kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Hi just a beginner to keeping tropical fish but have kept goldfish sucessfully before. I have a roughly 60 by 30 by 30 glass rectanglar tank, an aqua one AP-250 bubbler (yet to buy airstone), an aqua one 101F maxi internal mechanical filter, an aqua one 100W glass internal heater and some pea gravel and washed riverstones as my current fish possessions. I need a list of other things i will need to sucessfully keep fish ( I have the basic idea but need to know if i've missed anything), (keep in mind I have a limited budget as am only 14). I also need a list of fish i could keep in an aquarium of this size. I have really set my heart on Kuhli loaches and want to know if i can have some in my aquarium and also if you know any outlets that sell them around my area, Masterton and surrounding Wairarapa, I will also soon be travelling up to havlock north and hamilton so i could stop at some petshop or aquarium centre there. Please do not list any places far away from there that do not post as i am the only enthusiast in my family and cannot yet drive, nor have parents happy to do so. all replies welcome! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 That list is everything you need, apart from a fish net, and dechlorinator if you wish to use it. it would be better to list other fish you like then have us say yes/no if theyre good with your kuhli, but most community fish will be. i dont know shops down you way but Hollywood fish farm in auckland will have them and they do post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 World of Water in Hamilton, excellent shop with a great range. I'd call ahead to see if they have the fish you want. Some fish that could go in there, 10-15 small tetras or rasboras and a gourami or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Thanks! other fish i would be interested in having are cockatoo dwarf chichlids, angelfish, bristlenose, whiptail and chocolate catfish, small corys, plecs and catfish, cherry and tiger barbs, marbled hatchetfish, rummynosed, emperor and cardinal tetra, golden pencilfish, lyretail and gardner killifish, sparkling panchax, argentine pearlfish, rachows nothobranchius, surinam blue- stripe rivulus, siamese fighting fish, dwarf, honey, kissing, chocolate and pearl gourami, zebra danios, harlequin rasbora, threadfin and dwarf rainbowfish, ,humpbacked limia, guppy, sailfin and black molly, swordtail, platy, silver, redtailed black and ruby shark, flying fox, pakistani, zebra and clown loaches, butterfly fish, indian glassfish and peacock goby. Not all of them of course but these are the fish I would definitely consider choosing a community out of. Also here is are some things I can't find at my local petshop and need a retailer for- aquarium safe silica sand a properly fitting insulated lid including a led light tube and reflector interesting bogwood and quality live plants aquarium safe glue or sealant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 clown loaches, butterfly fish, indian glassfish and peacock goby. Not suitable for your size tank sorry. LED light tubes off trademe, fitting can be bought at World of Water and the tubes that come with that will be great for growing plants. Get a glass lid from a glass cutter/tank maker. Bogwood and plants from any decent LFS (World of Water again) and the silicone sealant from Bunnings or Mitre10. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 If clown loaches, indian glassfish, peacock goby and butterfly fish arent suited Are all the other fish ok for my tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdspider Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Not suitable for your size tank sorry. . + some of the fish you've listed can be territorial and chase and annoy the other fish. Bristlenoses are a great beginner algae eating fish, and danios/tetras/swordtails/platys are good peaceful community tank. Although it's always tempting to have a large range of different fish, many are happier and look better in schools. If it were me choosing out of that list.... I reckon personally I'd go with a bristlenose, 10ish small schooling fish (same type) and maybe 4-6 cories. And it sounds like you've been doing your research, but just in case... Remember not to add all the fish at once! Let us know if you need advice on how to cycle your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 No but you listed so many it will take a while to go through them all! Ones you can definitely look at for a tank that small are the guppies, platies, corys, cherry barbs, runny noses, emperor and cardinal tetras, Siamese fighting fish, dwarf gouramis (but not with Siamese fighters), zebra danios and harlequins. Many of those fish are shoaling fish so prefer to be in groups of 6 or more. You are going to be limited on how many you can have. Others in the list are probably OK too but I would need to check. Angels are definitely out, as are kissing and pearl gouramis, plecs and sharks. Others I would have to check but others will know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshlikesfish Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Why do you need silica sand if you already have your gravel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 As to tank cycling I think you are supposed to cycle your newly created tank and equiptment for 2 or so weeks before staggering the realease of your fish over a few weeks starting with the small hardy ones and ending with your larger more delicate aquarium stars. The amount of fish i was thinking of having was 2 or so main fish, lets say gourami, 4 medium sized zebra danios, 6 little tetras, 3 kuhli loaches and 2 corys. i just want whats best for the fish, i will aim for the most colourful and varied community i can get so long as the fish are happy. I need silica sand because i would really like to get kuhli loaches and they need somthing soft to burrow into so that their skin is not damaged by hard gravel, its also good for growing plants in. I am only using the gravel to hold plants in place and as decoration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 2 or so main fish, lets say gourami, 4 medium sized zebra danios, 6 little tetras, 3 kuhli loaches and 2 corys - would that be ok for my tank or would that be too much (not being particular on fish just using rough sizes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Try not to have more than 1 type of shoaling fish, especially in a tank that size. The visual effect created by a large school of a single type of fish is far more amazing than a few individuals of different species. Plus the more of them there are, the safer they feel. I'd personally go with 10 tetras. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Try not to have more than 1 type of shoaling fish, especially in a tank that size. The visual effect created by a large school of a single type of fish is far more amazing than a few individuals of different species. Plus the more of them there are, the safer they feel. I'd personally go with 10 tetras. HTH. I will second that, or 10 dannios, either or, the dannios are generally alot more active and can be seen zooming around the tank alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Yeah, that's right diver but they may need a larger tank due to their active nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 so any small shoaler would be fine? Tiger or cherry barbs, hatchetfish, rummynosed, emperor, cardinal and neon tetra, golden pencilfish, zebra danio, harlequin rasbora and threadfin rainbowfish are shoalers i am interested in. Are these ok for my size aquarium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 so any small shoaler would be fine? Tiger or cherry barbs, hatchetfish, rummynosed, emperor, cardinal and neon tetra, golden pencilfish, zebra danio, harlequin rasbora and threadfin rainbowfish are shoalers i am interested in. Are these ok for my size aquarium I've made the ones I would put in a tank that size bold, the rest are a no or I am unsure of. Hope someone can confirm this ^. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdspider Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 I think hatchetfish are like... $20 each, so you prob won't want a shoal of them. + they just sit at the top, so although they look awesome there will not be a lot of movement in the tank. Tiger barbs can be aggro and need a larger school so the beatings are shared out a bit, rather than 1 or 2 getting all the bullying. A school of rasboras would look awesome, they look soooo pretty when they are nicely coloured and schooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 interested in hatchetfish so will check pricing! If I will be keeping gouramis or other delicate fish, tigerbarbs or other aggressive ones will not work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 What about fish that will get along in smaller groups such as swordtails, guppies and platys? What sized group should corys, plecs, small catfish and loaches be kept in, or should they be a few solitary species? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 What about fish that will get along in smaller groups such as swordtails, guppies and platys? What sized group should corys, plecs, small catfish and loaches be kept in, or should they be a few solitary species? guppies and platys are easy care semi schooling fish that tend to get along in most communities but prepared for lots of babies. If you're patient you can get some beautiful guppies! They are a personal favourite of mine. Small and pretty. Otocinclus (otos / otto cats) are another small fish (catfish) that I like.. and do a fantastic job at keeping algae at bay but they really need to go into an established tank. They like to be in groups of 3+. Kuhlis are cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 guppies are very pretty I will consider getting some but what to do with babies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 guppies are very pretty I will consider getting some but what to do with babies? hehe.. get another small tank (double as a quarantine tank) - grow them up a little and sell on trademe! ... or you could put in a female fighter , a couple of dwarf gourami and they'll help to keep the numbers low. The parents will eat some too. We have three guppies in the eel tank and that provides him with live food haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Hi Khuli Loach, If I were you, I would start with a small 'Amazon' type tank, with: A pair if Apisto. agassizii 'Double Red' or cacatuoides 10x Cardinal Tetras (these are hardier than Neons, live longer, and have more colour) About 5 Otos or cories, and maybe a small fancy Pleco, like Dekeyseria brachyura L168 5 Golden Pencilfish 3 Hatchetfish (I have to agree with you, they are awesome!) If I were you I wouldn't get livebearers because I've found that they get boring after a while, unless you plan to breed particular colour strains and that sort of stuff. Add some interesting pieces of bogwood, a few small species of Swordplant and some saggitaria, Twisted val, Crypts, and a bit of Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig' for red, and a bit of Limnophila sessiliflora or Cabomba for a feathery texture. For lighting, get a Hagen T5HO 60cm hood, fitted with 2x PowerGlo tubes. Use sand for the substrate, 3 cm at the front, sloping to about 7 or 8 cm at the back. You could also add a 2-3 cm layer of JBL AquaBasis Plus underneath the sand for plant fertiliser, or you can use JBL Root Balls, which is just as effective and easier, but they need replacing once a year. You can also use boiled dried oak leaves on the substrate or add peat to the filter (or do both) to add tannin to the water which will lower the pH, which is what those fish like, plus they will colour up a lot more nicely for you. Hope that helps a little Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2010 sounds great! I wanted an amazonian themed tank! Wondering though, petshop said that most corys, loaches and small catfish dont like a sand substrate and prefer a smooth gravel. I'm not sure though but prehaps, if this is true, a mixture of sand and pea gravel would satisfy them both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhli loach Posted December 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2010 I really like the amazonian setup Apistogramma cacatuoides are very nice and I think a pair would be big enough for my tank but am not sure about the agassizi whever they would be happy in a 60x30x30. could cardinals be replaced by emperor or rummynose tetra or are cardinal the best? Some small cories would loaches (kuhlis in particular) be ok in this setup also could golden pencilfish be substituted for zebra danios? And yes hatchetfish (marbled variety if possible) would be wonderful! I would love this tank setup! I also need a tank lid (especially with hatchet fish!) would a sheet of glass do? Or should I purchase a proper one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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