js Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Hi there I have just decided to change from goldfish to tropical. My tank is only 54l. I currently have a bristlenose catfish and have just recently added 4 x serpae tetras and 1 x little angel fish. Think I might go back and get another one, because he looks lonely on his own. I would like lots of colour and would like to add about 5 x neon tetras. Would these be okay with the other tetras? I would also like a red tailed shark and a male siamese fighter fish. Any comments on whether this would work, or other types I could try would be much appreciated. I'v never had tropicals before, so am very new to this. Trying to talk hubby into letting me get a lovely big tank, but so far not much luck. Thanks Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 The neons should be fine with the tetras you already have. Not sure about the angel though, when they get bigger they might eat the neons? Never had any experience with angels. Again the fighter would be fine with the tetras, but not sure about the angel. The angels might nip at the fighters fins. I wouldn't recommend a red tail shark in such a small tank though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 54L being 60cm x 30cm x 30cm? The angel(s) will grow out of that pretty quickly or stunt. If you get a fighter then he will be agressive to the angels as they have long fins and are seen as a threat to him. Red tailed sharks are suited to larger tanks but IF bought very young a kept singly they MAY be okay as long as they have their own cave or territory. If I were you I'd either get 5 more serpaes and/or 10 neons, large schools look great. I'm rescaping my 54L so check this link for further advice (mainly about plants): viewtopic.php?f=2&t=40214 Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 How many fish you can keep depends on the volume and surface area of your tank (there is an article on stocking levels in the beginners forum). When choosing fish, you are best to choose fish that like the same conditions (temperature, Ph etc), fish that will fit in your tank when they are fully grown, and fish that will get along with each other. I was advised in another post that, in a small tank, it is a good idea to only have one type of fish for each level of the tank - top, middle and bottom. We wanted a siamese fighter, but decided against it, as they seem to be difficult to find suitable tank mates for - either they will see other fish (especially with long fins) as a threat and attack them, or they will be nipped by faster fish. Some people seem to keep them in a community tank with no problems though - it seems to depend on the individual fish and tank setup. We also wanted neons, but were put off by the number of people who said they die really easily. We got harlequin rasboras instead, which are a lot hardier (they may not look much at the shop, but they get more colourful once they settle in). Any schooling fish (like tetras) will do better when you have 6 or more, so maybe you could get a few more serpae tetras, if there is room in the tank? I think Angels grow quite big, and may eat smaller fish like neons? I'm only a novice fishkeeper, but my advice would be to not get any more fish yet - let your current fish settle down, and get into a maintenance routine that works. If your tank is under-stocked, it will be easier to deal with any problems that may arise. We found that our tank ran perfectly for a few months initially (we originally only had 5 corys in a 60l tank), then we started having problems with Ph levels, which killed 2 of our fish and caused other issues with algae and the like. It took us AGES to get things under control before we could add more fish, and we still struggle with Ph levels. If you are not already doing so, you NEED to test the water regularly (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and Ph) In the meantime, research the fish you would like to keep, whether they all like the same conditions, whether they are compatible with one another and whether they will all fit in your tank. Who knows, by the time you have made a decision, you may also have persuaded hubby to get that bigger tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
js Posted July 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Thank you all for your replies. Yes my tank is 60 x 30 x 30. I will try some of the tetra neons next. Hopefully my angel will leave them alone. I don't think I will get another angel now that you tell me they might pick on the other fish. So far everyone seems very happy. Put a couple of live plants in last night. Can anyone tell me what sort of light (tube) is the best for a glass tank with glass lid. I currently have an ordinary tube above it, but my husband would like to change it so that it lights up the tank a lot better. On reading some of the forums there seems to be all sorts of lights and colours. Shame about the shark. Really had my heart set on one of those. Does anybody know which are the least aggressive (eg, red tail, rainbow etc)? Many thanks once again. I don't post much on here (don't have anywhere near the gorgeous set ups alot of you have), but really enjoy reading the posts and looking at peoples pics! Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hi JS. Your tank is just too small for any kind of shark. Plus they do not get on with Angels, let alone in a small tank. You are pretty much at the limit of what you can have in your tank. Serpae tetra's can get feisty when they grow older. Any fluorescent light is fine on your tank. I two foot light is what you should look for I think you should look for another, or a bigger tank 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I would definitely NOT be going with the Red Tail Shark, your Tank is way to small for one of those. Personally I would return the Angel and just stick with the Serpae's, Harlequins and Neons. Any Fluro Light will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 54L. No sharks. No barbs. Definitely no plecos. No fish over 3cm that is not a tetra. :lol: Do you like neons, ember tetras, copper tetras, etc? Plant the tank. make it a nano.. rimless nano 1 species of fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Whip Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 I would definitely NOT be going with the Red Tail Shark, your Tank is way to small for one of those. Personally I would return the Angel and just stick with the Serpae's, Harlequins and Neons. Any Fluro Light will do. Sound advice the angel is going to be more stress than it's worth. Tetra and perhaps a few panda cats to clean up. Good luck with your fish tropical keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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