First fish in the tank

[MichaelFish]

Hello all, could anyone help me decide which fish to put into my tropical aquarium first?

Everything is set up and seems to be working so I will be adding some fish in a few days time.

Its a tank of limited capacity (64 litre) so obviously that is a factor. I've heard that Danios and Harlequins would be good starters, any input would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance

[Carylnz]

Hi and welcome. Yes, danios or harlequins would be fine first additions. Do not add more than 4 fish of that size at a time in such a small aquarium. You need to give the bacteria time to build up slowly. Add 4 fish. Wait one month. If all is well, add another 4 and wait one month. Repeat until desired stocking level is reached.

[MichaelFish]

Excellent, thanks for your advice. I think I'll go for 4 Harlequins to start with

[ady]

Welcome to TTT.

As said above slowly stock ya tank.most people fail at this stage
coz they rush the tank stocking.

Theres loads of info on here.have a good read of the forum and main page
it will be of great benefit to you.

Good luck in your new venture.dont be afraid to ask questions.
There plenty of fish geeks that can help you out .

Ady

[MichaelFish]

Thanks Ady, I'll probably have plenty of questions along the way!

[ady]

better to ask a silly question than make a silly mistake....

ask away,thats what we all hear for

[ady]

Hows ya tankn fish gettin on ?

[MichaelFish]

Hey Ady, I've got 9 Harlequins in my tank now. Things seem to be going pretty well other than a few plant issues (mention in another post). Got a moderate bit of green algae building up to. Thinking it may be time to add some bottom feeders/algae eaters to the tank. Do you have any recommendations for me? Thanks

[justlovindanios]

bristle nose are good algae eaters

[Vision2reality]

Hi,

Rather than start a new thread though I'd hijack this one. I'm a new tropical fish keeper and I bought my 125 ltr tank 4 weeks ago and it's finally cycled (without fish) so I'm ready to go buy my first fish so I'm thinking of getting 5 x tetra of red eye and serpae to start then slowly introduce the following. I've plugged these into aqadvisor.com and not encountered much of a problem but interested to know if there are any known conflicts between any of these species or anything to be wary of?

3 x black Molly (1 male)
1 x Bristlenose Pleco - or two but do they prefer being lone
3 x Pygmy OR Dwarf Gourami
6 x Boesemans Rainbowfish
5 x Clown Loach
5 x Peppered Cory
5 x Red Eye Tetra
5 x Serpae Tetra

It says with all these it reaches 80% of maximum stocking level but it does seem a lot so imagine this will be over time depending on life spans. My tank is fluval Roma 125 with Java fern and some other plants (unknown) bog wood, mopani wood and decorations with lots of hiding places. Gravel and fine substrate below.

Grateful for your thoughts/ concerns as I want to make sure they are all happy and not intimidated by others I have tried to select calm fish but I'd like to see a bit of action but not sure if danios are the way to go?

[cousin it]

Hi
I would be inclined to not add the Boesemans Rainbowfish or the clown loaches to the tank you have due to their eventual tank size requirements.
The Boesemans Rainbowfish reach a fairly large size and benefit from plenty of swimming space which a 125l tank unfortunately does not provide, the clown loaches have a potential adult size of 18" plus, I have seen some around that size in the past.
There are smaller species of Rainbowfish that are equally attractive but that will require a smaller aquarium when adult, there are also smaller species of loaches available which would better suit your setup.

[Rockfish]

I'd have to agree that your tank is not large enough for clown loaches, they would outgrow it before too long. Consider a smaller species like the Zebra/Candy Stripe loach (Botia striata) or the Pygmy Chain Loach - both attractive and great characters.

I'd also agree that the Boeseman's rainbows are a bit large and active for that tank size - perhaps consider some small-medium barbs or rasboras? They should also get on with the Serpae and Red eye tetras (both of which are more boisterous tetras and sometimes 'nippy').

Two bristlenose catfish should share that size tank ok, though they might have occasional territorial disputes or fight over food.

[Vision2reality]

Thanks all for your thoughts. A friend of mine has had clown loaches in her 90 ltr tank with other fish and a mini shark ok, but I will take the comments on board and see what is appropriate.

So I've had my 6 silver tipped tetras just over a week now, and they have all grown very quickly seem to have three males and two definite females and the 6th I'm a little unsure of . I've read that when another species comes in they will settle down but the poor girls are constantly being pestered and the boys are very boisterous when it comes to feeding! It's a big tank for just 6 so I think they are just enjoying the free range and becoming overly familiar?. They are recognising feeding time which is nice by coming to the top of the tank.

I'm quite pleased that by doing the fish less cycle by the book and being patient appears to have paid off despite the lfs telling me the tank wasn't ready when when I went to purchase the first 6 fish but he didn't ask me any questions other than how long I'd had it.

In two weeks I plan to add the next species but taking your advice on board I'd like to add either the loach or the mollies, which would be best off first or maybe it doesn't matter?