HI, New Tank Ideas & Suggestions

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Offline Bubblychaz

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HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« on: September 07, 2015, 07:22:27 PM »
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Hi Guys

I currently have a 30L tank containing 4 Platys, 4 Cherry Barbs and a 4inch Bristlenose Plec (The Barbs and Plec have been rescued. They were kept in a half filled 24L tank, No filter and half broken heater. Not fed for 2 weeks either and green murky water.. very stressed little fish). I also have the 24L tank (with new heater, fiter and light), all cleaned. One of my pregnant Platys is in there in a breeding box, so this will be a temp fry tank for now.

If there is anything wrong with above please say.

So, I have been given a 125L Fluval Roma.. Come with Filter and new bag of white, Ive ordered a Heater for it too. The Light unit is broken so Ive just brought some new starters off amazon. :). This tank is not set up yet. I plan to do this over weekend.

I have also been given a 5ft tank which is 350L :D Ive got to buy filter, gravel, Heaters and Lights for it. I imagine I will have majority of whats needed for this tank over next 4 weeks.

But what do I put in them?!

I was thinking maybe dwarf Cichlids, Discuss, Paradise fish (Just one species of fish lol not all mixed together) for the 125L
I also like the siamese fighter and crowntails. I need to look into what they can live with etc, Or if I can have like 1 male and 4 females? with some barbs or tetras or something.

The 350L tanks... I have no idea where to start lol Suggestions?

Any advise of filters, Heaters, Cycling, Lights are more than welcome. I worked in pets@home (mainly in the fish department), So I understand a little bit here and there (As you can imaging PAH dont exactly train their staff). I have an idea of water chemicals, some fish cant go together, PAH have suicidal angelfish and Snails are a nightmare to get rid of..

Also Id prefer Plastic over Live plants if im honest, But my mind can be changed.

Thanks

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Sue

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2015, 07:49:24 PM »
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For the 125 litre, I would move all your current fish across and get more cherry barbs. They will all be much happier than in a 30 litre tank. You would also have room for a few more fish.
If you move the filter media across at the same time as the fish the tank will be cycled for just those fish. You would need to buy more a few at a time, checking the ammonia and nitrite levels after each addition and only getting another batch when both readings have been zero for a week.
A pair of dwarf cichlids, or a trio (1m 2f) of harem breeding cichlids would go nicely in the 125 litre. And a shoal of more barbs or tetras - but avoid tiger bards and serpae tetras as they are both very nippy species.

You could keep the 30 litre as a quarantine tank. Or a betta (Siamese fighter) tank. Just one, male or female. These fish should not be kept as a male with any females unless the tank is enormous and very heavily planted as they will fight. When breeding, they are kept together only until they have spawned after careful preparation and under close supervision - and even then they usually end up very battered.
(And crowntails are siamese fighters  ;) )


As for the 350 litre......

If you fancy discus, this is the tank for them, not the 125. With tankmates carefully chosen for the high temperatures that discus need.
Paradise fish need cooler water than most fish and the males can be nasty. Unless you are very keen on them, I wouldn't bother.

Silk pants are more realistic than plastic  :) You could always try easy plants like java fern and anubias (several types), which are grown on decor rather than planted in the sand/gravel. I can manage to keep these plants alive!

Offline Extreme_One

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2015, 08:41:54 PM »
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Wow you have some exciting times ahead!

I'd love to be in your position.

I agree with everything Sue said, except one tiny detail, which I'm sure she won't mind me bringing up.

Whist it can't be denied Tiger Barbs are definitely a nippy fish and shouldn't be added to a community in small numbers, however, in a shoal of twelve or more they are fine in a community of all but the shyest of fish.

With their hierarchy, where males keep asserting their dominance over the subordinates, they're too preoccupied with that to bother other fish.

This infighting, along with their high activity and striking looks make them a very worthy community tank candidate. Of course I'm biased as I keep Tigers and they're now one of my favourite species.

If you want any long-finned fish, then even in a larger shoal, Tigers really would be inadvisable though as they wouldnt be able to resist.

Of course, you haven't specifically mentioned Tiger Barbs so I might have wasted my time if you're not interested.  :rotfl:

I'm a big fan of Dwarf Cichlids too.  :cheers:

I'm also a huge advocate of real plants too but certainly appreciate a full planted tank is a daunting prosect. Worth the effort IMO. :)

I look forward to hearing how you get on.


A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Tiger Barb (1) - Cardinal Tetra (17) - Otocinclus (1) - Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid (2) - Ornamental Snails (50) - Assassin Snail (2) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Sue

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2015, 08:55:17 PM »
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I do agree about large shoals of tiger barbs, the downside being that in a 125 litre Fluval tank, which is 80cm long, 12 tigers would take up 50% of the stocking allowance  :(

A nice stocking for 125 litres would be the 4 platies, the bristlenose, the 4 cherry barbs plus at least 4 more, then a shoal of 8 tetras and a pair/trio of dwarf cichlids.

Offline Extreme_One

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2015, 09:04:50 PM »
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...12 tigers would take up 50% of the stocking allowance  :(
...

Of course, that's certainly a consideration.

I built my community around the Tigers and selected small fish for the rest.

Having an uprated filter is another way to increase the stocking potential.

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Tiger Barb (1) - Cardinal Tetra (17) - Otocinclus (1) - Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid (2) - Ornamental Snails (50) - Assassin Snail (2) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2015, 09:09:17 PM »
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Hey,

Thanks for the replies!!!! :D

I am sooooo confused. I might have another play with the CC.

I have been reading some articles on filters, and preparing an amazon basket (Im an amazon addict lol)..
Should I UV Filter the tanks? Ive been looking at either

Superfish aqua flow 400
all pond solutions 1000l/h + 9W UV light free filter

there is a £45 difference between these 2 filters and I have no idea, what to do because everything I read contradicts itself!!..

Also Submersible Lighting? My 5ft doesnt have a hood, it is literally a flat lid with no lights. I think the previous person had clamp on ones.

Now off the play with the CC

- Sue, I agree moving my platys, barbs and plec to the 125 :)

I did not know siamese and crowntails were the same lol.. So one of those in my 30L is a good idea :)

I am soooo excited.. yet impatient.. I want it all to happen tomorrow lol

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2015, 09:20:28 PM »
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30 Litre tank Idea

Siamese Fighting Fish (male or female, depending whats pretty in-store lol)
Panda Cory x4
Otocinclus

So I have some bottom feeders and a tank cleaner lol


A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Sue

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2015, 09:31:13 PM »
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UV is useful if you want to use it in a quarantine tank (to kill any disease pathogens in the water) and to remove the floating microscopic algae that cause green water. But it is not usually a good idea to run them full time as they remove disease bugs and reduce a fish's immune system, then if they come into contact with anything nasty they struggle to survive.

Underwater lights - I bought one of those small LED strips which said it was submersible and I ended up with a light full of water.
What exactly is the lid on the 5 footer? If it is glass, then you can buy luminaires that sit on the sides of the tank. If it is solid you can fix tubes to the underside. That is the system I have in my 180 litre. If it's this type I can explain further.


Siamese fighters are more correctly known as bettas these days - it is so that people don't get the idea it is good to fight them. There are several tail types, one of which is crowntail. Mine is a half moon.

Tank mates can be iffy with males. The problem with both panda cories and otocinclus is that they need a shoal of them and 30 litres isn't big enough. And otos need a tank big enough to grow enough algae to feed a shoal.
I have - sorry, had - a nerite snail in with my betta. I had to remove it. The betta constantly builds bubble nests. If the snail was on the bottom of the tank or some decor he was fine. But let it crawl up the glass and he went mad, flaring at it constantly. I can only assume that since bettas don't understand glass he just saw another creature 'swimming' in the same tank and tried to frighten it away. Being a snail, it took no notice. The betta even burned his tail on the heater doing this so the snail is now in the 50 litre tank. I wouldn't dare keep anything else with him  :(  My last betta was fine with a snail though. That one didn't build bubble nests. Though he did go mad when I managed to get a woodlouse in his tank; he tried to dismantle it.
And females can be as bad as males. Some females are in fact short finned males and the shop can't tell the difference!

Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2015, 09:32:43 PM »
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125 Fluval Roma

Platy x8
Bristlenose Plec
Cherry Barb x4
Flag Cichlid x2
Spotted Headstander x7
Hillstream Loach
Zebra Loach x3

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2015, 09:40:44 PM »
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UV is useful if you want to use it in a quarantine tank (to kill any disease pathogens in the water) and to remove the floating microscopic algae that cause green water. But it is not usually a good idea to run them full time as they remove disease bugs and reduce a fish's immune system, then if they come into contact with anything nasty they struggle to survive.

Underwater lights - I bought one of those small LED strips which said it was submersible and I ended up with a light full of water.
What exactly is the lid on the 5 footer? If it is glass, then you can buy luminaires that sit on the sides of the tank. If it is solid you can fix tubes to the underside. That is the system I have in my 180 litre. If it's this type I can explain further.


Siamese fighters are more correctly known as bettas these days - it is so that people don't get the idea it is good to fight them. There are several tail types, one of which is crowntail. Mine is a half moon.

Tank mates can be iffy with males. The problem with both panda cories and otocinclus is that they need a shoal of them and 30 litres isn't big enough. And otos need a tank big enough to grow enough algae to feed a shoal.
I have - sorry, had - a nerite snail in with my betta. I had to remove it. The betta constantly builds bubble nests. If the snail was on the bottom of the tank or some decor he was fine. But let it crawl up the glass and he went mad, flaring at it constantly. I can only assume that since bettas don't understand glass he just saw another creature 'swimming' in the same tank and tried to frighten it away. Being a snail, it took no notice. The betta even burned his tail on the heater doing this so the snail is now in the 50 litre tank. I wouldn't dare keep anything else with him  :(  My last betta was fine with a snail though. That one didn't build bubble nests. Though he did go mad when I managed to get a woodlouse in his tank; he tried to dismantle it.
And females can be as bad as males. Some females are in fact short finned males and the shop can't tell the difference!

Thank you Sue, You just saved me a ton of money on filters lol!

On the 5ft is a glass lid. with a gap at 2 back corners for wires. If you could explain your light system that'd be great please.

I think they are sooooo pretty! I like the crowntails, but the halfmoon's are nice too! I remember seeing a stripy maroon and silver one once, If I only I had a tank then!

So If I go with a siamese fighter, I cant really have any tank cleaners in there? even if I had 4 panda cory's?


LOL They really are crazy fishes lol I just love their colours and big fins!!!

I love colourful fish with fins!

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Sue

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #10 on: September 07, 2015, 09:50:05 PM »
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Zebra loach need a tank 120cm long, I'm afraid. Dwarf chain loaches would fit (if you don't mind the price).

Spotted headstanders - the main trouble might be finding them. I've never seen any in the flesh.....

Ditto flag cichlids. Though i have found a shop that stocks Nannacara anomala, a very similar fish. I have some.

And personally, I would get more cherry barbs rather than platies. I have 13 and they behave very well as a group.

You need 6 or more pandas I'm afraid. If the tank is a long shallow one rather than a tall narrow one like mine, if you had sand on the bottom you might get away with 6 pygmy cories. Being monochrome bettas usually tolerate them. But with a betta, always have a back up plan. Some are so aggressive they've been known to bite the feelers off snails  :(

If your tank has a glass lid, the lighting set up in mine wouldn't work. You need one of those luminaires that sits on top of the tank, with either fluorescent tubes or LEDs.

Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2015, 09:59:32 PM »
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350Litre

this makes it 42% full

Banded Gourami x5
 Galaxy Rasbora x5
 Slender Harlequin x6
 Sailfin Molly x6
 Borelli's Dwarf x2
 Caete Dwarf x2
 Checkerboard Cichlid x2
Zebra Danio x4
Cuckoo Synodontis
Pictus Catfish


I have no idea what to take off or add lol I like colourful fish :)

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #12 on: September 07, 2015, 10:11:55 PM »
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Zebra loach need a tank 120cm long, I'm afraid. Dwarf chain loaches would fit (if you don't mind the price).

Spotted headstanders - the main trouble might be finding them. I've never seen any in the flesh.....

Ditto flag cichlids. Though i have found a shop that stocks Nannacara anomala, a very similar fish. I have some.

And personally, I would get more cherry barbs rather than platies. I have 13 and they behave very well as a group.

You need 6 or more pandas I'm afraid. If the tank is a long shallow one rather than a tall narrow one like mine, if you had sand on the bottom you might get away with 6 pygmy cories. Being monochrome bettas usually tolerate them. But with a betta, always have a back up plan. Some are so aggressive they've been known to bite the feelers off snails  :(

If your tank has a glass lid, the lighting set up in mine wouldn't work. You need one of those luminaires that sits on top of the tank, with either fluorescent tubes or LEDs.

One of my female Platy's is about to have babies.. I just know Ill want to keep some!! Or I could put her babies in the 5ft tank when their bigger :)

Zebra Loach removed.. 4 chain Loach's?

I think the Betta will just live a lonely life lol :) Ill get it an ornament to swim around or something lol


Their must be away I can clip the lighting to the tubes.. What if I got submersible lights, But instead clipping them to sides, Clip them to the lid? The tank actually fits perfectly on a kitchen worktop under the top cupboards (well cupboard, shelf, cupboard (the shelf is thinner in depth than the cupboards so I get into the tank if needed) and there is about 60mm between tank and cupboard)) :) the worktop it sits on is 6ft so their 6 inches either side of the tank with a cactus either side at the moment... they will be moved lol But then I think it'll be too tight taking the lid off with lights there.

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Sue

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #13 on: September 08, 2015, 12:21:58 PM »
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I would be very wary about putting a 5 foot tank on a kitchen worktop. Even with cupboards underneath I would worry about the weight. My betta's tank is in the kitchen on a worktop, and admittedly there are no cupboards under it (it's just a worktop shelf over the radiator which the builders intended as a dining area) but I wouldn't put anything heavier than that on my worktop.

As for the stocking, increase the shoal sizes of the galaxy rasboras, danios and harlequins. You have plenty room and they always look better and behave better in big shoals.
Get just one of the dwarf cichlids; mixing species is not a good idea. The two apistogrammas (borelli and caete) won't work together though you might get away with one of them and the checkerboards. Those apistos are harem breeders, so 1 male 3 or 4 females of the same species in a tank that size would be fine. The females are bright yellow in all apistos when they've settled in (rather drab in shops) so that will give you some colour  :) They are cave spawners so you need one cave per female plus one extra (for choice) spread evenly over the tank floor. They can be made of anything you like, but the fish prefer a small opening.
And I've never seen caete. Most shops stock cacatuoides and agassizzi, that's all. They are both harem breeders.

I would also be concerned that the syndontis and pictus would eat the galaxy rasboras (incidentally these are usually sold under the name celestial pearl danio). Seriously Fish comments that pictus have led to the deaths of countless neon tetras, guppies and similar sized fish. Galaxies are smaller than those.
Seriously Fish is a good research site as it has more species than here, and more info.


Sorry, I'm shooting down your ideas  :(  One thing you could do is visit a few local shops to see what they stock. You are in no danger of disastrous impulse buys as the tanks aren't ready yet  ;D Once you know what's available, you can tailor your future stocking plans around what you can get. yes you can buy fish by mail order, but the postage is very expensive and you can't see the fish in advance.



Bettas are solitary fish. In the wild, the male has a territory which he defends against all other males. Females roam round; if an egg ripe female enters a male territory he will try to mate with her, then chase her away once spawning is over. If she's not egg ripe, he will treat her like a male and chase her away immediately. Keeping a single fish with no other tank mates is natural for bettas.

Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #14 on: September 08, 2015, 01:30:09 PM »
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I would be very wary about putting a 5 foot tank on a kitchen worktop. Even with cupboards underneath I would worry about the weight. My betta's tank is in the kitchen on a worktop, and admittedly there are no cupboards under it (it's just a worktop shelf over the radiator which the builders intended as a dining area) but I wouldn't put anything heavier than that on my worktop.

As for the stocking, increase the shoal sizes of the galaxy rasboras, danios and harlequins. You have plenty room and they always look better and behave better in big shoals.
Get just one of the dwarf cichlids; mixing species is not a good idea. The two apistogrammas (borelli and caete) won't work together though you might get away with one of them and the checkerboards. Those apistos are harem breeders, so 1 male 3 or 4 females of the same species in a tank that size would be fine. The females are bright yellow in all apistos when they've settled in (rather drab in shops) so that will give you some colour  :) They are cave spawners so you need one cave per female plus one extra (for choice) spread evenly over the tank floor. They can be made of anything you like, but the fish prefer a small opening.
And I've never seen caete. Most shops stock cacatuoides and agassizzi, that's all. They are both harem breeders.

I would also be concerned that the syndontis and pictus would eat the galaxy rasboras (incidentally these are usually sold under the name celestial pearl danio). Seriously Fish comments that pictus have led to the deaths of countless neon tetras, guppies and similar sized fish. Galaxies are smaller than those.
Seriously Fish is a good research site as it has more species than here, and more info.


Sorry, I'm shooting down your ideas  :(  One thing you could do is visit a few local shops to see what they stock. You are in no danger of disastrous impulse buys as the tanks aren't ready yet  ;D Once you know what's available, you can tailor your future stocking plans around what you can get. yes you can buy fish by mail order, but the postage is very expensive and you can't see the fish in advance.



Bettas are solitary fish. In the wild, the male has a territory which he defends against all other males. Females roam round; if an egg ripe female enters a male territory he will try to mate with her, then chase her away once spawning is over. If she's not egg ripe, he will treat her like a male and chase her away immediately. Keeping a single fish with no other tank mates is natural for bettas.

The Kitchen work top idea has changed. The 5ft will be going on the 5ft cabinet now.

My fluval roma 125, I dont have a stand for.. so really unsure where to put it now as it was going on the 5ft's cabinet..

What amount of litres is good for a Betta? I have 2 other tanks, which I was going to just use as isolation tanks. Currently not set up, I think one is a 19L and the other is a 22L. My daughter declared today she wants the 30L fish-box tank to be used for fish (not that she has any!) because its got pink gravel and the ornaments are disney princess (even though this can be moved to another tank!!! lol)

Well I did some looking around on fish species which are local to me.. I dont have a lot of choice :( I have 3 fairly good aquatics near me, but all stock similar to pets@home....

However, with galaxy rasboras, danios and harlequins.. (these are my set species for the 5ft.. I think)

What about

Angel fish
flying foxes
rams?

I dont feel you are putting me down :) you are helping me alot! Thank you!

I dont know if this is a problem or not for the 5ft, My brother moved it for me today.. I went to help him lift it and his response was "I dont need help".. Turns out its a thick acrylic plastic? I read online this doesnt matter?

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Sue

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #15 on: September 08, 2015, 02:12:34 PM »
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The only problem with acrylic is that it is easier to scratch than glass, so be careful cleaning it.

Angels will eat galaxies/cpds. All medium sized fish will. Angelfish eat neon tetras in the wild, so anything neon sized or smaller will be dinner.

If these were my tanks, I would keep smallish fish in the 125 and bigger fish in the 350. The problem is that big fish and small fish don't mix. So how about a switch of fish.

Quote
125 Fluval Roma

Platy x8
Bristlenose Plec
Cherry Barb x4
Flag Cichlid x2
Spotted Headstander x7
Hillstream Loach
Zebra Dwarf chain Loach x3

Put cpd's in the 125 litre and the headstanders in the 5 footer. Headstanders are biggish fish and would look much better in there.

I've just realised I missed the hillstream loach. These fish need very fast flowing, slightly cooler water. I would give these a miss.

Rams or flag cichlids, not both. And bolivian rams are easier to keep than rams (that is Mikrogeophagus altispinosus are easier to keep than Mikrogeophagus ramirezi). Blue rams, gold rams, electric blue rams are all the same species, M. ramirezi.

Then the 350 would be fine for 10 to 12 zebra danios, 10 to 12 slender harlequins, or harlequins if you can't find the slenders (which are also known as espei's rasboras and lambchop rasboras), angels, larger gouramis (banded could be hard to come by), flying foxes etc.



The minimum for bettas is 5 US gallons, ie 19 litres. There isn't much difference between 19 and 22 litres so go with the one that is longest. The other can be used as a quarantine tank for small fish, but not large ones.


Do you have a Maidenhead Aquatics near you? They are often hidden inside garden centres. They stock a bigger range of fish than pets@home

Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #16 on: September 08, 2015, 08:02:12 PM »
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The Waterzoo near me does

more than I thought.

They actually stock a fair bit  http://www.waterzoo.co.uk/uploads/Aug15%20tropical%20stocklist.pdf Ive been looking at their stock list.

I do have a maidenhead aquatics here too! :)


5ft:
 Harlequin
 Zebra Danio
 Cuckoo Synodontis
 Pictus Catfish
 Chain Loach
Angel fish
Flying fox

125L
Galaxy Rasbora
Platy
 Bristlenose Plec
 Red male Cherry Barb
 Chain Loach

So for the 5ft I should aim for things bigger than 5cm?

125L smaller fish

why is there sooooo many fish! lol I want them all lol

I am going to get some Novus cleaner for the 5ft tank at some point just incase of accidental scratches.

Honestly what would you put in the tanks if they were yours?

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Extreme_One

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #17 on: September 08, 2015, 08:45:34 PM »
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I know your question is aimed at Sue but I can't resist.  ;) Hope you don't mind.

I would love a 5ft tank !

Off the top of my head, (and subject to more extensive research) I would keep a community tank made up of:

A shoal of Clown Loach
A shoal of Silver Sharks
A pair of Common Plec
A shoal of Silver Dollar
A Harem of Honey Gorami

I'll stop there because I haven't 'built' a 5ft tank in the community Builder but these are some of the species I would keep if I had room for a larger tank.

Clown Loach are my all time favourite tropical species - I even considered putting these in my 120L with a view to rehoming them when they got too large but I decided it would be unwise and unfair.

I'm very jealous.  ;)




A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Tiger Barb (1) - Cardinal Tetra (17) - Otocinclus (1) - Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid (2) - Ornamental Snails (50) - Assassin Snail (2) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Sue

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #18 on: September 08, 2015, 09:18:45 PM »
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Before I got my 180 litre I had a 125 litre Juwel tank with very similar proportions to your Fluval. I had neon green rasboras (Microdevario kubotai), green neon tetras (Paracheirodon simulans), ember tetras, yellow honey gouramis (a different colour from the ones in the profile on here) and dwarf chain loaches. That gave me green, blue with a hint of red, orange-red and yellow fish. Oh yes, and cockatoo apistos. Unfortunately I lost a lot of those fish when I had camallanus worms at the end of last year which is why the fish in my 180 litre are somewhat different.

As for what to put in a 350 litre tank, I would have to have long think.

If you intend doing a fishless cycle - much easier than fish-in with a lot of water changes on a tank that size - you do have some time to finalise your wish list. But I would look at fish that are too big for the 125, and smaller tank mates that won't get eaten.

Offline Bubblychaz

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Re: HI, New tank Ideas & Suggestions
« Reply #19 on: September 09, 2015, 09:18:02 AM »
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Morning

No Simon not at all, The more opinions the better:)

I do like the black and red sharks. their nice.

Neon, Cardinals, blue and black tetra are nice

Green Rasbora, green neon and the honey gourami is nice :)

I am hoping to get both tanks set up at the weekend, Still lots to buy for the tanks, but Ill get the gravel, filters and water in them this weekend. Im going to give them another good clean before I do. Then begin the cycling period :)

I never realised choosing fish was this difficult lol

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Platy (7) - Bristlenose Plec (1) - Cherry Barb (8) - Siamese Fighting Fish (female) (1) - Galaxy Rasbora (5) - Slender Harlequin (5) - Dwarf Chain Loach (8) - Angelfish (4) - Siamese Flying Fox (4) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


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