What fish would do well in my aquarium?

[steph101]

Here are some details:

Size- 18 gallons
Ph- around 8.0
Heater- Can range from 20 degrees - 28 degrees Celsius
*Will be a community aquarium

What fish would best be suited for my new tank? I'm in the process of cycling it, so id like to start thinking of what my options are. Thank you in advance

 

[aquandrew]

you need a better heater that is a pretty big difference. what are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[The Trooper]

I'd say definitely get a better heater in there and start looking at fish, it depends what you like and you can then adjust the parameters to suit if needs be.

 

[librarygirl]

An 18 gal tank is a decent size. What substrate do you have? if it's rounded (not sharp) gravel or rocks or sand (preferred) you could do some bottom dwellers like panda cory (super cute and fun fish). Most danios, tetras and rasboras would work. I would go to some local fish stores and write down the names of fish you like and do some research to see if they would fit in your tank (you can ask here also). Also what filter is on the tank?

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Agree with the above advise. I don't want to beat on a dead horse but you should look into a new heater the water should stay somewhere between 74-82 F. Shouldn't be moving that much. Also, what kind of filter? As for fish...sparkling gourami, dwarf gourami, small tetras, small cory cats, rasboras, shrimp, small rainbows, betta, pencil fish, and badis badis are all options. Depends what you are interested in.

 

[Old Scales]

In that size tank there are lots of fish that stay below 2" in size that will community well. Look up the ones that interest you and check their adult size to determine if they would be OK for your size tank. Good luck, enjoy choosing, it's the really fun part. OS.

 

[fishyfriends3]

Maybe it's just me be I think the op is saying that the heater is capable of 20 to 28 degrees not that its changing the temp in the tank from 20 to 28.

 

[steph101]

So is someone gonna recommend me fish or?

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[mistersprinkles]

So is someone gonna recommend me fish or?

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I think people want to establish what kind of substrate you have, and that you're going to heat the tank appropriately, before they suggest fish. You need to get a 100 watt heater and keep the temp around 74-82. For most fish 77-79 is pretty good. Some fish like it cooler, some hotter, but your temp can not be swinging around like that. It is not normal for fish. They need a constant temperature. When we say 74-82, we don't mean it can swing between those two numbers. You should pick a temp and keep it there and the temp shouldn't move more than 1 degree farenheit up or down.

 

[fishyfriends3]

Maybe it's just me be I think the op is saying that the heater is capable of 20 to 28 degrees not that its changing the temp in the tank from 20 to 28.

Can the op confirm if the heater is capable of 20 to 28 or the tank temp is changing between 20 and 28.

Thanks.

 

[siva]

Here are some details:

Size- 18 gallons
Ph- around 8.0
Heater- Can range from 20 degrees - 28 degrees Celsius
*Will be a community aquarium

What fish would best be suited for my new tank? I'm in the process of cycling it, so id like to start thinking of what my options are. Thank you in advance

Can you provide the dimensions of the tank please? I'm not familiar with 18 gal tanks so I'm not sure on this. This will be just as important as gallons when it comes to stocking.

Agree with the above advise. I don't want to beat on a dead horse but you should look into a new heater the water should stay somewhere between 74-82 F. Shouldn't be moving that much. Also, what kind of filter? As for fish...sparkling gourami, dwarf gourami, small tetras, small cory cats, rasboras, shrimp, small rainbows, betta, pencil fish, and badis badis are all options. Depends what you are interested in.

Take that 8.0 pH into consideration. Some species, the sparkling gourami for instance, are highly unlikely to adapt to a pH that high. They are usually wild caught from water that is very soft, with a pH of 3-4. IME keeping them in water with a pH above 6 is a real challenge.

 

[steph101]

Maybe it's just me be I think the op is saying that the heater is capable of 20 to 28 degrees not that its changing the temp in the tank from 20 to 28.

Thank you.

My heater is capable going from 20 degrees up to 32 degrees.
No, the temperature doesn't go up and down, I can set it on 1 temperature. Right now its sitting on 25 degrees. My light is 100w

Sorry for any confusion.

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[steph101]

Thank you.

My heater is capable going from 20 degrees up to 32 degrees.
No, the temperature doesn't go up and down, I can set it on 1 temperature. Right now its sitting on 25 degrees. It is 100w. Substrate is black gravel. I also have a few live plants in there.

Sorry for any confusion.

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[fishyfriends3]

I'm really tempted to say I told you so but I won't, 25 is a very good temperature for most tropical fish.

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[ashleynicole]

What types of fish are you interested in? Could you list a few things that may have caught your eye so we know what to suggest? There are so many options....

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[fishyfriends3]

It's hard to suggest much with a tank that small and a ph that high. Mollies would work.

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[steph101]

What types of fish are you interested in? Could you list a few things that may have caught your eye so we know what to suggest? There are so many options....

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I like tetras, cories, guppies but I am unsure if they would be ok in that ph

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[fishyfriends3]

You could soften your water which will bring your ph down then you could keep tetra corydoras and guppies.

 

[Mebbid]

You could soften your water which will bring your ph down then you could keep tetra corydoras and guppies.

All of those fish should adapt just fine to a ph of 8. That's what mine were kept at for quite a while and there were no issues.

 

[fishyfriends3]

I guess it depends if you want your fish to adapt to you or you adapt to your fish.