Beginner 58L Stocking Advice

Been looking to set up an aquarium for aaaaages now and finally got a 58L cycled. Took three danios off a family member and they are currently in just under a week.
Was hoping to get a bit of advice on stocking the tank further.
I know danios should be kept in a bigger group - is type important in that regard? From what I can tell, I have two leopards and one glowfish. The leopards are male and female and I'm struggling with the glowfish - he/she is half the size of the other two, but I'm leaning towards female. The male leopard is doing quite a bit of chasing them both - is that normal?

I adore guppies, neon tetras and would love some bottom feeders, preferably ones that don't breed too much. Could anyone throw a few suggestions my way as to what would fit comfortably in the tank?

Danios need to be in larger groups...They do chase each other...The reason for the larger group is so no single individual gets singled out for too much attention which can stress the fish.....My advice if you plan on keeping the Danios is to add more Danios (It doesnt matter whether they are Zebras or Leopards or Glofish)...I suggest a group of about twelve in your tank (Remember these fish school in nature in their thousands) The more you keep the more natural they will behave...

Now because its a new tank I would add more fish at a very slow rate (Only add fish if Ammonia is zero and NitrItes are zero) i.e. your tank is FULLY cycled!!!

NOW! If you dont know what your Ammonia and NitrIte readings are, either buy a decent liquid test kit to find out or get a reputable dealer to test your water for you....NEVER add more fish if you have any readable Ammonia or NitrItes in your tank...."I trust as a new fish keeper you have read up on the AQUARIUM NITROGEN CYCLE" If you havent or are unfamiliar with it I suggest you read up now!!! www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm ....Its the most important thing you will ever learn as a fish keeper....

As regards bottom feeders...Corries are amazing fish...They come in hundreds of different species to choose from....But again keep them in a reasonable sized group as they school naturally.....They are extremely peaceful too...

Because your tank is a smaller 58 litre you are limited as to both size and amount of fish you can keep....If you see a fish you like...Research it before buying it....Most fish are babies in the fish store and alot of newbies dont take eventual size into account...A fish that gets big in the long term will STUNT in a tank thats too small (this will result in Illness or death) RESEARCH is key!!! This site is one of the best - www.seriouslyfish.com/

In your tank I would keep about 20 smaller fish TOTAL....And i suggest 50% weekly water changes to control your NitrAte levels....By The Way if you are not prepared to carry out regular decent sized weekly water changes you are just asking for trouble...You will end up with sick fish and a green tank if you dont...My golden rule as regards fresh water tropical fish...FRESH WATER FISH LOOOVVVE FRESH WATER....Would you like to be locked in a room constantly being fed through a hole with nowhere else to go to the toilet....Water changes are essential for longterm fish health....

Welcome to the wonderful world of fish keeping....Before long you will realise your tank is too small and you will want a bigger one with more fish of different types....If that happens you will have been bitten by the bug of Multi Tank Syndrome and your life will never be the same again LOL...

Best of luck with the new tank...Research, research, research!!!!

Very familiar with the cycle and have been using a test kit throughout cycling and had the water tested independently from where I plan to get the fish as well (just to be sure I had it right!)
I did assume I'd need more danios - was thinking of upping their school, adding neon tetras and a few guppies? We do definitely plan on upgrading in the very near future (circa 6-8 months and are eyeing up a particularly shnazzy 300L) but I wanted to be sure I could handle things on a smaller scale before I jumped in the deep end.
Partial water changes are absolutely not an issue - the tank is actually quite close to our kitchen sink, so not very far to carry the water
Out of curiousity (if we decided to go down that route), what size tank would you recommend for a school of danios to live comfortably alone? I know they are very active and need plenty of space - if we upgraded to the much larger tank in the future, could I keep a large school of, say, 20 danios in the current tank?

You can for sure house 20 Danios in your current tank (for the time being anyway ) We refer to this as growing out fish...Just keep an eye on your NitrAte levels and feed carefully...

Danios and Guppies are not a good mix....The tails of the Guppies will be nipped at by the Danios....Its one of the big issues with keeping Guppies....Their tails are irresistable to alot of other fish....

Guppies are generally kept in a species only tank...and if you do mix other fish with them make sure the other fish are not prone to fin nipping...

Now Neons and Guppies will probably work together but only if you keep lots of both types to disperse aggression and nipping tendencies....In general Neons are peaceful and mind their own business...I actually think Cardinals are much nicer than Neons (But thats just me)

If you have never been, and are near Dublin take a trip to Seahorse Aquariums in Ballymount...You will have your eyes opened as regards varieties and quality....Alot of fish are overlooked when they are juveniles because they havent developed their true colours in the tanks in the shops and look washed out...

Guppies also tend to be overbred and are generally bad quality and dont last...So try find a decent supplier...They also require harder water with a higher PH (7.4 and above maybe)

Also if keeping male and female Guppies you MUST keep 3 or 4 girls to every single boy....The boys pester the girls to death trying to breed with them....Alternatively keep all boys or all girls (But the girls are nowhere near as pretty )

By the way....Buy the biggest tank you can if you do get serious about the hobby....You will regret it if you dont.....Bigger is always better because you can keep bigger fish as well as more varieties....

This might be of interest too...

Buckets of water are a pain in the butt and messy....



If you are anyway inventive you can make your own with parts from a plumbing shop...

Go for the biggest tank you can afford or have space for , their are nealy always tanks on this forum for sale which would be in good condition and sometimes have equipment withthem . Very knowledgable people on this forum and only to happy to help , i would have been lost without their advise . Good luck . Robert

We definitely want a bigger tank in the future if this turns out to be something we plan on making a serious hobby but at present we are very short for space and wouldn't be able to go much bigger in tank size yet (we are moving soon, which is why we're holding out for a better idea of space).
I didn't realise they would bully the guppies - I did read that if they were kept in a school that they tended to keep the nipping to their own kind but that's good to know!
It doesn't necessarily have to be guppies either, it's honestly more a colourful tank I am after so any mix of fish that can live comfortably in a tank that size that are pretty to look at

On a side note, that in-and-out looks amazing, but I wouldn't be quite THAT close to the sink! However, that's definitely something I would want if we got a hold of a bigger tank in the near future!

Cherry barbs are a nice small fish , certainly a visit to seahorse aquariums would show you the varst aray of freshwater fish available , the staff are very knowledgeable and eager to help

If your tank is around 24 degrees Celsius you can add 1 fancy goldfish, I would say the fancy goldfish can truly pop with a school of danios, I have seen danios kept with goldfish in my lfs and it looks quite nice as the goldfish is big and the danios are small. I have never tried danios so I can't give the best advice but this what I have seen in my lfs

I would think a 58 litre tank is too small for any goldfish , i would sudjest you go for smaller tropical fish

Robert I don't mean keep it until it grows up but get it young and when it grows up exchange it for a smaller one when it grows up, this way the fish is less likely to be stunted czz danios being small and give out little waste and a 50-75% weekly water change . I know I shouldn't be asking thus here but is it me or has the forum got less active ???

I am so sorry Robert you are right, I thought that the tank was 20 gallons but when I checked the conversation on Google it turns out it is around 15 my mistake and I am very sorry for it, I really should double check everything before I send it I am very sorry

Hi Aldrin , certainly 15 gals is to small , goldfish are social fish and dont do well kept my them selves . Yes i have also found the forum has gone quiet , at one time there was about 40 posting eachday . The amount of tanks on media sites for sale would appear people are leaving the hobby . I am collecting a 110 litre tank with filter ,heater , and lights for 80 euro tonight , it would be sad to see the hobby getting less interest

You are lucky, I am limited to using large tubs because my parents don't have much interest in the hobby, if I want anything I need to make money my self that's why I need to find a place to sell my fry to broaden my hobby. My dream is to eventually own a super red arowana but I am really far from that goal. This is my jc year and the pressure makes it hard to keep my tank properly maintained so sometimes I have to water change a fortnights the fish don't seem to mind because my filter is quite strong

Ah a super red arowana , we have the same dreams , in a 8ft tank

I fell in love with the super reds the moment I saw them and when I saw the price I nearly got a heart attack

Only ever seen them for sale on far east facebook sites

I saw them on a website from the UK where they import them in