Suggestions on a new tank... please

Hello, for christmas i was thinking about getting a bigger tank, do you have any suggestions on what size gallon i should get. I was thinking about trying to get a tropical fish tank, i'm not really into goldfish anymore they're really a mess. But, anyway i was looking at silver dollars and they are really cool. are there any fish that can be with silver dollars.

Also, what are some good filter companies or manufactuers that i can buy a good filter for my 20-30 gallon tank. Also, do you recommend..Underground filters, Powerfilters, bio-wheel. Please answer ASAP.

Thank you
-Mice

 

If you want silver dollars, you're going to need at least a 55, but preferrably a 75 or bigger. Most community fish like tetras, danios, & barbs do well with silver dollars, as do many new world cichlids.

As for filters, personally, I absolutely love Cascade filters. I have a Cascade 300 on my 20 gallon. I would also avoid Whisper filters. In my experience, they are nothing but junk. Undergravel filters are also no good. They tend to trap tons of crap underneath the filter plates which, over time, can lead to very high nitrAtes that are almost impossible to lower. They're also not as efficient as power filters.

For the size, you'll want to look for something that does 200 gph (for a 20 gallon) or 300 gph (for a 30 gallon).

-Chelle

 

my friends dad had a silver dollar in his 20 gallon tank for a really long time about 3 or more years and it just died recently. He seemed like it lived fine in there. is there any other cool tropical (no salt water) fish that you mya want to suggest that i could look up on google how they look and stuff. Also, which ones are good looking, easy to take care of, and not too agressive. I'd like to have a community tank.

Thanks again
-Mice

 

Silver dollars get 6" - 8" long & almost as tall and they should be kept in groups of at last 3 or 4, but 6 or more is much better. A 20 gallon is totally unsuitable for a silver dollar. And 3 years is not a long life at all for a silver dollar. They should live for 10+ years if properly cared for.

Here's a few of my favorite sites for browsing fish species.
http://www.members.tripod.com/~boeing_dude/id118.htm
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/fishindx.htm
http://www.fishinthe.net/html/fishguide/index.php?nt=1
http://fishprofiles.com/profiles/fw/

-Chelle

 

Yeah i was totally wrong i asked my friend today and he said that one silver dollar lived for 9 years and the other lived for 11 in a 20 gallon. His dad has an underground filter and he doesn't have a problem with it. And T_Chelle. Can you tell me what kind of filter by Cascade i would need for 20-25 gallon tank. And how many gallons per hour (GPH) should i need.
I really really like Silver Dollars and is there anyway i can get one. The biggest tank i can afford is a 25 gallon? If you think i could have two in there it would be great. Unless, you know another freshwater, shiner, tropical fish that i would like. RECOMMEND RECOMMEND. Also, what kind of heater should i need if i get tropical. Thanks i've asked like a billion questions i'm just wondering what you prefer and what are the best that i can have no problems with.

Thanks again
-Mice

 

Sorry, but there is absolutely no way I'm going to recommend putting silver dollars in a 25 gallon tank. It's just a really bad environment for them.

There is a fish called a columbian tetra that looks a little like silver dollars, but only gets about 2". You could fit several of them in there.

If it were my tank, I'd probably go with a school of about 6 - 8 of the tetras and maybe about 4 cory cats for the bottom (8 if you can find some pygmy cories)

As for the filter & heater, with an HOB filter, you should aim for turning over the tank volume 10 times per hour which means you'd need a filter rated at 250 gph. The Cascade 300 does 300 gph which is a little more than you need, but it's better to go a little higher than lower so that's what I would use.
http://bigalsonline.com/catalog/product ... 885;pcid2=

The recomendation for heaters is 3 - 5 watts/gallon so a 25 gallon would need about a 100 watt heater. personally, I don't like Whisper heaters (have had one just stop working and another stick on and almost boil my fish). Visitherms are pretty good though.
http://bigalsonline.com/catalog/product ... 231;pcid2=

-Chelle

 

whatever. I'm getting silver dollars because i didn't get a big tank to hae little microscropic fish in it. So i can put more fish and bigger fish. Thanks anyway.

-Mice

 

:roll:

Hate to break it to you but 25 gallons is far from a big tank. If you want big fish, you have to get a big tank. Otherwise you're just being cruel to the fish.

-Chelle

 

Please don't crowd the tank like that it isn't nice, also the Columbian Tetra is cool looking and would fit nicely in that tank so why be mean about it? Personally I am still new to the fish world and I know it is hard to not want to put a ton of fish in the tank but that is not good for the fish wether they survive or not they are still going to be stressed out.

 

what ever sorry. But the reason i said it was a big tank because my first tank was 3 gallons?
what other freshwater tropical fish do u recommend and aren't high maintence.

 

i saw a picture of a torquoise discus. Could i have one of these or are tehy like saltwater. I dont know i was looking at fish and i saw that and it looked awesome. I like either really colorful fish or really shiny. Give me ur opinions on tropical fish and ur suggestions thanks.

 

Discus also get too large to be in a 30, should be kept in groups, and are extremely sensitive to water quality (most people who keep them do daily water changes). They're really only suitable for people with a lot of fish keeping experience (I'm not even sure I'd try keeping them). They also tend to be really expensive.

Have you thought about neons or cardinal tetras? They're bright blue & red and a school of about 10 would look pretty nice. Heck, if you just had them, you could have as many as 15 cardinals and 25 - 30 neons. Neons are a bit delicate (I haven't had very good luck with them), but cardinals are supposed to be a little more hardy.

Give me a little bit and I'll look around at more options.

-Chelle

 

Yeah cardinal tetras are cool too. i live near the ocean and i go fishing a lot and they look exactly like the bait fish i use called Spearing. But anyway do you guys know any sort of big fish like 2 or 3" that is really cool interesting and colorful/shiny that i could go with those tetras?

-Mice

 

The first one that comes to mind are tiger barbs. They're orange with black stripes and get around 3". They do tend to be pretty nippy, though.

Another option would be maybe a couple rams or dwarf cichlids. Both only get around 2".


-Chelle

 

Some other fish choices (the tetras, danios, rasboras, & cories should be kept in groups so that needs to be accounted for)

Shiny fish:
Bloodfin tetra (silver w/red fins) ~ 2"
Hatchet fish (silver) ~ 1 1/2"
Black skirt tetra (silver w/ black stripes) ~ 2 1/2"
Gold tetra (shiny gold) ~ 2"
Pearl danio (shimmery pale blue) ~ 2 1/2"
Leopard, spotted, zebra danio (silver) ~ 1 1/5" - 2 1/2"
Harlequin rasbora (pale silvery orange with black) ~2"
African shell dwellers (mostly silvers with some color) 1" - 3" (depending on species)
Angel fish (silvers & some come in oranges/yellows) ~6"
Cory catfish (various - usually silvers, greys, & blacks, but a couple of species come in green or orange) ~1" - 4" (depending on species)


Colorful fish:
Glowlight tetra (semi-transparent w/orange stripe) ~2"
Serpae tetra (pale red/orange) ~ 1 1/2"
Rosy tetra (pale red/orange) ~ 1 1/2"
Rainbow shark (black w/bright red fins) ~ 6" (bottom feeder, can only have 1 due to aggression)
Rosy barb (shiny red/orange) ~ 5 1/2"
Golden barb (siny orange/yellow) ~2" (My vet has a tank with these. they're quite stunning)
Cherry barb (red/orange with black stripe) ~2"
Guppies (mulitple colors) ~2" (may eventually over populate the tank)
Killifish (multiple colors) ~1" - 8" (depending on species)
Dwarf rainbow fish (pink & blue) ~2 1/2"
Endler's livebearer (multiple) ~1"
Swordtails, mollies, & platies (generally shades of red & yellow, also black & whites) ~3" - 4"
Betta (pretty much any color) ~2" *
Paradise fish (blue & red) ~4" *
Gouramis (various colors) ~2" - 6" * (avoid kissing & giant gouramis)
Convict cichlid (pink or blue w/black stripes & females have orange too) ~ 4" - 6" **
Jewel cichlid (bright redish orange) ~6" **
Krib (yellow, silver & pink) ~4"
Firemouth (silver & red) ~6" **
Fancy goldfish (shiny orange, black & white) ~6" (only 1 in a 25 gallon tank)
Rosey minnows (bright orange) ~2"


* = due to the aggressive nature of these fish (espeically with related fish) and because some of them have long flowing fins that are good targets for fin nippers, you need to choose tankmantes carefully.
** = because of the size & aggressive nature of these fish, you really can only have a single one in a 25 gallon tank. At the most, you could maybe try a smallish (4" tops) hardy bottom feeder as a tankmate, but I wouldn't do it.

-Chelle

 

Chelle, i upgraded to a 30 gallon for christmas. I dont know what filter to get the cascade 100 or 150 but anyway. The other day when i went to the petstore i was talkig to the owner for a little while and i asked "How many Silverdollars do you think i could fit in a 20 gallon?" and she said "The rule of thumb is, every inch of fish is a gallon, and then she said, so about 2 or 3 and i was shocked. I dont know if i should trust her. Tell me what you think



P.S. Can you tell if a fish is depressed if their fins are drooped instead of propped up?

Thank u
-Mice

 

For a 30 gallon tank, I'd get a Cascade 300.

And no, I wouldn't trust the LFS person. The 1" rule only applies to small, slender bodied fish like small tetras, barbs, & danios. Basically any of those fish that get over 3" it doesn't apply to.

Droopy fins can be a sign of illness.

-Chelle

 

mice you are going to need a bigger filter than the 150 I think you need a 300 so you can cycle all the water 10 times an hour. I wouldn't ever trust the large chain pet stores on information on how many fish you can keep in a tank, really due to the size of fish it isn't the same if you have 6-1" fish or one 6" fish. Sorry about restating what t_chelle said I had started when there wasn't a reply :lol: