Big decisions

[Heiko]

Hi all,

Hope im not being annoying but ive got so many questions. But im making a big trip th my lfs on saturday and i want to know exactly what to do.

Right heres the low downon my tank.

Inhabitants; 2 male swordtails, 2 danois, 1 green tiger barb.

Water perameters; pH = 6.5 - 7, Amonia = 0.0mg/l, Nitrite = 0.0mg/l, Nitrate = 0 - 6mg/l.

What i want to do is to get a pair of Chichlids (Kribs possibly) some bottom dwellers (maybe ottos) and then get some more danois. (will take 1 take swordtail and barb back)

Heres some pictures of my
tank.http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewto...218&highlight= Any improvement suggestions are welcome. (looking to get plants aswell).

Sorry its such a long post, but im really xcited.

Thanks for your time.

[rich311k]

What size is the tank?

[Heiko]

Sorry,

70 litres, wich is 20gal equivelent.

Knew i had missed something out.

Thanks

[CompMage]

Tank parameters look like a nice healthy tank.

As for suggestions. It's good you are taking the Sword and Barb back, but take both the swords back not just one. As for what you want to stock in there. Yea have for the most part an open tank. With a PH that low most Cichlids would be very happy.

I don't like to make recommendations on fish to much so I'll pass on that. Just make sure you get enough Danois to make them happy, 5 should do it. Personally I think giant danios look great.

As for the tank. I think it looks nice, clean and not to cluttered. As for adding plants. As long as you've done the research and your home work go for it. You'll need a lot more light then was in that camera phone picture.

[talloulou]

I agree with taking the barb back. They really belong in schools of at least 6-8 or they become problematic.

I also agree you should get more danios so you have a school.

The otos are good but I don't really consider them bottom dwellers per say...They mostly eat algae off the glass and plant leaves and of course any veggies you put in the tank will be loved as well.

For a bottom dweller I would go with a small school of corys or 1 of the smaller plecos. There are a few that will remain under 6 inches max.

A dwarf cichlid pair would be nice.

If you keep one male swordtail I would add a few females. Of course they will breed but they are pretty cannibalistic so that should take care of the babies. Keeping two males isn't a good idea as they will bother one another. If you only wanted males you'd need like 5-6 to cut down on the aggression.

[Heiko]

right,

so in the 20 gal am i basically limited to 20" (inch gal theory)?

With danois at 1 and a bit inches (say 5 = 6")
Ottos 1.5" not sure how many (lets say 3 = 4.5")
Dwarf Chiclids say 4" (2 of them = 8")

and i havnt got much room for any more,

One problem i have is that i live on an island with only 2 lfs so theres not that much choice. but i went in for a sneek peek today and fr the first time in ages i saw chiclids. They had kribs and firemouths and what i thought could be rams possibly.

What do you recon would be the best for myself a seasoned beginner? I also fancy giving breeding a go so possibly bear that in mind.

P.S how can i get anymore light or maximise what ive got?

Thanks again.

[bosk1]

True that you are close to your limit, strictly speaking, using the inch/gallon theory. But, and others please correct me if you disagree, these are all small fish you are talking about, so you can probably get away with more. The inch/gallon rule, as I understand it, is more a guideline than a rule, and the type of fish and mass of the fish needs to be taken into account. By way of illustration, 8 inches of neon tetras will not produce anywhere near as much waste or place nearly as much stress on your bioload as 8 inches of oscar (they also would not displace as much water as an 8-inch oscar). So it does not seem to me that you would unduly stress your bioload with that arrangement, or even by adding a few more smallish fish. Others with more experience, what do you think?

[poppab02]

Heiko, I think you've got it narrowed down pretty good. Maybe adding an extra danio wouldn't hurt. Don't worry about bottom feeders, just don't overfeed and you'll be fine without them and the otos will take care of algae which is a much more annoying problem than not having a bottom feeder. If you want to breed the dwarf cichlids are probably you're best bet. Don't overcrowd the tank, it can discourage breeding.

That pH looks good for SA dwarfs like Rams but you'll also have to test for hardness as they like soft water. You might try searching old topics about Rams and Apistos to figure out what's right for you or start another topic thread on them. If you want to breed them I would definitely take back the swordtails and barb and stick with the danios and otos as tankmates. HTH

[poppab02]

Sorry, forgot about the lighting. Hopefully you are using flourescent and not incandescent lighting. If not, switch. If you are then you can buy lots of different types of flourescent tubes at the lfs to change and increase lighting. Beyond that, you can build a whole new lighting apparatus, however that's probably overkill unless you have plants that need alot of light.

[talloulou]

Don't go for the firemouths....I don't consider them "dwarf cichlids" and they could wreck havoc on your tank. Stick with the rams or kribs. And I'd still suggest something to clean up the bottem scraps....either some corys or kuhli loaches or a small pleco.