Author Topic: 98L [orig intended 54L/12Gal Tank] stocking and filtration ideas? (Read 26561 times) 63 replies

Barney626 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 13, 2015, 12:07:12 AM »

Hi again,

Going to get the tank tomorrow along with the substrate and ornaments.

For the substrate, I am unsure what will be the best for my tank. I am planning live planted with shrimps and snails. I have seen gravel, sand and small brown granules which are supposedly good for plants. I want to avoid multi-layer substrates as I would mix them up when I use suction on the surface to clean it.

Thanks.

Sue · « **Reply #21 on:** June 13, 2015, 09:35:06 AM »

Sand and a plant substrate could be the easiest if you want plants, but listen to other people rather than me on the subject of planting tanks. The reason I say this is because you clean sand by hovering the siphon tube half an inch above the sand and make little swirling motions to lift the muck off the bottom and into the tube. There is much less chance of mixing sand with a plant substrate underneath. You do suck up sand as well but all you need to do is wash it under the tap and put it back in. (The tiny amount of chlorine that gets into the tank is negligible).
Which snails do you want? Some of them burrow into the gravel so they could potentially mix layers up.

But I am well known for being useless with plants. Hopefully one of the other members who knows what they are talking about will be able to tell you the best way to approach planted tanks.

Barney626 · « **Reply #22 on:** June 13, 2015, 10:04:31 AM »

Hi again,
Probably nerite snails.

Sue · « **Reply #23 on:** June 13, 2015, 10:28:17 AM »

Neirtes don't bury them selves, or at least mine don't. Occasionally one will crawl down the glass and onto the bottom under the sand but it doesn't stay buried for long. Nerites shouldn't churn up layers.

Barney626 · « **Reply #24 on:** June 13, 2015, 07:25:31 PM »

Ok so, went out to buy the tank today and they didn't have the Marina in stock. So I got a different one. A bigger one. instead of the measly 54L marina, I went with a 98L Aquael which so far seems to be of decent quality. It is pretty identical to the Aquael Econoline 70.

I have used the aquasoil as a substrate and have a Fluval U3 filter (parents had a spare one

).

Obviously this increase in size opens up a new array of fish.

In my LFS I found and Elephant Nose fish, would this be a good fish to get or are they difficult to care for?

In a tank 'so' large would angle fish be a good idea or would they be too agressive? Same question for a Betta?

Extreme_One · « **Reply #25 on:** June 13, 2015, 08:57:52 PM »

Angel fish are placid but because their long fins make them a target you need to choose their tank-mates carefully.

Exactly the same with a Betta.

If you want a Betta and/or Angels in your community tank you must ensure their tank-mates won't be likely to nip their fins.

Use the Community Builder on this site and you'll be told compatibility issues to watch out

Cod_only_knows · « **Reply #26 on:** June 13, 2015, 09:39:08 PM »

Don't think I'd call Angels or Bettas placid. Angels are generally okay in a community setup, though being cichlids they may squabble with their own kind. They may also eat smaller fish, so be careful when selecting tankmates.

Bettas are also temperamental fish, whilst some will not bat an eyelid at another fish, others can dominate a tank. Again you'll have to be careful selecting tank mates.

Sorry, but your tank is too small for an elephant nose. They need at least 255l according to Seriously Fish. Not the easiest fish to keep as they are quite territorial. They're also nocturnal, so you might not see them much!

m6rrd · « **Reply #27 on:** June 13, 2015, 10:31:23 PM »

Quote from: Cod_only_knows on June 13, 2015, 09:39:08 PM

Don't think I'd call Angels placid. Angels are generally okay in a community setup, though being cichlids they may squabble with their own kind. They may also eat smaller fish, so be careful when selecting tankmates.

I agree with that..... I've kept angels for many years and some can be absolute B******s!!! not only with their own kind but with others. some however are quiet..... luck of the draw I guess. I also agree about the elephant nose, I kept one for a friend when he was between setups prob for about 6 months. They are fascinating, I used to run normal lighting in the daytime for the other fish and a moon tube from early evening when 'snuffy' came out, There was this party trick involving a scrunched up piece of aluminium foil about the size of a fruit pastel, it used to drive the small electrical impulses wild causing him to play football up and down the tank. He was lovely but keeping them is not for the faint hearted, no matter what I tried he would not eat anything but live worm! I had a couple of white worm colonies growing on ready brek thank god and that was substituted with shop bought live bloodworm! defo leave it a while before trying to keep this kind of fish.

cheers, Rich

Barney626 · « **Reply #28 on:** June 13, 2015, 10:35:09 PM »

What would be a good 'centerpiece' fish for this size of community tank?
I'm wary of betta's incase Tetras have a go at their fins...

Cod_only_knows · « **Reply #29 on:** June 13, 2015, 11:01:29 PM »

I'm a huge fan of Gourami. The Pearl Gourami (Trichopodus leerii) is a stunning fish and one of the more peaceful in the genus. You might want to check out the Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius) as it is a stunning fish, but like the Betta, shouldn't be kept with other large colourful fish. They can be quite aggressive, but are suitable for many community setups. The biggest problem is finding a healthy specimen as they prone to disease. Both these species are readily available at most good fish stores.

Thicklipped Gourami (Trichogaster labiosa) are a very peaceful fish that look similar to Dwarf Gourami, however they are more difficult to find and not quite as pretty.

I love Honey Gourami but I'm guessing they'll be too small for you.

Cod_only_knows · « **Reply #30 on:** June 13, 2015, 11:08:01 PM »

Oh yeah, and some tetra are more prone to fin nipping than others. What type do you have in mind? Keeping them in large numbers reduces their tendency to nip.

Cod_only_knows · « **Reply #31 on:** June 14, 2015, 08:15:34 AM »

Just checked your tank dimensions and 70cm is too short for Pearl Gouramis (and Angelfish). If you really want a centerpiece fish, then your best off checking out the Dwarf Gourami or the more peaceful but smaller Honey Gourami in my opinion.

Richard W · « **Reply #32 on:** June 14, 2015, 11:05:33 AM »

Definitely much too small for those fish, as noted above. Personally I'm not convinced by "centrepiece" fish, a lonely gourami will often sulk in a corner of the tank. A male dwarf gourami will possibly chase other fish and can become a bully. My opinion is that in a small tank like this, a few shoals of small fish will look better and be much happier.

Cod_only_knows · « **Reply #33 on:** June 14, 2015, 11:45:23 AM »

I'd agree with that Richard. Maybe a trio of Honey Gourami? 1m 2f?

Barney626 · « **Reply #34 on:** June 17, 2015, 02:15:45 PM »

Hi again,
I was looking about on the internet for various ideas on fish and I found out about Kili Fish (Aphyosemion gardneri). Would this be suitable for my tank?

If it is suitable my LFS does not stock these, however they are on online shops......
Is buying fish and getting them 'delivered' safe/humane/a good idea?
I have a feeling the answer will be no, but if I can get them delivered that would help a lot...

Thanks again.

Barney626 · « **Reply #35 on:** June 17, 2015, 03:40:29 PM »

As a rough draft of a stocking list how does this sound for my tank: http://puu.sh/ishU9/c5c5822978.png (Screen shot)

The Shrimp is there to represent 4 'Blue fire sakura shrimp' and 4 'Yellow fire shrimp'.

If any of these are incompatible I can change them.

Thanks again.

Sanjo · « **Reply #36 on:** June 17, 2015, 04:11:35 PM »

Quote from: Barney626 on June 17, 2015, 02:15:45 PM

Hi again,
I was looking about on the internet for various ideas on fish and I found out about Kili Fish (Aphyosemion gardneri). Would this be suitable for my tank?

If it is suitable my LFS does not stock these, however they are on online shops......
Is buying fish and getting them 'delivered' safe/humane/a good idea?
I have a feeling the answer will be no, but if I can get them delivered that would help a lot...

Thanks again.

Depends where you get them from.
I was going to order from Kesgrave Aquatics, via ebay as they have an excellent reputation. Instead I was able to go to the shop to see what it was like for the future.
Bit cramped but the fish seemed happy and the tanks were clean, and they were busy organising polystyrene boxes for despatching fish.
Best bet I think would be make a note of the supplier you are thinking of and ask google if there are any reviews of them.
That's what I did for Kesgrave which was how I knew they had a good reputation.

Extreme_One · « **Reply #37 on:** June 17, 2015, 04:20:20 PM »

I've just ordered some snails by post!

I hope they arrive safely.

Sue · « **Reply #38 on:** June 17, 2015, 06:44:22 PM »

I have bought fish by post in the past when I couldn't find anywhere local that had the fish I wanted. And by post I mean Royal Mail even though you aren't supposed to use them for live fish. With one exception, all the fish were fine - I was new to the internet when the first batch of fish arrived all dead and didn't know how to check on the seller, who I found out later had a bad reputation.

The only comment I will make on your draft list is the ram. They can be iffy fish, preferring very soft acid water, and temps in the upper 20s. If they have been tank bred for generations they can tolerate a wider range of conditions, but if the breeder has used a wild fish in the last 2 or 3 generations to widen the gene pool, they will be a lot less tolerant. A shop won't know if any fish in the store has recent wild ancestors.
And they should really be kept as a pair. These fish like to choose their own mates; buying a male and female doesn't guarantee they'll get on. The best way is to watch the shop tank a while to see if you can spot any pairs.

Barney626 · « **Reply #39 on:** June 17, 2015, 07:27:40 PM »

Concerning the rams, I did read somewhere about the pairs so I figured I could ask the seller online if they had any pairs? I would get them from a LFS but non of them have rams...

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98L [orig Intended 54L/12Gal Tank] Stocking And Filtration Ideas?

98L [orig Intended 54L/12Gal Tank] Stocking And Filtration Ideas?

Author Topic: 98L [orig intended 54L/12Gal Tank] stocking and filtration ideas? (Read 26561 times) 63 replies

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