# 70l tank



## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

have a new 70l tank coming tomorrow just looking for advice on small fish to go in there and how meny but will have to get on whit my betta as it a upgrade for he as not happy whit the 22l tank i got :bash:


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

What are the dimensions incidentally ?

Do you want slow movers or fast swimming fish ?


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

Zincubus said:


> What are the dimensions incidentally ?
> 
> Do you want slow movers or fast swimming fish ?


its the Juwel Rekord 700 if that help and size is 61cmx31cmx46.5cm and will be live planted whit co2 if that help as well 

as for slow or fast swimming fast not to fuss

and no mollys as have then in the tank in my reptile viv


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

I'm a great fan of Tetras so a couple of shoals of Black Phantoms and/or Emperor Tetras . Both are striking looking and kinda twitchy when they swim PLUS a decent size shoal of Neons /Cardinal tetras .
A trio of albino corry catfish and an Albino Bristlenose plec .

A pair or maybe trio or whatever of Ram cichlids - absolutely beautiful ,interesting and rather small cichlids who in my experience do very well with tetras .

Other favourites include platties / swordtails / male Guppies if you want to go down the route of live-bearers - there is a massive selection if morphs and colours with these. 


Another option is getting some Angelfish who are gorgeous looking with great personalities but grow to a good size .


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

have got 5 Neons tetras and my betta at the mo plus just be down to the fish shop by me and has told me to come down at the weekend as he will have a deliver in so will see what he got in then


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

bigd_1 said:


> have got 5 Neons tetras and my betta at the mo plus just be down to the fish shop by me and has told me to come down at the weekend as he will have a deliver in so will see what he got in then


I've got 17 Neons ( at last count ) . .. the more there is the more they shoal as far as I can tell ... Silver-tip tetras make for great shoals as well . I like the look of Penguin tetras but they can be a bit nippy so no male Betta - Siamese Fighters or male Guppies ...


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

old tank 
new tank


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## AcidicAngel (Jul 24, 2012)

Zincubus said:


> I'm a great fan of Tetras so a couple of shoals of Black Phantoms and/or Emperor Tetras . Both are striking looking and kinda twitchy when they swim PLUS a decent size shoal of Neons /Cardinal tetras .
> A trio of albino corry catfish and an Albino Bristlenose plec .
> 
> A pair or maybe trio or whatever of Ram cichlids - absolutely beautiful ,interesting and rather small cichlids who in my experience do very well with tetras .
> ...


I'm sorry but I disagree with most of this :/

1. Black Phantoms & Emperor's are too big for a 2ft tank. Neons may work but Cardinals are too big as well.
2. Corydoras need groups of 6+ to be truly happy.
3. Not big enough for a Bristlenose.
4. Rams are finicky and can be very aggressive. A 2ft tank is a very small space for any cichlids really as they are all pretty aggressive, especially when breeding.
5. Platies and Swordtails should be OK but bare in mind they cross breed. Male guppies + Betta = NO!
6. Angelfish need a bigger tank. Much bigger. I had one in a 3ft long, 18in high tank and I wanted to upgrade her because the tank was the "right" size but looked too small IMO.

As for small fish to go with a Betta - It's not a case of the fish getting on with the Betta, it's the Betta getting on with the fish!

Betta's all vary, some won't even tolerate snails but some will live with most things. Keep the 22l set up as a back up tank and to reduce the risk of him going nuts on the new fish put him in last.

Suggestions:
For the bottom-
Otocinclus Catfish- I have two so that's the minimum I'd recommend.
Small Corydoras- Corydoras Pygmaeus, Corydoras hastatus or Corydoras habrosus are the smallest Cory species and they do best in groups of 10+.

For the middle-
Pseudomugil furcatus or Pseudomugil gertrudae- Shoal of 6-10 would work nicely and they are colourful but not nippy.
Iriatherina werneri- A group of 6 would work, you do have to make sure they eat though as they are slow feeders and have tiny mouths.

For the top-
Your Betta should be the only "top dwelling" fish ideally.


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

AcidicAngel said:


> I'm sorry but I disagree with most of this :/
> 
> 1. Black Phantoms & Emperor's are too big for a 2ft tank. Neons may work but Cardinals are too big as well.
> 2. Corydoras need groups of 6+ to be truly happy.
> ...



Ahh I wondered where we crossed swords before and I've just checked your thread showing your tank .... It's clear to see why you think my stocking suggestions are flawed .. .... As I said in that thread your tank looks absolutely stunning BUT there's no fish to be seen ! LOL 

I think some people take things to the extreme and buy a 7' Viv for a baby Boa for example .
Link to thread in question .... http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/aquatics-pictures/1071170-my-aquarium-s.html

It's all down to opinion tbh ...

I've got some Black Phantoms and they are not even an inch long , granted they are not full grown but I can't see them growing that much bigger ...same goes for the Emperors who don't get that big .... I've never seen them get to a decent unless they are in massive Zoo- size tanks ... .Bristlenose are regarded as Dwarf Plecs .... I had a breeding adult pair years ago and the female was under 5" and the male was smaller ... 

I've also kept two pairs of Ram cichlids in the same tank ... Mine are fantastic eaters and extremely healthy and robust so I'd never regard them as finicky in any sense of the word and I'd never class them as nippers either .. Sure they are a tad territorial but I've never seen any one of them actually cause in damage ...their mouths are TINY , they struggle to eat bloodworm they are so small . Occasionally you'll see a couple of Rams charging head to head to sort out the boundary lines but they don't even touch noses ...it's all bravado .

As regards your suggestion of Oto Catfish they are so unbelievably small and shy ... the the guy will probably never ever see them after he's dropped them in the tank 

Also as to groups of ten Corry catfish you suggest ... How much is that going to cost !??

You're also suggesting shoals of Pseudomugil but the ones I've seen we're twice the size of Black phantoms / Emperors ...
and are rarely seen in UK shops - weren't particularly cheap and I'm not sure about their hardiness either.

As regards Iriatherina werneri ...they are unusual looking fish but I've NEVER , EVER seen them available so I don't think they'll be found easily . 

None of your suggestions can be regarded as colourful , beautiful fins and interesting to watch but ultimately pretty drab unless your thing is " Pastel colours " ..

The ones I've mentioned are colourful , interesting , more or less bomb proof , proven community fish , commonly found in all fish stores , won't grow too big and are all relatively cheap to buy apart from the Bristlenose which may be around £5.

I swear by lots of plants and hiding places as well as the open spaces they all need ...
I would add that my tanks all have TWO internal Fluval filters working just in case of one failing ALSO I have two heater/ thermostats in each tank for the same reason ....


PS

Here's a copy - paste overview on Ram Cichlids ..



overview
The Ram is prized for its winning personality despite its fierce appearance. With its spiked dorsal fin, low-slung pectoral fins, Papiliochromis ramirezi 'appears' to be an aquarium bulldog. However, this member of the Cichlidae family is actually one of the more social and peaceful freshwater fish. In fact, most Rams will actively swim with equally non-aggressive members of your community aquarium and are known to faithfully pair with just one other mate.


Sadly it looks as though we have nothing in common apart from both owning an Amel Stripe Corn snake .... of course mine is older , twice as big and prettier than yours


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

have got sum german blue rams and sum bumblebee goby


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## AcidicAngel (Jul 24, 2012)

bigd_1 said:


> have got sum german blue rams and sum bumblebee goby


The GBR's are finicky, they are the kind of fish that can be thriving one day and dead the next. So if they survive, good job!
I had a pair in my tank, the golden variety admittedly, that were breeding then one day male was dead. No illness, nothing in the tank changed, he was fine and active the day before - Dead. Female carried on for a fair few months after and then same happened to her.

The BBG's - I had one that had to live in solitary confinement(a 5 gallon for a fish smaller than 1 inch is ridiculous!) due to eating my other fish.

Zincubus- Whether a tank looks empty or not is nothing to do with it! Baby fish grow and the overall health of the fish depends on the way a tank is stocked. Mine is heavily stocked going by the bioload it should have in it. And you suggested Angels to me too. Fish that need bigger tanks than I have and you suggested I get some and sell them when they get too big. Why do that when there are fish that can be kept for life in these size tanks?

The shoaling fish I mentioned can be found online easily, with the Threadfins being readily available in shops. None of them get large, they are colourful when they are settled and they are a great size for the tank. My fiancé had a group of Emperor's too, they were a good 2 inch long if not longer.

The cory's yes it's going to cost - But would you rather spend a bit more to have happy, thriving fish or a bit less and have skittish, scared fish? THIS I have experienced with my old Corydoras pygmaeus before I upped their numbers.

Ototcinclus- I mentioned I have two. I see them daily, they are active and only skittish if you move towards them fast. Otherwise they don't care.

Bristlenose- They may average 5-6 inch but that's 5-6 inch in a 2ft tank.... They can reach 8 inch. And they are POOP machines. 

I think you'd find if you could see my tank in person you see fish everywhere you look. Pictures only catch some of them, not all of them.

P.S. "Sadly it looks as though we have nothing in common apart from both owning an Amel Stripe Corn snake .... of course mine is older , twice as big and prettier than yours" - Real mature there....


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

AcidicAngel said:


> The GBR's are finicky, they are the kind of fish that can be thriving one day and dead the next. So if they survive, good job!
> I had a pair in my tank, the golden variety admittedly, that were breeding then one day male was dead. No illness, nothing in the tank changed, he was fine and active the day before - Dead. Female carried on for a fair few months after and then same happened to her.
> 
> The BBG's - I had one that had to live in solitary confinement(a 5 gallon for a fish smaller than 1 inch is ridiculous!) due to eating my other fish.
> ...


I wasn't trying to be mature .. you always seem to miss the point ... It was just a lighthearted comment to indicate that my comments were meant in good faith with no bad feeling intended .. Oh my point about Otos are that they are tiny , bland looking and virtually impossible to see in a well planted tank .

By the way ... how thick are your spectacles - are they magnified or something !?

8" Bristlenose !!!!! They don't get that big in those massive zoo tanks even with the 4" thick glass 
My breeding pair were both under 5" and they were in a 5' tank !
I've never used online couriers for fish as I prefer to see mine first and hand pick them - sometimes I come across neat or unusual fish but if I don't like the look of their tank mates or the shop in general I just walk away without buying anything .. plus can you imagine how they get chucked about when they're delivered to you !?! Sorry not for me .


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## RubyRoo12 (Jun 20, 2012)

I wouldnt keep bristlenoses or angels in a 2ft tank. We had a male bristlenose in a 4ft tank and he was a little over 6 inches and very territorial. Angelfish just need larger tanks full stop. I can never see the point in owning a fish until its too large for your tank. All that effort and enjoying it to then give it away/sell it later on. 

As for the otto catfish, we had 6 in a very heavily planted 6ft tank and they were always busy and on show. When they rested they would rest in a group but other than that they investigated the whole tank and were never shy. Most certainly recommend these little guys :2thumb:


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

RubyRoo12 said:


> I wouldnt keep bristlenoses or angels in a 2ft tank. We had a male bristlenose in a 4ft tank and he was a little over 6 inches and very territorial. Angelfish just need larger tanks full stop. I can never see the point in owning a fish until its too large for your tank. All that effort and enjoying it to then give it away/sell it later on.
> 
> As for the otto catfish, we had 6 in a very heavily planted 6ft tank and they were always busy and on show. When they rested they would rest in a group but other than that they investigated the whole tank and were never shy. Most certainly recommend these little guys :2thumb:



Why sell or give away ANY fish ??


Thing is keeping fish is rather like snake keeping isn't it ??
You start with one tank then two ......


I have a range of vivs small medium and large ..... for all eventualities plus a few spare fish tanks 

I scour the classifieds and pick up bargains in advance though .


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