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I have just purchased my first tropical fish setup, the tank has a 30 litre capacity (approx 8 gallons). I would like to keep Zebra Danios and Neon Tetras. Are these fish compatible and if so, how many can a tank this size hold? Would six of each be suitable or would that result in the tank being overstocked? Also how many fish should I use to cycle a tank of this size and which species would you recommend? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Well, six neons would be fine, but the danios wouldn't be suitable for that tank. The thing is, a group of hyperactive two inch fish would need at least twenty gallons to swim around in, though more would be preferable. Zebra danios will become cramped if not given enough room, and possibly even stunt.

Six neons would be perfectly fine though, and have you thought about any other schooling or shoaling fish? Most other tetras and rasboras would work, you could have another group of six. To cycle the tank, some hardy tetras such as lemon tetras could be used. I cycled my twenty-nine gallon tank with a school of six lemon tetras, so three lemons would be fine for your tank.

Hopefully that helps you out a bit. Welcome to the site!

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Any time I see a tank under 20 US gallons I'm hesitant to suggest adding any schooling fish. For one the tank themselves are difficut to keep stable. Even in the hands of experience keepers they've been known to crash. Additionally once the fish are in there you want them to have some room to move about in, and that size tank really doesn't offer much room.
The maximum I'd suggest for your sized tank is one school of fish that are no larger than 1.5" adult size. Smaller tetras like cardinals or rasboras would work okay. Or go with a betta or other fish that do better on their own.

If your Local fish store (LFS) will accept fish returned for credit I'd suggest 3 zebra danios as they are really rather hardy.

^_^
[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

I've always had my heart set on some colourful schooling fish but maybe a single, slightly larger fish would have a better life in such a small tank. The tank is a BiOrb and although the volume is 30 litres, the shape does allow quite a lot of swimming space. Does anyone else have any experience with a BiOrb? What sort of fish did you keep? How many? etc.

Ahhh the bioOrbs.

Personal prefernces aside...fish still need room to swim, no matter how you shape it 8 gallons is still 8 gallons. You cannot over stock it and expect the fish to thrive. If you want a colourful setup you best bet is to return the ball for a better sized tank like a 50 gallon set up. More tank for the same price.
Anything that gets over 1.5 inches and is schooling is going to be too big for it.

^_^
[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

I know its not the best tank but it was given to me by a friend who was moving house so I can't really complain! I'd love to have a bigger tank but unfortunately space is an issue as I'm living with my parents and have to keep the tank in my bedroom. Maybe someday.....

Anyway, I went to my LFS today and got three Zebra Danios, the assistant was very helpful and said I could return them for credit once the tank was cycled (I would never have thought to ask if I could return fish so thanks for suggesting it!), though she said I'd grow so attached to them I wouldn't want to take them back! They are currently exploring their new home!

Thanks for the advice!

ahhh gifted tanks Those are good .

Glad you'll be able to exchange them...I like my zebras, but they're very active fish and really need more space than that to swim about in....Something you might want to look into are female bettas. A few of them will fit in that sized tank.

^_^


[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

Another question...

Can I put a golden apple snail into the tank or should I wait until the tank is completely cycled? The zebras have been in there three days now though I haven't tested the water yet so I don't know the ammonia or nitrite levels. I'm going to buy a test kit (and maybe a snail) tomorrow.

Last edited by foj1428 at 10-Apr-2005 16:30

I'd suggest holding off on the snail till you're compleatly done the cycle. While snails may be able to withstand the cycling process, it's generally not a good idea to add fish while you'r in the middle of cycling as the acclimation is just a bit too much.
Kits are a must IMO though so you're right about getting that

^_^


[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

I've just performed my first water tests with the results as follows:
Ammonia - 0-0.25ppm (hard to tell from the colour chart)
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 10ppm
Is it normal to have a nitrate reading so soon?

I didn't bother with the snail in the end!

*pulls out her article* Take a read... I wrote up a [link=Small Tank Stocking Article]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/General%20Freshwater/55574.html" style="COLOR: #000000[/link] a while ago and it's proved useful... Scroll down the page a big to the mini-novel I've written.

There's quite a few suggestions for small tank stocking... I gathered up all the advice I could find given throughout the forums and just kind of compiled it. Hope it helps you some!

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I've read the article and found it very helpful, thanks!

I think I might go with Killies but how many could an 8 gallon hold? And could I put any other fish in with them? I like the look of Albino Glowlight tetras but I notice these are not on your list!

The reason most tetras aren't listed for your tank is that they need a group of at least 6 preferably more. In a tank that size they wouldn't fit very well and wouldn't have much swimming room at all. Schooling fish really belong in at least a longer tank. I would suggest a 20long minimum for most tetras. I hate setting up any tanks under 30g unless it's for a specific fish/invert such as breeding my applesnails, keeping crayfish, crabs, or frogs. It's just a pain to stock anything under 20g as a community tank and keep it healthy. I'm not experienced with killis but as for the snail make sure to ask how big it gets. Most snails sold as golden mystery or golden applesnails are actually canas. These snails get the size of a baseball and won't even physically fit in your tank If the snail is sold as blue(white shell, black foot), purple striped, or ivory it is likely the smaller version. Black mystery snails are also usually the smaller version (golfball size max) but not always. I don't know the dimensions of that kind of tank so I can't confidently suggest any fish.