richard7467

HIYA ALL.
im am litrerally on day 1 of tropical fish keeping i've bought a used tank L36"XW15"XH18"(I think that equates to 40gal),filters,heater etc ive got it all up and running correctly...me thinks! and starting the nitrogen cycle once this is complete I was hoping to keep Tetra's,Zebra's and Cory's. Could some one give me some advice on the amount of these type of fish would be ideal for my tank. All advice much appriciated.

ninilie

Hey welcome aboard and you got a good sized tank nice. You also did some reseach before putting a ton of fish in your tank . I think you will find this a very fun hobby. I will leave the fish calculations to someone more knowledgeable then me.

sunstrip

Sounds like you have a 30 Gallon...these guys around here are VERY helpfull...crazy..but helpfull...they all have MTS ! LOL !

chickadee

The Aquarium Calculator took your measurements and gave you a total of 42.08 US gallons of tank. Since you will have gravel and other things in the tank that will effectively give you about 40 gallons of working room.

Tetras and Zebra Danios are really small fish only about 2" or smaller and the Cories depending on the type (there are many) are generally under 3". The general rule is 1" of adult fish for gallon of aquarium size so I guess you have the option of mix or match of any of 40" of adult size inches of these fish but with the idea that most Cories like to be kept in groups of more than 3 and if you get into the Dwarf varieties they like groups of 6 or more. So if you go into the Cories say that about half of the fish inches are going to be spent on Cories. The other 20" you can use in any combination of little 2" Tetras or Zebra Danios. Tetras generally do better in groups of 6 or better so there go 12" and that leaves 8" for the Danios. Now I really am not an expert on Danios so if they need to be in a larger group for some reason someone can chime in here and correct me but you can have 4 of them to fill the other 8". You may be able to do: 6 Cories; 6 Tetras; 6 Danios if you choose a species of the Cories that gets to the 2 1/2" growth stage at adulthood. That would make a nice tank. I have Sterba's Cories in my tank and they get to that size and it is a nice little Cory. There are a lot of species of Cories to choose from so it would be my recommendation that you go to a website like this one:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...s.php?letter=c

and spend some time looking through the generous supply of information before picking out what you want and then take your time and get what you want for the tank. Half the fun of the hobby is taking the time to end up with what you want. Right?

Oh welcome to the world of fish hobbyists and welcome to Fishlore.com. I do love it here and I hope you find you love it half as much. Just remember that fish keeping is a test of patience and the more patience you practice the better it is. Fish will try your patience but they are oh so worth it. The finished result is worth the wait and the rewards are wonderful.

Rose

richard7467

Hiya once again and thanks for the very warm welcome and your wealth of knowledge can't wait to start adding fish but as you have all been saying patience patience and more patience, one thing that is bothering me a tad...although the heater appears to be working i.e. little orange light abd its been running now for hmmmm 9hrs there isn't any increase in temperature well bewlow 18C is this normal or have I been palmed off with a duff heater! once again thank you all for your response.

chickadee

Can you put your hand in a gently carefully get close to the heater to see if you feel any warmth coming from it. I do not know if I would touch it as you may get a burn but it should feel a bit warm near it if it is working. If you cannot feel any warmth at all then it is not working but it could just be that it is not a strong enough heater for that big a tank. A 40 gallon tank would need a pretty fair sized heater 150 watt at least and I would more likely go with a 100 watt at each end to give it a more even heat in the tank. Another thing is maybe the heat is going to need something to circulate it to make it even to work. Is the heater placed where the water is moving like near the outflow of the filter or is it where the water is calm and not moving? If you have it in the back of the tank where the water is calm you may need to have an airstone or something to keep the water stirred up to prevent all the heat from staying in one place and not circulating. I would still get 2 smaller heaters and a bubble wand to place at the back of the tank as you will find that the fish you have chosen have a liking for water that is active and moving. This will keep it bubbling and the Cories especially will be very active in the bubbles.

Rose

richard7467

Just put my hand up tp the heater and there's no heat at all....**** oh well i'll pop down the shop later and get a new one and i'll take your advice and get a couple of small ones plus that air stone, I believe the filters are creating a good flow of water but i'll get some bubbles for my Cories thanks for the advice once again Chickadee your being great help

susitna-flower

It is SOooooo refreshing to read posts from a new hobbyist who really wants to start off right, and take it slow....It really is the best part....all the planning.

Take a look up at the top of the page under "ARTICLES", that is where the Aquarium calculator is, as well as lists of fish and their descriptions, pictures and the kind of tank is right for them...Lots of good information, to study while deciding just what you want to stock your tank with...

richard7467

Funny you should mention the calculator because i've just realised i've been working in uk gallons not us gallons so it seems that I have a 55g not a 46g LOL, forgive me here, but I never realised there was a differance so when people advise 1 inch of fully grown fish per gallon are they talking UK OR US Gallon?

richard7467

belay my last just took a look at Chickadee's advice again and it seems i've got around 40 us gallons to work with which equates to 40" of fish thanks again all

susitna-flower

LOL I guess it would depend on if they are in the UK, or US....

Being a AK gal, I just assumed it was US. The lower stocking you do however the easier it will be to keep a healthy tank....so, it's just up to you...

I was going to suggest instead of putting Danios in, you could go for a "star", one or two of something colorful, like a dwarf gourami, or better yet 2 bosemani rainbows! A male and female bosemani would really add interest, and they are super lovely, well mannered community tank fish. They don't pick on anyone, and if you have a male and female, the male will show lovely colors!

Just remember after your tank is cycled, you still have to take time putting the fish in. 2 or 3 a week is all. Other wise your bacteria won't have time to keep up with the added waste.

richard7467

excellent, would I need to add the same species until a shoal of lets say six/eight was formed before I added another type. Wouldnt want to start freaking them all out not feeling secure and all of it..i'm gonna take a peek of those bosemani rainbows that you suggested I mentioned Danios as i've heard they are tough little critters and would be a good starter. Anyhow im gonna look at those bosemani rainbows susitna-flower

richard7467

yes I like the look of the bosemani rainbows alot more attractive than the Danios I think I will add a few of them with some Danios when the times right thanks for the suggestion .

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

richard7467

Thanking you kindly for the warm welcome, I like this one

Blub

richard7467

oh I see thanks hatchet ill make that 6 to go. Would that be enough. I the look of your hatchets as well aaaaaarrrrggggghhh I want them all lol....oh well i,ve got plenty of time to make my mind up day 2 week 1 i.ll test the water tomorrow now i,ve got the heater and canister filter working. Just done a little research on Hatchets comical little fish have you ever lost any i.e. jumping out of your tank and do they try to jump out often?

chickadee

The reason they say that Danios are good hardy starter fish is that some people use them to cycle a tank. They will put some danios in the tank and use them to cycle the tank instead of doing it fishless. It is stressful to fish no matter what fish you use and while Danios may be able to live through the process, it is not a pleasant or healthy one for them and more than likely will shorten their lifespan. (as it would with any fish) There are many fish that would not even be considered as they would never make it through the process to begin with. It is NOT a recommended practice here but occasionally we do get someone who has been talked into getting their fish right away and then there is not much to do but to direct them in the best way to do a cycle process with the fish in the tank. It is hard on fish and owner alike.

Rose

The Rainbows are lovely fish and will make a beautiful tank.