Will an all-male aquarium be a problem?

[amit.rajaram]

Well, I guess I'm going a little crazy, but I got a 20g tank off freecycle today and have decided to start a second tank with sand substrate & real plants (my 36g has all artificial plants and kid-dy decor). Since the 20g one will have sand, I shall add the emerald green catfish here, and am thinking of a rainbow shark instead in the 36g, which will make my stock look like this -


36g
5 x guppy
2 x platy
1 x angel
1 x dwarf gourami
1 x rainbow shark


20g
4 x emerald green cory
1 x betta
5 x harlequin rasbora
1 x nerite snail
1 x african dwarf frog (maybe much later)

Any problems there? I have 2 filters running in the 36g, so should be able to use one of them in the 20g to get a headstart on cycling.

What are easy real plants to start with (ones not needing much expertise on my part to survive)? Any specific lighting needs for plants?

Thanks my friends!

 

[Angela1108]

Well are you planning on getting a new light? Chances are it came with a small t8.

Some really good starter low light plants are swords, anubias, anacharis, horn wort, water sprite, and most moss. If you go with swords you will probably want to add a root tab under each one (or if they are next to each other within a couple inches one in between)


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[Angela1108]

If you go with anubias you either need to glue/tie the roots to rock or wood OR make sure you won't bury the rhizome into the substrate and just the small roots go in. The rhizome is the big stick looking part between the leaves and the roots


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[Coursair]

Rainbow and Red Tail Sharks both often do best in larger longer tanks.
50g or larger. The reason being you can put the cave at one end, and the fish can guard their territory and not bother the other fish. Rainbows are less intense than RTS IME. But they hit 6"


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[amit.rajaram]

6" is probably a bit big for my tank. The reason I went with the rainbow shark idea is that I dont have enough capacity to add a school of bottom dwellers like corys etc. Any thoughts on single bottom dwellers less than 6" that I could use?

Angela - on the low light plants topic, the tank came with nothing, no hood/light etc., just the tank. I will need to buy the accessories separately, is the t8 still the best bet for me?. Should I start with java moss and/or fern, assuming they are the simplest. Also, if kept right next to a window (natural light), would a light still be necessary.

Thanks,
Amit

 

[amit.rajaram]

I was considering a group of 3-4 otocinclus' as AqAdvisor tells me they will keep me under 100%, but read this line (admittedly on PetSmart for what its worth) - "Algae eaters should not be kept by beginners or in a community aquarium with delicate fish".

Is this true? If so, why? Because they might become food for the angel/gourami that I am planning to add?

 

[Angela1108]

Otos will be fine! Chinese algae eaters are not. Once they are bigger they will suck slime coats off other fish. I have Otos with my guppies


As for the lights it all depends what you are planning on doing. Low light won't require much maitenence but it limits types of plants that will do well. Medium and high light you start getting to where you need to add c02


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[Coursair]

Make sure you look up Otocinclus and CAE so you can tell the difference. This pic has 2 species of Oto with my Cory


Otos need mature tanks to have biofilm to eat. Wild fish wont always eat prepared foods or veggies.


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[Coursair]

At Petsmart AFAIK Otocinclus says Otocinclus and CAE are labeled Algae Eaters.


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[amit.rajaram]

Is biofilm the same as algae? And is it something that's visible to the naked eye? My tank is established as per the water parameters, but the water and glass are both clear, so not really sure if I have algae/biofilm.

 

[Angela1108]

No it isn't the same. And the biofilm you can't see.


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[amit.rajaram]

Thanks. Do I need to have some algae in the tank for any reason. I have a UV sterilizer (9w Green Killing Machine) that may be responsible for the lack of algae, but if I'm planning on keeping oto's, do I need to have some algae, or will the sinking algae wafers be sufficient?

 

[Luananeko]

Most otos will not eat the algae wafers. Some will eat the repashy gel foods, but most otos do their own thing and are very difficult to get to accept any sort of supplemental food. You usually will not have enough biofilm to support them until 3-6 months after setting up the tank. I've never used UV filters, so I'm not sure if that would hurt the establishment of biofilm...

 

[Coursair]

You can offer blanched Zucchini and Cucumber and Romaine. Luckily mine do eat Omega One Algae wafers. They have a good ingredient list.

Repashy is the favorite food.



Lots of live plants help as well. My Otos love to sit on leaves or wood and graze. More surfaces to grow biofilm.
My Otos also steal Omega Obe shrimp pellets from the Corys. I kept trying to get all the same species of Oto. Ended up with 3 different species. 2 diff species in the pic.


I had a very ticked off gravid female that could not get the males ( diff species) to spawn with her. ?



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