable aquarium (includes size but also environment, other fish, etc that affect things).  Plans for larger tanks may change, or you may change what you want in it.  Then you are stuck with a fish that is rapidly outgrowing its present tank and this is highly stressful which causes health issues and may even lead to stunting, and almost always a premature demise.  Fish growth is continual, and requires adequate surroundings not only in terms of water volume but tankmates and the environment in general.  Wait until you have the larger tank running, then acquire the fish so it can grow properly within its new permanent home.  Much better for the fish.
 
The Red Tail Shark grows (or should) to five inches; here is some additional info from a profile I wrote of this species:
 
A strikingly attractive fish, though one usually with a tenacious attitude. It requires a large aquarium with several good hiding spots. A good water flow from the filter will be appreciated by this fish. It is intolerant of poor water conditions and high nitrates. In a large tank with good water conditions, it will live for 15 years.

It is well known for being territorial in some way; this can be in the form of "guarding" some kind of object in the tank--this could be an ornament, filter, plant bunch or simply an area of the tank--and attacking fish that come near it.
 
I would not cycle with the rasbora.  This is a sensitive soft water fish.  I am not a fan of fish-in cycling anyway, as this almost always does permanent damage to the fish and that is something we should avoid.  If the tank is well planted, this can work.  This has been discussed quite recently in a couple of other threads.
 
Another issue with the rasbora is that it needs a group, more than four.  With this species, I would not go below 7 or 8.  And with shoaling fish, it is always better to acquire them together.  Some species have greater need than others for this, but in all cases it is still better.
 
Hope this is of some assistance.
 
Byron.

 

[Ninjouzata]

I would urge you to reconsider on the fish-in cycle and do a fish-less cycle following THIS article.
You can get ammonia at Ace Hardware and people here will be happy to answer any questions you may have!
 
If you insist on the fish-in cycle then you'll want to have a read of THIS and THIS. 

 

[star4]

I would urge you to reconsider on the fish-in cycle and do a fish-less cycle following THIS article.
You can get ammonia at Ace Hardware and people here will be happy to answer any questions you may have!
 
If you insist on the fish-in cycle then you'll want to have a read of THIS and THIS. 

 
 
OP is doing a fishless cycle!
 
RTBS get bigger than 5"
 
 
 
Double ditto Wills advice, stock the tank to the size of the tank you have now, not one for the future, circumstances change. You can always add more fish once you have the bigger tank.