Hi, New here, with a few questions

Just started a tank for my 3 yr old son.....the tank was bought from a garage sale...very nice condition... it's approx. 20" w x 18" tall came with the stand, heater & filter & some other stuff.
I was told it was a 20 gal. however, I think it is more like a 15 gal. anyway we cleaned it (no soap) & it has been up & running (cycled) & today the water was tested & we got the OK to get a few fish.... we are going inexpensive community fish.
I am trying to figure out what other fish to get & how many of each.

He picked out a few kinds & wants an African dwarf frog, but we were told to add that last, along with a small  algae eater.

Sorry if these are dumb questions, I have never had a tank before.
My questions are:

Is the inch per fish per gallon rule before or after the rocks & other decorations are added?

How many fish should there be for schooling fish? (like how many min.)  & Do they have to be exactly the same... like.. He wanted Neon Tetra's he also likes Black neon tetras ... do have have to have so many of each.. or is it the combined # of tetra's?

We bought some Neon Tetras today... what else would be good with them? I was trying to split it somewhat even on top, mid & bottom.

Also,
Thanks in advance for any info.

 

Welcome to the fun!

Is the inch per fish per gallon rule before or after the rocks & other decorations are added?

Before.

How many fish should there be for schooling fish?

Typically 6. Those that are truly peaceful you might be able to get away with dropping that to 4, but any species that is known for nipping should definitely be kept in groups of at least 6.

We bought some Neon Tetras today... what else would be good with them?

Neons will get along with quite a few other species, I believe, but I have not kept them myself. Perhaps someone else can chime in on tankmates.

 

Welcome to fishlore! Glad to have you here.

- this is a good tank volume calculator.

Like sgould said - Generally, it's 1" (adult size) of fish per gallon of tank volume capacity, but fish that get over 4 or 5" tend to need more space.

https://www.fishlore.com/TropicalFishProfiles.htm - check out the types of fish that you'd like to get here. You can see how big of a tank they need, how many make a school for the fish along with the type of behavior they show. Your son might get a kick out of one of my favorite fish - the x-ray tetra if you have room for a school of them in addition to the neon tetras and an ADF (I believe those are happier with at least 2). A dwarf gourami or 2 might be nice for the top level of the tank, but i'm not sure how they'd get along with the ADFs.

For algae control, you'll probably want to look at Otos or Shrimp (Ghost, Amano or Cherry are some good ones). You'll probably want at least 2 or 3 of whichever you pick. Definitely do NOT get a pleco - they get huge and are major waste producers. Snails also produce a lot of waste and you have to be sure to get snails that need a pair to reproduce or you'll be overrun with them.

 

Thanks for th info so far  ;D

We had only planned on 10 fish max.. seams that will be tight, since we have to count the rock & other objects in the tank.


As far as schooling fist (neon Tetras) I was told once that 2 of each would be good, then that 3 would be good, so we started with 3 today.... Let me know what you think.... we we hoping for something like this for a setup:
3 - Neon Tetras (Already here)
1 - African Dwarf Frog (A Must for him)
1 - Oto
Then something else....possibly 3- black neon tetras (or something similar)
or  a Platty or 2.. also thought about a couple of Dwarf Gourami  (but they will get twice as big as the tetras) & he likes the Zebra Danio. (saw some today with a pretty blue color to them)

I liked the Dwarf Puffer fish , but after doing some reading, I am not sure they will work, besides, it's a tank more for my son  He really likes bright colors. of course he wanted a Nemo & Dory fish ;D but we kind of talked him out of that... showed him the Sunbust platty's & He was OK with that.. keeps telling me an orange & blue fish now.

Any thoughts?
Thanks again for the welcome & the Info.

 

Otos really seem to need at least 2.. 3 is recommended, but 2 seem to do ok.. a solitary oto can die on you pretty quick.

Zebra Danios are pretty hardy fish and could be a good selection for your tank. Platys are cool and 2 or 3 of them can be happy.

LOL.. your son is ambitious, he wants to jump right into saltwater tanks.

 

We had only planned on 10 fish max.. seams that will be tight, since we have to count the rock & other objects in the tank.

You do no count the rock and other objects. If you have a 20 Gal tank then you can fit 20" of fish, if it's a 15 Gal then it's 15" of fish, etc.

keeps telling me an orange & blue fish now.

Any thoughts?

How about a ?

 

There are some really brightly colored guppies and if you don't want to deal with fry get all males. My males are yellow, blue, and orange (all on one fish) I don't know what they are called but look around. best wishes and have fun with your son on this new project

 

Having done tetras in prior tank, I can tell you that you can put 1 neon, 1 black phatom, 1 black neon, 1 orange, etc, etc. Tetras just like company and they don't really care how they get it. LOL In my tank now, I have 1 Phantom and 3 Tiger Barbs...they all get along swimmingly.

 

Hello, New2Fish. Congrats on getting the tank. Hopefully your son will really love it. My parents got a tank when I was a kid and I got suuuch kicks out of it. We kept it for years and I even had my schoolfriends over for fish shows!

Also, well done on cycling. Most beginners (myself included) don't know about cycling and kill their first batch of fish off. You're off to a good start!

Here's some advice:

He picked out a few kinds & wants an African dwarf frog, but we were told to add that last, along with a small  algae eater.

I am wary of differences between the animals I put in my tank, as that can mean hugely different requirements. Compatibility checks should include checking each species' typical:

Salinity (most are zero, but my livebearers, for example, like a little bit of salt),
pH,
Temperature,
Plantation (do the require heavily planted, or barren)? and
Aggression (I've seen fair amounts of bullying of African dwarf frogs by fish, although neons wouldn't really bully much so I can't imagine that being a problem in your case)

I would compare these parameters for your neons and for the frog. If there's too much difference, don't buy the frog. Compatibility checks are necessary for any other fish too if you don't just want neons.

Is the inch per fish per gallon rule before or after the rocks & other decorations are added?

I was advised in this link () that the inch per gallon rule was before rock/decorations, so that's the good news.

Bad news is that I would be very conservative and try to stock slightly under the inch per gallon rule. They'll be much more comfortable for it, and less prone to disease => heartache as a result.

Another piece of advice: please do stock up on spare food and basic medication (ich, general antibiotic, general disinfectant). You don't want to have a mad scramble to the fish store if you see your fish is sick. Also, early treatment can change everything.

I would buy plenty of hiding ornaments (caves, etc.) and avoid the solely decorative ones (do clean them before putting them in the tank. Boil them if the material lends itself to it). Also, one hiding place is often not enough as if a fish is dominant and territorial, it's submissive counterparts will need some place else to hide. Having lots of hiding places will really relax the fish and deal with excessive bullying.

Please also check these links for tips and tricks for beginners, it will avoid a few headaches down the road. 




I really hope you and your family get a lot of joy out of the fish. Welcome to Fishlore!

 

Thanks Everyone for the GREAT Info! We added a few more fish Saturday... everyone seems to be doing good & getting settled.

Thanks Again ;D

 

Great! Here's wishing you and your son lots of fish fun!