newby needing help

[samantha]

hi, ive just been given a 60 litre Biorb with heater and am about to set it up.I will leave it a month to cycle before introducing any fish so i have time to make a selection.I intend to put about 6 neon tetras,a male betta with two females and 4 dwarf gouramis in.I will introduce the fish over a 2-3 month period once the tank is cycled.Has anyone got any advise? Is this a selection of fish that will gat along?
any advice at all is welcome as the only fish i have had before are rescues from the local fair and as such not that healthy, they did however live over a year which considering the state they were in was an achievement.

[BillD]

If you are doing a fish less cycle, using ammonia, the fish can be added immediately at the end. If you are going to add fish slowly, you can put some in from the start, adding more as the cycle progresses. If you want to keep a male betta, don't add the females, as he will harass them mercilessly in an effort to breed. That may also happen with the dwarf gouramis, but with two pair, perhaps less so. I would add a few corys to that mix. One thing to consider is that gouramis like water in the 80 F range and neons prefer cooler temps in the low 70s. I'm sure others will chime in with ideas. Good luck.

[dskidmore]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice!!

It sounds like you've done a bunch of homework for a beginner. It's always best to do that before bringing living animals into the situation. Good job.

So you already know about fishless cycling? Good choice. Feel free to ask us if you have any questions on that. What are you using for your initial ammonia source?

Keep in mind the adult size of these fish, the ones in the pet store are usually just babies, they will likely double in size. Since you're in the UK, let me do some conversions... You can have around 45 cm of adult fish.

Adult Dwarf Gourami: 5 cm
Adult Neon Tetra: 5 cm
Adult Beta: 7.5 cm

I definately like the idea of schools of the same species, but you might want to cut it down to two species. All three of these species are fairly passive except the male betta you wisely want only one of. Gouramis are often considered fragile fish, as a beginner you may want to stick with the tetras and bettas.

I see that tank is bowl-shaped? Remember that a bowl can actually support fish better with less water, because the surface area goes up as the water level goes towards the middle. Both the Bettas and Gouramis are air breathers, so this is less of a problem for them as it is for the tetras.

[dskidmore]

Originally Posted by BillD

If you are doing a fish less cycle, using ammonia, the fish can be added immediately at the end. If you are going to add fish slowly, you can put some in from the start, adding more as the cycle progresses.

I disagree. If you're monitoring the cycle with test kits, go ahead and add a pair of fish right as soon as nitrite returns to 0, but don't add them all. A pair or so a week is good. If you did add them all at once, you would need to regularly test your ammonia and have an ammonia lock or ammonia removal method handy.

I would not cycle with fish as Bill's second suggestion goes. This can permenantly damage the fish's gills and make it more susceptable to disease later on in life.

Keep looking around and reading, everyone will have diffrent ideas about that.

click on the article sectoin.. there are a few really interesting article's you will find helpful.

how many gallons is 60 liters?

[Zagz]

[acronym:8c15e664f6="In my opinion"]IMO[/acronym:8c15e664f6] I would do the fishless cycle with ammonia. When the cycle is over I would add some fish but not too many as mentioned above it will cause an ammonia spike causing damage to the fish. I personally am not in favor of cycling with fish because of the harm that it does to the fish.

[dskidmore]

Originally Posted by AshleyNicole

click on the article sectoin.. there are a few really interesting article's you will find helpful.

how many gallons is 60 liters?

Discover Google Calculator - 15 gallons

[samantha]

Hi guys, thanks for all the advice.I think the biorb holds about 13 gallons.As this uses a ceramic medium the information with it states that bottom feeders are not advisable.I think the cory cats would not be suitable because of this.Am I mistaken as I would like them.
Also,can you never keep the male Betta with females? or is that just whilst introducing more fish.

[dskidmore]

No, you just can't keep more than one male. He'll be fine with females, besides all the flirting.

[acronym:178e21e2d8="Normal Output Fluorescents"]NO[/acronym:178e21e2d8] you can not keep betta females with a beta male, He will most likely kill them. While 13 gallons is plenty of room, betta's will attack fish that look similar which is why guppies aren't good with betta's either. It could work with female betta's but most likely you will have dead females. If i were you id either get just female betta's or only one male betta.