# 90litre confusion?



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

I have just got a 90litre tank for xmas and have already set it up and will decorated it and so just letting it settle for a while but i have been looking at fish and my dads friend own a fish shop so most of the fish i get will be for free:2thumb:
But thats the thing i dont know what to do with the tank, i know my dads driend will help but its a like an 2 hour drive there and dont want to decide on the spot in the shop and want some sort of idea
the dimensions are 14 inches long 14 inches deep and 18 inches high

i know i want the following
clown loaches
neon tetras

i have no idea what else could go in a 90litre tank with these so could you guys help me out with some suggestions for these guys?
i would like the fish to be active and also nice to look at
thanks in advance:2thumb:


----------



## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

A tank that size is only about 57l.

clown loaches are totally unsuitable for a tank that size.

I'd walk round local shops making lists of fish you like, then researching them.

Have you done anything to cycle the tank?


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

hippyhaplos said:


> A tank that size is only about 57l.
> 
> clown loaches are totally unsuitable for a tank that size.
> 
> ...


thanks for the tip on the shark but the tank is a 90litre the box says it and when i go on calculators it says 90 litres

and other help would be brilliant

would be great if you could say what you would put in the tank


----------



## littlefoot (Dec 6, 2007)

Hi,if it says 90 litre on the box then your measurements are incorrect.As hippy said a tank that is 14 inches by 14 inches by 18 inches does not hold 90 litres.Clown loaches need a big tank and a lot of space so count them out.Again as hippy said are you going to cycle the tank?

Before anyone can help you need to get the correct measurements of the tank.


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

sorry yeah wrote it wrong:blush:

its 24 inches long 14 inches deep and 18 inches high
its because the 1 is next 2 two LOL:blush::blush::blush:

i will be cycling the tank for 2 weeks i think


----------



## littlefoot (Dec 6, 2007)

herper147 said:


> sorry yeah wrote it wrong:blush:
> 
> its 24 inches long 14 inches deep and 18 inches high
> its because the 1 is next 2 two LOL:blush::blush::blush:
> ...


O.K definately too small for clown loaches.Cycling a tank takes at least three weeks usualy.To do a fishless cycle you will need some live bacteria ( I use API stress zyme + ) and a bottle of ammonia ( ammonia and water only,no surfactants) In a 2 foot tank you need to stick to small fish and not too many.You could have 1 or 2 small bottom dwellers and a school of small fish like small tetras.Make sure you have good surface agitation and a good filter.For a cycle you will also need a test kit or at least some test strips.You will also need some water conditioner too.

I am in a bit of a hurry at present,i am off to london for a couple days.If there is anything else you need help with just ask.Someone will help you out and good luck


----------



## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

Have a look at this site for ideas.
http://www.aquaticstoyourdoor.co.uk/tropical-fish/?gclid=COn18vyHoq0CFUUPfAodYFhsmg

You have got a few weeks of cycling to get a stocklist ready. Just a point though , dont add all of the fish at once , you will probably crash the filter, just add them a small group at a time giving a week between new additions. 
Perhaps when you've chosen a stocklist post it on here and we can help advise on which would be the hardiest fish to introduce first. 
Mark


----------



## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

I never get this whole "cycle it for 2 weeks", "no cycle it for 3 weeks" rubbish. 

Buy an ammonia and nitrite test kit - when they reach 0 after a peak, you've cycled. Might be 1 week, might be 6 weeks.


----------



## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

i love it , i wish they would remove clown loaches from all pet shops they are not suitable for a tank thats on general sale , i had a 4ft 300litre tank and after a year i had to move all my loaches to my mates 1000litre tank because they are just too big for a tank that size never mind 90litre's a clown loach will grow up to 16 inches so thats wider then your tank


----------



## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

AshMashMash said:


> I never get this whole "cycle it for 2 weeks", "no cycle it for 3 weeks" rubbish.
> 
> Buy an ammonia and nitrite test kit - when they reach 0 after a peak, you've cycled. Might be 1 week, might be 6 weeks.


You're wrong, cycle it for 3.4 weeks.


----------



## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Morgan Freeman said:


> You're wrong, cycle it for 3.4 weeks.


IT'LL BE AT LEAST 4.2 WEEKS N00B! :Na_Na_Na_Na:


----------



## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

:whistling2:and there are ways to get around this for an almost instant cycle :whistling2:


----------



## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

ridium said:


> :whistling2:and there are ways to get around this for an almost instant cycle :whistling2:


Yes, heavily plant or seed from another filter. There's still no time frame to follow.


----------



## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

Bactinettes


----------



## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

I wonder why everyone isn't using it. Have you tested it?


----------



## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

yep and worked with a boost of water change from old tank + some old media


----------



## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Cool. Where do you get them from?


----------



## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

i got mine from maidenhead aquatics pretty expensive though think its around £10


----------



## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

herper147 said:


> sorry yeah wrote it wrong:blush:
> 
> its 24 inches long 14 inches deep and 18 inches high
> its because the 1 is next 2 two LOL:blush::blush::blush:
> ...


 
that's about a 20 gallon high...

Aquarium dimensions - reference


a decent tank... you can do a lot with that tank...

some malawi cichlids would work... it would be a busy and colorful tank them... good filtration and regular water changes of course...


----------



## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Malawis in a 20 gallons!???


----------



## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Malawis in a 20 gallons!???


 
oh yeah.. i raised and bred them for years in 20 gallon high tanks... they were my standard tank... had me three of them chock-full..

they love it crowded you know... i did do water changes every few days but i really crammed them in...

can't begin to tell you how many broods i ended up with... mostly the zebras...

lots of lace rock... plenty of caves... mass filtration of course...

about the best time i ever had with fish were those tanks of malawi... the shop by me always had babies 6 for $20.. assorted... i would get me a half dozen every week... raise them up and they would breed... babies just hid in the rocks... momma fish with mouths full of eggs and fry...

greedy little guys!!


----------



## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

wow!:gasp:


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

went to the sho today and one of the guys said that chinese fighters are fine with most other fish, obviously not with the same kind

is this true could i keep neon tetras with a fighter fish?
and a few other things
also saw some panda cory today and some red swordtails are these two species of fish ok for the tank


----------



## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

panda corys , tetras amd betta's will be fine for that tank but tetras like to nibble at slow moving and wavy fins so dont be suprised to see nipped fins on the betta , and a few dead tetra from the betta retaliating


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

Tad confusing? You say they will be fine but I should expect some dead fish???
But would cool if I could have those thee 

I suppose a ruby shark is out of the question then especially with the betta

EDIT:defo gonna get some cory's waht do you guys would say is a good amount to go with 10 neon tetras in the tank and a few other fish?
i have not bought any fish andwill not do for a while just to get that clear


----------



## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

anything known to be nippy will attack the betta , it would be same with gouramis slow moving long wavy bodys , tetras love to just nip at everything


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

so a betta would not be a good idea wih the tetras?


----------



## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

Neon Tetras and a Siamese Fighter will be fine, some tetras are a lot more aggressive than others (columbians, buenos aires, silver tips, red eyes, serpae, emperor, blues to name a few) but others are unlikely to ever nip and would take a really unlucky person for it to happen, there are never any guarantees.... but.. generally they are ok (neons, black neons, albino black neons, rosy, black phantom, red phantom, glowlights and fish like harlequin rasbora and copperline rasbora and glowlight danios...).

There are loads of fish you can have with a siamese fighter, the shark is not one of them, even without the fighter, the tank isnt big enough.

As for cories, i would chose a species you like and have 6 of them, maybe 7 or 8 if you have pandas as they dont get so big.....


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

so far i have the following in mind
10 neon tetras
5-7 panda cory
1 siamese fighter fish

so any other good suggestions??


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

quick question
i have set the tank up a few days ago and the water turned a bit cloudy yesterday and then when i woke up today the water is cloudy but not really bad and has a brown hue?
Have looked onlineand it said its because of the gravel or decorations is this true?


----------



## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

If you have wood in there, that will be the source of the "brown hue".

As to the cloudiness, common in new tanks, it's actually a bacterial bloom and will pass as the tank matures.

Ade


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

hi thanks yeah i do have wood and it does seem to be mainly hanging around the wood, will this pass as the tank matures?

also with the cloudyness how long roughly before the cloudyness and the brown water clears?

still looking for some other recommendations on fish to go with the following
1 male siamese fighter
10 neon tetra
5-7 panda cory


----------



## Fordyl2k (Nov 29, 2010)

Honey gouramis are nice and quite small i think.


----------



## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Eventually the brown will reduce yeah, but could be a few years. It's caused by tanins in the wood, so until they have all leeched out it will continue to stain the water. Lots of people like it though, and it can be good for fish. If you don't like it you can use Purigen or activated carbon in your filter to remove the staining, but it will prove expensive. Alternatively, fetch the wood out and boil it until the waster you boil it in stays colourless.

As to the cloudyness, like any natural process it's hard to give an exact time scale. Not too long though.

I'm not going to get into suggesting fish as I'm a bit of a minimalist. I like planted tanks with a big group of tetras or other small fish myself. 

Ade


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

thanks so much for your help, so not sure what to do about the wood then as it is quite a large piece in is one of the main decorations for the tank but might give the boiling a go if it will stop the brown coming out more. as i dont really really like the look of the brown water

no probs about the fish and i do see what you mean about having a nice group of one type of fish

another thing to this is will the brown colour slowly get worse if i leave it in?
and if i take the wood out will the brown stay in the tank for a while or will it go quickish?


----------



## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

If you remove the wood you will need to do some water changes, or use Purigen/activated carbon, to remove the staining.

The brown staining would get worst if you weren't doing water changes, but these will help keep the staining diluted.

I've never let it bother me to be honest. Many fish species (including many tetras, corydoras and bettas) come from water with a tea like stain to it anyway.

Ade


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

think i might just try the boiling technique on the wood i think
should be worth a try 
so i just boil the wood in plain water until the water has turned brown and then i continue to repeat this until the water starts going clear?


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

another question is i will be getting the tetras first as they are the smallest and then working my way up but how long should i leave before introducing each fish. i mean i will add the tetras and then how long should i wait before adding the cory?


----------



## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

herper147 said:


> another question is i will be getting the tetras first as they are the smallest and then working my way up but how long should i leave before introducing each fish. i mean i will add the tetras and then how long should i wait before adding the cory?


I'd give the filter a week to recover between stocks. Continue to monitor the ammonia levels when the fish go in , if the filter isn't mature enough you will get a spike and you will have to do some emergency water changes.


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

thanks so about a week sounds fine willprob leave it a bit longer between additions as its a bit of a trek to my LFS


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

the cloudyness is now starting to clear up and dont think the water is brown think its a mix of the cloudyness and the lighting 


still want some suggestions for what to go with neon tetras and panda cory


----------



## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

do you have a test kit? you will need one to properly monitor the water before adding any fish. not sure if i missed it or not, have read through but just wanted to make sure. you will need a decent quality liquid drop test kit, they are usually around £20-£30, and so worth it for the sake of your fish. i wouldnt add any more than the neons, corys and fighter, it seems like a lot of stock for this little tank especially a new set-up. take it steady and it will come right, oh and id personally be looking at harlequin rasboras over the neon tetras...just my opinion :2thumb:


----------



## littlefoot (Dec 6, 2007)

I agree with Goldie,that is more than enough fish for that size tank.You need to cycle the tank before you add anything at all and add fish slowly and monitor.You need a test kit and like i already advised,water conditioner etc.


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

not sure about te fighter as i have been looking at my local fish shops and all their fighter either are very skinny looking or have ruined fins so not sure whereto get one from?

So what would be some alternatives to a fighter?

EDIT: what about a dwarf gourami instead of the fighter would that work?


----------



## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

your going to have plenty of fish with the tetras and corys lol, 
if you want some colour you could look at guppies instead of tetras they are pretty and will breed (lots) in your tank


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

i did look at guppies but i didnt really like the look of them as much as neons 

Just would like one or two bigger fish to fill the tank out a bit more i think as the neons will kinda hover in the middle and corys will be on the bottom so wanted something else
i really liked the look of the dwarf gourami but have been reading up and it said that you can only keep one per tank? like the betta


----------



## biohazard156 (Nov 11, 2007)

Personally I'd steer clear of dwarf gourami, they are notoriously badly bred and weak and can drop dead without warning. They can get dwarf gourami disease which is hard to spot but will kill them.

If you want a slightly bigger fish than your neons, try a honey gourami, they are a bit smaller than the dwarfs and have a red coloured version too which is very pretty.


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

i saw honey gourami and they seem to be very aggressive i think and just destroy anything that fits in its mouth.
Still undecided so trying figure it all out in advance, went to a fish shop yesterday and the cory seemed a bit boring they were bearly moving and i dont think this is how cory should behave but correct me if im wrong. 

I also like red swordtails if that a possibility


----------



## biohazard156 (Nov 11, 2007)

Honey gourami are much smaller than the dwarf ones and should be much less aggressive too...

Swordtails are nice but I think they can get pretty big, maybe one male would be ok, don't get a female else you'll end up with fry probably as she might be pregnant from the fish shop. I can't keep swords sadly so I have no real experience with them.

Cories can be quite sedentary and sometimes mine are all sat in one corner. My panda cory though are definitely the most active, swimming up and down in a dizzying fashion!


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

i do like honey gourami, another question is i saw some dwarf honey gourami? so what would these be just honey?

as i have seen some honey and they looked big compred to the dwarfs?
and finnaly can you keep more than one male honey gourami together? or a male and female as i read they get pretty aggressive towards each other


----------



## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Sounds like you are confusing golden gourami with honey gourami. Honey gourami are ALL dwarf, you just get normal ones and red ones. Gold gourami are much larger and aggressive fish.

Ade


----------



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

ok then so can honey gourami live together in groups and with things like tetras and cory?


----------



## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

i would still stick with just the 1 honey gourami :2thumb:


----------

