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75 stock and set up

3K views 20 replies 5 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
Hey, so i soon plan on upgrading my 40 gal setup to a 75 gallon. I might even do it in a closet and cut a hole to the other side (the living room) for a real nice view. Anyway, this is gonna be my planned setup and stock.

75 gallon hood/aquarium combo
upgraded light bulbs, probably zoomed ultra suns, or reef sun compact florescent
Ameriwood stand
Undergravel Filter w/ 2 powerheads
Black Gravel
2 sand banks in grey on each side
Centerpiece will be the large 2 piece sunken ship i currently have in my 40 gallon
additional decor will be a Rock cave, Dragon with airstone medium, lantern
natural mystic background
Aqueon Quietflow 55/75
tetra whisper air pump

my stocking plan is
live bamboo in the sand banks
green swordtails 5
dalmatian mollies 3
black lyretail mollies 2
panda mollies 2
golden wonder killie 1
dwarf gourami 2
chinese algae eater 1
angelfish 2

a couple things i'm unsure of are the filtration, and whether or not to add some kind of substrate for the bamboo
i also don't know what the best heater would be, and i would like to get an automatic feeder
any suggestions?
 
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#2 ·
bamboo is not an aquatic plant. i know stores sell it as such, but it will just die eventually if it is under water. it's leaves need to be able to get to the air for it to do well at all.

also, have a look at the Chinese algae eater profile (click on the shaded name). they really aren't the best for community tanks.
 
#3 ·
i had bamboo growing in my 40 gal at one point, it's fine as long as you let it grow above the water. there are over 1000 types of bamboo. Lucky Bamboo is what they sell in pet stores and is the most hardy. It will survive almost completely submerged.

as for the chinese algae eater... good call lol.
 
#4 ·
I don't know much about killies, but don't gouramis and angels need much different water parameters than the livebearers? And isn't there a risk of interbreeding when keeping swords and mollies together? Sounds like there might be some wrinkles to iron out. Have you looked at each species profile at the top of the page in the navigation bar? Good luck!
 
#5 ·
gouramis will be ok, but that is a good point about the angles, they like soft, acidic water while livebearers need harder water.

swords and mollies will not interbreed. swords and platies can and mollies and guppies can, but not the other way.
 
#7 ·
what are your water parameters? especially hardness. this is where livebearers differ from most of the tropical fish.
 
#8 ·
In the fish profiles, its says that Dwarf Gourami needs water that is "acidic to slightly basic (pH 6 to 7.5)" and that the Common Molly needs water that is "basic (pH 7.5 to 8.5)". It doesn't sound like these mesh well.

I'm not super educated on this, I understand that there is some confusion in the area... but my understanding is that it may be possible for Mollies and Swordtails to interbreed. Of course, this isn't recommended. Even aqadvisor.com recognizes the possibility and has a warning when the two are listed in an aquarium together. I'd be happy to be wrong, but I'm not entirely convinced.
 
#9 ·
I'm not super educated on this, I understand that there is some confusion in the area... but my understanding is that it may be possible for Mollies and Swordtails to interbreed. Of course, this isn't recommended. Even aqadvisor.com recognizes the possibility and has a warning when the two are listed in an aquarium together. I'd be happy to be wrong, but I'm not entirely convinced.

swords and mollies are different families: swords and platies are
Xiphophorus and mollies and guppies are Poecili. being different families, they can not crossbreed.

(not entirely sure family is the correct term, it has been too long since i learned the terms for that stuff, but i know species isn't right.)

(i also do not know why my font changed color, but i can't get it to go back to black)
 
#10 ·
I'm gonna have to pick up more water tests after work. But yea swords are part of the platy family. I based my stocking plan on a compatibility chart assuming the water parameters would be about the same for all fish
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#11 ·
Thank you, I understand that they are from two different genus. They are from the same family and subfamily, Poeciliinae. I'm not entirely sure how it would work, but I know that there are accounts of the interbreeding, reliable or not I am unsure. I am simply passing along information that I've found, if the OP wants to pursue it. And I understand that you are doing the same. We're both on the same side, just trying to look out for the fish welfare. So we have different information, and we've said our parts. Like I said, I hope I'm wrong and the information is faulty, but for the fish welfare I felt obligated to pass it along so that the OP could investigate if he/she so chooses. Happy fish-keeping, everybody!
 
#12 ·
Of course the welfare of the fish are the top concern. I think some facts are based upon experience. And fish do contain different personalities. If the fish aren't compatible I wouldn't keep them in the same tank, but so far from my experience with the room they have they all are doing fine. If a problem occurs in the future I'll correct it and move the fish.
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#13 ·
On the issue of cross-breeding, I cannot be definitive but when I recently researched the scientific literature for my revision of the Platy profile, I did discover that platy should never be housed with other livebearers, since it will interbreed especially with swordtails and the other platy species, but also with the guppy. Molly was not specifically mentioned, but (currently) the molly and guppy are in the same genus.
 
#14 ·
I personally would not recommend an undergravel filter in this case. Especially if plants are intended. A canister rated for the 75g would be in my view a better option in filtration.

Byron.
 
#16 ·
cross breeding is often how some of the interesting varieties occur, especially in swordtails and platies. there should be no danger to the parent, the offspring can sometime be infertile, but mostly a lot of the times crossbred fish are just not wanted in the fish community as a whole. i believe there is a lot of problems with this in some of the cichlids, but i don't think it is quite as bad with livebearers.
 
#17 ·
Would cross breeding put the fish itself in danger? Or would it just have babies that won't survive? What would happen exactly?

This question is delving into a knowledge of biology beyond mine. But I do know that in many cases, cross-breeding results in offspring that are themselves infertile. I'm not saying it will here; I understand that the common Guppy and Endlers livebearer do live together in at least one natural habitat, and ichthyologists are fairly certain they do not naturally inter-breed. But in aquaria when forced, they have, and some aquarists report supposedly fertile offspring, others say no.

Obviously, the two platy species and the swordtail will cross-breed with fertile offspring; we would not have the multitude of colour varieties today if this were not so.

As I mention in our guppy profile, some current ichthyologists are proposing that the guppy be moved to a distinct genus rather than being kept as a species in with the molly species (of which there is more than one). This would suggest these two fish (guppy, molly) are perhaps not as closely related as once thought.

Byron.
 
#18 ·
as long as the fish aren't in any harm themselves, then i'll continue to keep them together. they aren't aggressive towards each other, and the infertile offspring will most likely be cannibalized.

i appreciate all the feedback guys
 
#19 ·
I'm still using my UGF Byron :-D. I'd pick a different lighting fixture. Go with one that uses 4 foot tubes. From the picture, it looks likethe one you selected takes 2 footers. Also make sure whatever you choose has at least 2 t-8 bulbs if you have live plants. I'd also go with a cannister filter. I have the Ehiem 2217 on my 55gal.
 
#20 ·
i think some tanks will stay biologically stable w/o a ugf, although i was considering a RFUGF for the saltwater i plan on having. yea i was reconsidering the lighting too, i don't really care for hoods, i'd rather have a glass top and strip lights. and i was actually looking at the exact canister model today lol
 
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