new tank what fish to buy?

[bardneym]

Hi all!

I have just bought a new tank, never having had one before. It is a Juwel Rekord 96. It is 81x30x46 cm and holds 96 litres. Following advice i have read here, i went for the largest tank i could practically fit in the space i have available.

However, having read dozens of websites and books etc. over the last few weeks i am still a bit confused.

Based on the surface area calculation, i reckon i can fit 37 inches of fish, so am aiming for about 34 inches (over a few weeks), does this sound OK.

I would like some Angelfish and a Bristlenose catfish. I also like spotted cory catfish, but have read so much conflicting info on what is best in terms of how many of each and wether they would work well together.

Any advice as to numbers of fish and what would go well with angelfish, as well as are the catfish OK? would be much appreciated.

I understand that what i want, and what i can have are probably two different things, as my principle concern is the welfare of the fish, after all, they don't have much say in me being their "dad" so i owe it to them to get it right!

thank you for your time

Mark

 

[mom2reds]

Please read up on cycling your tank the fishless way frist before you put any fish in it..

 

[theotheragentm]

Definitely look into fishless cycling so the tank is ready to handle the bioload of your fish before you ever put them into the tank.

That being said, the inch per gallon or surface area rules don't apply exactly. A lot of smaller fish make smaller amounts of waste than larger fish. So if you want a school of smaller fish, you may be able to go slightly over the inch rules.

I won't speak for the Angels as I have never kept them, but Corydora Catfish and Bristlenose Plecos are peaceful and will work fine together. Corydoras work well in schools of 6+. If you are worried about a school taking up so much of your space so quickly, some of the smaller Cories are great, like Panda Cories.

 

[fish 'n' fries]

Let's see. So, 96 liters is about 25 gallons.

You could easily keep a pair of angels in a tank that size.

As has already been said, corys like to be in groups. Most people say at least 6 ideally. I've never had bristlenoses...so I'm not sure if both would be too many bottom feeders or not. You may have to chose one or the other.

You could also add a school of tetras (again, at least 6). Something like rummynose tetras would look nice (and too big to become angel snacks.) Hatchet fish would be another option but you'd need to have a top (they try to fly).

 

[bardneym]

Thank you for all the advice. I am definitely looking at fishless cycling, but if any UK posters know of a good source of ammonia, i would appreciate it! I am bound to buy the wrong stuff and end up with something that will dissolve glass! I have already invested in a good quality testing kit, again after reading the advice on the forum!

I did read about the Corydoras being best in groups of six, but some places say 2 or 3, so i wasn't sure what would be best.

So, if i go for a couple of Angelfish and a Bristlenose, this would give me more options, as six Corydoras would take up quite a bit of room! As a few websites say that Panda Corys are best kept in small groups, would 3 be acceptable?

The Rummynose Tetras look nice so i could see me going for them, but are there any fish that are OK as "loners" that wouldn't get eaten by the Angels?

Thank you all, this is really appreciated!

Mark

 

[mom2reds]

Be carefull with the angles they tend to make snacks out of smaller fish. I have lost a few of my smaller ones to my angles and they are not even full grown yet. I love rummy nose tetra they a great fish. Good luck on your cycle.

Tess