What fish to put with my 3 x silver dollars???

[French51]

Hello iv just brought a juwel rio 125 tank I believe it's around 30 gallons I have 3 x silver dollars all small was thinking about putting a firemouth cichlid with them and a golden nugget plec also either a tiger Oscar or a blue acara not sure what to do I'd upgrade tank size once fish grew larger heeeeeelppppppp lol

 

[Oceangirl]

Oh, goodness. That is way too many fish and I don't think all those fish go together. Cichlids need to be by themsleves, and sorted by where they are from. here is a good start
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

 

[Alyxx]

Hello iv just brought a juwel rio 125 tank I believe it's around 30 gallons I have 3 x silver dollars all small was thinking about putting a firemouth cichlid with them and a golden nugget plec also either a tiger Oscar or a blue acara not sure what to do I'd upgrade tank size once fish grew larger heeeeeelppppppp lol

30 gallons is way too small for any of the fish you have listed there, including the silver dollars. You really shouldn't stock a tank with fish that get too large for the tank eventually, but instead stock for the adult size of the fish. You risk the possibility of stunting their growth if you keep them in a tank that is too small, and even when you plan to upgrade soon enough sometimes life gets in the way and you can't do it in time. Stunting can shorten a fish's life substantially, as the body won't grow but the organs still do, resulting in various health issues. Also, as oceangirl said. The fish you are thinking of aren't compatible with each other even in a suitable tank. Cichlids should not be mixed in terms of various american cichlids in the same tank, South / Central American and African, or Africans from different lakes. As a general rule, oscars need around 75 gallons for one by itself, as they are large messy fish. I believe firemouths have similar needs in terms of tank size as well, although I think one could do ok in a 55. I'm not very experienced with the more aggressive cichlids, the only cichlids I've kept successfully have been angelfish. I've never had a tank large enough for africans or the more aggressive south american species like oscars or firemouths. The blue acara is another south American cichlid and needs more than 30 gallons as well. In general, the only cichlids suitable for a 30 gallon would be a pair of angelfish, a pair of rams, or other dwarf cichlids like african shell dwellers. Silver dollars and most species of Pleco, including the gold nugget, are only suitable for very large tanks. Many plecos can grow to be over a foot long and have a very large bioload. However, some species like the bristlenose, rubber lip, and pit bull Pleco can be kept in a 30 gallon because they only grow to 4-6 inches long. Those silver dollars may be small now, but they get pretty large.

I definitely don't want to rain on your parade or make you want to give up on the hobby. There are lots of cool fish that can live happily in a 30 gallon, just not the large fish you want for it. Do yourself a favor and either rehome the silver dollars and stock your tank with smaller fish, or go ahead and get yourself a large tank (preferably over 100 gallons) and keep the silver dollars and add maybe one of the fish you listed. Trying to keep three potentially large fish in a 30 gallon will cause you nothing but frustration in the long run, because the bioload will be too large for the tank to handle. Speaking of the bioload, have you cycled this tank yet?

 

[Cynic]

Yeah, don't worry about more fish, you need less or a bigger tank

 

[French51]

Ok cool thanks for all your help think I need to go back to drawing board lol or buy a HUGE tank

Note to never believe local pet shop silver dollars 2 inch fully grown not true :-(

Yeah tank cycled

So what colourful fish would be good for 30g tank??

 

[Alyxx]

There are lots of possibilities! If I were you, I would go to your fish store and just look around for a while. Write down the names of fish you think look cool, and go home and do some research on them. Ask about them on here, and we can usually give you some good information and help you figure out how many of each and which ones can go together. Haha, you've learned a big lesson early - take the information the shops give you with a grain of salt! Always research before you buy fish, it makes things easier in the long run, impulse purchases are almost always a bad plan. Did you cycle your tank fishless or fish in? I ask because it does affect how many fish you can stock at once. If you did fishless cycling, you can go ahead and fully stock the tank all at once, but if you did fish in you will want to stock it a few fish at a time so your beneficial bacteria can catch up.

 

[French51]

Yeah sounds like good idea yeah gonna listen loosely to pet shop advice. The tank was second hand when I brought it so the filter pads had matured as was the gravel then I also put into the tank some sort of bacteria product pet shop told me I needed then let tank run for 3-4 days before doing water check and then put dollars in does this sound correct as new to this??

 

[Alyxx]

Yeah sounds like good idea yeah gonna listen loosely to pet shop advice. The tank was second hand when I brought it so the filter pads had matured as was the gravel then I also put into the tank some sort of bacteria product pet shop told me I needed then let tank run for 3-4 days before doing water check and then put dollars in does this sound correct as new to this??

We're the filter pads still wet when you got them, and was the tank set up with fish and running when you bought it? If not, there probably wasn't much biological life if any on those pads. Those bio supplements are also not very useful usually, and they do need an ammonia source to live. Do you have a test kit yet? I highly recommend the API master kit. Without one there is no way to tell if the tank has cycled. If the media wasn't still seeded with beneficial bacteria, and that bacteria wasn't fed before you put the fish in, you are in the midst of a fish-in cycle most likely.

 

[French51]

Yeah tank was set up and running when I brought it housing a larger Oscar which I managed to re-home the stuff I put in the water was microbe-lift special blend (it stinks) filter pads were still semi wet when I felt them so am I in middle of cycle then and what does that mean will fish be ok in tank I have a api tester pack says everything is fine cheers for all your help sorry if I seem clueless lol

 

[Alyxx]

Yeah tank was set up and running when I brought it housing a larger Oscar which I managed to re-home the stuff I put in the water was microbe-lift special blend (it stinks) filter pads were still semi wet when I felt them so am I in middle of cycle then and what does that mean will fish be ok in tank I have a api tester pack says everything is fine cheers for all your help sorry if I seem clueless lol

If it was set up and the filter was still wet you should have kept the cycle! And if the test kit confirms, you are fine! I was just a little worried that whoever you bought it from had broken it down before they sold it and let the media dry out, or had not had fish in it for a few weeks before it sold. The silver dollars should be ok for a little while until you can rehome them. Just keep up with water changes every week and keep the nitrates down. When you do rehome them, just be sure to pick up a couple of whatever new fish you decide on the same day or soon after to keep the cycle going or that you feed the bacteria until you do get more fish in there. Putting some fish food in the empty tank every day until you put the new fish in will work, you just need some ammonia present in the tank to keep the cycle going. Have you thought any about fish you might want to stock the tank with yet?

 

[French51]

Fingers crossed the tank is all ok then lol I do like the cichlids so would 1 or a pair of firemouths a be ok in the tank?? Or are they to big for a 30 gallon tank?? If so can u get colourful cichlids that stay small?? Thanks so much for all your help

 

[Alyxx]

I'm pretty sure firemouths get too big. Don't quote me on this but I think a pair of convicts could do alright in a 30 as long as you have something to do with the pretty much inevitable babies. A 30 would be good for a pair of angelfish as well, remember, they are cichlids. Rams or apistos would work as well, but I would add some smaller fish first and let the tank get good and established before adding rams. They can be a bit delicate and sensitive to water quality, so you should be sure your tank is very stable and get into a good maintenance routine before adding them. You could also look into some of the smaller community African cichlids like multis and shell dwellers. And perhaps in the future you can pick up a 55 or a 75 and try some of the larger cichlids you have been looking at, because trust me, once you get this tank set up you will probably be itching for another one! And another one... And another one...

 

[French51]

Just put 4 x Rosie barbs in tank and lots of bog wood and plants as took silver dollars bk to pet shop so no more plant eating machines in the tank lol

 

[Alyxx]

It looks good!