Is sand substrate ok for my fish?

[newfishykeeper]

Hi
I've just set up my first 50L fish tank and liked the 'look' of the sand at the bottom, rather than the pebbles. how on earth do i l cean the sand? i have put 10 tiger Barbs in the tank, a few rocks and some live plants (no idea what they are!) and after 2 weeks the tank is going green and the top of the sand is green. I have changed the light to stop the plants dying(!) and have a filter and heater but not sure what to do!!
Please help ???

 

[downtheroad]

Whoa. I don't know about the sand or the greenness, but that is far too many tiger barbs for your tank. 50L is what, like 15gal? I don't think you're supposed to have ANY Tiger Barbs...

 

[newfishykeeper]

yes, 50L is 15gal, the guy in the fish store said about 1inch of fish per litre, meaning a max of 50 small one inch fish. The Tigre barbs are less than one inch so are you sure this is not OK?
Thanks for you reply

 

[Andos99]

50 fish in a 15 gal tank? Holy crap! 8O That is FAR too many fish. You are already overstocked with what you have right now. You may want to consider returning your fish and starting over. The "general" rule is 1 inch of fish per gallon, not liter. Tiger Barbs can grow up to 3'' leaving you with 30'' inches of fish in a 15 gal tank.

 

[downtheroad]

Not to mention, I've been told that tiger barbs like to have lots of room to swim (I was asking about them for my 20 gal) so like I said, I don't think there should be any at all in a 50L tank.

 

[newfishykeeper]

Thanks for your advise. I will be back in the shop first thing in the morning and give the guy an earful! (assuming i haven't got my calculations wrong!!
Can you recommend the best tropical fish for such a sized tank??

 

[Jchillin]

I will have to agree with the other members assessment of your tank. That is too many fish for the tank size.

You also mentioned green sand and possibly green water, which is a definite sign that algae is taking over the tank.

How long has the tank been set up and was it cycled prior to adding the fish?

 

[severum mama]

Welcome to AA, newfishykeeper!

Yes it is too many fish, and also keep in mind that tiger barbs max out at about 2 and 1/2 inches. I keep 9 in a 55 gallon, 4 foot tank and they really use all that space to swim- these guys are extremely active.

You know who would love your sand, though? Corys!

To clean your sand, just use a gravel vacuum and hover it about an inch or so above the sand, just until the poop stirs up and comes up into the gravel vac.

 

[newfishykeeper]

To be honest, i put the sand, rocks, plants and tap water in the tank, left it for about 10 days and then added the fish. When adding the fish i used the water they came in from the shop which was about 1/3 of the water. Only recently have i read articles about cycles etc. I feel i was given bad information before i started! I'll definately get advice from you guys in future!

 

[newfishykeeper]

Hi
Do you have any links/info on Cory's? I've tried searching but cannot get any luck? :?

 

[rich311k]

Here is one: http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Corydoras.htm

Try searching for Corydoras. You will find lots of stuff. They are popular little fish.

Rich

 

[severum mama]

Oops, I should have called them corydoras in my post! You could keep a school of corys, if you like them, and then round out the top levels of the tank with a school of smaller tetras, like neons, cardinals, glowlights, pristellas, etc. If you like tetras, that is. If you want a centerpiece fish, dwarf gouramis are very pretty. Have you tried looking around at www.liveaquaria.com ? I don't necessarily mean buying from them, but you can look at pics and profiles of fish that you might like, and see minimum tank sizes and stuff. HTH

 

[Hrafnkel]

Check for info on corydoras catfish. Particularly the bronze (corydoras aeneus, I believe?) variety, as those are practically indestructible.

 

[coolchinchilla]

http://www.corydorasworld.com/

HTH.