my tank measuresments are length 39.5'' ( just say 39'' ) height is 19'' width is 17''
would it be ok to add fish ? the moment i cant afford any yet but when i can is it ok to add fish?

i will have to re stock the harelquins to 10 as i only have 3 and 10 glo lights

i also only add 1 species at a time right?

the list is

gouarmis
rainbow tetra
penguin tetra
pristella tetra
cardinal tetra
bn plec
congo tetra
red tail fin shark/or any shark
blue rams
loaches

could someone advise me on my list please thanks and also things i said at the start of the topic thanks very much

Hi

Your tank comes in at 206 litres but you need to knock 10% off for decor displacment, so about 186 litres of useable space.

The types of fish you stock will first depend on your tank water pH. Do you have a reading and also GH and KH too at all? All but 1 of these fish need soft acidic water.

To start with most people tend to stick to a calculaton of 2.5cm of fish per 4.5 litres of water. This is based on the adult size of the fish. It's a bit of an antiquated formula and it doesn't work with bigger fish like the red tailed shark/congos as they produce far more waste, but it's good as a starting off point.

186/4.5 = 41.3
41.3 x 2.5cm = 103cm of fish length in total.

Gourami (assuming male/female combo) 6cm each= 12cm
Rainbow (neon???)tetra - 5cm, min 6 so = 30 cm
Penguin tetra - 5cm, min of 6 = 30cm
Pristella tetra - 5cm, min of 6 = 30cm
Cardinals - 5cm, min of 6 = 30cm
BN Plec - assume just the 1 = 12cm
Congo tetra - 8cm, min of 6 = 48cm
Rams - assume male/female combo, 7cm = 14cm
Red fin tail shark (can be a very aggressive fish) assume just the one at 12cm = 12cm

That comes to 218cm of adult stock or, in other words ....you would need to reduce that list by at least 50%, given the pH was suitable.

TBH the shark shouldn't be kept with smaller fish anyway as it will frighten them.

Loaches - what type? shoaling so 6 needed, clowns can grow to 40cm each. I'm ignoring them for now. Hope that helps

oops sorry, just noticed I missed one of your questions...

You don't have to stock the same species as the same time but it makes sense to do so. Most LFS sell shoalers at a slightly reduced rate if you buy 5. All shoaling fish should be in groups of 6 min but the bigger the better in my opinion. You see much more natural behavior and they are less timid When I had a community tank I housed 15 neon tetra for example and they looked fab as a bigger group.

I should just clarify that the stocking list calculation ignores your existing stock by the way.

well i am still confused on what fish i can have and cant have...

3 gouramis
6 pristellas
6 cardinals
6 congos
6 rainbow
plec
4 loach ( the long thin ones not the clowns )
also 1 siamese fighter fish if possible is this ok?
and wha i mean by 1 species i mean like a shoal of 1 species instead of adding all the fish i want straight away

Have a little read of this article here. It explains what you need to take into account when choosing how to stcok:

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... sh-how-to-choose-fish.htm

Now you know how to do the first initial stocking calcs too

I notice on your other thread you mention your pH is 7.6 All the fish in your list are not really suitable really as they need much softer, acidic water Unless you are prepared to go down the RO route???

Congos are quite big fish and couldn't be kept with other small tetra as they become lunch. The bigger fish will also scare the smaller ones.

A Betta is not suited to a community tank. They fair better in their own 45 litre tank. Gourami are pair bonding so a third may get bullied. I'm not sure what you mean by rainbow tetra - do you mean rainbowfish?

Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox) would suit your pH. They are shoaling but do better in bigger groups. They grow to about 5-6cm.

Take some time to read through the care sheets here on the left hand menu as they give lot's of advice with regards to pH and sizes etc

There is a guide to harder water fish here here:http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... hp?topic_id=22912&forum=3

Hope this helps.

no this is all getting a bit stressing for me to be honest i thought it would be nice and relaxing keeping fish but theres all different crap u have to do i have a 4 ft tank and more or less i am being told by you i cant have most fish and only about 5 fish extra ( being sarcastic ) but it doesnt seem like i can have many ya would think i have a goldfish bowl

It is relaxing once it's all set up! But if you just chuck in whatever you fancy then you'll have all sorts of problems and that will be even more stressful. We are trying to help prevent all these sorts of problems by telling you what you can and can't keep in your tank. Sorry if some of it is disappointing there are fish we'd all like to keep but can't because we don't have the space or the ability.

If you tell us the pH and hardness of the water then we can suggest a few stocking ideas and then all you have to do is pick which one you prefer- no stress involved

well my ph is a nice colour blue 7.6 what types of fish could i have from the list i made and what other fish can i have that aint ont he list so i can choose from them please? and how can i drop the ph if i wanted the fish on the fish?

All the fish you have listed need soft, acidic water but there are plenty that would live happily in the water you have.

Take a look at a few of the smaller rainbow fish and threadfin species, and at some livebearers like guppies, swordtails and platies.

If you had your heart set on any of the species on your list then your best option is to use RO water, which you should be able to buy from your LFS. You have to add certain minerals to it before you can use it but the shop may do this for you if you tell them what you want.

You can buy stuff that is meant to alter the pH and hardness of tapwater but it's a bit dodgy.

Hi Scouse_fish,

I just wanted to say I feel exactly the same....very disappointed that we can't have all the fish we want .

We came on here when we had a problem with one of our fancy goldfish, but then of course we learnt about all the beautiful fish that we want, but can't have. That was after finding out that the 180 litre tank we'd bought still wasn't big enough for the four fancies that we had!!!!

I must say though, that after reading all the very sad posts from people who have over-stocked, mixed the wrong fish, have the wrong type of water etc etc, I'm glad we found this site.

The last thing we want is to kill a load of fish, have fish that are stressed and living in the wrong conditions etc etc.

But...I do understand, and agree, it is NOT FAIR!!!! There are some beautiful fish out there that we just can't have.

In the end, we will have a properly stocked aquarium, with fish that suit our water, are happy and content and that will, hopefully, live a full life with us.

It was more stressful having fish in the wrong environment to be honest, now if anything goes wrong, I don't have to beat myself up about it....I know that we've done our best, and thank goodness for FISHKEEPING.CO.UK!!!!

Good luck, looking forward to seeing the photos when your tank is complete, I bet it will be lovely,

Eggbut.