# help me think!



## lil muppet

i have recently purchased a 99p bargin on ebay! its a clearseal watertight tank

24" x 15" x 12" W X H X D

but i dont have a clue what direction to go with it!
it has no lid (looking to buy one) and i have a fluval 3 filter and heater.

i already have a 4ft comunity tank so am looking towards biotope or species

i dont really want plants in this one but really like wood!

i dont mind tropical, coldwater, temperate or brackish

HELP!


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## Guest

If you're upto the challenge, you could try Chocolate gouramis (_Sphaerichthys osphromenoides_). These require acidic and very soft conditions, their typical habitat has a pH level of around 5.0-5.5, however captive-bred specimens can normally acclimatize to slightly harder conditions, but they won't breed unless the water conditions are specific.

This challenging species of Anabantoid is found in the shallow swampy waters of Indonesia, Sumatra and Borneo. The peaty and acidic conditions can easily be replicated by using a copious amount of wood, in particular Sumatran Driftwood. You can also use peat in a small media bag and to add to the blackwater effect, Indian oak leaves. The substrate should consist of sand or very fine gravel. Due to the extremely poor light and low mineral content in these habitats, plant growth is of course minimal. At best, you might just be able to try some Java Fern (_Microsoum pteropus_) attached to the wood.

Equipment-wise, nothing fancy is required here. A simple sponge or internal power filter with a low setting will suffice. The lighting isn't critical either, a single T8 fluorescent tube will be fine.

Feeding is one of the most crucial factors in ensuring success with Chocolate gouramis, they absolutely must be fed on live foods. Healthy specimens will take Bloodworm, Daphnia, Whiteworms and Grindalworms. It's nigh on impossible to pursuade them to accept dry foods.

Have fun!


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## lil muppet

cant find them locally!


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## cringer

get something that is hardy and tolerent of most water conditions, i used to keep large tinfoil barbs and small catfish (they live forever, well lots of years anyway)

Or small cichlids such as firemouth, kribensis or convict, very cheap and hardy.

Dont get too hung up on the fish just take care of the basics such as, let the tank cycle for a couple of weeks b4 putting fish in, regular 1/3 water changes (weekly), checking the quality of water, definitely dont over feed.

If you stick a load of fish in at the same time they will probably die or get ill, introduce 1 fish per fortnight

p.s. be aware of what fish you are getting, catfish will eat anything that fits in their mouth, cichlids need hidey holes or they will try to kill each other etc. etc. etc.

Livebearers such as mollies,guppys regularly spawn hundreds of baby fish

Whatever fish you get read


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## Guest

cringer said:


> get something that is hardy and tolerent of most water conditions, i used to keep large tinfoil barbs and small catfish (they live forever, well lots of years anyway)
> 
> Or small cichlids such as firemouth, kribensis or convict, very cheap and hardy.
> 
> Dont get too hung up on the fish just take care of the basics such as, let the tank cycle for a couple of weeks b4 putting fish in, regular 1/3 water changes (weekly), checking the quality of water, definitely dont over feed.
> 
> If you stick a load of fish in at the same time they will probably die or get ill, introduce 1 fish per fortnight
> 
> p.s. be aware of what fish you are getting, catfish will eat anything that fits in their mouth, cichlids need hidey holes or they will try to kill each other etc. etc. etc.
> 
> Livebearers such as mollies,guppys regularly spawn hundreds of baby fish
> 
> Whatever fish you get read


I sincerely hope you're not suggesting Tinfoil Barbs or Firemouths for a 2ft tank. I think the statement that Catfish will eat everything that will fit in their mouths is a bit of a sweeping one. There are literally hundreds of different Catfish species, all of them vary in size and a large number of these are below the 10cm/4" mark.

Most small Plecs, smaller Synodontis species, Brochis and Corydoras certainly don't have any cannibalistic tendencies.


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## hawksport

My tinfoil barbs were 12" in less than 2 years.


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## cringer

sorry I misread the size of the tank,

a swarm of tiger barbs look pretty cool, they are only small,


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