Stocking, Feeding, etc Questions for Tank (...if it ever cycles)

[librarygirl]

Hi everyone,

Assuming my tank ever finishes fishless cycling (7+ weeks so far, all told), I figure I should start considering stocking options and ask about care, etc, for certain fish.

Here are my tap water parameters (straight from tap, untreated) in case it helps decide what to keep:

· GH is 3 (takes 3 drops to turn faintly yellow, takes about 5-6 drops for brighter golden yellow, not sure which is more accurate)
· KH is 2 (2 drops to turn color)
· PH: dark blue, off chart, 7.6+++; after sitting out or in the tank it may temporarily go to lighter blue, around 7.6, but not lower than that
· High Range PH: Out of the tap it’s very high, around 8.4 (a very violet shade); after sitting for a while or whenever I tested tank water, it’s usually around 7.4 (a couple of times it’s gone up to 7.8, and once up to 8.4 right after a 90% pwc) but for the most part it’s around 7.4 give or a take a shade

Other tank info to help stocking decisions:
· The tank is a 12 Gal Marineland Eclipse Bowfront; dimensions are 21” x 11.5” x 17.5”
· I do have a heater in the tank; I plan to keep the temp around 75 F, no higher than 78 F
· I do not have any live plants in the tank; I do have fake silk plants
· I have two pieces of aquarium décor; I’m also thinking of adding two small terra cotta pots for the African Dwarf Frogs to hide/feed in if I get them (pic of tank below)
· Marina aquarium gravel
· Filter that came with the tank
· Mercury in-tank thermometer; I am also thinking of getting a digital thermometer
· I also have an air stone (4”)

Possible Fish types (help in choosing correct combinations and numbers would be helpful; I know I can’t have all these in the tank, these are just some of the types I’m considering of choosing from). I’m also worried because since my GH and KH seem so low I’m hoping there are fish that could live in my water safely!

· Glolight Tetras (6-8) or Ember Tetras (6-8)
· African Dwarf Frogs (2) (almost made up my mind that I want these unless for some reason I can’t with my tank/water, etc)
· Platys (Not sure of the color/type/amount – any suggestions ?)
· Sparkling Pygmy Gourami (I read they can be sensitive to water quality and my PH may be too high for them, I read 6.0-7.0 is a good PH for them, is this true?)
· Galaxy Rasbora (Celestial Pearl Danio)

Also I have limited LFS near me. I of course have visited the two major Pet chain stores and will buy my fish from them if I have to. I visited two aquarium shops here so far and was not impressed with either (one had dead fish in three of the 10 tanks and the other had dead fish in one tank and another whole tank with ich). There is one more I’d like to visit this weekend but if that doesn’t have good stock I’ll be limited to PetSmart or PetCo or finding an online source.

Questions:
· Suggestions on good combinations of the above or other suggestions? I’d like to have some fish at each level if possible. Also, how many of each could/should I get? I’d like to leave some room and not stock my tank to fully 100%
· Which order should I get these fish in, or does it matter? (I figure to wait two weeks between each addition)
· Would all of these be OK in a 12 gal?
· Are the Glolight Tetras susceptible to the Neon Tetra Disease?
· I read ADFs do not like a lot of current; my filter has a turnover of 150g per hour and I also have an air stone, would this be too much for the Frogs? Is there a way I could turn down the filter flow (I don’t see a knob or anything)?
· What should the fish and ADFs eat so that they have a healthy and varied diet? I have the Omega color flakes at home; I admit I hate flakes as they tend to be too big and make a mess, would a pellet food be better? I’m also thinking of fasting them for one day and giving the fish boiled peas one day as well.

I really hope there is a point to this post because if my tank doesn’t cycle by the end of June I’m giving up and selling it off.

 

[Bl80]

I had ADF at one time, when reading then it is suggested that they have a minimum of 2.5 gal each. They can also be good escape artists but are super fun to watch!! I have an empty quarentine tank that I am considering puting a few in my self. THey pygmy gouromi is another surface fish.... they like alot of vegatation to hide in as do the galaxy rosbora. The Rosbora like to be in schools of like 6 id say. But are cute lil shy fish Nice looking tank. Rule of thumb for most tropicals are 1 inch (remember they will mostlikely grow more once you get them) per gallon of water (take into consideration your 12 gal - decorations stones etc that are taking up some of that water space.) Good Luck. I had tropicals along time, and recenly just emptied my 55 gal tropical tank that had WAY more in it that should have, but they kept breeding and Everyone kept living. I could only supply so many to the local kids and stuff so Im converting it to another ciclid tank

 

[arangarajan93]

Nice tank and setup!!! Congrats! Regarding the type of platy, you can try sunburst platies and redwag platies.

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I think I'd definitely like 2 ADFs (should I mix male and female or does it not matter), 6-8 Celestial Pearl Danios (Galaxy Rasbora) and then I'm torn between either a small school (6-8) Glolight Tetras or some (not sure how many) Platy (either Red or Sunburst maybe)? Which would be better (the Glolights or Platy) in terms of where they swim and compatibility, and size of my tank? Also which order should I get them in?

 

[alLexX]

i dont reccomend ADFs in a community setup(there practically blind)but your fish may be small enough that they wont take the ADFs food.feed the ADFs hbh frog and tadpole bites.

 

[librarygirl]

i dont reccomend ADFs in a community setup(there practically blind)but your fish may be small enough that they wont take the ADFs food.feed the ADFs hbh frog and tadpole bites.

Yes I've read that about ADFs; I'd feed them by hand, with tweezers or something, to make sure they eat and the fish aren't eating their food. Would this be sufficient?

 

[alLexX]

mine are afraid of my hand,its easier just to take a shell or something and put the food on that.

 

[librarygirl]

mine are afraid of my hand,its easier just to take a shell or something and put the food on that.

Wouldn't there be a chance the fish could eat the frog's food though if you leave it there? Or are fish not interested in frog food (whatever that is lol)?

I'll probably try a few ways to feed them and see what works.

If I ever get fish/frogs...tank still is showing no signs of cycling after over a month. The only fish or frogs I may end up getting are imaginary ones lol

 

[alLexX]

Wouldn't there be a chance the fish could eat the frog's food though if you leave it there? Or are fish not interested in frog food (whatever that is lol)?

I'll probably try a few ways to feed them and see what works.

If I ever get fish/frogs...tank still is showing no signs of cycling after over a month. The only fish or frogs I may end up getting are imaginary ones lol

even when i have fish in there,they never bother with the food.all 3 of mine are always near the shell i put it in,so by the time any fish in there are done there food,the frogs are already eating,and anything that gets to close is tested for edibility.