pH Help!

[chilledaz]

I'm planning to have one dwarf gourami, school of neons, few guppies/swordtails and some bottom dwellers. Would you guys recommend ada 1 or 2?

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Goramis are schooling fish, so I suggest at least 3-5. On the other hand, Goramis produce a lot of ammonia so frequent water changes must be part of your normal routine (2-3 water changes per week at 20% each). Neons are rather hearty fish, but they have been bread a lot in captivity so they may be genetically flawed. Be sure to get them from a reputable breeder or LFS. I suggest getting your bottom dwellers first as coreys are good for cycling a new tank, but beware, go very slowly as ammonia and nitrite are your key concerns with a new tank. A PH of 6.7 is suggested as ammonia becomes ammonium and is less toxic to fish. Your first step however will be your substrate. Dwayne

 

[Rivercats]

Actually you only should get 1 gourami. Getting more than 1 in a tank that size can turn into a nightmare. The only other thing you need to seriously consider is dropping swords off you list. Most people don't realize swords, especially males can get 5+ inches and have very heavy bio-loads. You could do platies instead if you really want another livebearer. The rest of your stock looks good.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

I agree with Rivercats, the Goramis are a concern, and I would only recommend 3-5 if you were taking other fish OFF the list.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

35 gallons will fill up quickly with soil and eco. You will have a lot of displacement so you will have a lot less water in the tank than you think. I imagine with the soil and eco, you will displace to to 5 gallons (15 liters) of water. Base your total water volume and water changes on that of a 29 gallon tank. Hope this helps.........Dwayne