New to the hobby, advice on tank mates

[Jimmyfromhudds]

Hi We have a 180 litre tropical planted tank (40 g). Currently we have 6 Neon Tetras, 3 Bentosi White Tipped Tetras, 2 baby Hoplo catfish and a female Swordtail. Please can you advise on good tank mates. My wife likes Angelfish. I like a Betta.
Which would be better option?
Thanks

 

[Blackwater guru]

Hi We have a 180 litre tropical planted tank (40 g). Currently we have 6 Neon Tetras, 3 Bentosi White Tipped Tetras, 2 baby Hoplo catfish and a female Swordtail. Please can you advise on good tank mates. My wife likes Angelfish. I like a Betta.
Which would be better option?
Thanks

I would say that angelfish are a bad choice because they can eat smaller fish and it's a fish with long fins so it should not be kept with fish that like to nip.

I would say go with a betta but try doing some research on it first to see if it's suitable or not.

 

[FallenPepper]

With the hoplo cats I'd say that's really it they can get to a decent size and would need a bit of room to swim around in. Angles can get aggressive from time to time or I might of just been unlucky with the few I've had and betas are a nice fish to have by itself.

 

[AquaBarb]

What are your tank dimensions? Id say you would need a bigger tank for Angels, at least a 55 g as they do get rather big and unfortuntely Betta's arent community fish. They get too stressed with tank mates and are better in their own tank.

Gourami's maybe a better route, something like Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) however im not sure how active Bentosi White Tipped Tetra and Hoplo catfish are.

@Byron will be able to answer this better than i

 

[Retired Viking]

I have had angels fish which grew to 6 inches in a 55 gallon tank. Betta should be kept in their own tank. Even if they are passive with other fish they can get aggressive if another fish swims into their zone. I kept my Betta alone in a 5 gallon tank. Also your Bentosi tetras should be in groups of at least 5-6

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

I agree with others who have suggested neither angelfish nor a Betta, as neither will work here. The tank is not sufficient space for angelfish, and male Bettas are not community fish so it would have to be on its own.

I also agree that you need a few more Bentosi Tetra. Like all tetras, this is a shoaling species so with most six is the minimum number but more will always mean better (healthier) fish, provided space is available. A group of 8-9 Bentosi would be good. And a few more neon tetra would help too, another 3-4.

Another issue not yet mentioned but significant is water parameters. What is the GH (generalhardness) of your soource (tap) water? You have fish preferring softer water (tetras, catfish) and one (the swordtail) that absolutely must have moderately hard or harder water to be healthy. If you do not already know, you should be able to ascertain the GH from your your water authority, check their website.

 

[Jimmyfromhudds]

Hi
Thanks for reply. Water is between soft and hard. I test it weekly. It's at 89.5 dKH. LFS said this wasn't a problem as Swords have been in similar conditions in store but their objective to sell.
What colourful centrepiece fish would you recommend?

 

[Jimmyfromhudds]

What are your tank dimensions? Id say you would need a bigger tank for Angels, at least a 55 g as they do get rather big and unfortuntely Betta's arent community fish. They get too stressed with tank mates and are better in their own tank.

Gourami's maybe a better route, something like Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) however im not sure how active Bentosi White Tipped Tetra and Hoplo catfish are.

@Byron will be able to answer this better than i

Hi I'd describe the White Tipped Tetras as very active; they dart around the tank. I think there are 2 males to 1 female; the 2 males chase oneanother.

 

[Jimmyfromhudds]

I like the sound of Dwarf Gouramis. Does anyone have any advice?

 

[Jimmyfromhudds]

Rainbowfish have been suggested. Any advice on suitability? Thanks

 

[Retired Viking]

I started a tetra 55 gallon tank about 4 months ago. I had planted it and did a silent cycle. I have a shoals of 13 neon, 8 ember and 7 glow light. I also had red eye tetras but gave them to my bother-in-law. I researched so I could pick small fish that I could have shoals of and not over crowd my tank. You already have neon tetras which are good community fish. @Byron is very good at what fish go best together.

 

[seangee]

I test it weekly. It's at 89.5 dKH

Please can you confirm both the reading and unit. At 90 dKH you probably need a chisel for water changes, and certainly have massive limescale deposits on all your appliances. GH is actually the number that matters but with a KH that high your water is totally unsuitable for tetras or any soft water species.

I suspect that its more likely 89.5 ppm which would suggest that it is too soft for swordfish. That is not definitive because we cannot assume that GH and KH are similar. (I did make that assumption in the previous paragraph becase the reading, as stated, is pretty extreme).

There is a calculator on this site but one degree = 17.9 ppm (aka mg/L). I would not like to make recommendations until I know for sure which applies to your water - and what the GH is.

 

[Jimmyfromhudds]

Hi Thanks for your advice. Really helpful.
I've done a GH/Kh reading now. GH is between 50-100; KH is 125 ppm.
We lost 2 Swordtails when starting out: could it be as water is too soft?
Should I forego getting any more Swordtails then as other fish like soft water? Either Rainbow fish or Gouramis have been suggested as a colourful addition. Do you know anything about either for my tank?
Many hanks for your support

 

[seangee]

I would avoid swordfish.
Before adding species I would suggest upping your neon tetras and white tipped tetras to at least 12 of each. The change in behaviour will be really rewarding. In my similar sized tank I have 30 cardinal tetras and 15 glowlights. I decided not to have a "centrepiece" because IMO the big groups of tetra are the main attraction. (Its the tank in my signature).

Here is a link to the profile for the white tipped tetra https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hyphessobrycon-bentosi. That site is useful for general species research. I know nothing about rainbowfish but if you go for gourami avoid the dwarf species. My own choice would be pearl or honey gourami but of course its not my tank

 

[Byron]

Your water is too soft for livebearers (swordtails, platies, mollies, guppies, Endlers). They will continue to struggle and weaken, and at some point develop other problems they would (should) normally be able to fight off but cannot because of the weakening, and they will not live to the normal lifespan, guaranteed.

Bentosi tetra, Hyphessobrycon bentosi (the fish linked in post #14) is not an active swimmer but more sedate; the behaviour you describe is clearly due to there only being three of them, and they are under stress. They must have a good sized group, at least 9-10 (the linked profile explains why), and they will tend to remain somewhat together and in the mid-lower region of the tank among plants or wood/branches. Most (but not all) of the species in what Palmer termed the "Rosy clade" behave this way...if they are healthy and not stressed. For the better health and "happiness" of the fish you must get 6-7 more. And same for the neons. If we want a species, we need to know what it requires to be in the best health and then we must ensure we provide that. Nothing less is fair to the fish.

"Rainbowfish" covers dozens of different-behaving and differently-sized fish species. Some would work, some would not. Goourami could work, depending upon species...I would avoid the Dwarf due to incurable disease risk.

LFS said this wasn't a problem as Swords have been in similar conditions in store

Two issues here. First, we have all learned (usually the hard way, by ending up with dead fish) that store staff advice is frequently inaccurate and misleading. Always research a fish species before bringing them home, it is the only way to avoid harming/killing the fish. Don't worry, we all went through this, so we're here to help you avoid some of it.

Second, fish in store tanks are rarely in a good environment. The store hbopes to sell the fish fairly quickly, and the expense of providing separate tanks with preferred water parameters and environmental decor is just not realistic. But the fish are only there for days or a few weeks (they hope), and usually the damagee is not lasting. Once they are home, you are totally responsible for their life, and that requires knowing what they need and providing it.