Red Line Torpedoes

[Kenharvey]

Just bought a 64 Ltr tank. I really fancy a couple of red line torpedoes. What can I put in with them? Any ideas?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Red Line Torpedoes are amongst my favourite fish

BUT have to say they are NOT suitable for a 64 litre tank am afraid.

These are very active fish and actually grow to around to 4 inches, so not the smallest of fish species and they are a schooling specie, meaning there should be a group of at least 8 imho.

A little more information on these lovely fish from Seriously Fish website -

Red-line Torpedo Barb

Sorry, but a lovely fish suited for a 4 foot tank, at LEAST
(around 240 litres / 65 Gals would be minimum really)

 

[Kenharvey]

Red Line Torpedoes are amongst my favourite fish

BUT have to say they are NOT suitable for a 64 litre tank am afraid.

These are very active fish and actually grow to around to 4 inches, so not the smallest of fish species.

A little more information on these lovely fish from Seriously Fish website -

Red-line Torpedo Barb

Sorry, but a lovely fish suited for a 4 foot tank, at LEAST
(around 240 litres / 65 Gals would be minimum really)

That's a shame what do u advise. As I am a complete beginner.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Yeah, I know that feeling. Sorry about that.

At least its better learning this way rather than finding out the hard and stressful way.

Been there done that, have had hope up for certain species only to find cannot have these for various reasons in the past.

Perhaps if you could provide some more info about your tank and water parameters.

Dimension of tank would be a start.

Then water parameters such as pH, and perhaps gH and kH which you can find out from your local water authority website, should be under local water quaility or suchlike and water hardness.

And one last thing before going any further, have you considered or already done a fishless cycle on your tank and filter?
Means to have the bacterias needed to deal with the bioload of ammonia that all fish produces simply by breathing and producing waste. Ammonia is toxic to fish so hence the need to cycle the tank beforehand so that the bacterias are there to deal with this.

This may help if you have not already seen this - Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank

Then we can take things from there once we have the basic information

 

[Byron]

I agree completely with post #2. So moving on, it will help us suggest suitable fish if we know something about your water parameters. As you are "a beginner," I'll offer some explanation (taken from something I wrote a while back), as this is one of the most important aspects of the hobby.

Water in its pure form does not exist in nature; water is a powerful solvent, meaning a substance that easily dissolves other substances to create a solution. As rain falls, it picks up many gasses and particulate matter, and it continues to do this as it passes through the ground. Natural water values therefore vary with respect to hardness and pH because the water acquires specific properties from the landscape. Water flowing over or through rock will assimilate minerals from the rock, becoming what we term “hard” water. Water flowing through soils that contain organic matter will be “soft” because the organics bind with and thus remove minerals while creating acids that enter the water. The pH is largely the result of the hardness as well as the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the water.

As each freshwater fish species has evolved over thousands of years, their physiology has adjusted to the water values that occur in their respective habitat. We refer to these values as water parameters, and they include hardness, pH and temperature; each of these has an impact on fish. While many fish species appear to be somewhat adaptable, their physiology can be negatively affected if the parameters are outside the fish’s natural preference. Providing suitable water parameters in the aquarium is therefore an important aspect of providing an environment that is less stressful—and this directly relates to healthier fish.

Fish are directly impacted by GH and TDS; their growth, the transfer of nutrients and waste products through cell membranes, spawning (sperm transfer, egg fertility or hatching), and the proper functioning of internal organs such as the kidneys can all be affected.

You should be able to ascertain the numbers for GH, KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) and pH from your municipal water supplier, if you're on city water--check their website. No need for test kits at this stage. Though it is advisable to acquire one like the API Master Combo, which has pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. These tests are important during cycling and subsequently.

Selecting fish that will be "at home" in your water is far easier in the long-run than attempting to adjust parameters for fussy fish species.

There is also cycling, something you can read up on in the "Cycle Your Tank" area of TFF. And, welcome to the forum.

Edit, I see Ch4rlie posted while I was typing, and we've overlapped a bit.

Byron.