Fish Reccomendations

[Scarlet]

Hi, I'm new here

I currently have my 30L tank cycling and I'm thinking about what fish I want to have, I know I want a small group of neon tetras and my bristle nose cat fish but I'd like something a little larger than my tetras that will swim near the top, any ideas?

I love colorful fish but obviously not too large or need to be in a school due to my small tank size. Similar to guppies maybe?

Any ideas or advice would be great
Scarlet

 

[adadkins1]

30L is just under 5 U.S. Gallons. Personally I wouldn't put any Bristlenose Pleco, Neon Tetras or Guppies in there. Really your best bet would be either a Betta or some type of "Nano-fish" like Chili Rasboras or Ember Tetras.

Guppies and Neon Tetras need at least a 10g (40 liter) and Bristlenose Plecos need 20g (80 liters) minimum.

 

[BBradbury]

Your 30 G

Hi, I'm new here

I currently have my 30L tank cycling and I'm thinking about what fish I want to have, I know I want a small group of neon tetras and my bristle nose cat fish but I'd like something a little larger than my tetras that will swim near the top, any ideas?

I love colorful fish but obviously not too large or need to be in a school due to my small tank size. Similar to guppies maybe?

Any ideas or advice would be great
Scarlet

Hello Scarlet...

Why not get some hardy fish into your tank right away? A few Zebra Danios or Platys are very colorful and will easily make it through the tank cycling process and would be the perfect size for an 8 G tank. Put in some nice stem plants like Water wisteria and Pennywort and you'd have a very nice tank.

All you'd need to do to keep the fish healthy is test the tank water daily and do your water changes. The tank would likely cycle in a few weeks.

Just a thought.

B

 

[adadkins1]

Wow, my sincere apologies. I messed up my conversion from L to g!

As far as ideas for fish I would have to disagree with BBradbury on the Zebra Danios. They are very hardy, however they are extremely active and they need a tank larger than 8 gallons. The Platys are a good idea. The Neon Tetras you mentioned may work, though this tank may be a bit small for them. I would still say the Bristlenose is a bad idea as they have a high bioload and could easily foul the water in this size tank. Some other fish that might work would be guppies, many different kinds of tetras, barbs, rasboras, and other schoolers.

The stem plants are a good idea if you want to go for a planted tank. They look nice and are easy to grow.

 

[GuppyLover]

Some other fish that might work would be many different kinds of tetras, barbs, rasboras, and other schoolers.

IMHO barbs need much more then 8g unless there is a nano barb species. I've never really looked at nano fish so I'm not 100% sure there isnt.

 

[adadkins1]

Scarlet, what are the dimensions of the tank?

I know that a lot of barbs get rather large, but I was mainly implying Cherry Barbs. I have kept them before and they do perfectly fine in a 10g.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

30L is 8g. I have two. I wouldn't do neons or a bristlenose. The neons need more swimming space and the bristlenose needs 20g minimum. As said above we need to know the dimensions of the tank in order to help you stock it. 30L really isn't that big so you are limited with fish selections.

 

[Shay]

Killifish are a great option for this size of tank, there are alot of the non-annual species that will work in your tank with the exception of the Blue Gularis who needs a 20g min. Alot of killisfish are put in to 2-1/2 - 5g tanks as pairs or trios, 8g's gives them ample room.

 

[adadkins1]

Killis rock!

 

[Scarlet]

Wow, thanks for your replies everyone!
I had danios in this tank a while ago and I agree that they need more space as the 2 I had were quite aggressive (unless they're always like that?)

Also I'm aware how big those bristle nose get! My boyfriend loves them and has quite a large one in his (massive) aquarium, I plan to give it to him when it grows (it's only the size of my pinky atm).

And thank you for all your fish suggestions! I'm thinking I'll stick with my guppies though ( they're cycling it now) and get maybe 4 or 5 neons. I've had the neons before in this tank and they lived for manyyyy years! I don't have a lot of obstructive decorations either just plants so they dart around quite freely.


My tanks exact dimensions I'll post in a minute when I get home, but it has a heater, external filter, bubbler & a crappy led light (hence no plants until I get a better one).

 

[Koikid88]

It's not just his size, it's his waste production. He will have that thing pooped up in no time, even if he is the size of your pinky (Which is about max size for him being in 8g.) and for all I know, you are 10 feet tall with basketball fingers.

And if your boyfriend has a quite large one in his massive aquarium, I doubt it's a bristlenose. (I'm not sure what your definition of massive is either)

If you want tetras, only look into the tiny ones smaller than neons, such as embers.

Like others have said, most killifish would be ok.
Ideal would be a betta.
Maybe a few pencilfish.

or go to your LFS and see what they have swimming in there shrimp tank.

I have a scarlet badis badis. Looks like a Dwarf Gourami but more intense colours. About as big as my fingernail.

There are other tiny tiny fish, that are (at least at my LFS) kept with the snails and shimp.

You are very very limited with 8g

 

[Scarlet]

I think you're right about the cat fish, it will probably grow fast too.

I was wondering about an Apple Snail instead? Do you think they produce a little less waste than the cat fish? What's your opinion on them?

 

[adadkins1]

In my opinion, Apple Snails are just as bad as the Pleco. They poop A LOT and really aren't suited to anything under a 10g. If you want a scavenger go for something like a Ghost Shrimp as they have a very low bioload and thus you could have 10-12 in your tank. What are the dimensions?