trennamw
Aquarium Advice Addict
In 2014, everyone here helped me get my first aquarium off to a healthy start. It was 29 gallons, lightly planted, with Orange-finned Danio, Harlequin Rasbora, the little dudes with the orange stripe (Glowlight Tetra?), Candycane Tetra, and Otos. Eventually I went to 55 gallons, with some teeny loaches and an Angelfish.
Thanks to the wonderful advice here, everyone outlived their typical lifespans, it seems. No major illness or algae situations. The past few years I've lost one every once in awhile, often without noticing (it has been densely planted and the loaches & snails seem to "take care of" anyone who dies, before they start an ammonia problem).
The setup will be 55 gallon, with Vals, Anubias, Java Fern, that are mature. The tank is well populated with bacteria but I'll "cycle" it just to be sure (esp if I do something to try to eradicate traces of java moss). There's a big driftwood, sort of triangle shaped, really lots of shelter overall. We have a few days each summer when the indoor temp is about 90 for a few hours, and may stay at 80 for several days. Water is soft out of the tap but I add Seachem Equilibrium and a tiny bit of Cichlid Salts, to keep some hardness and buffering. Ph is pretty stable near 7, I think. Funny, I forget the number just remember the color the test should be.
I'd like to restock with more interesting fish, but want to keep it low-maintenance. Otos are about as delicate as I'm up for. So:
I love Hatchetfish but I read that they are escape artists. What are some personal experiences with them? The tank is covered, but there's a small hole for the mechanicals.
Furcata are BEAUTIFUL, but I've read they are delicate. When I look for specifics, I see "don't add to an immature tank" -- Well the same holds true for Otos, and I've always had Otos live for several years (I wait till the tank is well established and then drip acclimate them). Are they delicate in any other way?
I've heard Gourami are supposed to be a good "beginner" fish, but then I see here, so so so many people who struggle to keep them healthy. I don't know if that's the fish, or the beginners.
I hate to start yet another "how should I stock my tank" thread, but feel free to make suggestions for fish that could go with these. I may consider another Angelfish, Pencilfish, a pleco ... at times I"m also tempted to just have TONS of danios because they're fun to watch (but I'm not sure they'd be so happy in a densely planted tank -- they remind me of teenagers on skateboards, and one can't ride a skateboard in a forest very well).
Thanks!
Thanks to the wonderful advice here, everyone outlived their typical lifespans, it seems. No major illness or algae situations. The past few years I've lost one every once in awhile, often without noticing (it has been densely planted and the loaches & snails seem to "take care of" anyone who dies, before they start an ammonia problem).
The setup will be 55 gallon, with Vals, Anubias, Java Fern, that are mature. The tank is well populated with bacteria but I'll "cycle" it just to be sure (esp if I do something to try to eradicate traces of java moss). There's a big driftwood, sort of triangle shaped, really lots of shelter overall. We have a few days each summer when the indoor temp is about 90 for a few hours, and may stay at 80 for several days. Water is soft out of the tap but I add Seachem Equilibrium and a tiny bit of Cichlid Salts, to keep some hardness and buffering. Ph is pretty stable near 7, I think. Funny, I forget the number just remember the color the test should be.
I'd like to restock with more interesting fish, but want to keep it low-maintenance. Otos are about as delicate as I'm up for. So:
I love Hatchetfish but I read that they are escape artists. What are some personal experiences with them? The tank is covered, but there's a small hole for the mechanicals.
Furcata are BEAUTIFUL, but I've read they are delicate. When I look for specifics, I see "don't add to an immature tank" -- Well the same holds true for Otos, and I've always had Otos live for several years (I wait till the tank is well established and then drip acclimate them). Are they delicate in any other way?
I've heard Gourami are supposed to be a good "beginner" fish, but then I see here, so so so many people who struggle to keep them healthy. I don't know if that's the fish, or the beginners.
I hate to start yet another "how should I stock my tank" thread, but feel free to make suggestions for fish that could go with these. I may consider another Angelfish, Pencilfish, a pleco ... at times I"m also tempted to just have TONS of danios because they're fun to watch (but I'm not sure they'd be so happy in a densely planted tank -- they remind me of teenagers on skateboards, and one can't ride a skateboard in a forest very well).
Thanks!
