New Fish Tank - Fish Selection

[New_Fish_Guy]

I have a 26 gallon fairly tall new fish tank. I have not had a fish tank since I was a kid, so I am new to this. Below is a list of fish I would like to have in the tank:

8 Cardinal Tetras
3 Guppies
1 Beta (I have read that they are pretty good community fish)?
4 Angel Fish
1 Pleco
1 Algae Eater
3 Platies
1 Cory

Questions:
1) is this about the right # of fish?
2) do you see any problems with the types of fish?
3) is 77 degrees about right?
4) what fish should I start with to cycle the tank?
5) any other ideas or tips?
6) what other fish would be good?

Additional notes:
- the pet store said I probably shouldn't mix Cardinal Tetras with the Angel fish. Has anyone had any experience with this?

 

[firetank]

hey,

welcome.

firstly you need to cycle the tank fishless try
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/
for cycling.

you may want to use the 1"per gallon rule for fish...

a male beta may see angels as a threat...

corys are best kept in groups 3+

http://www.freshwatertropicalfishkeeping.com/Fishes_Catalogue/tolerant_species.htm

pleco will eventually get too big(12"+)

anyone else??

 

[jbcwilli]

Corys like to be with their own kind. I would substitute 3 more corys and drop the platies.

Some bettas are cranky and aggressive, but you might get lucky.
The angels will take care of the guppy babies so you will not have the usual population explosion.
Warning, when the angels and Pleco get larger you will be overstocked and might need to reduce numbers.
Try starting with a fishless cycling of your tank (add small amounts of ammonia to build up a bacteria colony which will look after the nitrogen cycle).

Get and use a set of water tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

And above all, good luck, have fun, and enjoy.

 

[carpguy]

There are a lot of fishless cycle advocates hereabouts. I'm one of them . It lacks the instant gratifcation of putting a fish in the water, but its better for the fish and doesn't really take that long. Your call, but worth a look…

You have fish on your list from both sides of the pH divide. Fish can adapt and live happily in water that may not be their natural ideal, but you may want to consider it as a factor in your selection. Test your tap for pH (let it sit for a bit first). If you're towards the middle (say 7.2 + or - .5) its pretty much anything goes, but if your very acidic or alkaline you may want to tailor your selection towards that. You might want to try a biotope where all the fish come from the same area, or just mix a nice community tank. I happen to have unusually soft acidic water, so all of my fish are from that kind of enviroment. I went with a general SE Asian theme, but I could have easily mixed in some Amazonian fish (like tetras and cories).

Most of the fish on you list are either S. American or SE Asian and prefer softer more acidic water. The platys and guppies are from more alkaline/brackish Central American water. Everyone can flex a bit.

Common Plecos will get too big for a 29. There are smaller plecos and other types of cats that would probably work better. Check out planetcatfish.
The Angels will also get biggish but may be ok. Maybe 2 or 3, not 4.
Chinese Algae-Eaters will get big and ornery. An SAE would probably be better, but still biggish.
Bettas are fine in a community as long as they don't see anyone who looks too much like them -- they may go after the angels or the especially the guppies.
Corys like to be in groups.

The school of tetras plus a group of corys would be a nice start for a general S. American tank. You could stay with the angels or look for a different small cichlid, like some Rams, as a centerpiece fish. Maybe a smaller pleco or some other type of centerpiece cat. And at about that point you'd be well-stocked. With your full list you'd be overstocked.

And 77 should be good for the temp. A little cool for angels.

And welcome to AqC .

 

[New_Fish_Guy]

Will the Angels work well with the Cardinal Tetras?

 

[Erynn]

Angels and cardinals will be ok together as long as the cardinals aren't too small.......small cardinals and neons make a very tasty treat for angels! If you get smaller angels and bigger cardinals....or even small cardinals if your angels are small then that should be fine.

 

[goldfries]

i'm more concerned over the Angelfish vs Betta vs Guppy.

the guppy will be the ultimate victim. the Angelfish might harass other fish.

just a thought.

 

[Richer]

Welcome to the board =)

I see a couple of problems with your setup. I personally wouldn't recommend angel fish in a tank of your size. They can grow to be quite large, a 26 gallon tank with only angel fish would be cramped... you plan to have other fish in there, so they would definately be cramped. One top of that, I would bet the betta would have problems with the angel fish.. and the guppies (assuming they are fancy tails). Most plecos would get a bit too large for a 26 gallon. They can also produce quite a bit of waste. You might get away with the smaller types of plecos (ie. clowns, zebras, etc.). What sort of algae eater are you referring to? A chinese algae eater? If so, I wouldn't recommend this fish neither. They can get quite large, and some ppl have found that they can get somewhat aggressive in smaller tanks.
Of the fish you have listed, I would do this:

10 Cardinal Tetras
5 Guppies (all male)
3 Cories (of the larger types)

I am an advocate of light/moderate stocking. Heavily stocked tanks usually require somewhat more maintenance, and in turn have less room for error vs. a light/moderately stocked tank. Seeing how you haven't kept fish for quite awhile (assuming you are older than a "kid"), starting light and moving up slowly would probably be a good idea as you get into the "groove" again.

HTH
-Richer