Hello! My 6 yr old son is about to get a tank. He would love to have any, or all the following: a tiny catfish, tiny plecostomus, beta, shrimp, snail and a tiny eel shaped fish of some sort. Can you point us in the right direction? We are beginners and are considering 16 gal. Thank you.
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threnjen
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi there!
Contrary to popular belief, the bigger you go, the better. That's because maintaining a tank means keeping a balanced ecosystem, and that's harder when you have less water to work with. So with that said, the most recommended minimum size to start with is 20g - Big enough to have some variety and be manageable for maintaining water quality, but small enough to fit in a tight space. But if you can fit bigger, definitely do. It's easier, not harder.
An important thing that some beginners don't know is you need to prepare your ecosystem before adding fish. This is called cycle. There is a sticky here on the forum with some beginner articles and you should read over each one.
Now to your fish list:
Tiny catfish - Do you mean coryadoras? They are my favorite. So cute. They are very social though and need to be in a school of at least 5. There is two tiny varieties, the Pygmy or Dwarf Cory, that stay so small that you could keep a school even in a smaller tank.
Pleco - It would need to be a small variety if in a small tank. Many plecos actually get to be over a foot and need large tank! Look up the pleco BEFORE you buy and take note of the maximum size and be sure it will fit.
Betta - These actually can do fairly well in a community tank, but don't put them with other "finny" fish like guppies that they might see as competitors
Shrimp - I can't remember if bettas will eat shrimp or not. Someone else will have to chime in. They make for a good clean up crew.
Snails - good clean up crew
"eel shaped fish" - You probably mean something like a Kuhli/Coolie Loach. They are fun, but another group fish, so you want to get 5-6+. These are also fish that stay around the bottom of the tank, so if your tank is small it would be crowded with both kuhlis and cories.
A good way to check if you have picked good fish for your tank is to use AQ Advisor. Make your "wish list" and decide your tank size. Then enter your tank size at AQ Advisor and add the fish to your list; it will then suggest if your tank is overstocked. It's not perfect but it is a great guideline when you are trying to figure out what and how many fish you can fit in your tank. It's also a reasonable resource to warn you about potential compatibility problems.
Remember - ALWAYS do your homework (or ask here) about any fish you are considering. A schooling fish that is alone will be a sad, stressed, unhealthy fish. A fish that will grow way too large for your tank will be a sad, stressed, unhealthy fish. google will be your best resource as you prepare!
And again - ALWAYS CYCLE YOUR TANK FIRST! It takes a while but that is time where you can research, plan your stocking, and read up about the hobby. And it's worth it in the end.
Contrary to popular belief, the bigger you go, the better. That's because maintaining a tank means keeping a balanced ecosystem, and that's harder when you have less water to work with. So with that said, the most recommended minimum size to start with is 20g - Big enough to have some variety and be manageable for maintaining water quality, but small enough to fit in a tight space. But if you can fit bigger, definitely do. It's easier, not harder.
An important thing that some beginners don't know is you need to prepare your ecosystem before adding fish. This is called cycle. There is a sticky here on the forum with some beginner articles and you should read over each one.
Now to your fish list:
Tiny catfish - Do you mean coryadoras? They are my favorite. So cute. They are very social though and need to be in a school of at least 5. There is two tiny varieties, the Pygmy or Dwarf Cory, that stay so small that you could keep a school even in a smaller tank.
Pleco - It would need to be a small variety if in a small tank. Many plecos actually get to be over a foot and need large tank! Look up the pleco BEFORE you buy and take note of the maximum size and be sure it will fit.
Betta - These actually can do fairly well in a community tank, but don't put them with other "finny" fish like guppies that they might see as competitors
Shrimp - I can't remember if bettas will eat shrimp or not. Someone else will have to chime in. They make for a good clean up crew.
Snails - good clean up crew
"eel shaped fish" - You probably mean something like a Kuhli/Coolie Loach. They are fun, but another group fish, so you want to get 5-6+. These are also fish that stay around the bottom of the tank, so if your tank is small it would be crowded with both kuhlis and cories.
A good way to check if you have picked good fish for your tank is to use AQ Advisor. Make your "wish list" and decide your tank size. Then enter your tank size at AQ Advisor and add the fish to your list; it will then suggest if your tank is overstocked. It's not perfect but it is a great guideline when you are trying to figure out what and how many fish you can fit in your tank. It's also a reasonable resource to warn you about potential compatibility problems.
Remember - ALWAYS do your homework (or ask here) about any fish you are considering. A schooling fish that is alone will be a sad, stressed, unhealthy fish. A fish that will grow way too large for your tank will be a sad, stressed, unhealthy fish. google will be your best resource as you prepare!
And again - ALWAYS CYCLE YOUR TANK FIRST! It takes a while but that is time where you can research, plan your stocking, and read up about the hobby. And it's worth it in the end.
Manic Fury
Aquarium Advice Activist
Welcome to AA! 
I think it's a wonderful that you're involving your son (and yourself) in this new hobby!
Before considering any fish and tankmates. You should familiarize yourself with the fishless or fish-in cycle. This is using the knowledge of the Nitrogen Cycle in order to establish beneficial bacteria in your new tank. The beneficial bacteria (or BB) help maintain the ammonia levels in your tank that your fish will inevitably produce.
Give these articles a read and also do some research on the types of fish you and your son might want.
Articles:
Aquarium Cycling
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
I think it's a wonderful that you're involving your son (and yourself) in this new hobby!
Before considering any fish and tankmates. You should familiarize yourself with the fishless or fish-in cycle. This is using the knowledge of the Nitrogen Cycle in order to establish beneficial bacteria in your new tank. The beneficial bacteria (or BB) help maintain the ammonia levels in your tank that your fish will inevitably produce.
Give these articles a read and also do some research on the types of fish you and your son might want.
Articles:
Aquarium Cycling
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
Hunterr
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2013
- Messages
- 24
I have to agree with manic fury, cycling a tank is extremely important. I didn't know about it and I payed for it!
Anyways, you happened to pick a good selection. All of these species can live together. Except for an eel like fish, I don't know of any. I'm assuming you are referring to a male betta, and just in case you didn't know, they are never allowed to be in the tank with another male betta or anything colorful like them as they will fight with and sometimes kill the other fish. For catfish, I would recommend cories or glass catfish. Both remain fairly small and are not aggressive. Cories get about 1-3 inches in length, and need 3-5 other cories. They also need a fine or sandy substrate. Glass catfish are really cool, but they're sensitive to water conditions. Small, frequent water changes are necessary. They also need to be in a school of 6 or more. And, like the bettas, they are not very strong swimmers and prefer very little water flow from the filtration, or no filtration at all, requiring even more frequent water changes (every couple of days). For pleco a, I personally like bristle nose plecos or clown plecos. They stay fairly small and also keep the tank clean! For shrimp, I like either ghost shrimp, or amano shrimp. They stay small as well and eat any left overs the betta didn't eat. Snails are also great janitors. Some snails to choose from are assassin snails, OR nerita snails. Assassin snails will kill other snails, if you ever have a snail problem. Nerita snails stay pretty small and are good for algae.
If you were to include all of these, you might want to consider a larger tank. If you do though it will have to be long and not tall as bettas surface for air and can't swim very well. Also, you will have to supplement food for all the other fish. You can do independent research to see what each of them prefer.
Another animal to take into consideration is an african dwarf frog. They are pretty small, peaceful, and fun to watch. They also love to hide and play around with other african dwarf frogs.
I have a 5 gallon with a betta, two African dwarf frogs and a couple ghost shrimp. It is one of my favorite tanks. They are very peaceful, and fun to watch. I absolutely love the hobby, and I'm glad you are getting into it! ?
I hope I helped you out, and wish the best of luck!!
Hi!
There are no plecos that would be suitable for that size tank, although as already mentioned cories would be good. For the eel-like fish I'd recommend looking for striped kuhli loaches. Bettas tend to be hit or miss in community tanks but many have success with them so it's definitely worth a shot as long as you have a back up plan. Amano or ghost shrimp could work for you, but ultimately it'll depend on the betta. Have you considered a slightly larger tank? A 20 gal long is a good place to start.
thanks
Thanks for all the info. I know you're all worried about my cycling. I ordered half a dozen books, volumes, about 3000 pages in all about tanks and tank care, health, maintenance. I'm sure I'll have questions about that once I'm in it, but I'm at the fish consideration stage of the process today. My boy has a small space. I was trying to get the most gallons that seem reasonable for his space. I understand 20 gal is best, but the length...they're huge. I know which fish my boy has interest in, but he would love any of them. I just hoped to get as many of his favorites as possible. Just so you know I was looking at the 16 gal biorb. If this is a mistake now would be a good time to say so. Maybe not ideal for the betta since the surface area is small. I like the frog idea. Had not thought of that. Thanks again!
Thanks for all the info. I know you're all worried about my cycling. I ordered half a dozen books, volumes, about 3000 pages in all about tanks and tank care, health, maintenance. I'm sure I'll have questions about that once I'm in it, but I'm at the fish consideration stage of the process today. My boy has a small space. I was trying to get the most gallons that seem reasonable for his space. I understand 20 gal is best, but the length...they're huge. I know which fish my boy has interest in, but he would love any of them. I just hoped to get as many of his favorites as possible. Just so you know I was looking at the 16 gal biorb. If this is a mistake now would be a good time to say so. Maybe not ideal for the betta since the surface area is small. I like the frog idea. Had not thought of that. Thanks again!
Masha
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Consider bronze corys or similar rather than pleco.
They are super cute,(they wink at you!) And they have that whiskery appeal too. Get 4 or so as they get a bit stressed when alone, and just hide then. Very active, friendly fish.
They are very hardy, so you're unlikely to have tearful flushing ceremonies.
I'm not sure how big a tank you are settling on though.
They are super cute,(they wink at you!) And they have that whiskery appeal too. Get 4 or so as they get a bit stressed when alone, and just hide then. Very active, friendly fish.
They are very hardy, so you're unlikely to have tearful flushing ceremonies.
I'm not sure how big a tank you are settling on though.
Masha
Aquarium Advice FINatic
(If I were you, I would focus on hardyness above all else!)
