# Tropical Aquarium



## gorilla (May 1, 2011)

Hi everyone,

I am not new to aquariums I use to do standard cold water ones years ago but stopped as I lost interest. 

Anyway that was years ago, now things have changed, I have 2 kids and a significant other, aka the girlfriend and she wants to have some fish to replace the hamster. Anyway we have got the tank and are now onto getting the filtration and heater. 

The tank holds around 80L of water plus we are looking to stock it with around 5/6 fish.

one will be a shrimp and another 2 will be angel fish. 

We aren't quite sure of what to get my gf wants a Japanese fighter fish and my wee boy wants a black ghost knife.

We have looked in our local aquarium shop and have had some great advice from there but I don't want to have to go to them all the time also I want a wider pool of knowledge so I can be sure I am going in the right direction.

What is the best way to do it, we can not buy all the fish at once so what should we go for first. 
What filters should I go for and what heater.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

gorilla said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I am not new to aquariums I use to do standard cold water ones years ago but stopped as I lost interest.
> 
> ...


Welcome to the forum gorilla.

Depending on what size the shrimp is, it might become snack food to many swimmers, especially angels. Angelfish are a breed of cichlid and are therefore most decidedly an aggressive fish. I had bad experiences keeping a medium-sized koi angel in a tank with red cherry shrimp - lost about ten before the rest learned to hide.

If you're going to get a fighting fish and want to keep other fish in there with him, make sure they are very drab fish otherwise the colors might excite him to try and kill them. Another way to go is to get a female fighter - much less aggressive.

Not entirely familiar with knife fish, so I can't help there, sorry.

I would worry more about establishing a nitrogen cycle in your tank before adding fish - read the article below if you have time to learn about what it is, and why it is important:

The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

As far as heaters and filters, my preferred brands are Rena Cal for the heater, and you will want a 50 to 100 Watt heater, and Haagen Aqua Clear filters, of which you will want an AC 50 for your tank. Excess filtration never goes awry in tanks without live plants, however you might want to fashion a foam prefilter so you don't suck up your shrimp.

Don't forget to check your local classifieds online for some potential major discounts on used aquarium hardware!


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## rtbob (Jul 18, 2010)

You got some great advise all ready from gtm2007.

A Black Ghost Knife will outgrow a 80L (21 US Gallon) tank quickly. A 75 gallon tank is the minimum recommended for this fish.

Also pick up a good liquid test kit. The API Freshwater Master kit just happens to be on sale for $16.99 at the foster/smith website. That's about 50% off normal price.

Good Luck and Have Fun!


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Welcome!Im not familiar with angels except I know they will get very aggressive and may not be a good idea for a betta(Siamese fighting fish).Though I can tell you much about the bettas.The knife fish I know nothing of,sorry again.Bettas though you will need to be sure to have a backup plan for one of these guys,and they must never be with their own kind unless its the wild types.Females can get along together,but they do best in large groups and are an accident waiting to happen(I know this from experience)

The filter will need to be able to withstand the load of the fish,and I will always suggest canisters just because I feel they are the best.With angels you will want to go with some plants,live or silk for their comfort(live is the best,obviously.)A master test kit will be a best friend.Be sure its liquid and not the strips.API is what many here use.Fishless cycling was mentioned above,so Im not going to bother,lol.

I know the betta,and the angel will most likely see shrimp as snacks.Bettas are usually raised on the,afterall.A good heater will be a good addition,and the only advice I have,is the marineland stealths have been recalled so steer clear of them for now.Visitherm is also marineland but I have one and its the most accurate one I have.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Tank is too small for Angels, let alone two.


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## gorilla (May 1, 2011)

Thanks for the advice, I'm in the UK but I'm sure I will find similar things you have mentioned over here. I know the tank is a bit small but it is only going to be my starter tank just now. I will more than likely be going for a bigger tank in a year or 2. 

I am going for young fish that will grow and as this happens I will continue to increase the size of the tank.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I looked into getting a black knife fish but they require more than I was able to give. When young they grow very fast, reaching up to 10inches in the first year so a 55 gallon tank (over 200liters)would probably be a minimum just as a starter tank for a single black ghost without any other fish in the tank. They continue to grow after that and an adult probably needs at least a 120 gallon tank to it's self.


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