New fish community

663 Views 7 Replies 3 Participants Last post by sharkweek0178, 1 mo ago

Carmoes1

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

Hello!

As I kid, we had a 10 gallon acuarium, and I loved it. Since then, I have dreamed of having a large planted acuarium with tons of neon tetras. This dream is about to come true.

I have a 150 us gallon tank. (1.90m *0.60m*0.5m), a canister filter, substrate, heater, lamps...

I have found plenty of information on how to get it strated (N cycling, etc). But when it comes to choosing the fish, I'm at a loss, because most articles out there are for small acuariums.

So I am looking for advice. I definitely want a ton of neon tetras, but I also want a whole stable community. Any advice?

Or even better, would anybody like to plan/dream with me and take me under their wing?

Thank you!!!

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Death_by_Dinosaurs

· #2 · 2 mo ago

So, let me clarify a few details. You want plants, neon tetras and maybe some other fish for balance? Do you have any prior experience.
Do you know that there are other types of tetra that are similar to neons?
And do you happen to know what you ph and water hardness are? That can affect stocking. And what type of substrate do you have?

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Carmoes1

Discussion Starter · #3 · 2 mo ago

Hi!! Thank you for responding!!

Yes, I want a planted community acuarium, with neon tetras as the dominant species. I'm picturing a school of 50ish, but I don't know if that is realistic.

I have read I could also incude cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, black skirt tetras and black neons. I've considered different types of catfish, shrimp, snails... But all the references I have found are for 10-30 gallon aquariums. I considered having cardinal tetras as the main species, but I read they requiere a very stable environment and since I am new at this, I thought I'd go for the neons. What is your advice?

I have little prior experience. Like I said, as a child we had an aquarium, but I have not owned one as an adult. However, I did study biology, so I can pick up on things quickly.

I have not yet tested my tap water for pH and hardness, I have yet to order a testing kit, but it is part of the plan.

Thanks again!

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Death_by_Dinosaurs

· #4 · 2 mo ago

Here’s the deal;
I have never heard of so many neon tetras in one tank. No time like the present. I like neon tetras. I think this could look really cool. Of course, the thing that really matters is what you want. There’s certainly room for it.
Imho, you could get your neons, some Cory catfish, nerite snails, a few platies, and some glowline tetras. I will admit to not knowing a lot about huge tank stocking, and I never suggest an animal I haven’t tried, unless I make it clear what I’m doing. My tanks are 10 gallons, but I know you can always put a small fish in a bigger tank. There’s no such thing as too big a tank
Best of luck,
DbD✌

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sharkweek0178

· #5 · 1 mo ago

Carmoes1 said:
Hi!! Thank you for responding!!

Yes, I want a planted community acuarium, with neon tetras as the dominant species. I'm picturing a school of 50ish, but I don't know if that is realistic.

I have read I could also incude cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, black skirt tetras and black neons. I've considered different types of catfish, shrimp, snails... But all the references I have found are for 10-30 gallon aquariums. I considered having cardinal tetras as the main species, but I read they requiere a very stable environment and since I am new at this, I thought I'd go for the neons. What is your advice?

I have little prior experience. Like I said, as a child we had an aquarium, but I have not owned one as an adult. However, I did study biology, so I can pick up on things quickly.

I have not yet tested my tap water for pH and hardness, I have yet to order a testing kit, but it is part of the plan.

Thanks again!

You can find out your water hardness from the water company or look it up online by your zip code.

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sharkweek0178

· #6 · 1 mo ago

Here are the water parameters that neons require.

Temperature: 21 – 25 °C

pH: 4.0 – 7.5

Hardness: 18 – 215 ppm

Paracheirodon innesi – Neon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon innesi, Cheirodon innesi) — Seriously Fish

That link has more good info about them.
You'll want to add floating plants to your tank. That gives them cover and dims the lighting in the tank making it more in line with their natural habitat. It's good for the water too. Fast growing floating plants suck out the ammonia from the water and oxygenate it. They like live plants in general. I know you said that you don't have a lot of experience. But there are a lot of easy plants out there that you can add to a tank. It's good for the water, the fish love it and it just looks better. That last part is IMO.
Another thing to add is dried leaf litter. As they decompose they release tannins into the water which are good for the fish. They also stain the water a little which also brings it in line with their natural habitat. You can add oak leaves. Make sure they are completely dried out with no green. Also make sure that you get them from somewhere that is pesticide free and not near roadways where exhaust can accumulate on them. Or you can buy Indian almond leaves. That's what I do to be on the safe side.
Neons are small. So you don't want them in with anything that's big enough to eat them. Or aggressive enough to scare them. Corydoras make for good tank mates. So do most other tetras and rasboras. Some of the smaller gouramis are good tank mates as well. I have mine in with a honey gourami. Whatever you put them in with, make sure they have overlapping water parameters and that they are compatible with your source water.
I feed mine high quality flakes and pellets and frozen foods. I grind up the flakes into tiny pieces for them. I use a mortar and pestle to grind the pellets into almost powder for them to eat as well. I also give them frozen daphnia and baby brine shrimp. I give them frozen bloodworms too but I chop those up into more manageable pieces so they can eat them.

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Death_by_Dinosaurs

· #7 · 1 mo ago

I’ve personally found that these water parameters can be pushed a little, particularly the ph, but generally speaking yes.

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sharkweek0178

· #8 · 1 mo ago

Also, beware of Neon Tetra disease. Make sure to quarantine any neons you get for at least a month before adding them to the main tank.
You should do that anyways with any new fish. But especially with neon tetras.

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