Please Help: Colorful Tropical Aquarium Set Up

[Lovely]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and the hobby of fish keeping. I'm very excited about it, and anxious to get started. I plan to set up an aquarium of either 20 or 30 gallons. I'd like to have a colorful combination of fish that get along well, eat similar food, and a good mix of fish at the top, middle, and bottom levels. So far, based on some research I did on water requirements, communities, etc., I am thinking that I'd like to have:

- zebra danios
- neon tetras
- platys
- kuhli loaches
- gouramis
- butterfly loaches
- corydoras

I probably need to choose between the corys, butterfly loaches, and kuhli loaches, but I'd like to have at least a variety of 2. If you have info to sway me, please share!

I am unsure of the numbers, but it seems that 4-6 fish are suggested for each type. Will there be enough room for that many fish? Is the general rule 1inch of fish per gallon of water?

If you have any suggestions of colorful, active, peaceful fish, please let me know. I am open to suggestions, and would love to have feedback from people who actually know what they're doing! Many thanks!

 

[rdd1952]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

It's good to see that you are researching first. It will make your start so much easier. First, if it comes down to tank size, go with the largest you can afford/have room for. The larger the tank, the more stable they are and easier to maintain.

The only fish I see that I would reccommend against is the butterfly loach. There are several species sold under that name but as a general rule, they are a coldwater fish and prefer temps much cooler than tropicals. They also prefer a good current/flow and need lots of surface movement for oxidization.

As for the other fish, they all should be fine. Danios can be a bit nippy at times if not kept in larger enough groups. Platys are livebearers so unless you get all males, you will have fry which you would have to deal with. Even if you let nature take it's course, some will probably still survive which could lead to overstocking issues. The corys and kuhlis would be fine together as bottom fish. Just don't expect to see the kuhlis very much as they stay hid most of the time.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi and wecome to TFF!

First of all I agree with all the advice from RDD. He's my mentor and always tries to give fair and reasoned advice!

Here are my own thoughts on the same fish:

- zebra danios: wonderful surface movement fish and perfect first tank starter after the fishless cycle. Stick with the 6-8 minimum guidelines as RDD mentions, they like that much better and play with their own rather than chase others.

- neon tetras: A mainstay of the hobby since the 1920's, these fish also need a similar minium school size as they are used to being among thousands of their own in the wild. These fish should not be introduced until about 6 months after the fishless cycle has completed. Neons or Cardinals are about the same.

- platys: Agree with RDD again, wonderful, colorful fish if you stick to males.. beginners should think long and hard before having livebearer and having to deal with baby fry and potential overstocking problems.. plenty of time for that in year 3 of the hobby when you -know- you want to be doing it, lol!

- kuhli loaches: agree, not likely to be seen much.

- gouramis: Wonderful centerpiece fish for smaller community tanks - these would be good to research and discuss (the different types are different from each other) with the members as you do your fishless cycle.

- butterfly loaches (scratch from list)

- corydoras: Wonderful fish. Think about obtaining smoothed sand/pebbles from a stream bed so that their barbels won't be damaged on sharp sand or gravel. Investigate the 3 pygmy species and you can better fit the nice shoal of 6 or so in a smaller tank. There are over 200 types named and over 200 others numbered without even names yet!

Other than the loaches, all of your list are pretty straightforward findable do-able tropical freshwater fish and are pretty good choices! If its true that you haven't bought any equipment yet then you are in the very rare good place, assuming you have the patience, to research all the individual hardware and beginner processes right here on the forum and be in for a really great first experience hopefully. I'd begin by reading and re-reading the pinned articles at the top of this forum and asking questions about them in your own threads here in the forum. The members here are great and really enjoy following along when someone new gets into it.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Lovely]

Thanks a lot, rdd1952.

I've also found that platys and tiger barbs are not compatible so my list has changed to:
- kuhlis
- tiger barbs
- corys
- zebra danois
- gouramis
- platys

What would be the minimum numbers for each of these kinds of fish? I think I will end up with a 30 gallon tank.
I was wondering, since some of the fish are specifically low dwelling and others are mid and top level dwellers, do I have to stick with the 1 inch per gallon?

 

[rdd1952]

You mentioned that you found platys and tigers weren't compatible but you have them both on your list. One of the problems with tiger barbs is that they are very aggressive unless kept in large groups to spread the aggression. Personally, I don't think they're a good community fish but others will differ. I would scratch them and go back to the neons or another tetra. There are many that will work.

As far as quantities, generally for shoaling fish like tetras, danios, corys, etc., you need at least 3 and preferable 5 or 6 of each species. Withthe danios, I would agree with WD that 6-8 would be a good number. If you do decide to go with tiger barbs, I would think you would want around 8 of those too in order to keep aggression down. If you can find them, pentzona barbs are a very close look-alike for tigers but without the aggression.

As far as 1" per gallon, it's mainly just a guide. It's a good avenue to take in the begnning until you are more comfortable with the tank and it's better established. Less fish gnerally = less problems in the beginning. Depending on filtration and maintenance schedule, you can easily exceed that later on without problems.

 

[Lovely]

Thank you very much, rdd1952 and waterdrop! All very good, useful information. Now I have a better idea of what my aquarium will look like in terms of fish and numbers. I've decided to scrap the tiger barbs.

I plan to go and get the equipment today.

 

[keenonfish]

I have a 40 gallon just setup seeded from old and heavily planted and after getting some cardinals to go with my poor three neons I think I want a few more now as they are real impressive. I think it is very hard to decide with stocking issues but the most important thing of all is not to go too crazy and expect to be able to fill the aqua with all varieties of this and that. I am starting to realise where shoaling fish are concerned that it maybe best to concentrate on only a couple of different types but go for larger quantities of that type and see more natural behaviour.

Of course this is from a relative newb so I might be taking crap but it is the way I see it.

BTW love my cardinals when they shoal they are like the Red Arrows making triangle and diamond shapes whizzing round the tank aswsome little critters. I might even get a couple more in a couple of weeks time!

 

[waterdrop]

I have a 40 gallon just setup seeded from old and heavily planted and after getting some cardinals to go with my poor three neons I think I want a few more now as they are real impressive. I think it is very hard to decide with stocking issues but the most important thing of all is not to go too crazy and expect to be able to fill the aqua with all varieties of this and that. I am starting to realise where shoaling fish are concerned that it maybe best to concentrate on only a couple of different types but go for larger quantities of that type and see more natural behaviour.

Of course this is from a relative newb so I might be taking crap but it is the way I see it.

BTW love my cardinals when they shoal they are like the Red Arrows making triangle and diamond shapes whizzing round the tank aswsome little critters. I might even get a couple more in a couple of weeks time!

No, I think you are very correct! Years ago when I had a lot of tanks as a kid and knew very little about minimum shoaling sizes I had no idea that various behaviours of stress and aggression were probably due to shoaling numbers that were too small. Now, from reading a lot here and the chance to observe various groupings in our new tank I feel like there is a whole new dimension to be aware of. So many things I've read here about shoals are turning out to be true. Take small danios and small types of tetras for instance: having only 2 is just awful, go to 3 and they might be slightly less stressed but one or more will still often do a lot of nipping or chasing. Then up the number to 4 and for the first time you'll see less stress and a little better grouping behaviour. Go to 6 and its often an amazing transformation with the group really relaxing, getting more playful among themselves and shoaling nicely and getting especially tight if there's a momentary scare. Eight is even better, really catching the viewers eye from afar.. and on and on.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Lovely]

I just called the pet store to check on the availability of the fish I chose. Apparently, kuhli loaches have not been good sellers, so they don't carry them any more. The guy said I should have the zebra danois with the others because they can be nippy. Is that the case?

I got one of the aquarium kits today. It includes a 29 gallon tank, cover with light, heater, filter, some food, and water treatment. I've rinsed the gravel and put it in the tank. That's as far as I got. I'll be adding the water soon. The woman who sold me the kit gave me some sponge from one of the in-store tanks with fish and said I should wet them in the tank water and then ring them out into the water. It will make the water cloudy and put the bacteria I need in there. She says this will serve as a quick 24-48 hour cycle. What do you think of this theory?

 

[rdd1952]

If it's a true fish store, you can probably get them to order you come kuhlis. Danios can be nippy but if kept in a group they are generally fine. They should be ok with the other fish. As far as the sponge is concerned, I would just put it in the filter and let it start running. The bacteria colonize the filter and not the water. Squeezing it into the water does little to seed the tank. The bacteria would end up back on the filter as the water runs through. If the sponge will fit in your filter, stick it in and you're that far ahead. I'm not so certain that you are looking at a 2 day cycle though. At least not for a full fish load.

Also, you need to make sure the sponge stays wet and get it into the tank and running with a food (ammonia) source ASAP. Otherwise the bacteria that is present in the sponge will start to die off. They only die at a rate of about 5 to 15% per day as long as they're in water but if the sponge dries out, they all die.

 

[Lovely]

Also, you need to make sure the sponge stays wet and get it into the tank and running with a food (ammonia) source ASAP. Otherwise the bacteria that is present in the sponge will start to die off. They only die at a rate of about 5 to 15% per day as long as they're in water but if the sponge dries out, they all die.

I got a little lost on this part. What do you mean by "running with a food (ammonia) source"? I need to add something? Fish? Food? Ammonia? Please excuse me. My brain is not helping me to grasp that bit at all.

Currently, the tank is full of water with the heater and filter both running. I have managed to fit most of the sponge in the filter along with the cartridge, and it is wet. How long should I leave it in there? I still have more sponge in a bag of water.

 

[guppy fan]

The bacteria in the filter feed on ammonia, witch is harmful to the fish. Without ammonia to feed on the bacteria will die off. So something needs to be in your tank that will produce a little ammonia until your tank is cycled and you can add fish. For now you can put some fish food in there. It will rot and produce ammonia. There are a few other things you can add, but I'm not sure what they are. I'm sure someone els will be able to tell you. btw, did you add dechlorineator(sp?) to your tank before adding the sponge? If not, the chlorine in the water might have killed it.

 

[Lovely]

The bacteria in the filter feed on ammonia, witch is harmful to the fish. Without ammonia to feed on the bacteria will die off. So something needs to be in your tank that will produce a little ammonia until your tank is cycled and you can add fish. For now you can put some fish food in there. It will rot and produce ammonia. There are a few other things you can add, but I'm not sure what they are. I'm sure someone els will be able to tell you. btw, did you add dechlorineator(sp?) to your tank before adding the sponge? If not, the chlorine in the water might have killed it.

I had not added the water conditioner. After reading your post, I added it, and put more sponge in the filter. I also put some fish food in the tank. I put about a 1/2 a teaspoon because I wasn't sure about the amount I need to add. Thanks for the help!

 

[Lovely]

The sponge is still in the filter, and I've been adding fish food for the past 3 days. I just tested the water in my aquarium. The pH level is 7.2 and the ammonia level is 0ppm. Should it be ok to start adding fish?

 

[keenonfish]

The sponge is still in the filter, and I've been adding fish food for the past 3 days. I just tested the water in my aquarium. The pH level is 7.2 and the ammonia level is 0ppm. Should it be ok to start adding fish?

Look at rdd1952's post above and click on the fishless cycle link. I went for a fish in cycle only because I have a heavily planted tank and seeded filter from another tank and still got a small NitrIte spike yesterday so this stage is really important for the health of your fish. You risk killing your new fish otherwise. Patience is the key early on in this hobby