New Tank Questions

O

obusweetT

Registered Member
Dec 12, 2006
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I'm planning on getting an aquarium for Christmas. I've been doing a great deal of research for the past month or so trying to make sure I am able to properly care for the fish I select. I feel pretty confident about the equipment setup but I'm looking for some advice on compatible fish species. What I have in mind is a 30 gallon tank, HOB filter (Emperor 400?), 150W heater. I would also like to have a planted tank (anubias, java ferns and moss, sword plants.. nothing too extravagent). Here's what I was thinking about the actual fish. I've checked to make sure the local pet store has them all.

6 Harlequin Rasboras
3-4 Cory Cats
1 Dwarf Gourami (not sure what variation... Is there a difference?)
1 Australian Rainbowfish (I know most rainbows are schooling fish but I wasn't sure if one could do ok in a smaller tank)
3 Otocinclus Catfish

This comes up to about 28 inches of fish (by liveaquaria.com's stats) so I shouldn't have to worry about being overstocked. Also, I've toyed around with the idea of a red tail shark (instead of the rainbow) but I figured it would be too aggressive, esp w/ the corys sharing the bottom. If you have any other species that would be worth looking into I'm all ears.
Thanks!!
 
you are smart to do reasearch before you put fish in your tank, good job!

HOB filters arent generally reccomended for planted tanks, because they allow for so much surface agation (gas exchange), but an Emperor 400 would do a great job, and you mgiht want to consider the penguin 350, for it still will filter your tank more than 10 times per hour, but it costs much less.

first- when stocking, please dont go by any inch fule, as they are very unacurate. how much you can stock all has to do with the surface area of the tank, because more surface area means more gas exchange, which means more oxygen for the fish.

your stock looks good, and you might want to change the Australian for a threadfin rainbow, for they stay smaller, and then you can get a school of six.

i came up with a list for you

6 harleqiuns
4 corydoras of your choice
1 dwarf gourami (the regular, blue/red striped versions have seemed to be a bit more hardy than the pure color strains)
6 threadfins
4 ottos

you could probably bump up the harlequin and threadfin schools to eight or ten, but it all depends on your tank's dimensions.

dont get a rainbow shark, as they get to aggressive as they age for your corydoras.
 
could also try dwarf neon rainbows as they have a nice shimmer to them when under the light at the right angle
 
Hey, I love my red tail shark. He/she lurks near the bottom. flitting around looking for food. Got him/her at just about 1.5 inches, now about 3 inches. I keep him with neon rainbows, guppies, platys and glo fish. He leaves everyone alone. Even when I put defrosted (in tank water) frozen food. Its a feeding frenzy when that stuff goes in the water. My male Mickey Mouse platy harasses more than "George" the red tail shark.

i wouldn't put more than 1 in though. Rumor has it they become agressive if there is more than one.
 
jere1558 said:
Hey, I love my red tail shark. He/she lurks near the bottom. flitting around looking for food. Got him/her at just about 1.5 inches, now about 3 inches. I keep him with neon rainbows, guppies, platys and glo fish. He leaves everyone alone. Even when I put defrosted (in tank water) frozen food. Its a feeding frenzy when that stuff goes in the water. My male Mickey Mouse platy harasses more than "George" the red tail shark.

i wouldn't put more than 1 in though. Rumor has it they become agressive if there is more than one.
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wait until he gets older. thats what i thought about mine. oh its fine stays away from everyone until one day it goes crazy and trys to kill everything in the tank.
 
I think the pet store only has male rainbows... they all look pretty much the same and as I understand it the female's fins are much more subdued. Will it pose a problem for there to be a school of 6-10 males?
 
obusweetT said:
I think the pet store only has male rainbows... they all look pretty much the same and as I understand it the female's fins are much more subdued. Will it pose a problem for there to be a school of 6-10 males?
Click to expand...

Hi,

I don't think so. But I'm not much of a Rainbow expert.

Cory Lover
 
The females are easy to tell apart becuase their fins are orange, and the males are red, well, maybe not easy, but if you look hard enough youll see it. I have read that male rainbows wont pose a problem together because they do more showing that attacking eachother for dominance or whatever you want to call it. i personally have 6 males and 3 females and they get along fine.
 
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