I'm somewhat new to fishkeeping and have a couple questions. Three months have gone by since I started this hobby and I finally have a cycled, heated, and filtered 5 gallon tank with one betta swimming happily and blowing bubble nests. Now that I know a lot more about fishkeeping, I've been eyeing my parents' old 49 gallon tank that used to hold goldfish over a decade ago. It's just sitting there collecting dust and it feels like such a waste. I want to do some research before I set up the tank though.
I just started cleaning the tank out and haven't bought a filter or heater for it yet, so I haven't started cycling but I can't help thinking about how I could stock the tank once it's all set up. So, I was thinking about stocking the tank with 6 to 10 neon tetras, 6 cory catfish, swordtails, platys, mollies, and maybe guppies. I'm not sure about how many of each I should get without overstocking though. I know there should be a 3:1 ratio of females to males for swordtails, mollies, and platys but I'm getting mixed answers about guppies. How many guppies should be in a tank together for them to be happy? How many swordtails, mollies, and platys should I get? How many fish should I add at one time once the tank is cycled? I also really like ghost shrimp but I've read that swordtails, mollies, and platys would probably eat them. And maybe my research is been wrong, but these fish are all compatible right? And last, I was wondering what the best way to clean the old tank would be and if a tank this old is more prone to cracking or other defects. Sorry for all the questions! I'm in the planning stages since I came up with the idea yesterday and am excited by the possibilities. I'm still considering whether or not I should set the 49 gal up though. Any advice is appreciated
Welcome to the hobby and the forum. First things first, I would recommend filling up the old tank either outside or somewhere that a flood of water wouldn't hurt anything. Let it sit for a day and monitor for any leaks. Leaks don't always show right away. I've heard horror stories about tanks being set up in emergencies only for the owner to come back to a leak.
The second problem I'll want to point out is that neon tetras show their best colors in softer, acidic water while livebearers like guppies and mollys fare best in hard, alkaline water. What type of water naturally comes from your tap? When we find out what that is, then we can help you with stocking options.
But first things first, gotta test that old tank for leaks.
Thanks for the welcome and for the advice! I didn't expect anyone to reply on Christmas :0
I'll definitely fill it outside and let it sit once I have it cleaned up. There's a thick layer of dust and random things cluttered inside the tank at the moment.
My tap water is really alkaline, with a pH of 8.0 to 8.2. But that's tested immediately from the facet from when I first got my API master kit a month ago. I've read since then that you should let tap water sit out for 24 hours to let it "gas out" before testing. I'll do that right now. Does this mean I should go for the live bearers? Time to do more research~
Oh and is it normal to have 2 to 5ppm of nitrite in the tap water? I'm suspicious of the water I drink from the facet now.
Lol. Christmas celebrations have long ceased at my house. I'm just a crazy night owl. With that pH I would go for livebearers. I don't even think neons could survive at that pH. Another thing you might want to do is find a local water quality report online (just type in your city name and water quality report). The EPA makes the local govts publish them once a year. It will have the pH, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, alkalinity, GH, and all kinds of goodies that will help you stock your tank.
If you want to you could, jog on over to tropicalfishkeeping.com (it's the parent site of bettafish.com). People there keep community tanks along the lines of what you are wanting.
Oh I didn't even think to look up the info. Here's the averages I found for my city: pH = 7.7 with a range of 7.0 to 8.1, nitrate = 22 ppm, alkalinity = 160 ppm, GH = 200 ppm. It doesn't show anything on nitrite or ammonia on the report though. I checked my tap water again and does indeed have a pH of 8.0 to 8.2. I guess I'm on the upper end for pH in my city. I don't know how my betta's tank water stays at a constant pH of 6.8 if my tap water has a pH that high. Thanks for the help!
I'm still in the process of cleaning the tank out though. Haven't checked for leaks yet.
Koi has covered everything and offered some great advice. Hopefully that tank holds water for you and you are able to get it all cleaned out. I always hate seeing tanks go to waste. It sounds like you water is on the hard side, so I would stick with livebearers. Only buy a few at first though, because they will breed like crazy. Before you know it you will have a tank full of guppies, platies, etc.
Your water falls in the hard and basic range. Bigfish is right; livebearers will be the way to go. I'm not sure about mixing mollys, platys, and guppies as I have no experience with them. I only know that guppies and Endlers will interbreed (done a little research because I plan to keep them in the future). I would check out the fish profiles to get more in-depth information.
Thanks for the article! It's a really good reference
So now I'm thinking 4 swordtails, 4 platys, and 4 mollies - with 3 females and 1 male each. Hopefully breeding doesn't get out of control though. Or is it fine to just have all female platys and mollies? I really like how male swordtails look, but male and female platys and mollies look about the same. I wouldn't have to worry about male to female ratios either. But they're all livebearers so they might interbreed anyway... I've even seen molly and guppy mixes :shock:
And do cory catfish do okay in more alkaline water? If I get mollies, they'll need a lot of salt which eliminates getting catfish. But if they can't stand alkaline water anyway, I might try ghost shrimp and hope they don't get eaten or look into another bottom feeder.
I agree livebearers will suite your harder water, but with male and female of any species you will have fry--and soon hundreds. Something to bear in mind; finding homes for hundreds of fry isn't easy. Having only males will avoid this.
Other harder water fish are available, rainbowfish for instance (some species are in our profiles), and there are a few Cyprinids. With Corydoras you should be OK with the Corydoras aeneus, they occur in medium hard water naturally; and possibly Corydoras paleatus. A group of 4-5 of each would be fine. These do better with sand substrates, though fine smooth gravel will work.
And welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping. Nice to have you with us.:-D
Yes, I didn't mean to imply you could have all species, only commenting on avoiding fry. Check the profile, second tab from the left in the blue bar across the to[p of the page, the platy, swordtail, guppy and molly are all included under Livebearers. Three species of Rainbowfish are included under Atherinids. And the Cyprinids are there too. Each profile gives recommended numbers for groups, minimum tank size, compatibility, water parameters, etc.
The albino form depends upon species; there is now an albino Bronze (Corydoras aeneus), an albino peppered (Corydoras paleatus) and an albino Sterbai (Corydoras sterbai) that I know of, there may even be another or two. Most of the commonly-named "albino cory" will be C. aeneus. Unless it mentions it in the profile, the albino has the same requirements/preferences as the regular of that species. Profiles are under the second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page, and if the name is shaded in posts as it is here you can click on it for that profile.
Oh I meant, having all male livebearers. Is having an all male livebearer tank okay?
I didn't even know the profiles were there o.o I'm really new to the forum lol thanks for pointing it out! I'll read up on it.
The reason I ask about the albino is because the pet stores I've been to just say "albino cory catfish." Not very descriptive... How could I tell them apart? And is sand substrate safe for livebearers? I remember my boyfriend's koi almost choked on substrate one time. They wouldn't try to eat some right?
Oh I meant, having all male livebearers. Is having an all male livebearer tank okay?
I didn't even know the profiles were there o.o I'm really new to the forum lol thanks for pointing it out! I'll read up on it.
The reason I ask about the albino is because the pet stores I've been to just say "albino cory catfish." Not very descriptive... How could I tell them apart? And is sand substrate safe for livebearers? I remember my boyfriend's koi almost choked on substrate one time. They wouldn't try to eat some right?
Yes to the male livebearer question. Just remember that the males can be feisty, so keep the numbers down; and remember their mature sizes when stocking so as not to have too many on that score. And sand is a safe substrate.
Thanks for the help! I'm getting a better idea of how I want my tank set up :-D
Update: I finally got around to cleaning up the entire tank and getting rid of the junk inside. It's dust free now after so many years After it dried, I sealed the edges with 100% silicone aquarium sealant as a precaution. Now I just have to find someone strong enough to help me move to tank outside to test for leaks. It's really heavy, especially since the tank is attached to the stand.
I have a couple more questions...
Is an air bubbler good enough to replace live plants? I wanted to try a planted tank, but it seems like cories could easily uproot plants in sand substrate. Or maybe a strong filter alone could agitate the water enough on its own. I had a disaster with oxygen deprivation when my tank was first cycled so I want to make sure to avoid that.
Is having different kinds of platys and swordtails okay (ex: 1 mickey mouse platy, 1 sunburst platy, 1 pineapple swordtail, 1 red velvet swordtail, ect.) or should I get all of the same kind (ex: 4 mickey mouse platys and 4 pineapple swordtails)? All male of course. I like being able to tell them apart and name them but if they prefer to be together then I won't get different kinds. When I had 6 neon tetras, I couldn't tell them apart at all and they never got named because of that :| It was also hard to check up on any one individual when they all look the same.
The tank has no hood, just a light that hangs over the top of it. How much lower should the water level be to prevent jumping out of the tank? I'm going to see if I can find a hood that fits or something to cover it with but I don't know if I could find it in that size.
And last, should I follow that general one gallon per inch of max fish size rule for platys and swordtails? And cories.
Sorry for all the questions! Cleaning it gave me some time to think about potential problems.
Is an air bubbler good enough to replace live plants? I wanted to try a planted tank, but it seems like cories could easily uproot plants in sand substrate. Or maybe a strong filter alone could agitate the water enough on its own. I had a disaster with oxygen deprivation when my tank was first cycled so I want to make sure to avoid that.
Corys will not uproot plants in sand. You will not have oxygen shortage with live plants unless you way overload the tank with fish or neglect normal maintenance.
Is having different kinds of platys and swordtails okay (ex: 1 mickey mouse Platy, 1 sunburst Platy, 1 pineapple Swordtail, 1 red velvet Swordtail, ect.) or should I get all of the same kind (ex: 4 mickey mouse platys and 4 pineapple swordtails)? All male of course. I like being able to tell them apart and name them but if they prefer to be together then I won't get different kinds. When I had 6 neon tetras, I couldn't tell them apart at all and they never got named because of that :neutral: It was also hard to check up on any one individual when they all look the same.
The tank has no hood, just a light that hangs over the top of it. How much lower should the water level be to prevent jumping out of the tank? I'm going to see if I can find a hood that fits or something to cover it with but I don't know if I could find it in that size.
I prefer tanks to be covered; it prevents excess water evaporation into the house (not good), keeps dust and dirt out of the tank, helps keep the water warm, and prevents fish jumping out--and many fish will jump. If the tank is a standard size (length/width) with a lip around the inside of the frame you should be able to get a glass cover unit for the top.
And last, should I follow that general one gallon per inch of max fish size rule for platys and swordtails? And cories.
This is an old "rule" and not especially practical. One has to consider the fish (sizes, species behaviour, etc), live plants, water change schedule/amount, etc.
My small tank has a weak built in filter and fake plants so yeah... perfect for a betta but not so good for other fish. I'll try out a planted tank with sand that I wanted initially since there doesn't seem to be any problems with it. Thanks for the advice!
So I can get different kinds of platys and a couple of the same kind of swordtails? Or wait, did you mean all the same kind of platy and different kinds of swordtails?
I've been looking for a hood or glass cover that fits. I measured the tank with a 12 inch ruler, so there's probably a bit of error in my measurements but I got 47.5" x 12" top. I haven't found a glass cover nearly that big. I was looking at other 50 gallon tanks that were being sold and they had a divider for the top so that two smaller glass covers could be used instead of one huge 48" long piece of glass. I'm thinking I could somehow make the divider, or buy one, and get two small covers. I don't know where anyone sells that kind of thing. Aquarium top divider? What could it be called...
I'm not sure how many fish would overstock my tank since I've mostly dealt with putting one betta in a 5 gallon. Is there a good guideline I could use to know how many fish to stock my tank with? I'm thinking 4 to 5 platys and 4 to 5 swordtails (maybe less of both if I find another fish I really like), and a school of 4 to 6 cories in a planted sand substrate tank with 20% water changes every week. Is that overstocked, understocked, or just right?
Oh and when I was looking for hoods in another pets store, I saw both "green cory catfish" (corydoras aeneus) and "emerald green cory catfish" (brochis splendens) swimming in different tanks. I could definitely tell the difference since their faces are a little different and the emeralds were a lot bigger. I originally wanted the emerald green cories but read about them and learned that they get really big since they're not corydoras. I've never seen just "green cory catfish" though. They look exactly like the albino corydoras aeneus but with a hint of green and normal black eyes instead of red. Would these be the same size as other corydoras aeneus? I've never heard of them before so I'm curious. Everything I look up goes to the emerald green cory instead.
My small tank has a weak built in filter and fake plants so yeah... perfect for a betta but not so good for other fish. I'll try out a planted tank with sand that I wanted initially since there doesn't seem to be any problems with it. Thanks for the advice!
So I can get different kinds of platys and a couple of the same kind of swordtails? Or wait, did you mean all the same kind of platy and different kinds of swordtails?
I've been looking for a hood or glass cover that fits. I measured the tank with a 12 inch ruler, so there's probably a bit of error in my measurements but I got 47.5" x 12" top. I haven't found a glass cover nearly that big. I was looking at other 50 gallon tanks that were being sold and they had a divider for the top so that two smaller glass covers could be used instead of one huge 48" long piece of glass. I'm thinking I could somehow make the divider, or buy one, and get two small covers. I don't know where anyone sells that kind of thing. Aquarium top divider? What could it be called...
I'm not sure how many fish would overstock my tank since I've mostly dealt with putting one betta in a 5 gallon. Is there a good guideline I could use to know how many fish to stock my tank with? I'm thinking 4 to 5 platys and 4 to 5 swordtails (maybe less of both if I find another fish I really like), and a school of 4 to 6 cories in a planted sand substrate tank with 20% water changes every week. Is that overstocked, understocked, or just right?
Oh and when I was looking for hoods in another pets store, I saw both "green cory catfish" (corydoras aeneus) and "emerald green cory catfish" (brochis splendens) swimming in different tanks. I could definitely tell the difference since their faces are a little different and the emeralds were a lot bigger. I originally wanted the emerald green cories but read about them and learned that they get really big since they're not corydoras. I've never seen just "green cory catfish" though. They look exactly like the albino corydoras aeneus but with a hint of green and normal black eyes instead of red. Would these be the same size as other corydoras aeneus? I've never heard of them before so I'm curious. Everything I look up goes to the emerald green cory instead.
You can combine swordtails and platy; a female of either will mean fry.
The tank measurements seem those of a standard 55g, so there are glass cover sets available.
On the green/emerald issue, I can't add to what is included in the profiles for each species; in your post the names shaded, click those to see the respective profile.
I measured it with a 12" ruler by the inside of the tank and googled the dimensions, so its probably a standard 55 gal if tanks are measured by the size of each glass panel.
Update: My brother helped me start moving the tank outside but that gave me a better look at the stand. It looks like really weathered pieces of wood thrown together. There's little cracks in it and one leg is uneven. There was something under the one leg, holding it even. I don't think it'd be able to withstand 50 some gallons of water. It is over two decades old... I'm worried about filling it and have the stand collapsing, probably breaking the tank. The tank and stand are attached to each other so I'm not sure what I could do :-(
Update: I told a friend my problem and he told me that stands are never attached to the tank. So when I got home, I checked and its not attached! Just dust, grime, and a little calcium build up kept the tank in place when it got moved. Good thing it didn't tip over :shock: Now I just have to find a new sturdy stand that's affordable. After I check for leaks.
Be sure that you put it on a very flat surface to test it. Driveways often aren't perfectly flat, but the garage floor should be ok, or even a sidewalk segment. You don't want to flex the tank and >400 pounds of water will definitely do it if the surface isn't flat. And never let the ends overhang.
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