56 gal tall setup

yodapoolman

I had asked in a different forum about a tank setup and types of fish, and I thought I'd post a video I shot a little while back. Currently I have 5 black skirt tetras and a green cory that used to be in my 10 gal. There are 2 Fluval U2 filters and a 150 watt heater. The light is pretty bright, I'm wondering if I should darken it somehow or get a different light. The tetras don't show the black as much unless the light is off. The cory was hiding in this video so I didn't get a shot of him.

Any suggestions on layout, types of fish to add or other fake plants? Or should I get live floating plants to block out some light? Thanks!

Jakiebabie

Nice Pirate tank... from one Pirate lover to another..lol You might want to think about more Cory's as they need to be in groups for comfort 3 -5. Then it might come out more. I now have 8 in my 75 gallon, several different species and they all do their own thing but like kinds are always close by, the 2 peppered and the 3 pandas. See my Aquarium tab for my list, pics and video.
A black background would make your colours pop more on your plants, and maybe a couple of really tall plants in the back area. JMO tho. The dark background will make the silver of the fish stand out more, which will/may enhance their stripes. I was told frozen blood worms once a week for colour enhancement, have you heard that before or tried it? They come in little frozen cubes you can pop into a dish of water to thaw or some people like me, drop them frozen right into the tank.
If you like those tetras, maybe a couple more. They really enjoy swimming together don't they?
Thankyou for the video!!

yodapoolman

Thanks for the reply! I really like the pirate setup too lol :) I think I have the tallest plants at Petsmart, but I'll have to check again. I might try more tetras. I heard Angelfish may do well in a tall, but I don't believe they'd get along with the tetras right? I'm assuming other tetras (not black skirts) will get along ok with my current ones?

I do give them the frozen bloodworms periodically, although I haven't tried the thawing first method. From videos I saw, it looked like they'd get eaten faster/better. The cube seemed to sink pretty fast for me.

What about the lighting? Does it seem to bright? I don't keep in on very long. There's natural light that comes in enough, and my living room lamp (don't worry, the tank's not in the sun lol) but I wonder if a more subdued feeling like blue lighting would work better?

I see one of your tanks has a RTS. If I added 2 cories (do they need to be the emerald green like the one I have?) and a bristlenose pleco, would a RTS work for this setup? Or is it not long enough for all the territories going on? I like the RTS, but I don't want it to be a hassle if it keeps harassing the other fish because of the setup.

jeaninel

Good suggestions from Jakiebabie. I think the black background will help to subdue to tank a bit and the fish will feel a bit more secure and also hide those unsightly cords. I don't think you'll have to mess with the light. I think another group of 6 of another tetra you like would look nice and maybe one or two more of the black skirts. Check the fish profiles under characins and see what catches your eye then research them to make sure they'd be a good fit for your tank.

I would add more of the same cory you have. I have 5 each of the Schwartzi and 5 of the C. Aeneus (a.k.a. Bronze cory) in one of my 55's and they really do much better as a larger group of the same kind even though they will occasionally swim around with the other type. I just think they're happier when in a group of their own kind. Emerald cories can be a couple different types. Usually the emerald cories I see are the Brochis Splendens but I've also seen the Bronze cory also sold as "emerald cory". The Brochis grow quite a bit bigger than the Bronze.

yodapoolman

I was thinking of adding some plants to this set-up. I've been looking around the site and got some good ideas. My question is: If I get plants do I know longer need the air bubbles from the ornaments? Or would I need it at night when the lights are off?