New Tank!

[Joteca]

Hi all !
In a few weeks I'll be able to get a fish tank and I've already started looking at some fish, so far after a bit of research I've decided on

2x Dwarf frogs (I heard they prefer to live in pairs)
3-4 Guppies OR a male betta, (Not sure which but I'm swayed towards the guppies due to the nature of the betta)
1x red tailed black shark OR a rainbow shark
2x Pink kissing gouramis
and some form of algae eater I really like the snowball plec but I imagine that grows really big?.

I have a few questions about this, what sort of algae eater would you reccommend for a beginner? I used to keep fish a long time ago when i was 10 or 11 and used a pleco with green spots but I'm not sure how big they grow.

Do these fish seem compatable together?

How big of a tank do you recommend for these, and would there be room to fit in a few more in an that sized tank? (Dimensions would be appreciated if you could please)

Thanks !

 

[Bobtastic]

I've read/heard that larger tanks are easier to keep than smaller ones. So I think it's best to get that largest tank you can afford. Also think about how you plan to "cycle" your new tank. I've made the mistake of buying fishies too soon so I have to do an fish-in cycle with will probably take longer and involve a lot more effort (water changes and the like). You can also do a fish-less cycle, with allows you to breed the good bacteria required to process the Ammonia and Nitrites into Nitrates without the chance of hurting or killing any poor defenseless fishy types!

But I'm quite new to all this and I'm sure someone more experienced will be along to answer your questions properly.

 

[arobinson1984]

Ideally you'd need to be looking at a tank in the region of minimum 125 litres (about 27 gallon) especially if you wish to add more fish as well, the pink kissing gourami can grow fairly large, around 5.5 - 6" I believe, and also alot of species of sharks can grow large such as the silver shartk can reach 12", you would have to research the shark you have mentioned to find out its adult size, do a quick search on wikipedia.

I'd highly recommend a fishless cycle, it is kinder as you wont harm any fish although it can be a bit boring cycling the tank for 6-8 weeks with no fish to watch but hey good things come to those who wait, better to do things properly and benefit in the long run.

How much are you looking to spend on a tank??

Andy

 

[Joteca]

Ideally you'd need to be looking at a tank in the region of minimum 125 litres (about 27 gallon) especially if you wish to add more fish as well, the pink kissing gourami can grow fairly large, around 5.5 - 6" I believe, and also alot of species of sharks can grow large such as the silver shartk can reach 12", you would have to research the shark you have mentioned to find out its adult size, do a quick search on wikipedia.

I'd highly recommend a fishless cycle, it is kinder as you wont harm any fish although it can be a bit boring cycling the tank for 6-8 weeks with no fish to watch but hey good things come to those who wait, better to do things properly and benefit in the long run.

How much are you looking to spend on a tank??

Andy

I'm not sure, my parents are moving to pretty big house so my room will be quite large. Probably around 400-500 pounds on the tank and stand.
Is the compatibility of the fish/frogs okay or will the gouramis run riot on the others?

Thanks for the replys !

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yes, you must cycle your tank before you get fish,

Read here on how to do a fishless cycle.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...howtopic=113861

If everything goes accordingly, this whole process will take 4-6 weeks.

In the meantime, you can browse the forum here, in search for good advice and fish selections.

It is also a good idea to start a new thread on your fishless cycle, and your daily readings (you will know what this is after you have read that link).

A good test kit is essential for every fish keeper! I would recommend the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. It is a very good price, and it is one that a lot of us use and trust on here.

-FHM

 

[Bobtastic]

I'm not sure, my parents are moving to pretty big house so my room will be quite large. Probably around 400-500 pounds on the tank and stand.
Is the compatibility of the fish/frogs okay or will the gouramis run riot on the others?

Thanks for the replys !

Ooooh! You could probably get a small sized swimming pool for £400-£500!!

 

[Joteca]

I'm not sure, my parents are moving to pretty big house so my room will be quite large. Probably around 400-500 pounds on the tank and stand.
Is the compatibility of the fish/frogs okay or will the gouramis run riot on the others?

Thanks for the replys !

Ooooh! You could probably get a small sized swimming pool for £400-£500!!

I'd hope so ! That includes the cabinet aswell though.

 

[fatheadminnow]

I'm not sure, my parents are moving to pretty big house so my room will be quite large. Probably around 400-500 pounds on the tank and stand.
Is the compatibility of the fish/frogs okay or will the gouramis run riot on the others?

Thanks for the replys !

Ooooh! You could probably get a small sized swimming pool for £400-£500!!

I'd hope so ! That includes the cabinet aswell though.

-FHM

 

[Joteca]

Thanks for everyones your help !
Any recommendations on what type of algae eater I should get?

 

[arobinson1984]

Although slightly over your budget that you mentioned, this tank would be great if you have the room, I will be looking to get one in the not too distant future:

http/www.seapets.co.uk/products/aquarium...nd-cabinet.html

If thats slightly too much / too big have a search on that website, its where I got my tank, I've got the jewul rio 125 which is comparativily small compared that that one.

Andy

 

[Joteca]

Although slightly over your budget that you mentioned, this tank would be great if you have the room, I will be looking to get one in the not too distant future:

[URL="http/www.seapets.co.uk/products/aquarium...nd-cabinet.html"]http/www.seapets.co.uk/products/aquarium...nd-cabinet.html[/URL]

If thats slightly too much / too big have a search on that website, its where I got my tank, I've got the jewul rio 125 which is comparativily small compared that that one.

Andy

That's a very nice tank !
Unfortunately it's probably a bit out of my price range
I'll have a look on that site now !
Thanks !

 

[arobinson1984]

How about this one: http/www.seapets.co.uk/products/aquarium...nd-cabinet.html

Also a very nice tank, although you may need to consider that with a tank this sort of size, you'll probably need to add an extra filter or convert to using an external filter so there is extra expense as well.

Andy