29 gallon hardwater community.

[sinibotia]

I got a 29 gallon during the petco sale for my fiance and I to set up together in her room, she wants to get into the hobby herself. But she's on well water which is around 12 degrees KH, not sure on GH. Originally she had her heart set on apistos, glass catfish, corydoras and tetras but it looks like that's not going to work very well. She wants some kind of cichlid. Would an upper level schooling fish (some kind of barb or danio) and a BN pleco get along with something like julidochromis? Are there any other decently good natured hardwater cichlids for a community tank?

Oh, and she very specifically does not want guppies!

 

[Gibberwatt]

Angelfish are technically chiclids, and very social. They remind me of very small, very excited, dogs. If you do get them, then the pleco might work, but a red tailed black shark would be better. And if you do, zebra danios/lemon tetras would be very nice.

 

[sinibotia]

I didn't think angelfish could do well in hard water?

 

[Fishobsessed7]

I didn't think angelfish could do well in hard water?

Angels that are tank bred are in such varing water conditions, that if they're in your pet store they'll probably be fine.


Fishobsessed7

 

[sinibotia]

Would this stock do well:

1 pair of Kribensis cichlids
1 bristlenose pleco/5 corydoras catfish
8 tiger barbs/ 12 threadfin rainbowfish

(slash indicating an "or")

I worry that the kribs will get aggressive, but angelfish take up too much space in a 29 gallon for much of a community tank. Anything else that would do well in their slot?

 

[FWFishTanks]

Barbs might nip the rainbows. Not sure though.

 

[dalto]

I worry that the kribs will get aggressive,

I wouldn't worry about that. The kribs absolutely will get aggressive/territorial.

I would tell you to do a shelldweller tank but I know how well that is working out for you

 

[sinibotia]

I wouldn't worry about that. The kribs absolutely will get aggressive/territorial.

I would tell you to do a shelldweller tank but I know how well that is working out for you

LFS gets his fish shipment in today, fingers crossed! If not, I'll suffer the $35 shipping and get some F1s from a guy in Michigan...

The problem with shelldwellers (even if I could get them) is my fiance and I are doing this tank together, so it's sort of her first tank. She wants to do a "standard" community tank, which rules out species-tank fish like shellies and prettymuch all aggressive fish like the rift lake cichlids. But her hard water rules out prettymuch all of the best community fish, including her #1 choice, glass catfish. And of course she doesn't really like guppies, swordtails or platies

Barbs might nip the rainbows. Not sure though.

I wouldn't be putting them together, it would be either barbs or rainbows but not both.

We might just end up mixing her tap water with distilled water.

 

[candygirl415]

I also have really hard water. I mix it with store bought spring water but the readings are still high. I have adfs, ghost shrimp, and cherry shrimp. They all do wonderfully in the water. However if she is set on certain fish that hard water is bad for, there ways to soften the water. Plants and driftwood help some. I've read putting peat moss in the filter really helps. Look into non chemical ways to soften it for what she wants. Watch using too much distilled water as it has absolutely no minerals that a very much needed. Honestly I think most fish can adjust and live ok in harder water, its just how you slowly adjust them to it. Each time I added something, I put it in a bowl with some of the water it came in and slowly added a little of the tank water every 15 mins. As the bowl filled up, I removed most of that water and slowly began adding again. They slowly got adjusted to my tanks perimeters and temperature, then in they went. Each time they went in and began swimming around happily exploring their new home.

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[sinibotia]

Hmmm, i guess maybe Ill try out some of the more tank bred species and hope they adapt to harder water. But would the krib stocking plan really not work?


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[dalto]

Kribs are one of these most territorial species I have ever kept. They are utterly intolerant of anything entering their territory.

I don't know enough about barbs and their behavior to know how they would interact but I would be worried about corydoras in a tank that size. Depending on where in the tank the kribs decide to call home it could be that they end up defending a large portion of the bottom of the tank. To be perfectly fair, I have never tried keeping kribs and cories together so I can't definitely say it won't work.

If you want kribs are I would do a pair of kribs along with an upper water species that will stay near the top.

 

[sinibotia]

The barbs I think would stay near the top, and i could opt for a BN pleco over the corys- theyre tough enough. Im just trying to think of another small cichlid that would adapt to hard water.


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[RackinRocky]

You could get just one Krib. They do fine alone. I had one female for about three years. She was not aggressive to anything, and I had cories, bettas, a dorsigera, Bolivian Ram, and a few others in the tank. I don't think I'd get a pair of Kribs--just asking for trouble. I'd be worried about barbs being with threadfin rainbows, although I haven't tried this combination. Barbs have a reputation for being nasty; chasing and nipping fins. Except for Cherry barbs. My Cherry barbs are very peaceful, and don't mess with anyone. They stay together, and mind their own business.

As for acclimating, I agree with Candygirl. I also have hard water. I acclimate my fish the same way she does. Float a tupperware of a decent size with the water the fish came in, add a bit of aquarium water every 15 minutes, pouring out water when the container becomes full, and adding more aquarium water, until an hour has passed, This is usually sufficient for any fish.

 

[sinibotia]

Do you think it could be pulled off with apistogrammas? (Some of the hardier ones) I think a pair of apistos and some of the more adaptable tank-raised species would be perfect. Maybe agassizi or cacatuoides?

 

[dalto]

Do you think it could be pulled off with apistogrammas? (Some of the hardier ones) I think a pair of apistos and some of the more adaptable tank-raised species would be perfect. Maybe agassizi or cacatuoides?

Did we ever figure out how hard the water actually was?

 

[sinibotia]

10 degrees KH, 20 degrees GH. But I called my LFS owner who has some "neon blue apistos" in around the same water. Not really sure what a neon blue apisto is. And hopefully he has both genders. (He knows his stuff so I imagine he's not mistakenly talking about GBRs)

 

[dalto]

That is pretty hard. About the only Apisto I would try in that water is one of the tank raised strains of A. cacatuoides.

 

[sinibotia]

That is pretty hard. About the only Apisto I would try in that water is one of the tank raised strains of A. cacatuoides.

I'm going to find out for sure what species my LFS has and then as long as it isnt a "steel blue" (I hate hybrids...) then I'll give it a shot. If it's doing well in his water, it should do well in ours.

 

[dalto]

I can't imagine what Apisto could be called Electric Blue. Borellii maybe?

Either that or they are M. ramirezi

 

[sinibotia]

I can't imagine what Apisto could be called Electric Blue. Borellii maybe?

Either that or they are M. ramirezi

It could be Rams, but when I mentioned microgeophagus he said "Not that" so, unless he still thinks Rams are apistos then it can't be.

The only apisto besides borellii that I think could be is the "steel blue" mystery hybrids.