stocking questions

[FishCr8zy]

Petsmart has the kit for 27.99 or amazon has it for 17.96 but I need to add some stuff to get to 25$ got the free shipping I don't know what else to buy...

Is it ok to get another plant?

Why do you need to get to $25? Is this on amazon or petsmart that you need to reach $25?
And what type of plant would you want to add?

 

[FishCr8zy]

The clown pleco looks really nice. Do they eat off the gravel or just the sides I will need some wood for him right?

He will eat everywhere. Plecs don't need dw but would prefer it since they like sucking on it.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I tried a red Ludwiga and it died so I am thinking low light defiantly anubias but I'm not sure how they would do with gravel. And is it worth it to buy the "snail free" plants?

If you don't want pond snail infestations, it can be worth it. But if you don't get snail free plants, you can always get assassin snails to kill all the pest snails.

 

[monaro_gto]

I have been trying to get out and find my own but my 29g has a nice piece from petco. Good thing about petco if they have some pieces you like and have been there for a while it will help cycle your tank

 

[FishCr8zy]

What bottom feeder cleaner would be okay and what do cories like for future reference because I really do like them and how they scurry around the bottom

All bottom feeders with barbels should not be kept with gravel bottoms. Gravel can easily cut, damage, or hurt their barbels and cause infections. Barbels are also what they use to "taste and smell" their food so without barbels. It would not be good. Sand is the best kind of substrate for bottom feeders and looks a lot nicer than gravel too. Of you want to go cheap, just get pool filter sand. I got 50lb or filter sand for only $6.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I have been trying to get out and find my own but my 29g has a nice piece from petco. Good thing about petco if they have some pieces you like and have been there for a while it will help cycle your tank

Yeah, my petco also sells one type of dw too. But the pieces are small and flat..... Not good looking at all either.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I was told to wait on the water change by the last lady I talked to at the store who has 3 tanks because the levels were "good" I saw that the ammonia was zero as was the nitrite and the nitrAte was below ~20 and the ph was ~7. Mind u they do this with the strips

Strips are not very accurate and when you compare the strips to the liquid tests, it will be a lot different. Ammonia and nitrite must be at 0. Nitrate is always good to have a bit ( 5-10 ppm ).

 

[FishCr8zy]

I would hold off on any new fish. Have you done any water changes? What is the store saying your levels are at?

Well, of she already has a few fish and they seem good. Then the tank is ready or almost their. Unless something horribly goes wrong ( a box of food gets dumped into tank, sickness breaks out, etc ). But since its is still only 2-3 weeks old, add fish slowly and always check the parameters. When something spikes, stop adding everything and fix it before continuing.

 

[LadyApril83]

I usually just use dw from a local stream or river. It's free and you can find some really cool shaped ones. If you want to buy dw, I would go with manzanita, malaysian, or some other type of bogwood. However, those dw have to be soaked in water for around a week or so to get rid of all the tannins in it. When you boil it, the process goes faster. But if you do not want to go through the hassle of soaking and all that, you can get some polylutherane, coat the dw with it and screw it into a slate with stainless steel screws. The polylutherane should stop or cause very little tannins leaking. You can coat it a few times for safety if you want. What type of bn is it? 3.99 is just around the normal price for bn's.

Would putting river or lake drift wood cause harm? The bn that I saw were albino about 3 inches long

 

[FishCr8zy]

Would putting river or lake drift wood cause harm? The bn that I saw were albino about 3 inches long

No no. It shouldn't cause any damage as long as you boil it at least 30 mins to kill any unwanted pests ( parasite, worms, etc ). And also coat it with a few layers of polylutherane or soak it until the water is clear after you dump the water. Oh yes, for soaking, you gotta empty the bucket, or whatever your using to soak it, whenever the water turns a tea color. Keep this up until the water is clear when you change it.
And that is a decent price! An albino bn 3" for $3.99 is not bad!

 

[LadyApril83]

No no. It shouldn't cause any damage as long as you boil it at least 30 mins to kill any unwanted pests ( parasite, worms, etc ). And also coat it with a few layers of polylutherane or soak it until the water is clear after you dump the water. Oh yes, for soaking, you gotta empty the bucket, or whatever your using to soak it, whenever the water turns a tea color. Keep this up until the water is clear when you change it.
And that is a decent price! An albino bn 3" for $3.99 is not bad!

I wanted the driftwood for foods for the plecos which I won't get for a month as in my tank it would have nothing to eat right now polyurethane would make it non edible right?

 

[LadyApril83]

I also have a friend who's sister works at a fish farm. Would getting fish direct be a better thing??

 

[FishCr8zy]

I also have a friend who's sister works at a fish farm. Would getting fish direct be a better thing??

So your asking whether it'd be better to get fish from the lfs or the fish farm? A fish farm would most likely be better because the fish are usually better cared for and have a wider variety.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I wanted the driftwood for foods for the plecos which I won't get for a month as in my tank it would have nothing to eat right now polyurethane would make it non edible right?

I really don't know if polylutherane would make it inedible.... I've never tried it. You can just feed plecs algae wafers though. And on aquabid, they sell logs specifically for plecos to suck on.

 

[Surfer]

Hold on forget most of what fish said about the plecos, hes right about everything else though. Don't use the polyurethane, or however it's spelled, you're going to want to keep everything as natural as possible. Boiling the driftwood should be enough to get all the tannins and prevent the initial fungus that grows on it from getting too bad.

All plecos need driftwood, it helps their digestive system and also gives them microscopic bacteria for them to rasp on called aufwuchs.
If you get a clown, they won't even touch algae, so driftwood is their main diet, with algae wafers as a supplement. Bristlenose eat a 50/50 of wood and algae, so wood is still needed.

 

[LadyApril83]

If I got the plecos drift wood would they still suck on the tank..lol.. I want to do what is best for my tank and my fish. I am gonna ask to look at the fish at the farm I want in a week or more. I am excited as all get out!

 

[FishCr8zy]

Hold on forget most of what fish said about the plecos, hes right about everything else though. Don't use the polyurethane, or however it's spelled, you're going to want to keep everything as natural as possible. Boiling the driftwood should be enough to get all the tannins and prevent the initial fungus that grows on it from getting too bad.

All plecos need driftwood, it helps their digestive system and also gives them microscopic bacteria for them to rasp on called aufwuchs.
If you get a clown, they won't even touch algae, so driftwood is their main diet, with algae wafers as a supplement. Bristlenose eat a 50/50 of wood and algae, so wood is still needed.

Ok, here comes the pleco expert . I definitely am not one haha. For pleco info and care, listen to him, not me .

 

[LadyApril83]

Hold on forget most of what fish said about the plecos, hes right about everything else though. Don't use the polyurethane, or however it's spelled, you're going to want to keep everything as natural as possible. Boiling the driftwood should be enough to get all the tannins and prevent the initial fungus that grows on it from getting too bad.

All plecos need driftwood, it helps their digestive system and also gives them microscopic bacteria for them to rasp on called aufwuchs.
If you get a clown, they won't even touch algae, so driftwood is their main diet, with algae wafers as a supplement. Bristlenose eat a 50/50 of wood and algae, so wood is still needed.

Oh awesome. The clowns are awesome looking but I want one that is good on the tank and wood and I definitely do not one that gets big.

 

[FishCr8zy]

If I got the plecos drift wood would they still suck on the tank..lol.. I want to do what is best for my tank and my fish. I am gonna ask to look at the fish at the farm I want in a week or more. I am excited as all get out!

Can you get some pics of the farms fish? I have no fish farms around here. And have never been to one. Which fish do you know for certain your getting?

 

[Surfer]

Oh awesome. The clowns are awesome looking but I want one that is good on the tank and wood and I definitely do not one that gets big.

Well if you want one that is good on the tank and stays small, find a rubber lip- picture 1

If you want one who is good on wood and stays small, find a clown- pic 2

If you want a bit of both, get a bristlenose- pic 3

Bristlenose do get to about 5 inches though, some even 6 inches while the other two I mentioned stay at under 4 inches. So there's a trade off you would have to make.