Advice on new tank!

[Rach88]

So guys I have a new 180 litre (45gal roughly) juwel rio tank on its way I'll be doing a fishless cycle so I have plenty of time to choose and finalise a stock list. It'll be fresh water tropical and so far I've only really got my heart set on a small group of cories (not set on which type yet though!) I like the small colourful fish like endlers ect also but as my new LFS has such a huge selection of fish i'm spoilt for choice and I'd like some ideas/advice for the stocking for this tank. What do you guys think?
I'd also like it to be planted so any advice on best plants and substrate would be great!

 

[fort384]

As far as plants and substrate, it will depend on your light and whether or not you plan on supplementing the tank with fertilizer?

 

[absolutangel04]

As far as fish go, you have quite a few choices that would fit in your tank. I recommend going to your lfs with a pen and paper and writing down the names of things you like. Then, you can go home and google them all to help you narrow down appropriate species.

 

[Rach88]

As far as plants and substrate, it will depend on your light and whether or not you plan on supplementing the tank with fertilizer?

Well the tank comes with two juwel new style high light bulbs (1day 1night) T5 length 45 watts... Doesn't mean an awful lot to me tbh as this will be my first properly planted tank so still unsure what kind of light I'd need, but I'll happily replace the bulbs to higher wattage ones if needed. As for fertiliser I've not actually looked into that yet, it's next on my list to research along with the plants. plants I'm thinking of so far are twisted versallis (sp?) amazon swords, Christmas moss (if I can get it) and java fern and moss (haven't researched these properly yet though)
Opinions/advice?

 

[Rach88]

As far as fish go, you have quite a few choices that would fit in your tank. I recommend going to your lfs with a pen and paper and writing down the names of things you like. Then, you can go home and google them all to help you narrow down appropriate species.

I compiled a list yesterday and currently researching right at this moment I'll put up my "finalised" list later for criticism and to check my research findings. A couple of the fish I've found I can't find a great deal of info on as well so I'll be asking you good people about those if I can't find more info online

 

[Rach88]

Ok so I'm having big problems with deciding stocking list, there's too many fish I like! So I'm going to list the fish I definitely want, then list the fish I'd like but not too sure of, advice and criticism would be great please remember I'm in no way intending to stock all these fish, just trying to work out what can go with what as I'm getting conflicting or little information from my research.... Here goes

Decided i Definitely want:
Group of 4-5 Venezuelan Pygmy corydoras (corydoras habrosus)
Group of Gertrude's blue eye (pseudomugil gertrudae)

Thinking about:
Group of rasboras (unsure exactly which species yet but like the scissortail, dwarf/spotted, clown, two spot and harlequin)

Group of tetras (either red phantom, emperor(hearing conflicting info on groups vs 1-2?) cochu's blue, silvertip, penguin or green neon)

Also like but finding too much conflicting info on:
Endlers livebarer
Threadfin rainbows
Norman's lampeye killifish (and killifish in general)
Scarlet badis (Dario Dario)


From what I can find the corys and Gertrude's blue eye will go together fine, also finding most tetras and rasboras will be ok with them, the last list I'm getting way too much conflicting info on so suggestions, advice and guidance will be greatly appreciated! What will go with what I've decided on?

 

[absolutangel04]

I suggest you either stick with nano fish (generally defined as fish that stay around 1 inch) or else bigger fish. Little fish get nervous around bigger fish and you would never see the little guys. Honestly, habrosus cories would probably get lost in a tank that big, but if you want them, you could do a big group of them, like at least 15 or more perhaps.
The dwarf spotted rasboras would be fine with the cories because they are tiny too. Again though, you will need a pretty big group (20?) if you ever want to see them.
If you want small, green neons would also work as would the lampeye killis, Gertrude's blue eyes, Endler's and scarlet badis. I am not totally sure about the threadfins, but maybe. For the little guys, I suggest picking 2 more species in addition to the 2 you know you like and get big groups of each one.
If you want to go bigger, then look at something like panda cories (small, but not so tiny they will be lost), with some of the other species you listed that are a bit bigger.
I don't suggest red phantoms because they can be pretty nasty to each other and sometimes to other fish. For these bigger fish, try picking about 3 species in addition to a cory species. You could also still get a larger centerpiece fish like a honey gourami.
I hope that wasn't too confusing. You honestly have a lot of options and its hard to narrow down such a cool list.

 

[Coursair]

Threadfins are very peaceful. Tiny throats, so need small food. 2 schools of dwarf Rainbows sounds good. A large school of C habrosus is great.

Look at Celestial Pearl Danios also.
My nano fish

 

[Rach88]

Wow thanks guys I never thought about how I might never see them! Oops. I'll go re-think my list, think I'll go with the bigger fish rather than a tank of nanos, I'd probably never be able to keep track of numbers if I did. Thanks a lot guys I'll keep u posted

 

[Rach88]

Threadfins are very peaceful. Tiny throats, so need small food. 2 schools of dwarf Rainbows sounds good. A large school of C habrosus is great.

Look at Celestial Pearl Danios also.
My nano fish

Love that tank cousair! Gorgeous fish.

 

[derail]

Another thing you can take into consideration are the parameters of your tap water if using this with a dechlorinater (spell check missing on android -_- lol). If your water is like mine, some fishes are, sadly, not good choices. Example-my waters ph is naturally 8.4, with hardness of 18 dh. I shy away from fish that prefer softer, more acidic water such as tetras for this reason. I haven't been able to keep a school of neons without an ich outbreak.
As for some larger fish, you could easily keep some gourami (pair of pearls or three spots), german blue rams, swordtails, mollys.
Harlequin rasboras are gorgeous schooling fish, personally I like scissor tail better. On a side note, you could check out giant dianos. Keep us posted

 

[Rach88]

Another thing you can take into consideration are the parameters of your tap water if using this with a dechlorinater (spell check missing on android -_- lol). If your water is like mine, some fishes are, sadly, not good choices. Example-my waters ph is naturally 8.4, with hardness of 18 dh. I shy away from fish that prefer softer, more acidic water such as tetras for this reason. I haven't been able to keep a school of neons without an ich outbreak.
As for some larger fish, you could easily keep some gourami (pair of pearls or three spots), german blue rams, swordtails, mollys.
Harlequin rasboras are gorgeous schooling fish, personally I like scissor tail better. On a side note, you could check out giant dianos. Keep us posted

Well my tap params are 0 ammonia nitrite and nitrate and ph of 7.6. Not sure of the hardness how do i test it? I imagine I've got pretty hard water due to living next to chalk pits -__- my other tank (which I'll eventually use as a quarantine) has a ph of 8.0...Think this is because I have a few small rocks in the bottom? Maybe I'm best off waiting till the tank is set up with the substrate plants and driftwood then I'll know the tanks ph? Still probably best if I steer clear of the fish that prefer more acidic water though just to be sure. I like the scissortails too, not keen on Molly's but I'll research the others you mentioned and my LFS doesn't stock giant danios just pearl, celestial pearl, barred, blue, leopard and long finned zebras

 

[derail]

Well my tap params are 0 ammonia nitrite and nitrate and ph of 7.6. Not sure of the hardness how do i test it? I imagine I've got pretty hard water due to living next to chalk pits -__- my other tank (which I'll eventually use as a quarantine) has a ph of 8.0...Think this is because I have a few small rocks in the bottom? Maybe I'm best off waiting till the tank is set up with the substrate plants and driftwood then I'll know the tanks ph? Still probably best if I steer clear of the fish that prefer more acidic water though just to be sure. I like the scissortails too, not keen on Molly's but I'll research the others you mentioned and my LFS doesn't stock giant danios just pearl, celestial pearl, barred, blue, leopard and long finned zebras

Yes, once you've set up the tank, you'll be testing the water to make sure everything is in check. The ph could be more basic in the quarantine tank because of the rocks, but usually rocks increase the buffering capacity of the tank (ability to resist changes in ph...if memory serves, kh or temporary hardness contributes to this, will get back to you on that.) German blue rams are quite peaceful for cichlids, and three spot gourami are really hardy and undemanding, but will need to be housed with similarly tempered fish. Ooh, dwarf gourami are beautiful and relatively peaceful (got one with 5 guppy males and a pair of molly males in a 10g), but males with quarrel. Try not to house gourami with aggressive fish or fin nippers though. Barbs are great fish too, and while they have a reputation of being fin nippers, if kept in a school of 8+, they will mind their own business.

 

[Rach88]

Ok well seems I have a hell of a lot more research to do and things to think about lol. so I think I'll go back to basics and concentrate on what substrate, plants and decor to have for now and worry about what fish to get once it's cycled. I understand rocks, driftwood, bog wood and roots can have an effect on the ph of a tank so should I wait until I have water and substrate in my tank and know what the ph is like that to decide on those, or should I put in what I want and worry about ph after?
Also I've found some substrates advertised as being specifically for planted tanks which I'd like opinions on. They are:
Red sea flora base
Tetra plant complete substrate
Fluval flora plant stratum
And aqua grow nutrasoil
I found all these here: http://www.seapets.co.uk/products/a...d/aquarium-plant-substrates/all-products.html

Are any of them worth using? Or should I just opt for a normal sand substrate as I don't like the look of gravel? I understand A couple of them act as a buffer for ph also. Anyone have experience with these? Opinions and other ideas greatly appreciated

 

[Silverton]

Threadfins are very peaceful. Tiny throats, so need small food. 2 schools of dwarf Rainbows sounds good. A large school of C habrosus is great.

Look at Celestial Pearl Danios also.
My nano fish

Very pretty! What are those fish with the long fins. I've never seen them before.

 

[Silverton]

I'm having the same problem picking out the fish I want. Whatever you choose, it's going to look awesome!

 

[Coursair]

Very pretty! What are those fish with the long fins. I've never seen them before.

Those would be the Threadfin Rainbows I mentioned. Aka Featherfin Rainbows. They are a Nano Fish. Their bodies are only 1-1.5".

 

[Rach88]

Ok so thought I'd update on the progress. As it proved literally impossible to acquire ammonia I ended up using some seeded media from my other tank and microbe-lift special blend to cycle my tank. Cycled for 2-3 weeks, added some plants and got a school of 6 lemon tetras and one zebra snail (only one left at lfs) two days ago. All tests are showing 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and 10-20 nitrate. PH is 8.0 on my test but LFS test (using same test kit as me- API freshwater master) showed 7.8 (which I found a bit odd)
Anyway, everyones settled in nicely, happily eating my plants (sigh) and even caught them spawning this morning!

FTS-




Tetras-






Nerite-






I'm thinking my final stock list (providing there are no foreseeable problems with the mix) will be:

6 lemon tetras
6 panda corys OR a very large school of dwarf corys
6 harlequin rasboras
6 celestial pearl danios
6 male guppies
2-3 nerite snails

Does this list look ok? I've checked aquadvisor and it's saying with all these I'd be under stocked which I'm happy with but not sure how reliable it really is...
Any thoughts advice or suggestions welcome thanks

 

[librarygirl]

Looks nice! Did you just let the tank run with the seeded media and starter and not add an ammonia source? If not then unfortunately it's likely the bacteria died off; they need an ammonia source as food (whether it be from you adding pure ammonia or decomposing shrimp or fish food or the waste from live fish). Now that you have fish just add them very slowly and check parameters regularly and do water changes as needed (50% weekly if ammonia and nitrite stay at 0, more if you see either of those show up).

For a 45 gal I think you're good with that stock. I have Celestials in a 40 gal also and they are great little fish although I'd suggest adding more than 6; in a larger group they will feel more secure and you'll see them more. Watch feeding them though as they are slow and timid compared to most other fish and they stay along the bottom so it might be hard to get food to them, so just make sure they're eating. Pandas are fun too you'll like those if you get them. I'd wait at least 2 weeks in between adding fish and test parameters daily; if ammonia and nitrite can stay at 0 on their own (without water changes) for at least two weeks then you can add another small group, then wait and test, etc.

 

[Rach88]

Looks nice! Did you just let the tank run with the seeded media and starter and not add an ammonia source? If not then unfortunately it's likely the bacteria died off; they need an ammonia source as food (whether it be from you adding pure ammonia or decomposing shrimp or fish food or the waste from live fish). Now that you have fish just add them very slowly and check parameters regularly and do water changes as needed (50% weekly if ammonia and nitrite stay at 0, more if you see either of those show up).

For a 45 gal I think you're good with that stock. I have Celestials in a 40 gal also and they are great little fish although I'd suggest adding more than 6; in a larger group they will feel more secure and you'll see them more. Watch feeding them though as they are slow and timid compared to most other fish and they stay along the bottom so it might be hard to get food to them, so just make sure they're eating. Pandas are fun too you'll like those if you get them. I'd wait at least 2 weeks in between adding fish and test parameters daily; if ammonia and nitrite can stay at 0 on their own (without water changes) for at least two weeks then you can add another small group, then wait and test, etc.

Thanks for the reply Sorry I wasn't completely clear on what I did... Basically, I got fed up of arguing with two different lfs's (both were telling me I didn't need an ammonia source when using the "bacteria in a bottle", one even went so far as to tell me I'd be cycled if I literally just leave my tank running for 3 weeks without adding ANYTHING!) so I got a load of plants (hoping that the die off from the plants would help, also ended up with a bunch of pond snails, Doh!) and decided I'd do exactly what they told me (mostly, but I'll get to that in a moment) so i could argue it more after testing their method. So, I added the bacteria in the bottle twice weekly then added my seeded media the day I got the fish. It's now day 4 and I've been testing water daily. Been constant 0 ammonia BUT today I started getting trace nitrIte which went up to almost 0.25 so I'm now treating it as a fish in cycle, done a 50 litre water change this evening, planning a 50% (90 litre) or more for tomorrow morning. Going to continue testing twice (possibly 3 times) daily and do probably 2 daily 25% water changes or more depending on my test results. If my nitrite levels get to 0.50 ppm or above and water changes become too much I'll be taking the fish back, duly telling the LFS that their method is utter bull and having yet another argument with them on the subject, and continuing by adding a load of fish food to the tank until said nitrite levels stay at 0

I read about the CDP's feeding yesterday online and also something about them being mostly wild caught, so I'm kind of re-thinking them as I'm a little worried the corys would out-compete them for food and if they're wild caught then my PH would be unsuitable for them. So I'm thinking of replacing them with another school of a different rasbora, tetra or possibly rainbows, or something else entirely (continuing research on what would be suitable)
Sorry for the extremely long post!