Small Shoaling Fish For 120L ? And Which Algae Eater?

[Ben M]

hi, my brother has got a new tank, it is a juwel lido 120, it holds 120l and is 60cm x 41cm x 58cm. he would like a large shoal of small tropical fish, preferably about 1 inch or less, so he could have a large shoal. i have suggested 20 harlequins, 10 corydoras hastatus, and 2 honey gouramis. is this over stocked? but i am stuck for an algae eater, definitely not snails. i thuoght of ottos, but would they suck the side of the gouramis? and are there any other small shoaling fish suitable for a new setup. i will be giving him some media and water.

thanks

 

[mattlee]

why do you need an algae eater? these need constant algae to feed on..... a new set up wont have any algae except maybe brown algae which should only be present for a short time. there are many algae eaters but they only eat certain types of algae and some algae doesnt get touched at all by fish. only buy an algae eater because you want to keep and look after one with the correct methods and not just in case you get algae or if you do get algae its best to find the source of the algae and treat with the relevent methods. also 1 or 2 algae eaters will not keep a tank free of algae if you have any and neither will 2 snails or a handfull of shrimp they will just eat what they can but the algae will keep growing unless you source the reason its grown in the first place..........

 

[Ben M]

oh, well i just have always had algae eaters, but if they're not needed, i like watching them anyway. any ideas on the fish i've suggested, plus any others?

thanks

 

[Truck]

May I suggest Trigonostigma hengeli instead or Trigonostigma hetamorpha? they're slightly smaller and they look a little nicer too! Trigonostigma espei is nice too but it gets slightly bigger than hengeli but smaller than hetamorpha.

As for algae eaters an ancistrus would be my choice, they grow just shy of 12 cm in my experience, and will need feeding veggies and algae wafers as well as algae. Corydoras hastatus would be fine, as would pygmaeus and habrosus.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i did think of ancistrus, but would they nibble on the plants, i have suggested to him to get a sword, and they are a bit pricey. if he did go for them how many should he get, like a pair, or just 1?

i'll have a look at the other Trigonostigma's and see what he thinks.

cheers

 

[Truck]

Ancistrus won't nibble on plants, swords are good hardy plants, don't buy them from your LFS they'll charge you about £3 for one, get some from the aquatic room, you can get a pot of 3 for about £3-4.

 

[Ben M]

oh right, so how many ancistrus would you suggest? and i meant that the ancistrus are a bit expensive, not the swords, i just realised that what i wrote doesn't make sense. i looked up the Trigonostigma hengeli, and then realised that i have 20 of them in my tank. he seems to like silvertip tetras, would they be a good choice for a shoaling fish? and how many could he get?

thanks

 

[Truck]

20 silver tip tetras would be fine, and 2 ancistrus would be my number of choice.

 

[Ben M]

so he could have 20 silvertips and 2 ancistrus, wuld that leave room for any other fish such as the 10 cory's and pair of honey gouramis?

thanks

 

[Truck]

you would be fully stocked at that.

 

[Ben M]

so no room for the gouramis or corries?

 

[Truck]

yes, I mean fully stocked with the gouramis and cories.

 

[Ben M]

cool, so thats 1 stocking idea: 2 honey gouramis, 2 bn's, 20 silvertip tetras, and 10 corydoras hastatus.

i'll let him know.

thanks everyone

 

[Ben M]

hi, he has now decided that he wants a massive shoal of 1 type of fish, and nothing else. is that possible? and if so, any recommended small, colourful shoaling fish?

thanks

 

[Truck]

Trigonostigma hengeli or trigonostigma espei would be my choice. Other wise he could try neon tetras or cardinal tetras but they do better in an established tank that has been running problem free for 6 months.