Reccomendations for tank

[sgstvoy]

Hey guys, any reccomendations for a 5 - 10 gal. tank? I plan to use a sand substrate (sounds easier to maintain), maybe some plants, and that kinda stuff.

Any suggestions for what fishies shoud I stock? Also plants? Pictures would be really useful, since I'm kinda new to aquarium keeping. Took up this hobby a month ago when my uncle gave me 2 fishtanks.

 

[Raechal]

Well it depends on exactly what size tank you are getting. If it is a 5 gallon, I would stick with a male betta or a female betta and then some neat looking plants. Then maybe an african dwarf frog or two if your betta allows it.

If you are getting a 10 gallon you could go for something like mollies, platies, guppies, pretty much any of the smaller community fish would do well in a 10 gallon. Besides fish like danios that need lots of swimming room.

What fish were you thinking about anyway?

 

[sgstvoy]

The problem is, that I can't figure out the tank gallonage. It was given to me (just today). The previous 2 tanks I have, there are labels on it stating dimensions and gallonage (12 UK, 15 US). The new tank is about 3/4 the size of my current tanks, bowfronted.

 

[Raechal]

The problem is, that I can't figure out the tank gallonage. It was given to me (just today). The previous 2 tanks I have, there are labels on it stating dimensions and gallonage (12 UK, 15 US). The new tank is about 3/4 the size of my current tanks, bowfronted.

So the tank you have your bala sharks in is smaller than the 15 gallon?

 

[sgstvoy]

I don't have bala sharks. I do have sailfin plecs, which I'm fretting over currently.

 

[Raechal]

I don't have bala sharks. I do have sailfin plecs, which I'm fretting over currently.

Ohh. I am so sorry. I was in two threads at once and I posted in the wrong one. Boy do I feel like an idiot. )

Yea, the sailfin plecs will get way too large for a 15 gallon. How big are they now and how many do you have? I would think about maybe calling up your LFS and asking them if they'd trade anything for them.

Any other fish you like?

 

[sgstvoy]

They're just 1.5" long now.

Well, I'm not really that picky, but hardier fishes would be better. THat way, even if I make a mistake there's a chance they'll survive. I remember my first tank, $40 worth of fishes gone! (lol)

Has to be tropical though. I live in a tropical country, so that's an obvious choice (I don't have air-cons too).

I'd like to ask something, what of filter should I get? I'm weighing between internal filters (like that Nemo one) and the ones that sit on top of the tanks. Might get cramped, not much tank-top space to put both the filter AND the light.

As for plants, no preference! Ferns would be nice though.

 

[troutfly]

Your Sail Fin Pleco will get bigger then a Bala, I would suggest having a tank that is 55gal or larger, especially if you have two of them.

Take the measurements of the tank and figure out the gallons.

My guess, if it is a Hex tank, it is probably a 12gal. (US) and if it is a rectangle, it is probably a 10gal. (US). I hope this helps you out. If you want to keep a Pleco in this tank, I would suggest trading in the Sail Fins at your LFS for a Bristlenose, they grow to be 4-6". The one thing to be careful of is that the Pleco has a higher metablism then most fish and will generate more waste. The other fish should be limited to small, shoaling fish. 4-5 Sword Tails or Platys would work and be colorful to watch. Of course thiese fish are live bearers so you have to account for the fry that will be in the tank. You say you have another tank, I would use it for a birthing tank and then you can raise the fry to sell back to your LFS, keeps the maintenance costs down.

 

[Raechal]

They're just 1.5" long now.

Well, I'm not really that picky, but hardier fishes would be better. THat way, even if I make a mistake there's a chance they'll survive. I remember my first tank, $40 worth of fishes gone! (lol)

Has to be tropical though. I live in a tropical country, so that's an obvious choice (I don't have air-cons too).

I'd like to ask something, what of filter should I get? I'm weighing between internal filters (like that Nemo one) and the ones that sit on top of the tanks. Might get cramped, not much tank-top space to put both the filter AND the light.

As for plants, no preference! Ferns would be nice though.

I use filters that hang on the back. I find them easier to use. I'd reccomend a filter like that, although either filter should work fine if you get the right size for your tank.

Platies, mollies and guppies are pretty hardy. Do you like them?

 

[sgstvoy]

Hmm, thanks for the advice. Not sure how to calculate the gallonage of a bowfront tank (I just usually take the dimensions of rectangle tanks).

What's the diff between top filters and internal filters (like the one in the tank on Finding Nemo)? Will future small fishes get sucked into the inlet tube of the internal filter? Hang-on filters, seems OK, but no space to put them. (I already have 2 stocked 15 gal tanks, as well as 2. 1/2 gal. betta jars.

I love guppies! What do platies and mollies look like?

 

[sylvia]

Mollies look like ugly (well in my opinion anyway) large guppies and though in a strange way endeering, they won't work in anything less than a 15 gallon. The same applies to swordtails which I believe someone else mentioned earlier. Guppies are great but have become less and less hardy recently which is a shame - the larger, more common and less in-bred strains are the hardiest (such as red or half-black reds and the endler's x guppy hybrids with mixed colors and interesting tail-shapes, or feeder guppies though they are duller). Platies are your typical 'fish' shape Just search for 'platy fish' on google.com (images) and you'll see what they look like. They get to about 1.5" (like guppies) and are livebearers and exceptionaly hardy. They are colorful and I think they'd be a great fish to start with. A male and 2 females is a good idea to begin with and though they will breed, the fry will get eaten unless you provide a LOT of plants for them to hide in or use a breeder net/trap. While the tank is new, you won't want them to survive though so let them get eaten. Hardy cory catfish like the bronze and peppered cories work well too but not in a very small tank and they like to be in groups of four cories but at least in pairs of their own species. You might also want to consider pygmy cories which are adorable and very small so suitable for smaller tanks. Another hardy and beautiful fish is the honey gourami - a pair would work fine in a 10 gallon community, a trio works well too. With a combination of these fish and/or some small tetras or rasboras added later on as a school, you can get a nice, easy-to-maintain tank. Make sure, regardless of what you choose, that you first fishless cycle the tank (read links in sig.).