So This Is Where I Should Have Been Posting

[mumbakki]

hi there

a couple of friends gave my 4-yr-old daughter some tiger barbs on her birthday last Feb 29. NONE of us knew anything about keeping fish before then (including those who gave them), which had some disastrous results- 2 of them died i am happy to announce tho that after some frantic and frenzied research there has been no sickness, injury or deaths since, the tank seems to have cycled properly, algae has since been eradicated by a chocolate plec, and the 5 remaining tiger barbs seem quite happy.
My Tiger Barbs

in fact we've enjoyed having them around so much that we're planning a bigger, better tank! pls help with advice!
Advice For 2nd Tank Pls?
coz i might have to have a tank custom-made to fit the space i've chosen, plus i want to make the most of the space so i can have as many fish as will be happy in whatever size tank we'll end up with (primarily for my daughter's enjoyment of course as she will like many and different colored and/or long-finned fish maybe, but i'm having quite a ball myself )

thanks in advance! sorry for my long-winded posts lol

 

[OldMan47]

For a second tank, I would avoid the tiger barbs. They can be OK when kept alone but are not very good for a typical community tank. They are just too aggresive to fit in a normal community situation. Your cycle will be much easier for the second tank because you will "clone" the tank that is cycled. Basic approach is to take some of the cycled filter media that you have and put in in the new tank's filter. If you then feed the new filter with ammonia, it can take a week or less to arrive at a cycled state. As far as what fish to put in the tank, go to your LFS and have a look around. When you have picked out a few fish that you might like, come back and ask about them. You will hear from people that either love or hate what you have chosen but others will try to work with your choices and maybe guide you to a successful blend of different and interesting fish.
If you start looking at custom tanks, be aware that they can be hard to fit with light hoods and such because they are not a standard size. If you decide to get into live plants, it will be important to you that the size tank matches with what is available where you are for light fixtures. In the US the most common cheap light is a 4 foot long one so a custom tank that is about 4 feet or a bit longer is a good size here. I have no idea what size would be best where you are located but there will be a size that is easy to find and others that seem almost impossible to find. It is one of the considerations that may not have been obvious until someone mentions it. A large tank is when most people start to seriously consider using a canister type filter since they are just too expensive for a small tank. Again you might see what is available and come back to ask for recommendations.