What Are Some Hardy Fish Species To Add To The Community Tank?

[ey2006]

Hi all, as my tank is nearing the end of its cycle, I am already keen to research which fish will do well in what will be my first tropical fish tank.

Its a 29g tank I've had up and running for almost 8 weeks now and the water stats (just tested) are:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate 40
PH 7.2

There are 2 small plattys, 1 bristlenose cat and 1 neon in there at the moment.

I wanted to add a few clown or yoyo loaches in, but I figured the tank might be too small for them. But I am planning to upgrade to a 90g tank once I get this tank settled and matured, so I can always transfer the clowns to the bigger tank right?

For harder fishes, I have been told that gourami's, white cloud minnows, zebra danios and barbs are hardy fish to begin with.

Are there other fishes that would be recommended for a newly cycled tank?

 

[blitztidus]

Those fish are pretty hardy. I would reccomend convicts if you like them otherwise a gourami or barb is fine.

 

[Ben]

firstly, after the cycle is completley done. i would add 5 or 6 more neons as they need to be in schools.
IMO, go with some Zebra Danios, the school so no less then 4.
And for then get some Corys. An awesome little fish that should also be in schools of 6.
Then you would be safley stocked

blitztidus - I know you ment well but please research or keep a species of fish before recomending it to someone else.
Convict Cichlids are little terrors and wouldve probably wipped out the tank(except the bristle nose) and taken over.

DD

 

[ey2006]

firstly, after the cycle is completley done. i would add 5 or 6 more neons as they need to be in schools.
IMO, go with some Zebra Danios, the school so no less then 4.
And for then get some Corys. An awesome little fish that should also be in schools of 6.
Then you would be safley stocked

blitztidus - I know you ment well but please research or keep a species of fish before recomending it to someone else.
Convict Cichlids are little terrors and wouldve probably wipped out the tank(except the bristle nose) and taken over.

DD

Thanks for the suggestions.

Would the neon feel lonely if I added 5 or 6 more Cardinals instead of Neons? The reason for this is that I've read that Cardinals are much more hardier than neons, as neons are easily exposed to neon disease.

Are Zebra Danios more or less peaceful than White Clouds? I've heard that Zebras are hyperactive 24/7!

Also, with Corys, are there any good websites with more information on Corys? There are lots of sub-species of Corys but I only seem to see one type of Cory at the LFS.

 

[@ombomb]

Would the neon feel lonely if I added 5 or 6 more Cardinals instead of Neons?

They may look similar but are completely different species. Having said that I'm amazed a Neon has survived in a cycling tank... probably best to take the Neon back and leave adding any more until the tank has been up for 6 months or so.

Plenty of info on pretty much every species of cat fish known to man here.

 

[James007]

Your neon is going to suffer unless you get some pals in with him soon. They also really need a mature tank to thrive. They are not suited to surviving in a new tank.

I completely agree with the suggestion of Corys. They are fantastic to watch and there are a large variety to choose from. You will need at least 3 of them (preferably more) for them to prosper.

Also consider some shrimp. They help keep your tank clean, don't contribute to your stocking limits and are one of my favourite inmates as they are so active and great to watch.

Guppys are also an option. Whilst you need more females than males, the females are a lot more beautiful than the rather drab reputation they have. Be prepared to deal with surviving fry though

 

[ey2006]

Would the neon feel lonely if I added 5 or 6 more Cardinals instead of Neons?

They may look similar but are completely different species. Having said that I'm amazed a Neon has survived in a cycling tank... probably best to take the Neon back and leave adding any more until the tank has been up for 6 months or so.

Plenty of info on pretty much every species of cat fish known to man here.

Actually, I am surprised as well that the Neon has survived....I initially had 6 but the other 5 didn't make it. I guess this one is the strongest of the pack. I actually thought my tank had cycled a few weeks ago and started adding fish too soon and that created a mini-cycle without me realising it. At least I will know to test the water like a hawk when I do add fish again.

Thanks for the link, I'm checking it out now! Are most corys a hardy species too?

 

[ey2006]

Your neon is going to suffer unless you get some pals in with him soon. They also really need a mature tank to thrive. They are not suited to surviving in a new tank.

I completely agree with the suggestion of Corys. They are fantastic to watch and there are a large variety to choose from. You will need at least 3 of them (preferably more) for them to prosper.

Also consider some shrimp. They help keep your tank clean, don't contribute to your stocking limits and are one of my favourite inmates as they are so active and great to watch.

Guppys are also an option. Whilst you need more females than males, the females are a lot more beautiful than the rather drab reputation they have. Be prepared to deal with surviving fry though

Thanks for the tips James007!

How long would it take, on average, for a cycled tank to mature? Say a tank takes 8 weeks to complete the cycling stage, how long would it take from the time the first fishes are added to the tank until it matures? How would I be able to tell when the tank has matured?

Would it be better to have a larger group (4-6) of one type of corys or is it okay to have 2 smaller groups of corys, but 2 different types.

I have always wanted to get shrimp but I always thought they were incompatible with freshwater fish? Would they fight with other fish if kept in the same tank?

I've got 2 plattys, but think guppys aren't hardy enough for my new tank.

 

[James007]

If you have decided to get some Corys (good choice by the way) then go to the Catfish/Corydoras section and post some questions. Inchworm and Co know them inside out and will give you some great advice

The behaviour of your cories will depend upon the size of group. They will not be as active/happy unless they are in their confort zone ie 4+. I would go for one larger groupd rather than 2 small goups.

I have had amano and bamboo shrimps and mixed then with a number of fish with no problems (eg platies, guppies, betta, Hatchets, Cories etc). Just avoid larger fish that will could try and eat them (ie above 2 inches). Otherwise they are superb for a commnity tank. Just be careful when you are moving them eg. when you are putting them in your tank. One of mine jumped straight out of a net onto the carpet and made a run for it!!!

Lookes like your ammonia is cycling nicely. Just keep on top of your nitrate with weekly water changes and introduce fish slowly.

I have found guppies to be quite hardy fish.

 

[annka5]

I have a group of 6 neon's and 8 cardinals; whilst they are a completely different species, they don't seem to realise that and shoal together - they genuinely don't seem to make any distinction, I've yet to see them separate into two groups. Not all neon's succumb to NTD, I've had mine a couple of years now and they are fine, and have had no health problems. I totaly agree you need to add more, but would say you could get cardinals instead... HOWEVER as the tank is new and still cycling, I'd be keener to wait until you're sure you're not introducing new fish into toxic water.

 

[ey2006]

If you have decided to get some Corys (good choice by the way) then go to the Catfish/Corydoras section and post some questions. Inchworm and Co know them inside out and will give you some great advice

The behaviour of your cories will depend upon the size of group. They will not be as active/happy unless they are in their confort zone ie 4+. I would go for one larger groupd rather than 2 small goups.

I have had amano and bamboo shrimps and mixed then with a number of fish with no problems (eg platies, guppies, betta, Hatchets, Cories etc). Just avoid larger fish that will could try and eat them (ie above 2 inches). Otherwise they are superb for a commnity tank. Just be careful when you are moving them eg. when you are putting them in your tank. One of mine jumped straight out of a net onto the carpet and made a run for it!!!

Lookes like your ammonia is cycling nicely. Just keep on top of your nitrate with weekly water changes and introduce fish slowly.

I have found guppies to be quite hardy fish.

Thanks James, are catfish/corys related to loaches? Their mouths look similar and both species seem to be bottom feeders...I've always taken a liking to clowns and yoyo loaches due to them being schooling fish, I knew other fish were also active when in groups, but I always thought clowns were the most active and cunning when kept in groups. There are just so many fish out there that I didn't research all of them. Although there are many corydora species around, I only ever see 1 or 2 species in the LFS, so I might have to look around for more variety.

I'll keep an eye out for the shrimps you've got, do you know of any good sites for shrimps? This is where I usually go to check out a new fish: http/www.aquahobby.com/e_gallery.php though there aren't many shrimps there. If shrimps are moving around at the bottom of the tank, would there be occasions where they will fight with other bottom feeding fish? Haha..I never knew shrimps could run that fast!

Yeah, I'm very pleased the cycling is coming to an end and that I can finally start adding new fish, knowing that my tank is ready for them. How many fish should I introduce each time and at what durations? For example if I get 3 corys on Sunday, would it be okay if I got more fish in 7 days?


I was just wondering why Cichilds are such popular fish? They seem to be everywhere! But aren't most of the cichild species either aggressive or semi-aggressive fish and not really suited to a community tank?

Sorry if this seems like a silly question but I've always wanted to find out!

 

[ey2006]

I have a group of 6 neon's and 8 cardinals; whilst they are a completely different species, they don't seem to realise that and shoal together - they genuinely don't seem to make any distinction, I've yet to see them separate into two groups. Not all neon's succumb to NTD, I've had mine a couple of years now and they are fine, and have had no health problems. I totaly agree you need to add more, but would say you could get cardinals instead... HOWEVER as the tank is new and still cycling, I'd be keener to wait until you're sure you're not introducing new fish into toxic water.

Hi annka5, is it hard for you to tell them apart when they are in a group? Do Neons and Cardinals have the same behaviours? Do neons swim faster or eat more than the cardinals, or vice versa? I have read that Cardinals are hardier than Neons though.

I did a 20% water change earlier today and the results suggests my tank is almost cycled, after 8 weeks!!

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
PH 7.2

As I'm doing a cycle with fish, should I wait a few days before adding fish or can I add a small amount of fish now? I understand with fishless cycling, its better to stock all or most of the fish as soon as the cycle is complete, but not as sure with fish cycling.

I don't mind getting more Neons but am just worried that if I add 5 more, some of these might die as my tank hasnt matured yet.

 

[James007]

Hi ey2006

Here are some useful links (Don't forget TFF fish profile page as well)

Fish:
http/species.fishindex.com/1

Shrimps:
http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_shrimp.php
http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile83.html
http/www.fishpondinfo.com/shrimp2.htm

Put your Corys in and then monitor your water changes for a week and see if your filter handles the new fish ok.

 

[@ombomb]

I did a 20% water change earlier today and the results suggests my tank is almost cycled, after 8 weeks!!

0 Amonia + 0 Nitrite after the peaks = cycled tank

 

[annka5]

My neons and cardinals behave pretty much the same in terms of swimming speed, activity levels, eating etc etc. Card will gro bigger, but they are a lot younger than my neons just now. They also like warmer water than neons do (there is a middle ground that they both like though!). Both prefer mature tanks. IMO most failures with either stem from them being introduced to tanks before the tank is properly mature (not just cycled).
You should add more fish only very slowly- the filter is cycled to have enough bacteria for the fish population you have in there now.