suitable new tank community?

hi all wondered if anyone could help with a general enquiry

i have a new tank whic is now mature enough to recieve fish, i took a sample of water to my local aquarium and they said it is fine to add fish

i know which fish i would like but wanted to find out if my tank is big enough as i have been advised by the aquarium it is but would like to get a second opinion

i would like 2 angel fish, 3 dwarf gouramis and a shole of 10 neon tetra

the tank is 96 litres would this be big enough for this community???

thankyou

I'm sorry to say no it would not. The gouramis and neons would probably do OK together, but angelfish need more room and a higher temperature. One of the worse mistakes I made as an aquarium newbie was putting too many fish of too many species into a too small aquarium. They pretty much all got sick. Angelfish are my favorites, but they are also rather demanding as well as aggressive. The general rule for angelfish is ten gallons (just under 40 litres) minimum per adult fish.

If you're just starting in the hobby, try some easy, inexpensive fish. For example, white cloud mountain minnows are flashy and will shoal like neons, but they cost less and are easier to keep. Cory cats are also interesting and peaceful as they hunt for food on the bottom of the tank. I've noticed lately that pet shops are selling only the male gouramis; they're more colorful than the females but will sometimes fight each other.

Maybe you should consider some live bearing fish like red wag platties or guppies. Unfortunately, many stores don't sell female guppies, so you may need to look around. If you start with two females and one male of either species, they'll give you an aquarium full of colorful fish in a few months.

I hope this post has not been too discouraging, but if you start slow and simple you'll have a good chance of success. If you can, post a picture of your aquarium, and keep in touch.

hi thankyou for the reply

i kind of had a feeling the tank was too small for angelfish but just wanted to check as the guy in aquarium said it would be ok


they do sell female dwarf gouramis though and i thought i might get 1 male and 2 female so if i got these and the tetras would this be ok to start my tank off with do u think

thanx

hi sorry i also meant to say as i have not bought any fish yet ( i am waiting untill im sure i choose the right ones)

it would be possible for me to purchase a larger tank ( 200 litres) before i buy any fish, if i did this would i then be able to get angels and if so what other fish would they be compatable with

sorry to be a pain but i want to make sure i get it absolutely right as i would hate for any fish to suffer or even die because of my inexperience or bad choices

polly

A pair of gouramis should do fine so long as they're not one of the larger varieties. There's no need for the extra female. The reason for two live bearing females is to keep the male from pestering a single female too much. Male guppies especially have a one track mind.

A 200 litre tank should accommodate the angelfish. If you want a spawning pair, start with about six juveniles. Don't pick just the largest fish in the display tank, because you could wind up with all males. Also make sure they have no clamped fins or other signs of disease. Don't buy them until your aquarium is properly cycled and at 80 to 82 degrees, and use the drip acclimation method to introduce them. In six months or a year, the juveniles will mature and will pair off. Things can get pretty violent, so you'll need a separate aquarium for each pair.

Finally, lots of aquarium shops give good advice, and lots of them are just trying to sell you fish and medicine. It's best to do some research on your own and to buy a water test kit.

Good luck! Ask all the questions you want.

thankyou for replying would it therefore be ok to get just one pair of angels and one pair of gouramis in the larger tank

thankyou

I would not mix gouramis with angelfish. Since gouramis can breath air, you could house a pair in a smaller aquarium. If you mix them with angelfish, you may get some fin nipping or spreading of diseases. Angelfish need different water conditions than gouramis.

As for sexing angelfish, there is no reliable way, only guessing, to distinguish gender before they spawn. That's when their reproductive equipment appears, and it's why most people start with several juveniles. If you buy quarter size or smaller juveniles, they would be OK in your aquarium until they mature. I've heard of keeping neons with angelfish, but the angels will eventually have them for breakfast. Cory cats and angelfish get along, but plecos (sucker fish) will kill angelfish by sucking off their slime coat in the middle of the night. No joke. If you were in Phoenix, I would give you a few angelfish. Right now, I have four batches of juveniles and two spawns going, and Phoenix has a very tough market for home grown angelfish. They're still my favorites.

thankyou so much for all the advice i think its maybe best for me to stick with the gourami and tetra for now and possibly think about a seperate tank for angels when i am more experienced as i would not like to take on something that i can not look after properly

and to think the man in aquarium said sure that set up would be fine in a 95litre tank

I hope you send pictures when you get the fish and plants.

hi johnarthur

as my post yesterday i went to the local pet store today and bought a 200 litre tank which i thought more appropriate, my brother is taking the smaller one off my hands,

i am planning on starting the cycling at the weekend and am hoping to have many plants, rocks etc for my fish to hide

one more question sorry

i saw a beautifull fish today calles a siamese fighter fish but the name is kinda offputting , i wondered if this fish would be ok with the gouramis and neon tetras and if u could suggest anything else to create a happy community with these fish

p.s i will deff send pics when my new tank is set up

thankyou

The fighting fish (Betta) gets that name from the fact that two males will try to kill each other. In some places, they actually stage fights with male Bettas and bet on the outcome, much like they do on dog fighting and rooster fighting. Personally, I find that sort of thing cruel and highly disgusting.

But back to your question. Male bettas are mostly dangerous to each other, but they are still pretty grumpy and will eat the fry of other fish. Since they can also breathe air like gouramis, they sort of occupy the same territory and could get a little aggressive. You might try a Betta, but have one of those desk top aquariums (two gallons or more) waiting just in case. If you want to see some really spectacular Bettas, log on to aquabid.com. It's also a good place to buy live plants that you don't usually find in local stores.

I once had a Betta in a 55 gallon aquarium, and his fins tended to look a little ragged because of all the swimming room. If your aquarium has lots of floating plants like hornwort and some low light rooted plants like java fern and Anubis Nana along with Malaysian driftwood, the fish will have plenty of hiding places. That cuts down on potential conflicts, and you can plant an aquarium before it's cycled. In fact, live plants will speed the cycling process, as will a product called Eco Complete. It contains live bacteria.

Before adding fish, make sure the aquarium has completely cycled. Please keep us posted on your progress.

PS: I never learned all the Latin names for fish and plants, so I probably got most of them semi wrong.