bad stocking advice

[cass]

My friend is looking at getting a 2 foot 15g fishtank.

The pet shop said that she could have 2 neons, 1 bristlenose catfish and 1 mini angel fish. And that she could fit more in if she wanted.

I didnt think 2 neons was enough and they need to be in groups of at least 4 or 5. Is this true?
Also, are there such things as 'mini' angel fish????
And will the bristlenose grow too big for the tank?

IMO the sales person at the lfs gave completely wrong advice. Would I be correct..or am I the one that is wrong??

TIA
Cass

 

[BrianNY]

These are JMOs cass but here goes.

1. You're correct. Neons will do much better in as large a school possible. Certainly 5 or 6 would not be overload in a 15g tank.

2. Perhaps by "mini" angel the lfs meant a very young one. I wouldn't really suggest keeping an angel in anything under 20 gallons.

3. The standard bristlenose pleco would eventually get too large for that tank. There is a dwarf species however that would do just fine.

 

[MarkLehr]

I am inclinded to agree completely that this is poor advice. If nothing else, we are not properly teaching this newcomer to the hobby what aquarium keeping is all about. I'm sure the Neons would probably survive in this tank. But we are not after "survival", we are attmepting to create a small bit of nature at home. The Neons will never display their natural vibrant colors and behaviors in a groups of 2. The Angelfish will have stunted growth and will not develop naturally. The bristlenose may be ok, but again it would be much better off in a large tank.

Your friend would be much better off keeping a group of 7 or 8 neons, and a pair of Rams as the focal point. For a cleaning crew, she should buy 2 or 3 Ottocinclus Catfish and 2 or 3 Cory cats.

 

[FishLover14]

That guy is not right in his fish advice at all.

Dan

 

[TankGirl]

A 15gal is actually sortof tricky to stock. You can't keep but so many schooling fish in one, but you could keep one "feature" fish with some bottom dwellers. I agree that even one angel would be a poor choice. A dwarf gourami and some cory cats would work, or as MarkLehr mentioned a pair of rams would work if the water is relatively soft.

I have a 15-gal myself and it is kindof a "problem child" tank in that I never find a perfect set of residents for it. Everyone seems to outgrow it or otherwise become ill-suited. The perfect setup, IMO, would be sand substrate, planted with crypto and java fern/moss, and Endler's livebearers. Add a trio of cory cats and perhaps some shrimp and you have a tank that will sustain itself for years.

 

[XxTitleisTxX]

welcome to AA cass..

this person gave your friend terrible advice. As everyone else mentioned, neons would be much happier in a school of 5 or more, and the otos would be much better than a bristlenose catfish(IMO) and i dont know what a mini angelfish is :?