Which Fish

I could sit here all night getting my questions answered

So which fish would you recommend to someone setting up a new tank and pretty new to the world of fish keeping

Well the sky is the limit GD but IMO the nicest setup is to have a decent shoal of something like Harlequin Rasboras, Neon tetras or Zebra Danios, some larger individuals like platies or guppies, a few specimen fish like gouramis and then some bottom dwellers like loaches, plecs or cories. That way, you get a nice mix of fish at all levels.

The most important thing is to RESEARCH the fish before you buy i.e. maximum adult sizes to make sure they'll fit in your tank, minimum numbers of individuals as some require groups while others need to be kept alone etc.

The easiest way to get an idea is to go to an LFS (RESIST the urge to buy) and just get an idea of what fish you like the look of and then check on here for compatibility, suitability etc.

ill be honest, i find the little smallfry tetras a lil' dare i say it ........dull.......

i like the more big bold and beautiful

have a look at pearl gourami stunning fish leave the dwarf gourami alone they dont last 5 mins also try to get at least 2to3 females to every male otherwise the males will bully each other which is not nice to see. platies are great they will breed like crazy i only had a pair in my 54 l tank with some tetras and there are babies every six weeks or so only about one or two but as they get bigger i will transfer them to my other tanks, also have a look at a plec but be careful about size as some will grow very big my common is about 11 inches. ask as many questions as you can but be careful some lfs will tell you anything as long as you buy

I have honey gouramis and they are lovely!! The "lil" tetras can be a bit dull but they do add variety to the tank. They also look great in shoals As mary said go to the LFS and have a look, check adult sizes though

So if i pick a few which are possible, I should come back and read up on em.

Ok next question how many inch of fish to 128L tank?

Pearl Gouramis are beautiful. I have three and I agree with you on the small fish although I made an exception for Black Neons and Cherry Barbs, both lovely species.

The usual guidelines are 1" to one gallon (28 gallons in your case) so that gives you plenty of scope hence the need to research the ADULT sizes 'coz the tank might look empty with juvenile fish but once they grow...it's a different story.

Gotta admit I enjoyed the pair of rams i used to own a long time ago. I will probs look into a pair again but as I have read around on forums - females are hard to come across?

Well enough for me tonight time to hit the sack

I have a pair of male Blue Rams only because the LFS had no females. I also had a pair of Bolivian Rams (sex unknown) but sadly one died.

GeordieDave wrote:

Gotta admit I enjoyed the pair of rams i used to own a long time ago. I will probs look into a pair again but as I have read around on forums - females are hard to come across?

Well enough for me tonight time to hit the sack

Unless you have a lot of money it's very hard to get a female. (The breeders don't want competition!!) There are other nice dwarf cichlids though

The 1"-1gal is a very rough guide. (surface area is important, as is the adult size of the fish) Here are some suggestions though:-

Kribensis are a nice relatively easy fish to keep. Readily available and small enough for a 128l. They are a little fiesty, especially when breeding but not as much as some cichlids.

Praecox Rainbows - You could have a shoal of 6-8 they are lovely friendly fish - mine eat from my fingers.

Bristlenose Plec - You could fit a pair in there. Very easy to keep, ideal first plec. Don't get huge like many easily available plecs either.

Zebra Loach - Ideally kept in a small group of 4-6 lovely, lively loaches, much better suited to the average tank than their larger cousins the clown loach. They also eat snails.

Corydoras Catfish - Many different varieties all live in small groups of 4-6+ friendly, funny and fun to watch.

Smaller Gouramis - Like the Honey Gouramis or Thick-Lipped Gouramis

Just a suggestion but in a tank that size a pair of slighty larger fish like the Kribs (Or Rams if you could find a pair), 6 Praecox Rainbows, 2 Bristlies and 4 Corys would be lovely.

kribs are nice little fish, and would go along with the Bristlenose suggestion, one of the best little plecs there is i think. its a good idea to have some sort of shoaling fish, i like the healrequins but there are others that give a good display too

i dont know if it would get a bit crowded if there were 4 corys and 2 bn's because bn's can get a bit territorial i think, but indigoj probaby (definately!) has more knowledge than me on that.

its best to go to the lfs armed with a list and a pen and paper because you will see some fish that you have never thought of nand you can get home and read up on them before buying and ending up with an shark sized monster :lol:

indigoj wrote:

The 1"-1gal is a very rough guide. (surface area is important, as is the adult size of the fish) Here are some suggestions though:-

Kribensis are a nice relatively easy fish to keep. Readily available and small enough for a 128l. They are a little fiesty, especially when breeding but not as much as some cichlids.

Praecox Rainbows - You could have a shoal of 6-8 they are lovely friendly fish - mine eat from my fingers.

Bristlenose Plec - You could fit a pair in there. Very easy to keep, ideal first plec. Don't get huge like many easily available plecs either.

Zebra Loach - Ideally kept in a small group of 4-6 lovely, lively loaches, much better suited to the average tank than their larger cousins the clown loach. They also eat snails.

Corydoras Catfish - Many different varieties all live in small groups of 4-6+ friendly, funny and fun to watch.

Smaller Gouramis - Like the Honey Gouramis or Thick-Lipped Gouramis

Just a suggestion but in a tank that size a pair of slighty larger fish like the Kribs (Or Rams if you could find a pair), 6 Praecox Rainbows, 2 Bristlies and 4 Corys would be lovely.

Thats a nice list

ok thanks you guys, some nice ideas, so really i should be aiming to have around 10-15 fish max dependant on size etc. surely more fish in the tank would reduce the size the fish could grow to? or is that me being daft?

ill go see some pics of bristle nose plecs (are they algae munchers)

GeordieDave wrote:

ok thanks you guys, some nice ideas, so really i should be aiming to have around 10-15 fish max dependant on size etc. surely more fish in the tank would reduce the size the fish could grow to? or is that me being daft?

ill go see some pics of bristle nose plecs (are they algea munchers)

HAving less space can sometimes stunt growth but it is very bad for their long term health! Bristle nose will eat algae but their main diet is lignins which is found in bogwood so that must be in the tank

I have read-up that bogwood can stain the water to have a brown tinge?

correct or incorrect?

GeordieDave wrote:

I have read-up that bogwood can stain the water to have a brown tinge?

correct or incorrect?

When you are going to put bogwood in your tank you have to soak it for about a week so that all (or most) of the colour can leech out. you might still find that it stains your water a bit but it does no harm to the fish and lessens over time. It doesnt quite make it brown, more like a week cup of tea - without milk of course :lol:

I like the tinge. Makes it look natural

A lot of LFS will tell you that fish will 'grow to the size of the tank' they say this to sell you fish. It is VERY bad for a fish to be kept in too small a tank.

Bristlenose plecs are probably one of the better algae eating plecs but as mentioned will thrive on a varied diet including wood (although for bristlies this is not 100% essential), veggies such as courgette, sweet potato etc and an occasional prawn.

indigoj wrote:

Bristlenose plecs are probably one of the better algae eating plecs but as mentioned will thrive on a varied diet including wood (although for bristlies this is not 100% essential), veggies such as courgette, sweet potato etc and an occasional prawn.

They are actually one of few fish were lignins is an essential part of the diet for health and growth

Matty wrote:

GeordieDave wrote:

ok thanks you guys, some nice ideas, so really i should be aiming to have around 10-15 fish max dependant on size etc. surely more fish in the tank would reduce the size the fish could grow to? or is that me being daft?

ill go see some pics of bristle nose plecs (are they algea munchers)

HAving less space can sometimes stunt growth but it is very bad for their long term health! Bristle nose will eat algae but their main diet is lignins which is found in bogwood so that must be in the tank

Their diet also needs to be supplemented GD, as although they eat algae, they have to be fed plec wafers, cucumber, courgette and other veggies.

They are great little fish though :lol:

Matty wrote:

indigoj wrote:

Bristlenose plecs are probably one of the better algae eating plecs but as mentioned will thrive on a varied diet including wood (although for bristlies this is not 100% essential), veggies such as courgette, sweet potato etc and an occasional prawn.

They are actually one of few fish were lignins is an essential part of the diet for health and growth

This is not yet confirmed, just considered a possibility and many people I know have bred and raised bristlies with no wood in their tanks for years. Even planet catfish just say they 'may' need wood as part of their diet.

The panaque family of plecs however are true wood eaters who cannot survive without it.

so maybe if i do get some bogwood i get a lump which has already been in the LFS displays?

Yup! That would help

That's what I did GD, but soak it in some boiling water anyway just to kill any bugs that may be on it.