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Just to add to your point Girlie... If you have corys or loaches, they prefer school. That means if you have 8-10 corys, then they should probably all be the same kind. You might get by with 2 different types if you do 10 corys but the larger the school the better off they are. They love larger groups and will be much happier in large-ish groups than if you were to have like 2 of one kind and 3 of another. As for the others, I really have come to like Von Rio Tetras. They are red-orange and only get to be about 2 inches which means that you can get several into a school in a tank that size. A good rule of thumb when talking about a community tank is about 1 inch of fish to 1 US gallon of water. There is a conversion calculator on this site that will help you convert sizes to metrics, sorry I would normally do it myself, but I am at work and typing to you in between things I have to do.

Anyway, good luck with your tank. please keep us updated on your decisions and such. Also if you want I am sure everyone would love to see pics!


Christina

Hi
Thanks for all the help, advise and welcomes!!
I intend to use live plants with a gravel base. I have had coldwater tanks before and still have an outdoor pond but this is my first time with tropical.
We spoke to the person selling the tank and have been informed that they have a black & white Angelfish, 3 "suckerfish" and a golden barb they will include in the price. They live about 30 minutes drive away and I'm a bit unsure about the chances of the fish surviving. I intend to empty the water into large containers I have and use it to refill the tank when positioned. Would this be the best option or should I start from scratch? The fish will be tranported in a separate container and re-introduced asap when temp is ok and water settled
Cheers
Darren

I would find out what kind of "suckerfish" they have. It could be anything. They most likely mean some kind of algae eater...but, it could be BN's, Chinese Algae Eaters, Ottos, Siamese Algae Eaters, or a type of pleco.
If it is Chinese Algae eaters...then don't get them. They get pretty big and get aggressive with age. I had one that latched on to a couple zebra danios and killed them.
According to the profile on here, golden barbs are schooling so you would need to get more of them if you kept the one. I am not sure about their behavior and if they are nippy or not.
The angel would depend on how tall your tank was. I know one angel is ok in a 29g (US), but those tanks are usually tall. Maybe someone else can give you an answer about the angel.
If you get the angel, the barb (add friends), and the suckerfishes...if they aren't CAEs, then you could only add a school of cories and be fully stocked.
Not taking those fish allows you to choose what stock you want. Its up to you. IMO I would pick out my own fish and maybe take the angel. Good luck!

*Kristin*

Hi
Well, we picked up the tank and took the fish, they have been together so long in a bare tank, victims of a nasty relationship break-up we feel. We plan on getting some friends for the angel and the barb...poor lonely things!! We brought back most of the water with us and added some treated water (conditioner treated) to the tank, it hadn't been cleaned "for ages" apparently...all seems well, they are feeding and moving about ok. The suckerfish look like catfish..Pleco family, and seem content to suck away at the bottom, glass and ornaments, not pestering the other guys.
We will be looking to introduce some plants tomorrow.....how much of an effect can they have on the underwater environ???..good or bad?..in the short term I mean.
Anyway, thanks for the help...much appreciated. I will include photos soon
Thanks folks!!
Darren and Claire

PS... checked the Chinese algae eater, they are not them!!!..thank God!!!

after searching the Net.....this is the closest I could find to the "Suckerfish" ...Plecostomus Hypostomus..they seem peaceful enough

Cheers
D&C

Can you post pictures of the unknown fish? That would help get a positive ID on them. If you can't post them directly on to the page then you can post them on another site like photobucket.com and such and then just give us the link for it. That way we can help you ID your fish.

Good Luck with your new tank and Welcome to your "New Way of Life" lol


Christina

Yep, been looking around on the net and discovered that plecos get quite large. May have to get another tank!!...eventually (if the fish bug bites hard, and I have a feeling it will!) or trade them in on something else later.
The tank has been set-up for 15 hours and all is going well. We are off to our local pet shop today. We were chatting to the owner on Tuesday and he's fish crazy and full of advise, very handy to know. We will be looking at purchasing some plants from him. Will set up a photo site soon
Cheers all and thanks again for your help
Darren

The ich seems to have disappeared...knock on wood, so I am thinking of replacing the charcoal in the filter tonight (Fri).
The ammonia level has increased to approx.5 so I am thinking a cycle may be about to occur.
I was thinking of doing a 25% water change prior to adding the charcoal, after firstly taking a reading to check the ammonia.
Any thoughts??

Do small (20-25%) water changes a day until the ammonia is at 0. Building the phantoms up is fine...just don't add any more fish other than them. And build it up slowly..like maybe add a couple each week...to prevent a mini-cycle.

*Kristin*

Hi Girliegirl

Yep that was my plan, a slow build up
Cheers
D