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First Community Tank

4K views 23 replies 4 participants last post by  Caliban 
#1 ·
Hello Everyone!
Let me start off by apologizing. I know there are a million threads on here with beginners asking what to fill there tanks with. I have browsed through many of them, and used many of the handy links that are posted on them, and they have helped me get a better idea of what I want, but I guess, in the end, nothing beats some good, old-fashioned, person-to-person communication :).

The Mission: I do not have a tank yet. I am starting from scratch. Ultimately, I would like a fully planted tank in the 29-38 gallon range. I plan on using an H.O.T. Magnum Canister Filter, which will probably be a little overkill, but I figured more *should* be better than less. It's also the smallest canister filter I could find on fosterandsmith.com. Again, I haven't purchased it yet if anyone has another recommendation. The plants I intend for the tank will be low-light plants and anubis, and probably a few marimo moss balls, because they're so dang cute. My tap water naturally runs high, in excess of 7.6 on the pH scale. I have successfully brought it down in the past. I haven't chosen a specific substrate yet, but gravel in the 1-2mm range is the plan. I intend to do a fishless cycle once the tank is planted, instructions for this still need to be looked up, but I know they're around. I am not intending to use a co2 system at this time, though I'll probably use flourish in the water. I will have an adjustable heater and rock hidie caves. I dont' plan on additional aeration with the plants in the tank. There will be a glass canopy w/ strip light. I am prepared to do weekly water changes, and I have stress coat+ to condition the water. I can get another brand if absolutely neccessary, but I'd prefer to use this up first.

For fish, I would like 3-4 healthy bunches of schooling fish and some corys. Neon tetras and zebra danios or similar come to mind, but I am flexible. I need some good, hardy, beginner fish.

My only experience with fish is a male betta in a filtered 10 gallon tank. He is happy on his own, and if I have my way, he will remain so.

Which tank size in the 29-38 gallon range would work best for small schooling fish? Which schooling fish do you reccommend together and as good beginner fish? How many fish of each species is ideal? There are a million cory subspecies, are there any I should avoid? How do you feed fish that eat different things? How do you keep little fish from getting sucked into your gravel vaccuum? How many different kinds of fish should I add at a time? Is it a bad idea to add 4-5 kinds at the same time into a cycled tank?

In general terms, I want a healthy, moderately sized tank with a diverse and active fish community that are good for a beginner. Despite everything I said earlier, if there is an idea that accomplishes this that doesn't fit with my ideas, please suggest it anyway. Sorry for the numerous questions!

Thank you in advance,
Hannah
 
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#2 ·
Hi Hannah.

Which tank size in the 29-38 gallon range would work best for small schooling fish?
Get the biggest you can afford and which will fit in your house where you want to put it. You have more options in a bigger tank and the more room your fish have to swim, the better.

Which schooling fish do you reccommend together and as good beginner fish?
I like pristella tetras. I've got them and have been happy with them. They can take a higher pH than some of the other tetras. Do you know what your water hardness is? You need to pick fish that will like both your pH and hardness, so if you can find out the hardness, that will help you decide what to get

How many fish of each species is ideal?
It really depends on which fish you decide on. Start with looking for fish that suit your water parameters and take it from there.
There are a million cory subspecies, are there any I should avoid?
My sterbai haven't done as well as my pandas and trilineatus. I don't know if that means anything or I was just unlucky.
How do you feed fish that eat different things?
My cories get sinking wafers or pellets, but the other fish also like to eat them. I just put quite a lot in so that the cories will get their share even if the others eat some as well. You can use a turkey baster or pipette to place food low in the tank if you've got bottom fish.

How do you keep little fish from getting sucked into your gravel vaccuum?
I keep an eye on it and keep it low to the gravel, but the fish generally keep out of the way. It isn't going to suck anything up that isn't in its direct path, the suction isn't that high, so if there are any fish around you can just "shoo" them away.
How many different kinds of fish should I add at a time? Is it a bad idea to add 4-5 kinds at the same time into a cycled tank?
Even after your tank is cycled, add your fish gradually to allow your filter to adjust to the higher waste load.
 
#3 ·
Excellent! I haven't checked my water's hardness, I need to get that test, but the guy at the aquarium store advised me that my town's water runs hard. In fact, he advised me that my town's water was some of the worst for fish in the area. My nitrite and nitrate test kits should be in the mail. I have pH and ammonia test kits. I use pH down at the moment. I know! It's bad! In my defense I add it a week beforehand in a bucket of water so that it has time to settle on what pH it's going to be before I add it to the tank.
 
#5 ·
Platies do look like hardy, little colorful fish who might like my tap water :) Thank you. There are just so many fish, and when you're starting with a lot of options, how the devil are you suppose to narrow them all down? lol But this is a beginning, now I just have to find out what makes good friends with Platies.
 
#6 ·
I initially thought that I had hard water and decided accordingly. Down the track I found out that it wasn't that hard after all...

I started by seeing what was available in the shops. There was no point deciding on something that I couldn't get locally. Then I looked up the fish profiles to see what water they liked and picked out the options that liked hard water. Then I read up on compatibility. I found this site, which gives some info about compatibility http://www.tropicalfishandaquariums.com/Compatibility/MatchResults.php

I ended up with platies, pristella tetras, an apple snail and corydoras trilineatus in my 75-litre (approx 20 gallon) tank. They get on well, and did very well. They've now been moved to a bigger tank and are still doing well.
 
#9 ·
UPDATE: I have visited 2 pet stores, and I was unable to get a liquid gh test. However! After seeing the tanks, I am now seriously considering a 0 or 55 gallon tank. I have also seen some platies, and I definitely approve. So, my thought now is to cycle the tank and add maybe... 6 platies and 5 cories to start. Do these numbers seem good to start out a 55 gallon with? An alternative would be to do something around upside down catfish, because those were dang cute, but I'm pretty sure they aren't compatible with platies... need to check.
 
#10 ·
On another thread, I found a page that allowed you to choose tank size, filter type, and then listed fish that would fit, and you could add them, and it told you your tank and filter capacity and whether the fish you've added are compatible. Anyone else know this link? I can't find it now, and I was too dumb to write it down.
 
#12 ·
That is a good site but do not just go by it because sometimes it can be wrong. If you put lots and lots of real plants in there you will not have to worry about the cycle because the plants will kind of automatically cycle it. If you buy them online they are a good bit cheaper than in the LFS. The two places that most of us order from are sweetaquatics.com and aquariumplants.com they are both resonable in price for the plants and shipping.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I went to Planted Aquariums Central for my plants with excellent results. They came highly reccommended, and they have some handy packages as well. For a tank, I'm starting to think platies, zebra danios, some sort of compatible tetra, and the cories. I'd also like to inclue maybe 2-4 angelfish, I know they like soft water, but I read that if you're not breeding them they have a good tolerance of hard water, so I need to look into that a bit more and also make sure that nothnig else I put in is going to be something they munch on in the long run.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Update of Update!
All right, here's the new plan, let me know what you think...
55 gallon tank (48/14 x 12 3/4 x 21), moderately planted with low light plants, allowing for growth
Glass canopy and light strip or hood, low light
Filter: H.O.T Magnum Canister Filter Heater: Hydor Theo 300 watt
Temp (F): 75-77 pH: 7.6-8.0 dH: ?
Fish (In approx order added to tank)
Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus): 10 (approx 2 males and 8 females)
Black Skirt Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetz): 7
Head and Tail Light Tetra (Hemigrammus ocellifer): 7
Pristella Tetra (Pristella maxillaris) OR Bloodfin (Aphyocharax anisitsi): 7
Corydorus Catfish (Corydoras sp): 5
Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilus siamensis): 1

Questions: Since it will be a planted tank, is using only the one filter adequate? My thought was to add one group of fish a month, does this seem like a good timetable? Should I plan for a certain amount of "loss" of fish when I'm planning numbers? Will the Siamese Algae Eater get lonely? How well do different types of cory's group together, and is there a certain subspecies of cory that is more tolerant of high pH than the others?
 
#19 ·
I personally would not go with the siamese algae eater as they have been known to get aggressive at times. I would suggest a bushy nose pleco they will not out grow your tank and are very peaceful. You do not need CO2 that just complicate things and is not needed with low light plants. As for the substrate if you do not spending the money Eco-Complete is a very good small size gravel that is made for plants. It comes it 20 pound bags and the cheapest I have found it is $15.99 at petco. For 50 gallon I think 3 bags would be enough but I like a thick substrate in my tanks so I would probably go with 4 maybe even 5 bags. It has benifical bacteria in it as well as minerals and stuff that is good for the plants and its black which will really make the colors of your fish and plants look good. If you don't want to spend that much then I would go with a small round smooth black gravel you don't want anything big because of the plants and you don't want sharp edges because of the corys.
 
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#20 ·
I haven't given up on this dream, though it has been delayed. My current mission is substrate planting a 10 and 15. Once those are well established, I may start thinking about investing in a large tank. I'm thinking this won't be until summer at the earliest. At the moment, I'm contemplating the pros and cons of 50, 55, 60, and 65 gallon size tanks. I sitll like platies, though I enjoy guppies and upside down catfish as well. I plan to substrate plant it, assuming the 10 and 15 gallons don't turn out to be complete disasters... they're going to be my experiments, first the 15, and then converting my 10. I'm still open to thoughts and suggestions. It's all long-term daydreaming at this point.
 
#22 ·
Ah ha! A new plan emerges for my fantasy big tank. Upside down catfish and Mbuna Cichlids... Now assuming my first experiments with substrate planted tanks aren't a complete disaster, I could potentially try it with a larger tank. I think the trick here would be figuring out what plants are cichlid compatible... and whether or not they'd eat them since they're herbivores. Again this is a longterm daydream, still researching and learning.
 
#23 ·
I do not have any experiance with cichlids but it is my understanding they will uproot any plants you put in the tank and you will have to be very careful with what cichlids you put in the tank or they may pick on or make a snack of the upside down catfish as it is a very docil fish and most cichlids are not. Here is a link with some good info on the mbuna cichlids.
Malawi Mbuna cichlids - compatibility with other fish
 
#24 ·
I do not have any experiance with cichlids but it is my understanding they will uproot any plants you put in the tank and you will have to be very careful with what cichlids you put in the tank or they may pick on or make a snack of the upside down catfish as it is a very docil fish and most cichlids are not. Here is a link with some good info on the mbuna cichlids.
Malawi Mbuna cichlids - compatibility with other fish
I saw at least two places that upside down catfish were compatible with the mbuna... and that as long as you stay within the mbuna they get along relatively well, but I will definitely check out your link... I also budgeted out a dream tank and came up with approximately $700 before fish, so aaah, yeah, it might really be a dream.
 
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