Mad1

HI guys,

as you can guess i'm another noobie ......sorry?!

I have just got for christmas a 125 litre (approx 33 gallon) tank and set up etc. I have followed all the instructions and have the tank set up for a couple of weeks and had the water tested and all that jazz and am about to introduce some hardy fish to get me started.........probably guppies as i have some already and they seem tough!

I want to add some more exciting fish some bright colours etc and possibly some slightly larger ones (maybe 3 or 4 inches?) and wondered which species go well together?

I like gouramis so it would be good if I could have those but what else can go with them?

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

angelfish220

Welcome to fishlore! A dwarf gourami would go great with guppies. You could also go with a livebarer theme and get a trio of platys and to add varitey some balloon mollies. My first tank was a 30 and I had guppies 2 gouramis 3platys and 3 balloon mollies and it turned into a nice setup to grow off of.

If you got your tank setup on christmas It probably isnt cycled yet. Do you have a test kit? If so check your ammonia nitrates and nitrites. The first 2 should be 0 and the last should be 5-10 before adding any fishies.

susitna-flower

NEVER SAY YOUR SORRY!!!!!

Welcome to Fishlore.....

This is what I love, everyone has a different idea of what they like..Dwarf Gourmais are colorful and a good choise. I also like rainbows. Dwarf neon rainbows are active, AND colorful. Larger rainbow fish are VERY colorful, and peaceful....But the more 3-4" fish you have the more limited in numbers you will be. A 33 gallon tank is still fairly small and easy to overstock.

Hope you enjoy the forum, and post often.

Mad1

Thanks for responding so fast! You have all been really helpfull! I have bought a 5 in 1 test kit but i am not going to put any fish in it at least till after new year. I used the Nutrafin Cycle additive for the water which is supposed to speed it up but i don't trust it just yet! So will hang on a bit longer.

The dwarf neon rainbows sound cool! I will have to look them up on the fish species page!

Thanks again, ooh 1 more thing can I have some sort loach in there to help clean the tank?

Ta x

COBettaCouple

welcome to fishlore.

If you are able to return that 5-in-1 test box to the shop, I'd highly recommend exchanging it for a liquid testing kit such as the API master freshwater kit.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113074

The test strips are notorious for being, shall we say less than accurate, and in the long run, you'll end up spending more on the strips than a liquid kit. Plus I believe the 5-in-1 strips fail to test one of the important parameters.

You may want to send a message to one of our members in Wales, timandkaren. He has quite an array of fish and I would wager that they're much healthier than a lot of fish shops' fish.

You may want to browse through the fish at these links to get ideas on what fish you'd enjoy having in your tank while it cycles:
http://www.fishlore.com/TropicalFishProfiles.htm
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profile.html
http://www.aqua-fish.net/
http://www.aquahobby.com/e_freshwate...arium_fish.php

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm - this link explains the cycling of a tank and we would recommend cycling it fishless using a tin of general fish flakes.

Don't use the Nutrafin Cycle. We did that at first and it kept our tanks in mini-cycles for months before we stopped using it and finally were able to get stable water chemistry. Unfortunately, it contains the wrong types of bacteria and is an endless drain of money for what amounts to expensive water. There is a product called Bio-Spira that is refrigerated and has an expiration date on the pouch that will cycle your tank. It contains the living bacteria that you want to colonize your tank, it likely will run £10-15 there if you can find it.

timg

Hi there! Welcome to fishlore! Where abouts are you in the UK?

Your plans sound great for stocking the tank. Dwarf gouramis are real characters and will add a lot of interest to the tank, as well as control the guppy population!

A Bristlenose plec is probably the best choice for an algae eater, as they don't grow too big, are very active as youngsters and won't harm the other fish. Some loaches such as rainbow sharks and golden sucking loaches can annoy and stress out the other fish, so be careful. They are not as effective as tank cleaners either.

Corydoras are very good cleaners too, and are small, so won't overload your tank. A couple of them may be a good option.

guppiemaster892

Welcome to fishlore!!!!

You are probably good with going with some guppies or some neon tetras.Or maybe some platys.

Mad1

Hi again,

Thanks everyone for being so helpful

I have tested my tank today and it seems it is definately not ready for fishies yet

The tests showed that the water is far too hard (I live in the south of Kent and our water is full of chalk!) so I guess I was expecting that and also the PH is at 8 and Nitrate is way too high although Nitrite is fine. How do I fix these things any help would be great??!

Also I know I need to wait longer but in the future could I have a Siamese fighting fish? they are so beautiful, I read that you can only have one as they are agressive to others of the same species but will they be too aggresive for a community tank?

Oh and Happy New Year everyone!

King_Snuggles

I agree with getting liquid tests I have tryed both at the same time and I trust the liquid more. My ph is high and I just use API's PH down its a cheep chemical. The only way I know to remove nitrate is with partial water changes.
I had a betta in with two Cory's and he ate them, then died, some people say they will be find other say no. Its up to you, but if you do try have no other fish with big flashy fins and have the betta be the last one added to your tank.

COBettaCouple

The fish that you get locally should be used to the pH and you want stable pH.

What are your Nitrite and Nitrate readings?

Bettas tend to make poor community tank fish. They get stressed with most fish and usually aggression breaks out in the tank or the Betta dies of stress.

Mad1

Ooh thanks guys, maybe I will buy another tank and keep a Betta on its own. How much space do they need? Would a 10 gallon be enough?

The readings were:

General Hardness - 180

Carbonate Hardness - 240!

PH - 8

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 80

I used the 5 in one strips as I had bought them already but i'm going to invest in the master kit that everyone recomends especially as the strips don't test for Ammonia which I assume is vital?

King_Snuggles

Yes ammonia is vital. A 10 gal is more than enough room for a betta. I have a 6 gal and i am going to put a betta in, maby with a couple of ghost shrimp (if they get eaten o well i just want to try).

COBettaCouple

If you can get a liquid testing kit such as the API master freshwater kit, it will include the ammonia test and give you more accurate test results. Unfortunately, the strips aren't reliable.

If your nitrates really are that high, I'd recommend changing 50% of the water, then 25% every other day.. testing before each change. Nitrates should be 10 or less for a healthy tank.