55 high tech planted

[emerald76]

Hi all,
I'm planning a high tech 55 planted with nano fish, cories, and shrimp. The stock will have something along the lines of the following-
6 scarlet badis
2 sparkling gourami
10 each-
Chili rasboras
Ember tetras
CPDs
Harlequin rasboras
Zebra nerites
50 RCS
5 each-
Peppered, panda, false Julii, sterbai, Nanus, C012, Schwartz, and Hasbrous cories
2 zebra otos
4 otos

I got a huge fixture that fits the tank perfectly. It is a four bulb fixture that I believe is either T5HO or metal halide. I want to dose ferts in this tank and I am looking at buying a CO2 canister. So I have some questions. Actually, a lot of questions...
1) What exactly do I need for CO2?
2) Is my light sufficient?
3) What ferts do I need?
4) What substrate do you recommend?
5) Will I be overstocked
6) What plants does everyone recommend? I want a jungle in half of the tank then a plain in the other.


Thank you all!

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Hi all,
I'm planning a high tech 55 planted with nano fish, cories, and shrimp. The stock will have something along the lines of the following-
6 scarlet badis
2 sparkling gourami
10 each-
Chili rasboras
Emer tetras
CPDs

5 each-
Peppered, panda, false Julii, sterbai, Nanus, C012
Hold on one sec computer crashed

5 each of each Cory seems a bit much to me. Do you know the full size a peppered Cory grows too? I have a 55 with a 4 peppered and 4 bronze, an albino pleco and a Raphael catfish. This is a picture of a full grown peppered Cory, female and full of eggs so that's why she's so fat. But this is their full size just as a reference... Just imagine 5 of these in the bottom of your tank.

 

[emerald76]

Yes, I have peppereds. I can ditch them and the pandas and just have the other types.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Yes, I have peppereds. I can ditch them and the pandas and just have the other types.

I wouldn't ditch them, I would just narrow down which cories you want the most and go with them, maybe 2 species max and do 5 of each.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Hi all,
I'm planning a high tech 55 planted with nano fish, cories, and shrimp. The stock will have something along the lines of the following-
6 scarlet badis
2 sparkling gourami
10 each-
Chili rasboras
Ember tetras
CPDs
Harlequin rasboras
Zebra nerites
50 RCS
5 each-
Peppered, panda, false Julii, sterbai, Nanus, C012, Schwartz, and Hasbrous cories
2 zebra otos
4 otos

I got a huge fixture that fits the tank perfectly. It is a four bulb fixture that I believe is either T5HO or metal halide. I want to dose ferts in this tank and I am looking at buying a CO2 canister. So I have some questions. Actually, a lot of questions...
1) What exactly do I need for CO2?
2) Is my light sufficient?
3) What ferts do I need?
4) What substrate do you recommend?
5) Will I be overstocked
6) What plants does everyone recommend? I want a jungle in half of the tank then a plain in the other.

Thank you all!

You can check aqadvisor.com to see if your overstocked or not. Use it as a guideline though.

 

[emerald76]

I wouldn't ditch them, I would just narrow down which cories you want the most and go with them, maybe 2 species max and do 5 of each.

Only two... How will I ever choose? With the rest of the fish being nano fish, why can't I have sterbai, false Julii, hasbrous(a nano fish anyway), and Nanus cories in groups of four? I'll go enter everything into Aqadvisor now. I don't like them by much as a whole but ill do it.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Only two... How will I ever choose? With the rest of the fish being nano fish, why can't I have sterbai, false Julii, hasbrous(a nano fish anyway), and Nanus cories in groups of four? I'll go enter everything into Aqadvisor now. I don't like them by much as a whole but ill do it.

I'm just thinking about their full adult size, just seeing the size of my full grown peppered cory and looking at my 55g, which even isn't planted... You said you wanted heavily planted so that will take away room as well, I would be hesitant to stock that many cories.

 

[emerald76]

I'm just thinking about their full adult size, just seeing the size of my full grown peppered cory and looking at my 55g, which even isn't planted... You said you wanted heavily planted so that will take away room as well, I would be hesitant to stock that many cories.

True but I want about half to three quarters to be open with just carpet plants so the fish have more room and I can see them.
Edit- I've also chosen only four types, that look relatively similar(my thoughts being that they look alike so I may not need as many of each as they may school together more readily) and am only getting four of each. Is that still too much?

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Only two... How will I ever choose? With the rest of the fish being nano fish, why can't I have sterbai, false Julii, hasbrous(a nano fish anyway), and Nanus cories in groups of four? I'll go enter everything into Aqadvisor now. I don't like them by much as a whole but ill do it.

I could be wrong... But nano fish would mainly be in the mid/upper level of the aquarium correct (never had them so I don't know)? My concern is not overstocking as in the bioload being to much, my concern is overstocking by crowding to many fish in the bottom level.

 

[emerald76]

I could be wrong... But nano fish would mainly be in the mid/upper level of the aquarium correct (never had them so I don't know)? My concern is not overstocking as in the bioload being to much, my concern is overstocking by crowding to many fish in the bottom level.

The footprint is 12x48 inches, so you think enough only for maybe 3 schools of four instead of four schools of four?
Edit- I actually don't really want the Nanus cories so the other three types in schools of four will or won't be fine?

 

[Mrs.h2012]

The footprint is 12x48 inches, so you think enough only for maybe 3 schools of four instead of four schools of four?

Which schools are you thinking of doing? I would research what their max size is of the species you want and go from there.

 

[emerald76]

Which schools are you thinking of doing? I would research what their max size is of the species you want and go from there.

Hasbrous, False Julii, and Sterbai. They all stay pretty small from what I know.
How many inches is your peppered? And how many inches is the one next to it?

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Hasbrous, False Julii, and Sterbai. They all stay pretty small from what I know.
How many inches is your peppered? And how many inches is the one next to it?

The full grown one is right at 3 inches I believe. I bought it because it was in a tiny 10g and I wanted it to have more room since she is so big. She is the only one that's that big, all my others are small, like an inch, inch and a half maybe.