New Tank ! Fish combinations question

twinturbo11

twinturbo11

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Aug 12, 2006
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:dive: Hello!

I am currently in the process of cycling my brand new 16 gallon aquarium (see pic below). Equipment: Eheim 2213 filter (so quite strong for 16 gallon). I plan to plant the aquarium quite heavily.

Regarding the future inhabitants, I realize that fish enjoy being in large groups, but its so darn hard to resist the temptation of getting different types of fish! do you guys think this combination is ok: ?

- 8 neons
- 2 or 4 tiger barbs
- 1 small red-tail black shark
- 1 small green/yellow puffer fish (that is currently in a big aquarium at the pet store, full of tetras and barbs - the store owner told me they are quite gentle with the rest of the fish)
- 1 or 2 small kuhli loaches
- 1 algae eater, like a pleco
- 2 (male/female) small/peaceful/hardy kind of cichlids (any suggestions??)

:dance2: Thanks!!

my tank - 01.jpg
 
RTBS is a no no, gets large. Puffer is not really a community fish. Pleco (common usually) Depending on species can get to 20+ inches. I dont know if many cichlids would work in only 16G.... barbs should be in a school of atleast 6. neons may be picked on by barbs... Hope this helps you
 
your stand is also of some trouble.. part of your tank is not supported causing a potential problem, I cant tell but It seems it's on a plastic box type thing. thats also a bad idea, the plastic can break and you could come home to a huge mess.
 
yea its 10 pounds for evey gallon about so its like having 160 pounds plus the decor on a plastic stand.


nate
 
Is this your first tank? It is good to see you have done some research and are performing a cycle to start it up. Fishy or fishless? I do hope your research led you to purchase a good liquid test kit and have it on hand.

In general, that is a nice looking tank. Though it doesn't appear to be completely supported. Whether it is glass or acylic, it needs a thick firm support at the bottom, like a sheet of 3/4" plywood, equal to the tank footprint. That in turn should be sitting on something solid. It appears to be setting on plastic bins. Not a good choice, IMO.

You might want to forego the chiclids. There are some species that are small enough to put a pair in a 20 or 29 gal but that is about all.

The fish you list are not a good combination. The RTBS, puffer and pleco should not be considered.
 
Also, and as a newbie I speak from mistakes I myself have made, tiger barbs can be REALLY nippy--they like to be with their own kind. I tried to start a community 20 gallon tank with them, and it ended up as a species tank, and I'm putting the rest of the fish in another 20 gallon tank I purchased since I got so attached to the other fish!

Also, it is really hard to move your tank once you decide the stand isn't going to work. I started with mine on a tv stand, but I worried about it incesently, but it was well over 200 pounds and there was no way I could move that! I ended up moving it when I added more substrate the other day. Since I had fish already I had to get a ten gallon tank so they could chill with the heater and filter on while I worked on their tank!
 
yikes, ok although i wasnt asking about my stand, i got quite a bit of feedback for it :) :argue:

Yes, indeed, it's made of plastic - but it's durable and is a rubbermaid product! ok ok, I can *almost* hear you guys scream at me, lol :) I realize the aquarium is extremely heavy, but i just stood up on it myself (I am 180 pnds), and it didnt bend that much.... so that was the logic, if it can support me, then it can support the aquarium......... :confused:

ok, maybe i should start looking for a real stand before thinking of the fish..... can i just pour my aquarium's water in 4 clean/unused buckets purchased at the store, so that i can move the tank?
 
Clean and unused would be okay. No soap or chemicals to clean the new buckets, just rinse several times.
 
The stand really is important... you said "it only bent a little" with your weight on it for a few moments? What do you think will happen with 170 pounds of constant pressure? It's great that you are willing to change it now before you get all set up :)

In addition to the other fish advice, I would also suggest getting a small group of kuhli loaches instead of just 1. They will be more comfortable and you will get to see some neat behavior.

Also, I would give serious thought to whether or not you even need an algae eater since the tank is new with no algae and you will have supplement the diet with things like fresh veggies.

Good luck with your tank!
 
actually nate its just over 8 pounds per gallon of water, plus the weight of gravel and decor.
 
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