5.5 gallon in my toddler's room

[TankinWithUs]

Hi everyone!

Brandy (mom) and Loxley (son, 2yo) here!

We are new to the site and joined because we've decided to follow this site's guide to cycle our tank.

We have a 5.5 gallon, heated and filtered tank that is being recycled from a failed adventure with a Betta 2 years ago.

We're really just starting a thread for encouragement along the way. We started the tank yesterday with hopes of fish today but while Lox slept, I decided to look up fish and quickly realized why our first attempt failed so miserably! We didn't cycle.

So, some damage was already done...we "cleaned" the tank with (gasps) antibacterial soap hoping not to make our new fish sick. That was before mommy learned bacteria were a good thing.But, the good news was that we had not added any fish yet. And so, are able to attempt a fish out cycle.

This is odd territory for me, considering I am in school to become a nurse. Everything bacteria is bad to me.

I digress...

Since then we have rinsed the bagels out of everything...have gone out and picked some live plants (anoubis, wisteria, java fern), dosed 2.5mL of pure ammonia to get the ammonia levels at 4ppm. We added Flourish for the plants....and now, with a somewhat cloudy tank, finally, we wait.

We are thinking of stocking with ghost shrimp, a mystery snail and are exploring a couple nano friendly fish, but haven't decided yet.

I wouldn't mind a betta, but I'd like to add variety to the tank for my little guy. I've seen some folks have success with a couple Enders.Thoughts?

Also, is it normal for our tank to be a little cloudy? Keep in mind that we are using substrate and a few decorations that were in the tank a couple of years ago.

For fun, we've taken video of our little journey. Welcome to view it on youtube. TankingWithBranLox is our username there.

 

[TankinWithUs]

Oh just wanted to add that we failed at cycling last time...by fail, I mean didn't even do it. We are expecting the entire wait this time

 

[Angela1108]

Ember tetras are pretty cool and miicro rasboras.


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[DeeLee2013]

You're on the right path. And cloudy water is normal for now. Don't freak, but it's the birth of bacteria (beneficial bacteria).

I raise Class N Orchid Endler's. The males are small but very colorful and perfect for that environment. But, if you stock both males and females, you will have MANY more fish than you started with. They're the bunnies of the fish world.

Perhaps a shrimp or two later on to help with cleanup, and then just three or four small fish, would be good for a tank that size.

Good luck and "just keep swimming"


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

 

[jetajockey]

Welcome to the forum, best of luck this go around!

 

[TankinWithUs]

I raise Class N Orchid Endler's. The males are small but very colorful and perfect for that environment. But, if you stock both males and females, you will have MANY more fish than you started with. They're the bunnies of the fish world.


Good luck and "just keep swimming"


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

That's awesome! Do you sell them? We are in St. Johns co. if you are still in St. Auggie!

I'm happy cloudy is good, cause I was a little worried!

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[TankinWithUs]

Welcome to the forum, best of luck this go around!

Thank you!!

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[TankinWithUs]

Ember tetras are pretty cool and miicro rasboras.


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I thought tetras were unfair to stock in anything less than 10g...not true?

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[TankinWithUs]

I do have a follow up question this morning; do I need to be giving my plants something more than Flourish? Should I upgrade my light to something...more planty?

 

[fishywishywowoo]

A couple of African dwarf frogs could be interesting. My 2 girls love them and they are very friendly and inquisitive. Below is just one of my poser froggies

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[DeeLee2013]

That's awesome! Do you sell them? We are in St. Johns co. if you are still in St. Auggie!

I'm happy cloudy is good, cause I was a little worried!

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As a matter of fact, I do sell them! PM me if you're interested and we can go from there!

As far as the plants: if they get a majority of their nutrients from their roots, then API Root Tabs are a good, cost-effective fertilizer. If they pull nutrients through the water, then API LeafZone or Seachem Flourish are good. I have a mixture of plants, so I do root tabs once a month and the LeafZone every week or so.

I would stick with the lighting you have now, and then perhaps upgrade later on.

Since tetras are schooling fish, some folks may think that a 5.5g is too small to accommodate their needs. I do like the idea of the dwarf African frog, as he may be very entertaining for your son!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

 

[TankinWithUs]

A couple of African dwarf frogs could be interesting. My 2 girls love them and they are very friendly and inquisitive. Below is just one of my poser froggies

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oh my gosh! how cute is that little guy? Would he be safe with a snail, ghost shrimp and a couple nano fish?

 

[TankinWithUs]

As far as the plants: if they get a majority of their nutrients from their roots, then API Root Tabs are a good, cost-effective fertilizer. If they pull nutrients through the water, then API LeafZone or Seachem Flourish are good. I have a mixture of plants, so I do root tabs once a month and the LeafZone every week or so.

I would stick with the lighting you have now, and then perhaps upgrade later on.


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

So my little top fin stock light is OK for the plants for now? When I do upgrade, should I go for something fancy, or just something that's labeled for plants? I was thinking of this: Aqueon 50/50 Mini Compact Fluorescent Bulb at PETCO

The only thing I have for the plants is Seachem's Flourish. I have an Anubias, Water wisteria and narrow leaf java fern because they're indicated as good for newbies. I've been trying to read more...but I can't figure out if CO2 is necessary for my little guys or not. It seems kinda hard.

When we are getting closer to the end of the cycle, I'll PM you! I'm excited! Now I have so many ideas from you guys that I'm worried about overstocking with my excitement

 

[fishywishywowoo]

They pretty placid. They happily live with my white cloud minnows and platys. As long as shrimp not to small then shouldn't have any problems. They not the fastest so most things will out swim them

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[TankinWithUs]

how cute. Lox would be so excited

 

[TankinWithUs]

Dee -

I'll PM you when we get closer to the end of our cycle!

I was thinking of getting the Aqueon 50/50 Mini Compact Fluorescent Bulb for our little TopFin 5.5 hood; but wasn't sure if it was necessary. We have Seachem's Flourish for the Anubias, Wisteria and Java Fern (I picked them because they were supposed to be really easy for newbs). Do you think I have to worry about CO2? It seems so complicated.

Love all the stocking ideas. Thanks everybody!
---
Sorry for the double post - thought my last post didn't get through my connection at school!

 

[Angela1108]

I thought tetras were unfair to stock in anything less than 10g...not true?

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Well embers are super tiny. they are a micro fish. You couldn't put a ton of them in there but like 3-4 would be ok I think


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[TankinWithUs]

woohoo!! I'll check them out, too

 

[DeeLee2013]

Dee -



I'll PM you when we get closer to the end of our cycle!



I was thinking of getting the Aqueon 50/50 Mini Compact Fluorescent Bulb for our little TopFin 5.5 hood; but wasn't sure if it was necessary. We have Seachem's Flourish for the Anubias, Wisteria and Java Fern (I picked them because they were supposed to be really easy for newbs). Do you think I have to worry about CO2? It seems so complicated.



Love all the stocking ideas. Thanks everybody!

IMHO, you don't need a CO2 system just yet. Yes, they're awesome, but many hardy "beginner" plants do just fine without it! Also, I love banana plants. You don't need to bury them and they're just cool to look at. PetCo at Cobblestone on 312 usually carries them since you're a local ?


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

 

[DeeLee2013]

oh my gosh! how cute is that little guy? Would he be safe with a snail, ghost shrimp and a couple nano fish?

Oh, he should be plenty safe! Again, since your son is so young, a nice diversity in the tank will keep his attention!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?