new fish tank help please

[pugmonkey]

i am getting a 85 gallon tank. tall but im not sure if it was used for saltwater fish or freashwater, first question is.
if the tank was used for saltwater can i still use it for freashwater if i clean it out good, including filters.

2nd question is, heres a list of fish i want to put in the 85 gallon over time,ill list them then ask the question.

6 blackskirt tetras
8 tiger barbs
6 platys
5 corydora
6 zebra danios
i have 2 common plecos right bow but i think im only gonna ad one to the 85 gallon

my question is not if im overloading the tank because i know im pushing it but. if i have real good filteration and keep the water quality good can i over time also add up to 5 silver dollars or would that be way too much?

thanks for any input that you can give me :dance

 

[Amazontankz]

Congrats on the new tank!

The tank should be perfectly fine for you freshwater fish even if it was used for saltwater. You of course want to clean it out good no matter what it was used for. As for the filter, as far as I know it should be fine to use as well. I don't know of any ill effects from a cleaned saltwater filter becomeing a filter for a freshwater aquarium.

The fish you have listed right now(without the SD) would not overstock your 85g at all. In fact its not even pushing the limit in my opinion. If you do add the silver dollars I would probably stop there, since they can get to a decent size. I'm not sure about the mix however, there are a lot of schooling fish that might become nippy, however the other fish should all be fast enough to out run them...you might want to wait for someone's elses opinion on that one.

 

[Harlock]

i am getting a 85 gallon tank. tall but im not sure if it was used for saltwater fish or freashwater, first question is.
if the tank was used for saltwater can i still use it for freashwater if i clean it out good, including filters.

2nd question is, heres a list of fish i want to put in the 85 gallon over time,ill list them then ask the question.

6 blackskirt tetras
8 tiger barbs
6 platys
5 corydora
6 zebra danios
i have 2 common plecos right bow but i think im only gonna ad one to the 85 gallon

my question is not if im overloading the tank because i know im pushing it but. if i have real good filteration and keep the water quality good can i over time also add up to 5 silver dollars or would that be way too much?

thanks for any input that you can give me :dance

If it was a saltwater tank you can use it for freshwater. As you guessed, a thotough cleaning will help it all be safe.

Second the fish you have listed are fine in that tank if you stick to one Pleco and leave out the Silver Dollars. In all honesty, I feel a common Pleco would still be too large once full grown for an 85 gallon tank.

Also, please let me point you to the Sticky thread near the top of this very forum entitled, Sticky: Cycle. This is a great thread that explains the nitrogen cycle and why it is so important to cycle a tank for the health of your fish and your own sanity. I strongly suggest going with a fishless cycle. There are tons of threads on these boards about it and if you use the forum's search function you will see various pros and cons. Welcome to the baords and please feel free to ask questions as you need to and use that search function well. Lot's of questions have been answered already, you may find. Good luck!

 

[Raskolnikov]

That list looks great for that tank size. If I were to suggest anything, it would be to avoid putting any common pleco into an 85gallon tank. Those things get very big and are like the proverbial "bull in a china shop".

Instead, consider bumping up the cory group to 8 or 9, and getting 10 tetras. The more fish of the same kind (for schooling fish) will make them feel more comfortable and act in a more natural way. Hold off on the silver dollars for a while, you might find that you prefer larger groups of the same kind of fish (the effect is wonderful).

 

[pugmonkey]

thanks for the information about the saltwater question.
about the fish, well, i have 2 plecos. i intend to get rid of one of them ,its very dull in color, and the other pleco i will ad to the 85 gallon but only til he gets about 5 or 6 inches. i have never had corydoras before so i have to see if i like them, if so then when i get rid of the pleco ill get some more of them.

i had no idea about schoaling fish compatabilities,and them becoming fin nippers. the only reason for the silver dollars would be color and shape and size, and i really like them. about cycling,

your gonna hate me but since ive gotten my fish about maybe 2 months ago i didnt have any time to cycle so i just added them to the tank, they was given to me with brand new tank and filters, havent had any problems, none died, been doing water changes, only problem i have is the 2 tiger barbs being stressed out since the tanks over crouded and it gets kinda hot. its a 10 gallon with

2 plecos. small
6 zebra danios
4 platys
and 2 tiger barbs,
now u know why i need the bigger tank. i think il start the cycle by adding the plattys and zebra danios so the tiger barbs get some time to them selves, thanks for all the replys