Need To Buy A New Tank - Need Recommendations

You might find this helpful, to know exactly what your water hardness levels are in CaCO3 and degrees German: https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/en/Your-Home/Your-Water/Water-Quality/Water-Quality 

As for gravel/sand, you might find it helpful to look at this site - https://www.completeaquatics.co.uk/aquarium-accessories/aquarium-decoration/aquarium-gravel-and-sands and http://www.unipacpet.co.uk/aquatic/aquarium-sand/ for a specific brand. In the detail of each sand, they tell you the grain sizes, so that might at least give you an idea of what sand of a particular grain size looks like and what to avoid for when you buy it.

They've done fine in there for two years, and this year have started breeding like mad.  It might do to put them all out in the big tank - it's why we got the big tank in the first place.    The tank is a foot x two feet. And since that's what we've got, that's what they'll be living in.

Just a point worth knowing about breeding - breeding behaviour can also be a sign of stress ie mentality of "quickly reproduce and hopefully genes will continue".

Yes, definitely a fine sand without sharp pieces is best for cories - a shop may be able to let you feel it and see what you think. I have Unipac's Tana sand which is a natural colour.

I wonder what would have suddenly stressed them? They've been fine until just lately.

A fish can be chronically stressed such as living in cramped conditions but it may manifest itself in various ways such as frenetic breeding or eventually falling ill.
The larger tank ought to help them and your very soft water will suit them very well.

It's looking good. 

I'm sure that your fish will love their new home. 

Good idea, thanks!  The grassy-looking stuff has taken root already (!) and so I think that'll hold most of it back in the wider path up from the sand to under the filter (which, if my experience is any indication will be a very popular place to "hang out"). I am going to have to invest in a set of fish hedge-clippers, I think! The plants are growing surprisingly well - I've never had much luck with live plants, but these seem very happy on the Eco substrate and tabs.

I've contacted the person from whom I'm going to get some Rummies to arrange for us to compare tank water so that I have time to adjust it before bringing the fish home. I'm trying to get within a ballpark of theirs so the fish won't stress as much. Then the Rummies will go in to help with the cycling, and hopefully soon thereafter the big Albino Corys will be moved over there, with the largest of their offspring. (The tinys will stay in the 5 gallon for now.)

So my daughter wants to put a placket-tail betta in the big tank. I'm not convinced it's a good idea, because of the water flow. (That filter is designed for 80 litres and putting out a good flow in my little 60 litre tank!) Plus, Corys like the temps on the lower end - 72-76F - while Bettas like 78-82F. I guess I could split it at 77F, but that's not the best temp for both. I ~think~ Rummies like 76-80, so they would be ok. I am also thinking that Rummies won't bother the Betta, and the Betta should not go for the Rummies, but you never know with Bettas. 

Have you guys ever put Bettas with other fish? I would think it would be better off in the little 5 gallon tank with the Whisper filter as it cascades down from above, hanging on the back of the tank and can be adjusted to a low-flow as needed. If she's really set on a Betta, that is. But if it's safe to put it in the larger tank, it'd have a lot more room to be a Betta in.

Yeah, I think the Betta would be better off in the five as well. I just couldn't figure out a way to explain it to the daughter. Thanks.

The guy who has the Rummies has them in a basically bare tank, with some gravel in the bottom. In that gravel he has bits of shell to "buffer" the water a bit more towards alkaline, which he does with all the fish he sells. He says otherwise it's local tap water.  I have basically the same tap water, but a lot of bogwood in the tank. There is that wonking big piece, and then the java ferns are on it as well. The water here is already acidic - I'm concerned that the bogwood is going to make it more so. Plus, the fish are coming from a tank that is having calcium carbonate added to the local water. 

I just did an API dip-strip in there and it's coming back KH between 0 and 40 and GH between 0 and 30. The PH is between 6 and 6.5. (I hate these color charts things, as they never match exactly, to my eyes.)

I had assumed that over time I would gradually work back to tap water, yes. But for their initial "plop and drop" I thought I'd have something a little more welcoming. And as the shell dissolves and the water is periodically replaced, they'll gradually come back up to our "standard".

If there are no fish it's not a problem.


Have you added anything to the tank - ammonia, fish food etc?



The nitrate test also tests for nitrite so if there is nitrite in the tank, the nitrate reading is not accurate.
Have you tested your tap water nitrate?

Yes, that's the usual procedure for a cycle. With lots of healthy live plants, they should take up the ammonia and they don't convert it into nitrite, so there's no nitrate made either. But there needs to be a fair amount of plants, and fast growing ones to do this quickly on a large scale.


Greenish water suggests an algae bloom. This is a microscopic alga that floats freely in the water and we see it as a green tinted cloudiness. Algae of all types are encouraged when three things are out of balance - light, fertiliser and carbon dioxide.
With no fish, there won't be much carbon dioxide. They breathe it out, and fish poo, uneaten food etc decompose to make it.
There may be too much plant fertiliser; too much for the 'proper' plants to take up especially if there's not much carbon dioxide.
Light - how long are the lights on for?

I do have the lights on a timer.  Perhaps 12 hours is too much. The tank gets some generic daylight when the sun comes up here. I'll try adjusting it to come on at 10:00am and stay on for a while, then off for the afternoon, then back on for the evening.

I agree with sue on all of this...
Your lights should be on for about 8 hours a day give or take, but if the tank is getting some natural light (not normally advised as this encourages algae) then having them on for less than this is the way to go.

Eco complete does not leach anything to the water and contains minimum nutrients but does have a high CEC (cation exchange capacity) this means that it will absorb nutrients from the water column. This combined with your tropica nutrient dosing will make the for a good planted tank substrate.

Good luck and keep us informed of progress!

Ok, the test-tube API kit came today. I ran everything twice. In some cases it was between colors.

Ph 6.4 to 6.6
Ammonia .5 to 1.0
Nitrite 5.00ppm - very intense color
Nitrate .5 ppm

So I guess it is still cycling.