Stocking Suggestions

[Quest84]

Hey all, I wanted to get your opinions on a couple of things. I recently started buying everything i need to get my 55gal bowfront up and running. I purchased a Fluval C4 and a Aquaclear 70. The Fluval has a mini wet/dry built into it. I was wondering if any of you have used this filter, and what do you think of it?

Also, I'm trying to figure out which kind of fish to get, a few that have caught my eye are the cardinal tetra, neon tetra, tiger barb and glofish (not sure the proper name) can these fish be kept together? Which other fish would make good tank mates with these guys? How many fish can I keep in my tank with the filters that i have?

thanks to everyone who has been helping me get started, I'm still a noob..but I'm learning quickly from you guys

 

[Mumma.of.two]

All those fish will suit your tank but the tiger barbs can't go with the tetras. They can get quite nippy and fight amounts themselves. The glofish are actually zebra danios.
What I would get is a school of neons or cardinals, a school of glofish, a centre piece fish and some bottom dwellers like cories, kuhlis or a bristlenose.

 

[adadkins1]

I agree, one large school of Cardinals or Neons (12 - 15) along with a school of Kughlis (8 or so) and a school of Glo-fish (8 or so) and maybe a Bristlenose Pleco if you like them and have algae for them to graze on.

 

[Quest84]

kinda disappointed lol, I really wanted to get those tiger barbs but not if there gonna kill all my other fish. I also liked the clown loach and some of the sharks

thanks for the suggestion on the khulis..but they kinda look like snakes to me and i hate snakes haha

 

[Galligak]

kinda disappointed lol, I really wanted to get those tiger barbs but not if there gonna kill all my other fish. I also liked the clown loach and some of the sharks

thanks for the suggestion on the khulis..but they kinda look like snakes to me and i hate snakes haha

Clown loaches get too big. Around 12"! And there is some debate on sharks, whether they're good or not to go in there. I suggest corydoras for the bottom. I love mine!

 

[adadkins1]

If you want, you could get the tiger barbs, that just means NO tetras or any other very placid fish.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

kinda disappointed lol, I really wanted to get those tiger barbs but not if there gonna kill all my other fish. I also liked the clown loach and some of the sharks

thanks for the suggestion on the khulis..but they kinda look like snakes to me and i hate snakes haha

You can have the tiger barbs but that rules out the tetras and danios. You would need to stock around them. Balas get too big for a 55 but you could get a rainbow shark (not a red tail) IMO. Look into zebra and yoyo loaches if you like the clowns.

 

[Quest84]

ok so if i went with option #1 with the tetras and danios what would be a good center piece fish?

option #2 how many tiger barbs, how many rainbow sharks? and how many zebra or yoyo loaches? great suggestion by the way, i googled them and they look pretty awesome

what is a good standard water temp. to set my heater at?

sorry for so many questions..i just want to make sure all my new fish go well together and are happy

 

[Mumma.of.two]

ok so if i went with option #1 with the tetras and danios what would be a good center piece fish?

option #2 how many tiger barbs, how many rainbow sharks? and how many zebra or yoyo loaches? great suggestion by the way, i googled them and they look pretty awesome

what is a good standard water temp. to set my heater at?

sorry for so many questions..i just want to make sure all my new fish go well together and are happy

Rams or gouramis would be my choice. You couldn't do an angel because they may eat the smaller fish.

6-7 tiger barbs, one rainbow shark (they are solitary) and 3-5 loaches (they need their own kind as company.

Usually 76-78 but you need to find out the preferred temps of all the fish you have then set it somewhere in the middle to keep them all healthy and active.

Don't be sorry for questions!!! That's what AA is for.

Do you know how your going to cycle your new tank?

 

[Quest84]

i was thinking about doing the fishless cycle with ammonia, or using a bottle of biospira. The fishless cycle seems a little confusing to me. Not sure how much ammonia to add to the water, then how often to test the water, and adding more ammonia

 

[Mumma.of.two]

i was thinking about doing the fishless cycle with ammonia, or using a bottle of biospira. The fishless cycle seems a little confusing to me. Not sure how much ammonia to add to the water, then how often to test the water, and adding more ammonia

I've never done one myself but once you get the hang of it it won't be hard. you add a little (points of a mL) at a time until you get to 4ppm of ammonia then remember how much you have to add. Test the tank daily or every second day and if the ammonia is 1ppm or less you top it back up to 4-5ppm.

 

[Scouser]

i was thinking about doing the fishless cycle with ammonia, or using a bottle of biospira. The fishless cycle seems a little confusing to me. Not sure how much ammonia to add to the water, then how often to test the water, and adding more ammonia

There are a few calculators online that can calculate the amount of ammo to add.

Can't remember the exact the name but google should help out lol

 

[Quest84]

thank you everyone, you all have been really helpful. I'll let ya know which set up i decide to go with. With the rams as a center piece fish do i get just one fish? or a few?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

thank you everyone, you all have been really helpful. I'll let ya know which set up i decide to go with. With the rams as a center piece fish do i get just one fish? or a few?

It depends. If you get a male and female that will work if they pair up. Or 2 females. But I'd avoid two males. to avoid all that you can get one.

 

[toddnbecka]

Get some filter media from an established setup and you won't have to cycle your new tank, just add a few fish to help it get established.
Ram's are fine as singles or a pair. To get a pair you need to start with 5-6 juvies, grow them out, then swap off the extras after you have an established breeding pair.

 

[Quest84]

hey everyone so i got my tank all setup yesterday. Have the aquaclear 70 going along with the fluval c4. I have the heater set at 78 degrees, bubble wand bubbleing and put the measured amount of water conditioner in for a 55 gal tank. I added a few plants anubias and anacharis.

Today i went to the LFS and the guy there was telling me about API stress zyme, so i bought it and added the measured amount for starting a new tank. I waited like 8 hours and then did a water test with the API master kit you all recommended, here are the results

PH = 7.6
ammonia = 0.50
nitrate = 0
nitrite = 0

I currently have no fish in the water. I was wondering if i can put fish in along with the stress zyme to cycle? do i keep adding the stress zyme? or is it only in the beginning. The bottle said it has live bacteria in it, so i thought it would help to start the cycle.

 

[absolutangel04]

Is that bottled bacteria the kind that needs to be refrigerated, or the kind that just sits on the shelf? Truthfully, bottled bacteria is mostly just a sales ploy and not all that helpful because the bacteria need specific conditions to stay alive which are not always met during shipping. The refrigerated kind seems to be preserved a little better.
Did you add a source of ammonia or is that just whats in the water?
If you want to do a fish-in cycle, thats fine too. Just be prepared for frequent pwc, but it can certainly be done.

 

[Quest84]

nope didn't add any ammonia..only thing i added was the water conditioner and the stress zyme. the stress zyme is not the refrigerated kind but it does have an expiration date on it. Can the stress zyme give me an ammonia reading? If i do a fish in cycle how frequent are the pwc? and how often should i be checking the water parameters?

 

[absolutangel04]

No. The stress zyme should not give you an ammonia reading. The .5 ammo is probably from your tap.
People have mixed experiences with bottled bacteria. If the bacteria did indeed live, then it can work, but it often doesn't. Its up to you if you want to try it or not.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html
Here is the best fish-in guide that I know of. That should explain it better than I could.

 

[Newfishlover07]

In my huge tank we have four swordtails one baby whale one ghost knife fish nine danios one Molly three dragon gobys two Dino eels a picture cat a blacktip shark three cichlids and eight barbs... Tiger of course , one thing I cannot believe is how everyone says they are fin nippers... My barbs just stay in their group and leave everyone else alone. When I had my angel fish it mixed just fine with the barbs. I even had Bettas and guppys and they were fine with the barbs. We have been told not to get this fish or that because of aggression but I thinks it's bs. The most aggressive anything we have our the fiddler crabs we are trying to get rid of. My gobys don't even bother the other fish and we were told they are very aggressive. I think barbs even only barbs are way better than guppys or tetras but that's my opinion. I love the way the bring my tank to life