Small Tank Stocking List

[Franssny]

Hope to get some ideas from members here.

I am currently setting up a 120 L cube tank for a client's 8 year old and would like some ideas wrt fish . Please bear in mind it took me a week to convince them to rather go freshwater than "nemo & dory" (they have very limited experience) so it need to be cool as well.

O yes there will be plants etc so no big buldozers !

[Firefly]

A few Corys and some neons. Maybe put in some leopard danios for starters.

[SalmonAfrica]

I'd actually you rather went for a few larger fish than larger schools of smaller fish. If the kid wanted Nemo and Dory, they obviously wanted a fish that they could identify with - this is hard to achieve with a school of neons. A 120 litre will be a nice environment for a few fancy goldfish, with which the kid can have more of a pet experience and also is a good base for the aquarium hobby, both in terms of ease and aesthetically.

[Vis]

Might go with some schooling fish and a single big interesting angel fish.

[TankMaster]

When kids have pets . . .it's normal for them to become attached and give them names.

How is a kid going to name 20 neons? LOL

Just my opinion . . .

But for a kid . . . 120L is way too big . .

Goldfish and plants are a no no . . . .

So this leaves Angelfish of different colours and 10 different tetras . .so he can name each one :)

TM

[Vis]

Handfull of congo tetras and a Angel?
Angels have loads of caracter and the congos can just add as a filler.

[TankMaster]

Here goes...

1 X Black angelfish 70mm
1 X Marble angelfish 70mm
1 X Platinum angelfish 70mm

maybe a bristlenose ancistrus?

10-12 Rummy nose tetras

[Max98]

What about a pair of rams?

And a few tetras...

[TankMaster]

First time fish keepers

Rams are not beginner fish

[Franssny]

Thanx guys , agree with a lot being said. Yip rams are definitely not on the list.

@TM this is a father son project for my client so size is not going to be too much of an issue although i tend to disagree in a sense as in my experience with both FW & marine larger systems tend to be more stable wrt water quality etc due to the larger water volume.

[dangerousd]

Here goes...

1 X Black angelfish 70mm
1 X Marble angelfish 70mm
1 X Platinum angelfish 70mm

maybe a bristlenose ancistrus?

10-12 Rummy nose tetras

This is a coooool idea - would look lekker

[Linga]

for the kid the larger fish would be better, the angels sound good. plus with a little kid he may want to tap on the glass, the schoolers will want to hide, but with larger fish they tend to enjoy the interaction a bit more, esp the angels IME

[neilh]

Male Betta
12 Panda Corys

[azurekoi]

Dont discount kids and what they can do....by age 8 to 9 I had over 50 tanks in my room and had already bred about 20 species(o.k,I was a precoscious kid,with a dad who made my tanks and did the electrics...) - but as noob fishkeeper(with a Nemo/Dory complex,maybe this will tickle their fancy:
- mix of 6 Dwarf/Red Robin and Honey gouramies..
- school of 10 - 12 Barbs - Ticto's,checker's or Schuberti's(something in wich @ least the males show colour)
- 2 - 3 clown loaches....kids LOVE them

Colour,movement at various levels of the tank and medium sized fish - not the 20 Neons as a blur...My 2cents...

[Linga]

right on there azurekoi, the clown loaches will also be the closest thing to nemo. but definatley not recommended for first timers, and assuming the kid is not super into fish like you were, the beautiful loaches may not made it, overfeeding, incorrect food, lack of maintenance.

[oscar freak]

a coupla swords and platies,easiest fish i know plus the fun of finding new fish every now and then.

[mydummyname]

.... larger systems tend to be more stable wrt water quality etc due to the larger water volume.

i agree with you here..

i would also not go with a school of fish as others have said, difficult to identify with any one of them.. rather a few larger fish.. the angel are a good idea in my opinion..

[Zoom]

No one has touched on getting things like Guppies or Swordtails. Some of the hardier fish. Swords come in a range of colours, and seeing the live fry could be stimulating as well.

[TankMaster]

Seeing live fry being eaten by the parents . . .not so much . .

[Vis]

No one has touched on getting things like Guppies or Swordtails.

Must disagree here. Personaly I find guppies apart from there beauty have no caracter and just sworm against the glass for food all the time :(

I recon the father will keep a eye on feeding etc.
Final choice would then be Angels and Clown loach.

[Firefly]

When kids have pets . . .it's normal for them to become attached and give them names.
How is a kid going to name 20 neons? LOL
TM
John, John, John, John, John, John...........
How many Angels could one keep in a 120L?

[Vis]

John, John, John, John, John, John...........


you forgot John and little John :)

[Whipme]

I second the idea of angels and clown loaches.
The loaches will need a bigger tank eventually, but hopefully by that time the father would have enjoyed it and decided to get a bigger tank for himself :)

Oh, and don't forget Kuhli loaches, kids would like those too!
The likelihood is that the kid would go for something like a bala shark as well, they seem to be very popular first timer fish.

And on a technical note, you should definitely try get them some Otocinclus. It will make the tank much much easier to maintain.

[mydummyname]

I second the idea of angels and clown loaches.
The loaches will need a bigger tank eventually, but hopefully by that time the father would have enjoyed it and decided to get a bigger tank for himself :)

Oh, and don't forget Kuhli loaches, kids would like those too!
The likelihood is that the kid would go for something like a bala shark as well, they seem to be very popular first timer fish.

And on a technical note, you should definitely try get them some Otocinclus. It will make the tank much much easier to maintain.

i like the idea of angels and clown loaches as well, something to take note of tho, is that loaches generally like higher temperatures, they tend to suffer from ich if the water is not warm enough, could the angels handle that temperature?

as for the bala shark, here it gets complicated, because a bala shark will grow much faster than the other fish in the tank and they get to about 25cm or larger, especially the slow growing loaches, and they need a 250L tank at least.

then, more problematic, you cant just get 1 bala shark, you need at least 5.

bala sharks tend to die very easily if you dont give them the right environment and tank mates. i would not suggest this as a first time fish.

a 120L tank is just too short for even small bala sharks, they tend to zip up and down and run out of tank, sometimes knocking themselves unconscious and even die.. others here can testify to that happening

if you gonna keep bala sharks you should consider setting the tank up around them, rather than thinking of adding them to some setup..

[Whipme]

I fully agree on the Bala's, but the unfortunate thing is that it seems to be a bit of a cliche with inexperienced fishkeepers. They want a "shark", so they buy it and the shops don't tell them any of the complications :( I don't think the Loaches really need such high temperatures, I've kept other botine loaches at around 24 degrees for a number of years now. There have been some ich cases, but it's not that hard to get rid of with Tetra Contra-Spot. And then it seems to disappear. I've only ever had it after changing tanks and about a month after getting the loaches. So it would seem that stress makes them vulnerable to it.

[mydummyname]

I fully agree on the Bala's, but the unfortunate thing is that it seems to be a bit of a cliche with inexperienced fishkeepers. They want a "shark", so they buy it and the shops don't tell them any of the complications :( I don't think the Loaches really need such high temperatures, I've kept other botine loaches at around 24 degrees for a number of years now. There have been some ich cases, but it's not that hard to get rid of with Tetra Contra-Spot. And then it seems to disappear. I've only ever had it after changing tanks and about a month after getting the loaches. So it would seem that stress makes them vulnerable to it.

i think you are very fortunate bro, i think there is a thread somewhere here where quite a few people have experienced clown loaches being more susceptible to ich in cooler water..

if my water drops below 26deg, my loaches become lethargic and tend to sleep more. 27 and 28deg they much more active.

and there has been some serious debates as to which methods to use in dealing with the ich..

but if it works for you then thats cool ;)

[eel]

I think he should go for dwarf gourami or bettas that are beautiful and will breed. That way in a year or two he will not get bored with fish, but breed totaly different coloured fish.

[Gert Combrink]

This thread is interesting, as it show people's preferences and experience.
120 L is the limiting factor.
Angels grow big and need around 100 L / pair.
Being a new tank and new to the hobby, (with parental care) I will also advice to go with some swords, platies, guppies, danios, and at least 5 bronze Cories and perhaps 3 clown loaches. Keep the temp around 25/27 Deg.

Make sure the tank is well cycled and start with the danios. I suggest giving them a shopping list and let them go and shop every weekend for the next species (say guppies), slowly adding to the bioload and experience the lfs culture. This way they can add to the tank slowly and do research on the next fish species beforehand!

My 2 zim dollars...
Gert.

[mark d]

Some nice fish would be guppies, mollies, platies, swords, cory, white clouds, rosy barbs, Harlequin rasboras, red eye tetras. Mostly tetras. Almost all tetras are hardy fish. Angels are not so good. They may try and eat smaller fish. Or just get the kid some malawis.

[Filterboy]

first malawis get to 15cm . get some dwarf gouramis . Tetras are good so maby some different ones and clown loaches