small community fish in a large tank

[MissMelba]

Hi,

As a newbie to fishkeeping I have been lurking in the forum and want to say thanks for the info. I have been unable to find an answer to my question though. I hope it is not too stupid a question but is there a problem with keeping a fair quantity of small sized community fish in a large tank?

I have a 175 gallon tank (built into the house I just bought). It has been emptied and cleaned (no soap) and all new equipment has been purchased. The tank was filled with water when we bought the house several months ago and we have kept water in it since so I know that it doesn't leak but since I had no idea what the old equipment was subjected to I bought new. We have a SeaLife wet/dry filter that has some sponges, some blue balls, and space for bags of carbon. Right now I have started a fishless cycle (on day 3) as I don't want to hurt any fish (empty tank much better than distressed fish).

So, back to my question. My husband wants bala sharks (he likes the 'cool' look of them) which he thinks get no larger than 6". I want a happy peaceful tank with no one eating or nipping anyone else (yep, typical girl). Is there a problem with small fish in a large tank? Sorry to sound stupid but as most aquarium fish are kept in small spaces I did not know if they prefer not to be out in the open (and thus more vulnerable to predators?).

Thanks,

MissMelba

[SnakeIce]

bala sharks with enough room can get 2+ feet long, but most run out of room to grow at about 6 inches and after a while die from lack of space in an aquarium.

you can keep as small a fish in the tank as you like, but you must consider the size of what might be notisable in the tank... ie if you have a large room where you might be more than 25 feet from the tank putting only fish that get to an inch would make the tank look empty because of the largeness of the room.

the exception to that is if you go for a planted tank then the plants would provide the "picture" from the distance and the small fish interest from up close.

if you chose a small fish you should get more of them, say 25 inch sized fish and taht would make them feel safer cause of the schooling thing.

20-30 neons would look awesome as a school as an example

just because you have a large tank doesn't mean you have to keep larger fish, just means you have the ability to

[Emaan]

I agree with snakice, you don't have to have large fish in a large tank, but make sure that you have enough small fish to keep the tank from looking empty from a distance. I would suggest having some sort of plants in there so that the fish you do keep will have things to swim through and it would also provide for a fuller look. You can keep a large variety of fish in your tank as long as they are not aggresive fish.

When you start stocking your tank, let us know what you are putting in and i'm sure that if the fish are not compatible with each other someone here will be able to let you know before you have to make that mistake. You will also need to stock your tank gradually once the cycle has finished to keep from killing the bacteria that you build while cycling. You will also want to distribute the fish into where they swim, such as top, bottom or center swimmers, this will also help with your stocking.

Keep us posted.

Emaan

[Fishsmurf]

Again, another one who agree's with the above. I think it would look fanstastic to have a large tank, planted with 3 or 4 schools of "smaller fish". With a 175 you could have real potential to go some serious quantities of the smaller species.

Very jealous already, I hope it goes well and you can post some pics when you have finished cycling and are stocked..... :D

[Neo Sithlord]

I'll agree several schools of small fish would be cool. From a distance you'll want a back drop that looks good. it's what I tried doing with my meager 29 gallon *feeling much jelousy*. Take a look http://img62.photobucket.com/albums/v190/Neosithlord/Tank.jpg Sorry it's so big but you get the idea. I know theres a picture thread some where and one tank was really nice with a Budda in it. It's what inspired my egypt theme. Neons are pretty touchy and sensitive fish but they are nice in large groups. I have white cloud minows in with mine and the look great together and also school/get along together. Decide what you want and build your stock from there and you should be ok.
-Neo SIthlord

[PumaWard]

I think a shoal of 50-60 cardinals, neons, or glowlight tetras would look awesome. You could also have a few angelfish for centerpieces.

[MissMelba]

Thanks for the replies. I was concerned about the fish's happiness. I did not want them hovering in a corner afraid that something big might be out there waiting to eat them.

On a side note, we have decided to go with ancient Greece for the theme. The tank is on a white brick pedestal which separates the living room from the hallway thus you can walk all the way around it. Since the base is essentially solid, we have to build a cabinet that will sit at the end to house the monster-sized filter. All will be done with some sort of faux stone finish and some architectural mouldings to create the look of columns. Once we have it finished I'll forward a few pics.

Thanks again for your help. This forum was a great find. I'll post again when the cycling is finished and we are ready to add some fish. I am soooo looking forward to fish, the tank has been fishless for several months.

MissMelba

fishless cycle day 4

[LongTime]

I do not have a tank that size but I debated putting "little guys" in my 125 but opted out because they would fit well in my 55 but the "bigger boys" wouldn't.

I would go with huge schools of smaller fish. Rather than the angels, which might decide to munch on the smaller fish. I would go with pearl guoramis. If the angels pair up and decide to breed, things could get a little hectic.

While you would not be able to see individual fish from across the room, I think the large schools would make their presence known. I am think about the shifting colors of, for example, 30 cardinals moving through the aquarium.

[RTR]

I'll sing a variant of the same tune as the other posters - to me a large tank with a sizable school of colorful fish is more impressive than the same tank with a stock of few medium fish. Large tanks with small fish really show off the size of the tank - seeing a school of cardinals swiming the 6' length of a 180 is no issue anywhere in a 20x30' room. If you plant the ends with taller or bushier plants and have low plants throughout the center, the open space will keep the schoolers in a school quite nicely, but with refuge at both ends and some coverage below, they do not mind the open spaces so much - that is why schooling is of evolutionary benefit.

[happychem]

Originally posted by Emaan
You will also need to stock your tank gradually once the cycle has finished to keep from killing the bacteria that you build while cycling.

I disagree with this statement. Once your cycle is complete, you can safely stock a fishload that produces an amount of ammonia equivalent to that you were using to cycle.

In fact, the opposite is true. While certainly better for the fish, if you have less NH3 production, the bacterial colonies will die down to a level sustainable by food input.

As for fish, I've always wanted a tank exactly like what has been described. A great big tank full of a bunch of cardinal tetras. The aquascaping that RTR describes sounds brilliant.

I'm sooooo jealous, although I don't envy you the water changes. ;)

[Captain Hook]

Harlequin rasboras are nice schooling fish that stay mostly to the top. Rummynose tetras will make a nice school in the bottom to mid area of the tank. Both groups (say 20-30 of each easily) will provide nice movement, colour, and interest.

Rainbowfish are nice fish that won't school as much but still stick together and look really nice. They usually get to be 4-5 inches and under.

[RTR]

Some of us are devoted Python users - until that came on the market I had no tanks over 55s. Even though I age most of my water for partials, I can Python out, pump in from the aging tanks/Rubbermaid food-safe trash cans, then refill those aging tanks by Python. As much as I could use the exercise, I'd rather not. Besides, herself objects to sloshed water outside the tank room.

I agree on the Harlequins and the rummeynose, but the latter do not have the best color in my tanks - I believe that they really do show better in softer, more acid water than my moderately hard, alkaline water. And I am not about to do water mods for a large tank. Rainbows, especially the drawf neon rainbow, make excellent shoals in larger tanks - but in the AM they tend to be too busy breeding to school. By night they are more accomodating.

[fishpoor]

Wow, I'm envious. That said.
rasbora espei (hardy, colorful,small
serpae tetra (hardy,colorful)
dwarf rainbows (peaceful)
turquoise rainbows (peaceful,get very pretty as they mature)
panda cories (get a bunch,they stay small and are harmless)
zebra loaches (stay around the bottom ,fun to watch)
pleco - the one I have was sold to me as a gold nugget, but he's15", keeps my tank spotless and doesn't bother 1" fish or plants. He's 9-10 years old, so may be full grown.

If i read right, you only have the 1 filter. You'll want at least 1 more so you always have an established filter going. With that amount of water. Test your water and try to keep fish and plants that are hardy and happy at your ph. Neons are pretty but need soft water for long life and trying to stablize the ph on a water change for that size tank will get really expensive as well as difficult.