What Fish Can I Put In A 90Ltr Fish Tank?

[TerrySpice]

Hi, I am new to fishkeeping and I have 2 goldfish in a pond outside and I would really like to have some fish for inside.

I have worked out that the biggest tank I can afford and have room for is a 90ltr, Is this big enough or should I keep saving a buy a bigger one?

What kind of fish suitable for beginners can I put in a 90ltr fish tank?

I know you have to wait a few weeks for the cycle to get started (fish shop told me 3 weeks) before adding any fish and when you do you need to add them slowly and gradually.

thanks

 

[Fish Guy]

In that size tank you could have a good few combinations and different numbers of fish. But in terms of nice beginner fish for a 90L I would suggest, Dwarf Gouramis, Zebra/leopard danios, Cherry barbs, most tetras, guppies, platies, most rasboras. The list can go on, but these are just some of the ones that I personally think are good to start off with. Once you figure which fish you like, then everyone here could help you with how many of each you can put in a 90L and which combinations work best.

 

[TerrySpice]

Thanks for your reply

When I next go to the fish shop I will have a look at those fish and see which ones I like.

 

[fluttermoth]

Hi Terry; welcome to the forums

When it comes to fish tanks, bigger is generally better, but 90l is not a bad size; it gives you room for roughly 20 one inch fish (or 10 two inch ones; I wouldn't put anything that grows to more than a couple of inches in length in a tank that size).

Do bear in mind that's adult fish; the ones you get from the shop will be juveniles and will need room to grow.

There is a bit more to cycling than your shop has told you. Cycling is just growing a colony of good bacteria in your filter that will eat the ammonia produced by the fish to stop them being poisoned by it.

There are basically two methods of cycling; fishless, where you add ammonia to replicate the bioload of the fish you will be keeping and fish-in where the fish themselves produce tha mmonia.

We normally recommend a fishless cycle because it's safer (you can easily kill fish in a fish-in cycle if things go even slightly wrong) and easier for the fishkeeper (fish-in cycle mean, probably, daily water changes; sometimes twice daily if things go badly)

There are some really great artcicles on both methods of cycling in the beginner's resource centre (link is in my sig )

I won't recommend any specific fish as there are literally hundreds to choose from, and it would be better to get your tank and find out how acidic and hard your tap water is so you can choose fish that will be happy in it.

Hope that helps; do come back if (when!) you've got more questions

 

[TerrySpice]

Thankyou

when I choose the fish I will remember that they will grow bigger.

How long does a fishless cycle last for?

I know in my area the water is quite hard so will that make a difference with types of fish I can choose or will it not?

Thanks I will check out the beginers resource centre and I will definatley come back here if I have any more questions.

 

[fluttermoth]

Fishless cycles do vary a lot; around a month/six weeks seems to be about average, although if you can beg some mature filter media from someone, perhaps your LFS, that will speed it up considerably.

There are a few species of fish that never seem to do well in very hard water (rams and discus come to mind) and some (most livebearers, African cichlids) prefer it; it would be a good idea to find out exactly how hard it is (and what the pH is) before you make a final desicion on what to have.