HELP in creating my first fresh water tank

[burbina]

hi there,

i m planning to create my first fresh water tank but i don t have that much idea on fish and all the rest. i have a small tank...60cm x 40cm x 50cm...and would like to put some nice fish in it. i got a filter and an air pump since now and some plants and small stones in the tank. regarding fish, since the beginning i got 2 goldfish but i would like to add a fighter, angel fish, guppies, catfish and maybe a koi. what do you tell me about my idea??? when i asked around, some told me that first i need to add a heater for sure. can you please tell me the type of fish i can put together??? i what a fighter for sure.....its sooo awesome....and maybe a koi and an....ok PLEASE HELP ME TO CREATE A DREAM....thanks alot...please feel free to tell me about other beautiful types of other fish which i can put togther....thanks alot for your support.

Jean Paul

 

[Fuzz16]

31gallons.

goldish need a min of 20g for one, then add 10g for every fish after that. so 2 maybe in this tank.
comet goldfish can reach up to a foot, and koi up to 6 feet, nothing that should be kept in an aquarium.
both these are also cold water and so cannot be kept with tropical fish

you want to wait until your tank is cycled before adding fish ideally, but because youe added fish already, you should test your waers parameters: nitrItes, nitrAtes, ammonia.. mainly to see what they are. wait for nitrites and ammonia to be 0 before adding more fish.

you cannot add any of those fish youd like to with goldfish in the tank though
options now are maybe 5-8 white cloud minnows. you need to be willing to do water changes as well, as goldfish lack stomachs and they poop a LOT
a good

 

[FlameTetra333]

31gallons.

goldish need a min of 20g for one, then add 10g for every fish after that. so 2 maybe in this tank.
comet goldfish can reach up to a foot, and koi up to 6 feet, nothing that should be kept in an aquarium.
both these are also cold water and so cannot be kept with tropical fish

you want to wait until your tank is cycled before adding fish ideally, but because youe added fish already, you should test your waers parameters: nitrItes, nitrAtes, ammonia.. mainly to see what they are. wait for nitrites and ammonia to be 0 before adding more fish.

you cannot add any of those fish youd like to with goldfish in the tank though
options now are maybe 5-8 white cloud minnows. you need to be willing to do water changes as well, as goldfish lack stomachs and they poop a LOT
a good

Fuzz pretty much covered everything.

31 gallons isn't a small tank, in fact, it's better to start off with the biggest tank you can afford, as they are easier to take care of. Angelfish are not very good beginner fish, so you'd better wait until you get more experience.

For the first fish I recommend you get these (all of these are tropical fish):

Corydoras catfish A.K.A. cory catfish (very easy to take care of and very peaceful; feed them Hikari Sinking Wafers)

They prefer to be in groups; buy 5 or more of the same species.

Orange Von Rio Flame Tetras A.K.A flame tetras (beautiful flame coloration, that's why I named my username after the fish)

They are a schooling fish; buy 6 or more.

Fish to add last:

Betta A.K.A fighter (DO NOT put them in with other fighters, guppies, gouramis or angelfish)


Otocinclus catfish A.K.A oto (they are delicate fish and only do well inmature (cycled) tanks with live plants. Feed them blanched cucumbers and zucchini and keep them with 4 or more of the same species)

Neon Tetra (Delicate like the oto and prefer to be in groups of 5+)


So, I recommend the final stocking list to look something like this:
7-9 Flame Tetras/other small (1-2 in.) schooling fish
5-7 Cories (peppered cories are cool)
4-5 otos
6-8 Neon Tetras
1 Betta

So, there would be 23-30 fish, the higher stocking range being understocked. Even so, don't get the highest # of fish that I recommended until you are more experienced.

Get many live plants and Seachem Flourish fertilizer to suck up harmful nitrates in the tank (but you still have to do water changes)

Also, you should vacuum the substrate every week/every 2 weeks.
Finally, get some decor such as caves & rocks to give your fish a sense of security.

Hope your tank does well!

 

[exhumed07]

I would have to suggest a couple cichlids if u want a lil agression, they are beautiful and active, I've got 3 cichlid tanks myself, bout to go down to 2 and turn the 20 into a tropical. but i think a few yellow labs or maybe some peacocks like red shoulders.

 

[Fuzz16]

im not a fan of mixing tetras in small tanks, or they wont school, theyll swim around aimlessly.

look online for some other fish you find interesting and ask about it and well let you know

 

[Thyra]

I do not understand what you mean by "fighter fish" because you will have a very limited choice of fish you can mix in. Bettas are not fighter fish in a community tank, or for that matter in any tank because they are bred for their beauty not to fight with each other.

 

[exhumed07]

like i said if u want some agression and movement as well as color i belive a few african cichlids would be your best choice

 

[Fuzz16]

i dont think their from us...so fighter fish may be the name of a betta.