Suggestions For Community Tank

[Mike_S]

Hi

My tank is approx. 39.5in long x 11.8in wide x 16in deep holds approx. 100-110L. So far I have 4 platy, 1 siamese fighter, 1 plec and 2 koi angels (quite small for the time being).

I'd like to add something else to the tank but am unsure on what species can go with what I've got? I'm not sure how you find out this info.

I'd like something possibly a bit larger but also something different.

Any suggestions would be great

Thanks!

 

[BethK]

Firstly, I would remove the angels or the betta, neither of which should be placed together.

I am a bit iffy with suggesting other long finned fish or nippers, purely because of your betta.

Have you thought of maybe adding a BN pleco or a smaller catfish breed?

 

[ellena]

I think a shoal would add nicely to the tank. What about copper harlequins?

 

[Mike_S]

Firstly, I would remove the angels or the betta, neither of which should be placed together.

I am a bit iffy with suggesting other long finned fish or nippers, purely because of your betta.

Have you thought of maybe adding a BN pleco or a smaller catfish breed?

This may seem like a dumb question but why shouldnt they go together? I realise they wouldnt in the wild but they all seem to get on fine.

I did see some zebra plecs in the store today which looked nice but there were 2 dead fish in the same tank so I didnt wana risk it.

Could I add green spotted puffers to my tank or?

thanks

 

[meguro]

the angelfish will be quite large in 6-12 months. go buy 8, or more, rummynose tetra and ur tank will be complete, excluding the betta/angelfish problem

he doesnt need another plec as he said he already has one. mike_s, u should probably post a picture of ur plec here to get it indentified as there are 100's of species and many are unsuitable to keep in a ~110L tank

 

[Mike_S]

the angelfish will be quite large in 6-12 months. go buy 8, or more, rummynose tetra and ur tank will be complete, excluding the betta/angelfish problem

he doesnt need another plec as he said he already has one. mike_s, u should probably post a picture of ur plec here to get it indentified as there are 100's of species and many are unsuitable to keep in a ~110L tank

Dont know if you can see it in this picture. It is really quite small (for now) not sure how big these things get...

They have lots of rummynose's at the store. .they stay small right?

 

[Mike_S]

I think a shoal would add nicely to the tank. What about copper harlequins?

What are shoal? Couldnt find any pictures of copper harlequins but I'll keep searching....that fish in your avatar is beautiful.

 

[BethK]

Angels and bettas are an aggressive type fish, when put with other fighters. Either the betta will end up attacking the Angel (they go for their gills, subsequently ending with the attacked fish drowning) or the Angels would go for the betta. I would have a read up on Betta fish

110Ltr tank will be fine for a BN plec

 

[Wills]

Hi yeah as said a few stocking issues in the tank, the angels and fighters are one of those fish that people often but together when they are new to the hobby but realistically they will fight too much, their fins are just so big that they become a target for each other. As you said they dont encounter each other in the wild so its only based of what others have experienced in aquarium settings and most of the times this mix is bad. To add an other spanner into the mix here, the tank is only 16 inches tall and angel fish need 18 inch tall tanks after substrate so if you have a few inches of substrate left that means that as they grow taller their fins will drag on the substrate and cause damage and deformity in some cases. On top of that bettas are often problematic in community tanks and in many respects are better suited to life in a smaller tank by them selves. Also to add further that plec you posted is a common plec which will grow very large and needs a much bigger tank, adult plecs need a 6 foot tank minimum.

So that leaves you with the platties which will be fine in there. Sorry to be harsh but its just the situation the tank is in right now.

As for the other fish you have seen, zebra plecs where they bright white and black? Those are the rarest and are mega expensive like £100 for a baby and have quite specialist care needs. Some similar less white plecs around though for less and not as much care needed. And as for the puffers green spotted puffers are actually brackish/marine fish so wouldnt be suitable for this tank - nearly all puffers need species tanks as their beaks do serious damage to other fish if they start fighting. Like to the point that they draw blood .

Wills

 

[Mike_S]

Hi yeah as said a few stocking issues in the tank, the angels and fighters are one of those fish that people often but together when they are new to the hobby but realistically they will fight too much, their fins are just so big that they become a target for each other. As you said they dont encounter each other in the wild so its only based of what others have experienced in aquarium settings and most of the times this mix is bad. To add an other spanner into the mix here, the tank is only 16 inches tall and angel fish need 18 inch tall tanks after substrate so if you have a few inches of substrate left that means that as they grow taller their fins will drag on the substrate and cause damage and deformity in some cases. On top of that bettas are often problematic in community tanks and in many respects are better suited to life in a smaller tank by them selves. Also to add further that plec you posted is a common plec which will grow very large and needs a much bigger tank, adult plecs need a 6 foot tank minimum.

So that leaves you with the platties which will be fine in there. Sorry to be harsh but its just the situation the tank is in right now.

As for the other fish you have seen, zebra plecs where they bright white and black? Those are the rarest and are mega expensive like £100 for a baby and have quite specialist care needs. Some similar less white plecs around though for less and not as much care needed. And as for the puffers green spotted puffers are actually brackish/marine fish so wouldnt be suitable for this tank - nearly all puffers need species tanks as their beaks do serious damage to other fish if they start fighting. Like to the point that they draw blood .

Wills

Hi

thanks for the honest answer. I do plan on getting a bigger tank (which im excited about, even though its a long way off)...this is my first tank so I have been/still am getting to grips with it. For now the fish are very small and have plenty of space to swin etc but I agree with your concerns for the future.

The zebra plecs I saw looked vividly black & white, but they werent as expensive as £100 so must have been the less rare kind I assume. They look really nice but there were 1 or 2 dead fish in the same tank as them and that made me nervous (rightly or wrongly?)

haha the puffers sounds crazy! to be fair I expected issues with the fighter but its the most docile thing! may consider getting a smaller seperate tank for that though after whats been said.

The plec is growing quite rapid tbh. Random question, would angel fish eat a small plec?

thanks

 

[BethK]

Shouldn't do, as long as you have enough hiding places for the plec

 

[Wills]

hiding places or not the plec is safe angels would only eat him if he was small enough to go in their mouths in one. He will grow quite rapidly usually to 18 inches in a year.

dead fish in a tank cant always been avoided even in the best shops and even then you could go in a shop 5 mins after a body collection and be none the wiser if you see dead fish look for obvious signs of why they could have died - what else is in the tank - any signs of disease - ask how long they have been in the store for if its only a few days the transportation of them can stress them to death and also ask to see them eat if you have doubts, if a fish becomes ill but is still eating it is easier to treat them than if they are not eating.

with fish and them being docile now - its often as they age that the issues arise especially as the angels become sexually mature. So when you put fish together you have think long term because if you put them there now you never know when the day they start wanting babies will be and unless you have multiple tanks its hard to work out what to do when it does.

 

[Biulu]

If you have a spare tank (even if only small), you can quarantaine the plecs for a week or so before moving them into your tank. I do this with a little bit of methylene blue as a preventive measure. Works great.

 

[Quisty]

hiding places or not the plec is safe angels would only eat him if he was small enough to go in their mouths in one. He will grow quite rapidly usually to 18 inches in a year.

dead fish in a tank cant always been avoided even in the best shops and even then you could go in a shop 5 mins after a body collection and be none the wiser if you see dead fish look for obvious signs of why they could have died - what else is in the tank - any signs of disease - ask how long they have been in the store for if its only a few days the transportation of them can stress them to death and also ask to see them eat if you have doubts, if a fish becomes ill but is still eating it is easier to treat them than if they are not eating.

with fish and them being docile now - its often as they age that the issues arise especially as the angels become sexually mature. So when you put fish together you have think long term because if you put them there now you never know when the day they start wanting babies will be and unless you have multiple tanks its hard to work out what to do when it does.

I've never had issues with angels and bettas together. I had a blue betta that I had for quite a while with a couple of smokey blushers angels. Never had a single issue. Not to say that there isn't.^^ Of course, my angels never tried to have babies either lol.