Beginner needs help!

[phoenix44]

Wondering though, petshop said that most cories, loaches and small catfish don't like a sand substrate and prefer a smooth gravel. I'm not sure though but perhaps, if this is true, a mixture of sand and pea gravel would satisfy them both?

Sounds like your pet shop doesn't sell sand. :lol:

Seriously tell the person to read up and learn something before dishing out incorrect advice. It really boils my blood.

[kuhli loach]

thats good if they like sand! I really like catfish, corys and loaches and also want sand.

[DennisP]

Sand is much preferred by most fish I think.

Agassizi are more expensive, but I have a pair in a 60cm tank.

Make sure you have a spare tank if they breed though. Although in a community aggression should be spread about.

In a small tank I'd prefer a small variety of fish.

So just 1 type of tetra, rather than 3 or 4. 2 types should be okay i guess if they have a different enough shape.

Hatchet fish May get a little big, but you could try with a few.

Where are you in the country? I have a lid down here which I no longer use.

This is my tank. Same size as yours.

[kuhli loach]

not all the types of tetra I'm just trying to decide which one type I want

Maby not agassizi since I have no extra breeding tank, cacatuoides sound quite peaceful, especially for chichlids.

Your tank is very nice, love the plants!

I'm in the north island, masterton - wairarapa reigion (by wellington).

What type lid?

[DennisP]

Basically just a glass sheet.

A triangle bit cut out of the rear corners for cables.

And a few extra slabs underneath to stop it from sliding off.

Imho get emperor or rummynose tetra.

I will get rummynoses once I can afford them. And probably a pair of Bristlenoses.

[kuhli loach]

I've got myself a glass lid but i don't know whever you need a more insulated lid to keep the aquarium heat (and hatchetfish!) in.

Rummynoses are very attractive fish i agree but so are cardinals and emperors i will need to do quite a bit of deciding whilst my tank cycles!

[kuhli loach]

Is a insulating lid needed to keep aquarium heat in?

[kuhli loach]

If so does anyone know a good one or where to buy it?

Or could you make one?

[DennisP]

No need to have an insulated one.

Just a simple glass lid will keep a lot of water and heat in the tank.

[Joe]

All the fish I listed are suitable for your tank. If they weren't then I wouldn't have mentioned them.

Golden Pencils will be a much nicer substitute for the Zebra Danios, which have been inbred and modified for generations. I've seen photos of wild Zebra Danios, and they are a million times nicer than what you would see in the local petshop. The petshop Zebras are best left there. Although I would happily the buy Golden Pencils.

Try and get fish that have a good shape for their species and nice markings, strong colours and that are healthy. Ask if the fish are able to be fed. The way a fish feeds can tell you a lot about its health.

You could happily keep about 5-7 Khulis in that tank, but you will most likely have to cut down on catfish numbers so you don't overstock the tank.

I would personally go for the Cardinals, because they are more colourful than the Rummynoses, and you can fit more in the tank than you could with the Emperor Tetras (Nematobrycon palmeri). Emperors are best kept in groups, and are suited to larger tanks, so you could only fit a trio in yours. They are large and grow to about 7 cm. Or are you talking about Blue Emperors (Inpaichthys kerri)? They are much smaller, so you can fit about 7-10 in your tank. But they lack the beautiful filaments on the fins and the lemon-yellow bellies of the Nematobrycon palmeri.

[kuhli loach]

Thanks!

I was just going of a picture in a book for the zebra danios.

They look so much more attractive in the book. Gorgeous pale banding and little mouth barbels. Sort of like catfish..

But golden pencilfish look so much nicer than the petshop danios.

[kuhli loach]

I roughly know what i'm going to get now

A pair if Apisto. agassizii 'Double Red' or cacatuoides or dwarf gourami

10x Tetras (still debating what type to get)

5 cories, or plecs or small catfish and 3 Kuhli loaches

5 Golden Pencilfish, or Zebra danios, or 3 Hatchetfish

(I still can't decide which fish exactly to get but it will be easier when my tank decor and plants are set up to choose what looks nicest)

[Joe]

I think get Cardinal Tetras, because as I said they are very hardy from what I've heard and they're hard to breed, so aren't bred that often so you can guaruntee the ones at the petshop are good quality.

I think you should get the Golden Pencils instead of the Zebra Danios. Pencils look alright in smaller numbers but Zebras look their best in larger shoals of about 15. 5 isn't really enough, and it wouldn't be fair on the fish because they prefer more of their type.

Gouramis hang around at the surface, and you want Hatchetfish which are also a surface dweller, so get them instead.

And definately get Apistos. You won't regret it! They are one of the coolest little fish availible, and it is so much fun to watch their interesting little antics.

What filter are you getting? For your tank I'd recommend an Eheim Classic 2213.

[kuhli loach]

I have got an Aqua One 101F Maxi which is an internal mechanical filter. I am not sure whether this will be enough with so many fish but the petshop advised taht this would be the best for my tank.

cardinal tetras are very nice I am considering them over the others

I do love the apistos but am worried about how territorial they get when breeding

[burrowssj]

I would get like 1pair of fish you like to breed an the just some cleaner fish

keep it small an planted for best looks

I have 2x 60x30x30 an got dwarf cichlids in them makes a nice tank for a pair or 2 of some sorta cichlid

[kuhli loach]

well the fish I really desparately want is a cleaner fish! (I'm not a big fan of Cichlids)

All the others I'm just starting to work out now but I think this is roughly the numbers I would be having

2-3 platys

5 hatchetfish

10 tetras

3 Kuhli loaches

5 corys

[burrowssj]

well hey its your tank an get what you like

still you should look into a pair of dwarf cichlids, you can keep with them mostly anything an they have quite alota personality compared to something like a tetra

[kuhli loach]

they do sound interesting but they do tend to become a little agressive when breeding i think, and them being territorial might be a bit of a problem around the other fish.

[Joe]

I really don't know what you're so worried about. I have got Dwarf Cichlids before, and it was a choice I never regreted. They are perfectly fine in a community tank, and you don't need to be worried about them getting aggressive when they spawn. As long as you provide enough plants and bogwood, the other fish will stay out at the front of the tank and swim around and the cichlids will hide away for a bit and tend to their eggs/fry. Also, Apistos are excellent because they are so small. You'll have no problems. Just stay away from 'bigger dwarfs', which is Laetacara curviceps, Pelvivachromis pulcher and taeniata etc.

I saw you replaced the Apistos on your list of fish with platys. You will get far more pleasure out of Apistos than you will with platys

Oh and by the way I googled your filter and it looks pathetic :lol: Go for an Aqua One CF500 or an Eheim Classic 2213

Internal power filters tank up too much room. External canisters give you a much larger filter volume without taking up room in your tank. The two filters that I mentioned already come with filter media. Out of the two though I would prefer the Eheim 2213. It is higher quality, plus the filter media it comes with is wicked!

[kuhli loach]

Thats great if they don't cause any problems!

[kuhli loach]

tigerbarbs and kuhlis?

thinking of getting 8 tiger barbs and 5 Kuhlis

striped colours together would look sooo cool!

Not sure if tigers would be happy in that size tank though?

[Carlos & Siran]

they do sound interesting but they do tend to become a little agressive when breeding i think, and them being territorial might be a bit of a problem around the other fish.

Tiger barbs are nasty boisterous little shites in my opinion, shy little kuhlis will stay in constant hiding if they have them as their only tank mates. A couple nice dwarf chiclids(rams are prolly your best bet) would be much better tank mates......I may be wrong about the tiger barbs but I hate em......

How about a couple zodiac loaches?

[kuhli loach]

yes zodiacs! I was looking at those in the petshop today, they look rather like Kuhlis, only not as wriggly, but with Kuhli loaches their might not be enough room for the zodiacs.

I think tigers should be ok, because they would be on the top and middle levels of the tank and the kuhlis would stay on the bottom, but I don't know, they might cause trouble but are very pretty.

[jarrodrussell]

be carefull with some cichlids as they can be very territoirial and some may destroy your plants

[the-obstacle]

a pair of apistos won't be a big problem in your tank. they won't destroy plants as mentioned above and they won't be too bad to the other fish when breeding. Mine are in a 75L tank with a ton of other fish and they are constantly breeding and don't cause any problems with the others.