Hello all! After making the mistake of buying a 5 gallon starter kit and some goldfish for my 9 year old son, I have decided to invest in the 37 gallon kit that includes a stand from PetSmart. I have not bought it yet because the goldfish experience taught me to do research before setting up another tank. My goal is to have a Tropical Semi-aggressive community tank that exists in harmony. My son is 9 and my daughter is 19 months so I want an active community that would fun for them to watch. After searching online for awhile, I decided to post on a forum in hopes of finding someone who could answer all my questions. The primary fish I want to base the community around is a shoal of 7 to 9 Tiger Barbs. I think they are beautiful fish and, from what I have read online, they are very entertaining to watch. My questions are:
1. How many fish could comfortably fit in a 37 gallon tank with a shoal of 7 Tiger Barbs? I do not intend to upgrade tanks for sometime so I would want to setup a community that would be happy together for a year or two.
2. What fish would make good tank mates for the Tiger Barbs? The additional fish I am interested in are, Rainbow Fish, Clown Loach, Black Kuhli Loach, Parrot Fish, Rainbow Shark, African Leaf Fish, Striped Raphael Catfish, Cory Cats, Pleco. Would any of the additional fish need to be in pairs or greater numbers? If you have any suggestions that I have not listed, I would love to hear them.
3. I would like to have some type of invertebrate at the bottom of the tank, should I go with Snails, Ghost Shrimp or Red Clawed Crabs? I have read that the crabs would need land access, would there be any way to set that up in a community tank?
4. What type of bottom should I use gravel or sand?
Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice I receive!
1. How many fish could comfortably fit in a 37 gallon tank with a shoal of 7 Tiger Barbs? I do not intend to upgrade tanks for sometime so I would want to setup a community that would be happy together for a year or two.
2. What fish would make good tank mates for the Tiger Barbs? The additional fish I am interested in are, Rainbow Fish, Clown Loach, Black Kuhli Loach, Parrot Fish, Rainbow Shark, African Leaf Fish, Striped Raphael Catfish, Cory Cats, Pleco. Would any of the additional fish need to be in pairs or greater numbers? If you have any suggestions that I have not listed, I would love to hear them.
3. I would like to have some type of invertebrate at the bottom of the tank, should I go with Snails, Ghost Shrimp or Red Clawed Crabs? I have read that the crabs would need land access, would there be any way to set that up in a community tank?
4. What type of bottom should I use gravel or sand?
Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice I receive!