I have a 29 gallon freshwater tank. I have a LFS I go to for plants, a LFS I go to for supplies, and a 3rd LFS I go to for fish. It has been cycling for 3 weeks now. My info:
My tap water is hard and basic (roughly 7.6 & 170)
I have a black gravel substrate
3 pieces of Malaysian Driftwood (2 medium-to-large & one small)
1 medium piece of Mopani
My water is tan from the tannins leeched into it
9 live plants (4 swords, 2 vallisneria, 1 brazilian pennywort,1 anubias, 1 java fern - last two are pinned to wood to allow their roots to attach, anchor, and have open water exposure) - plants were added 3 at a time, weekly
The live plants, wood, and mixing some distilled water and bottled mineral water with my tap water (I monitored amounts & know proportions needed for water changes) has allowed my water to settle with the following parameters:
Temp: 76
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Hardiness: ~100
Alkalinity: ~160
pH: ~6.8
I have tested every other day for the past two week to ensure stability, and I have tested both with API test strips and API Freshwater Master Test Kit (the liquid bottles & test tubes).
Chemicals Used:
Prime Water Conditioner
API Aquarium Salt (at water addition startup)
API Leaf Zone (weekly)
API Stress Coat [with water addition(s)]
API Stress Zyme (weekly)
I believe I am ready to now add fish. My fish are smaller fish, but I'd like to pick out the smaller ones available at my LFS because I find it more fun to watch them grow a bit. The fish I would like to add, in order are:
7 Glowlight Tetras
7 Neon Tetras
3 Pepper Corys
What are peoples' thoughts, evaluations, & suggestions? I developed the tank & worked to get the water parameters and setup specifically for these fish, so I'm not interested in someone suggesting a cardinal over the neon, but am looking for more advanced feedback. My roommate and I also have a 125 gallon tank with a fire eel and shovelnose tiger catfish (a gorgeous individual fish by the way), so I'm not really a rookie, but obviously my group of fish wouldn't last 3 days in the big tank with those guys.
I wouldn't mind doing 9-9-5 from a personal stand point, but I am trying to avoid overstocking, but being heavily planted may help. Also, if I did 9, maybe try getting 5 and then 4 in attempts to slow stock?
My tap water is hard and basic (roughly 7.6 & 170)
I have a black gravel substrate
3 pieces of Malaysian Driftwood (2 medium-to-large & one small)
1 medium piece of Mopani
My water is tan from the tannins leeched into it
9 live plants (4 swords, 2 vallisneria, 1 brazilian pennywort,1 anubias, 1 java fern - last two are pinned to wood to allow their roots to attach, anchor, and have open water exposure) - plants were added 3 at a time, weekly
The live plants, wood, and mixing some distilled water and bottled mineral water with my tap water (I monitored amounts & know proportions needed for water changes) has allowed my water to settle with the following parameters:
Temp: 76
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Hardiness: ~100
Alkalinity: ~160
pH: ~6.8
I have tested every other day for the past two week to ensure stability, and I have tested both with API test strips and API Freshwater Master Test Kit (the liquid bottles & test tubes).
Chemicals Used:
Prime Water Conditioner
API Aquarium Salt (at water addition startup)
API Leaf Zone (weekly)
API Stress Coat [with water addition(s)]
API Stress Zyme (weekly)
I believe I am ready to now add fish. My fish are smaller fish, but I'd like to pick out the smaller ones available at my LFS because I find it more fun to watch them grow a bit. The fish I would like to add, in order are:
7 Glowlight Tetras
7 Neon Tetras
3 Pepper Corys
What are peoples' thoughts, evaluations, & suggestions? I developed the tank & worked to get the water parameters and setup specifically for these fish, so I'm not interested in someone suggesting a cardinal over the neon, but am looking for more advanced feedback. My roommate and I also have a 125 gallon tank with a fire eel and shovelnose tiger catfish (a gorgeous individual fish by the way), so I'm not really a rookie, but obviously my group of fish wouldn't last 3 days in the big tank with those guys.
I wouldn't mind doing 9-9-5 from a personal stand point, but I am trying to avoid overstocking, but being heavily planted may help. Also, if I did 9, maybe try getting 5 and then 4 in attempts to slow stock?