Newbie, About To Stock The Aquarium, Which Fish ?

[EileenS]

I hope its not a silly question but we just set up our first ever aquarium (BiOrb 60) on Thursday evening, we're going to get the water checked tomorrow to see if its OK to put fish in yet.

We have been told to put in just a few to begin with, and gradually build up the stock. Is this right ? How many fish can we put in in total (60 litres) 20-25 ?

Would I be OK to put a couple of miniature albino frogs in with guppies ?

What are the best small fish to use to hoover up any waste/algae that settles on the bottom ?

Are Tetra quite hardy ?

Thanks for your help

 

[catxx]

as a bio-orb is a bowl shape the amount of fish you can stock in it does come down a little due to surface area.

bio-orbs are a little frowned upon on this forum. (over-priced goldfish bowls)

albino frogs are african clawed frogs, will essentially grow to 5 inches and happily eat your guppies.
if you can get hold of african dwarf frogs however (which do not come in albino form, google them) they could work.

i'm no bio-orb expert however, i've never had one and am unaware of the differences between them and a proper tank.

tetras vary greatly, i believe you're referring to neon tetras which prefer are mature tank (6 months old +) they can be a little delicate.

it's likely to take around 2 weeks for your tank to cycle ready for fish though.

good luck!

 

[bogwood]

I hope its not a silly question but we just set up our first ever aquarium (BiOrb 60) on Thursday evening, we're going to get the water checked tomorrow to see if its OK to put fish in yet.

We have been told to put in just a few to begin with, and gradually build up the stock. Is this right ? How many fish can we put in in total (60 litres) 20-25 ?

Would I be OK to put a couple of miniature albino frogs in with guppies ?

What are the best small fish to use to hoover up any waste/algae that settles on the bottom ?

Are Tetra quite hardy ?

Thanks for your help

sorry to put a dampner on things, but you need to 'cycle' your tank first... either with fish or much better still a 'fishless' cycle... there are plenty of links/posts on this forum that'll help you out... do a little research and your whole 'fish' experience will be less hassle with fewer dissapointments... and you and your future fish will be happier...

you'll be massively overstocked with 20 - 25 fish in a 60 litre orb...

 

[OohFeeshy]

Assuming you've just left the tank, which is what shops generally tell you (wrongly) to do, read this http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=73365
Buy your own test kits, you only really need ammonia and nitrite, and follow the instructions in the link until ammonia and nitrite are 0.

Fish wise, though. 60 litres, if I recall, is about 15 gallons, smallas it is but being round, you have little surface area, and the Bi-orb has pretty rubbish filtration. Bottom dwellers are out since the biorb has a very sharp ceramic substrate, I'm not sure how this would affect the filter but a better bet would be to replace it with normal round gravel. Bottom dwellers are still out really as most require a sand substrate, but perhaps 3 otos, once the tank is mature, would eat any algae you may have. Unfourtunately, tetras and guppies are both very easy to kill, guppies especially, which poses a problem, but depending on the tetra, a group of six would be the best choice out of what you want for fish. Then, perhaps, either a trio of guppies (1m, 2fm), or a dwarf gourami would finish the stocking.

 

[emma12321]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

Just to add the general guide is 1 inch of adult fish per gallon, this will be reduced somewhat by the tank only having a small surface area. This may seem a strange question but did you get the tropical biorb with heater. If not your limited to white cloud mountain minnows or a single fancy goldfish. Remember to research any fish you wish to purchase and find out its adult size. And to keep shoaling fish in goups of 6+

Emma

 

[EileenS]

Thanks for replying Emma and chaps

Yes we did get the tropical version with heater.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Bottom dwellers are still out really as most require a sand substrate, but perhaps 3 otos, once the tank is mature, would eat any algae you may have. Unfourtunately, tetras and guppies are both very easy to kill, guppies especially, which poses a problem, but depending on the tetra, a group of six would be the best choice out of what you want for fish. Then, perhaps, either a trio of guppies (1m, 2fm), or a dwarf gourami would finish the stocking.

Can I just point out that:

bottom dwellers like cories do not require sand (though they prefer it) but they do require either sand or a smooth pebbly gravel (so the ceramic stuff in a biorb won't do); lots of people keep cories on pea gravel and it works fine as long as you keep it really clean; however a biorb won't really provide enough bottom space, and I have a feeling the ceramic stuff may be an essential ingredient in the filtration of the biorb (?). And cories don't eat algae though they do clear fresh food from the bottom

there are hundreds of different tetras. Some, like neons and cardinals, are delicate, others, like black widows and glowlights are a lot hardier.

If I were you, Eileen, I would look into fishless cycling. Then I would add a school of small tetras (if that's what you like)- something like glowlights. You could probably fit in a few guppies too, though I'm uncertain of how the surface area bit works out. Maybe 3 female guppies.

As for cleaning the bottom, the best way is not to overfeed. You will also be cleaning the bottom with a gravel vac once a week during water changes. And guppies do eat from the bottom too.