Hello all, So I was recently given a 52 gallon flat-back hex. It is currently very dirty and came with a under-gravel filter, which will just not do for the fish I will be keeping in there.
I need some suggestions with lighting and substrate choices.
Here are the fish that will be going into this tank.
1 Plecostomus
1 Dwarf Gourami
8 Platy's
These are previous fish in need of a larger home with more room
Now here are the fish I will be adding
1 dwarf Gourami
8 Long fin Zebra Danio
I used the AqAdviser site and it says my stocking is exactly at 100 %
I will be buying a Aqua-Tech 30-60 Power Filter for this tank and moving my Tetra Whisper 10-30i Filter to this tank.
This being done, AqAdviser, says my Filtration is Satisfactory.
Now I know the Pleco will make all live plants impossible to keep, yes, this will be his permanent home, but I haven't the slightest clue what kind of rocks, bottom substrate and or fake plants to get for this tank. And I'm not really sure about the kind of lighting I will need.
Oh! Almost forgot, I will be running two air stones off of one duel output (up to 60 gallons) Air pump, So no oxygen shortage for these guys.
And just one more thing :-D Will I need one heater? or two? I am limited to what Wal-mart has in stock, and my house has no heating in the winter, temps do occasionally get down to 34 degrees Fahrenheit in the room the tank will be in. I live in West Tennessee if that gives you a idea of the Temperatures around the year here.
First on the question of wood/rock: what is the pleco species? I ask because some must have real wood (for their diet), while others may come from rocky rivers and be better in a riverscape.
On the heater, this may be a problem. Most if not all aquarium heaters are intended to work with the tank temperature no higher than about 10-15 degrees above the ambient room temperature. If forced to heat in colder rooms, the heater is much more likely to fail. Is some form of room heating an option? For example, maintaining the room in the mid 60's F would make it safer to keep the tank in the high 70's F.
There is really no way to heat the room, I don't have central heating just one small heater that is dangerous to keep on all the time. I do have another room that stays about 15-20 degrees warmer than all my other rooms due to my other fish tanks, I could do a bit of rearranging and move the tank to this room. As to the exact Species, I'm not quite sure, I bought him from Wal-mart. He looks like a cross between a sail-fin and a common pleco, He has all the perfect black spots on brown background, and his fins are longer than a normal common pleco, this being why I chose this specific pleco, but not quite as long as a sail-fins. I would post a photo if he would ever come out in the light for me. The heaters that I am currently using in my other tanks, are non adjustable heaters, and the only one that doesn't keep the temp at a perfect 78 degrees Fahrenheit is the one on my small 3 gallon which currently contains Ghost and Sakura shrimp, it keeps the temp at that tank at 74, which is better for shrimp.
The Sailfin Pleco reaches 18 inches, as does the Common Pleco. Both should have wood to rasp on. But watch the size, these fish will make a substantial impact on the water quality.
Careful. Hex tanks are usually pretty tall which acounts for much of their volume. That often means they have very, very little horizontal swimming room. Could be a problem with some of those fish selections.
On Dwarf Gourami ... two males would likely fight, make sure you get a male and female.
I've seen a common pleco that was quite a bit larger, but it was probably the exception.. (It was over 2 feet).
As for plants, I believe you could still have plants mounted to ornaments if you wanted.. (java fern, anubias, mosses, etc) and the gourami would appreciate floating plants.
Geomancer, Thank you, but its a flatback hex, its 48 inches long. Redchigh, Do you really mean it about having mounted plants? Byron, Ill watch the size, and thanks for the advice about wood, know any places I could get some that would be safe?
Geomancer, Thank you, but its a flatback hex, its 48 inches long. Redchigh, Do you really mean it about having mounted plants? Byron, Ill watch the size, and thanks for the advice about wood, know any places I could get some that would be safe?
Couldn't open the photobucket site. But on the wood, my favourite is Malaysian Driftwood because it is heavy and sinks immediately, is not too bad for tannins, and looks very natural with its very dark brown colour and shapes. And it usually has a number of crevices and tunnels in it, which is ideal for fish that like to have a "home" which plecs all do.
This wood is available in fish stores, Petsmart in Canada at least carries it, but I have seen it elsewhere and online. Only problem online is that each piece of wood is different, being natural wood, and thus you don't know exactly what you are getting unless the particular piece is pictured.
Some woods are known to carry toxic fungus, but I have never had this problem nor heard of it with Malaysian driftwood.
After doing quite a bit of researching, I have finally come to face the fact that A pleco may not be the best choice for even a 52 gallon :/ He wouldn't have quite a lot of room to turn around in once 18 inches. I have instead looked at this combo instead, what do you guys think?
4 platys, The smaller amount to keep my females from overbreeding my tank
1 male dwarf gourami, 2 female dwarf gourami
5 Guppys
3 Apple Snails
5 Cherry Shrimp
4 Ghost Shrimp
8 Emperor Tetra
8 Longfin Zebra Danio
8 Black Widow Tetra
This puts the stocking at 101 %, but I would be able to make do with the one larger filter, and there would be a significantly less amount of waste with more swimming room for everyone and the added bonus that I could do live plants like I have always wished to. Also, I do rather like lots of smaller fish than only a few with one large fish that would be slightly uncomfortale and run the risk of eating the others once hes grown.
The water change would only have to be 32 % a week also.
But I am still undecided as to the substrate. . . Should I go Sand or gravel like I have always done?
Also, when I get this tank set up, what would be the best order to add the fish? so as to avoid a sudden ammonia spike from added waste load?
I apologise for the continual changing of the fish, but I noticed that I have mostly chosen characins, that prefer soft acidic water, So perhaps instead of the guppys and platys it would be better to add 5 kuhli loaches? And this way I would get some bottom movement as well.
If you have soft rather than hard source water (tap presumably) then I would avoid livebearers as you suggest; they will not do well in soft water.
Substrate depends upon fish to some extent, as there are those that fare better with sand. If loaches or corys and similar are intended, go with sand. As for kuhli loach, understand you may not see much of them [check the profile].
Water changes. There is no magic number. The more water that is changed the more often, the better. But as most of us feel once a week is it, then changing 1/3 to 1/2 the tank is best. The fish load (and having live plants) influences this somewhat.
Plant the tank well at the beginning. Once planted with some fast growing plants (floating plants are ideal for this), you can begin to add fish with no cycling issues. A few at a time, perhaps species by species.
You don't want an 18-inch pleco in a 55g unless it is basically alone. These fish produce a lot of waste.
And the tank is not wide enough as you say. There are suitable smaller species, plus an array of other substrate fish.
I read the profile before I chose the Kuhli, I think it will be even more rewarding to catch a glimpse of one because of this. I also read the bit about them eating shrimp and snails, I know my shrimp are too small, but would my apple snails be safe from them once about 2 inches in width?
What would be the best plants for a sand substrate? And how would I get them the nutrients they need into the sand?
As for floaters, I have a species that I found very attractive on the way to put into my 20 gallon until I get this larger tank set up. Asian Watermoss, or Salvinia Cucullata. I love the way the leaves form a cone when under bright lighting.
As to the species, I was thinking of adding in half the full group of black widows at a time.
So it would look something like this,
1st week 6 Black Widows
3rd week 6 Zebra Danio
5th Week 6 Zebra Danio
7th week 6 black widows
9th week my current female dwarf gourami ( At this point I will also search for 1 female and 1 male Dwarf Gourami free of the virus they are known to carry, but put into quarintine for a while to be sure)
11th week 8 emperor tetras
13th week, after 4 weeks of quarintine the remaining 2 gouramis shall be added.
15th week 8 Kuhli Loach
(I like to have my tank fully stocked and this will be at the exact fully stocked point, and the larger group so as a less likely chance for the Kuhlis to be bullied by the black widows and emperors)
I also read the bit about them eating shrimp and snails, I know my shrimp are too small, but would my apple snails be safe from them once about 2 inches in width?
Any plants will manage fine in sand, some better than in gravel. As for nutrients, these are dosed primarily into the water; the water naturally percolates through the substrate, bringing the nutrients to the plant roots. Larger plants like swords will benefit from substrate tabs as well. But liwuid fertilizer is always the first added because it benefits all plants; some nutrients are taken up via the leaves and this deals with that issue too.
As to the species, I was thinking of adding in half the full group of black widows at a time.
So it would look something like this,
1st week 6 Black Widows
3rd week 6 Zebra Danio
5th Week 6 Zebra Danio
7th week 6 black widows
9th week my current female dwarf gourami ( At this point I will also search for 1 female and 1 male Dwarf Gourami free of the virus they are known to carry, but put into quarintine for a while to be sure)
11th week 8 emperor tetras
13th week, after 4 weeks of quarintine the remaining 2 gouramis shall be added.
15th week 8 Kuhli Loach
(I like to have my tank fully stocked and this will be at the exact fully stocked point, and the larger group so as a less likely chance for the Kuhlis to be bullied by the black widows and emperors)
Always add all the intended numbers of a given species, i.e., all the Black Widow Tetra [aka Black Skirt] at once, etc. The reason is two-fold: within the group there may be a social structure and the more the better to avoid bullies as it allows the natural hierarchy to form from the first in a new environment. And second, the more fish there are in the group per species, the easier they will adjust to the move, meaning less stress and thus less chance of disease. This applies to any species that will be kept in numbers above 1 or a pair. Territorial fish like gourami, cichlids, etc. benefit from this obviously.
A caution though on species. I would not keep sedate fish (gourami) with active fish (danios) nor with known fin nippers (Black Widows). You may want to rethink things a bit. Check the profiles.
Success with a "community" aquarium requires careful thought beforehand. There are many reasons why a fish species cannot be kept with many other fish species.
All gourami occur in quiet waters like swamps, ditches, ponds, etc. that are thick with vegetation. Fish swimming actively around them are a source of stress. And we all know that stress causes deterioriating health and often this leads to a shortened lifespan. My srticle on stress explains this more.
I understand, I would never dream of causing a shortened lifespan to my current female Gourami, Shes the only fish that I have currently named and the one with the most personality. Perhaps I will either rehome my platies or would 3 gouramis, 2 female, 1 male, be comfortable in a 10 gallon tank?
The profile mentions a 24-inch tank as minimum, which would be a 15g long or a 20g. And this for a pair. Frankly, this might be risky too. As it notes therein, the male attains 3 inches and some say larger, the female 2.5 inches. If the male happened to be a bit nasty, as happens, or got too eager to spawn as can happen with only one female, the poor female would be hard pressed to escape.
Welp. Looks like Ill have to either keep all of my tanks running , rehome my livebearers, or thin out the platies and move them to my 10 gallon. I currently have them in a 20 gallon. I truely would love for Hawkeye to have a spawn, She is such a amazing fish. Also, wish me luck for the next three days! I have a Expensive Blue Moscow female about to give birth, her last fry were rather sickly and died within a few days.
It is a possibility. Pictus cats are naturally predatory, and reach 5 inches, and will eat smaller fish. The kuhli's would likely be severely stressed just with having the pictus in the tank, and remain buried for safety. Not a good mix.
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