Hello! I've been enjoying reading your forums for some time & finally decided it would be nice to ask some specific questions & continue learning!
I've mostly kept ponds, but recently helped my grandson set up a 5 gallon betta tank for his first pet. It reminded me how much I enjoyed aquariums when I was a kid. The next theing I knew, I had a 20-gallon high set up.
I started out with 3 Amano shrimp, and added 7 ghost shrimp after a few weeks. We have extremely hard (well) water but also have a water softener, so I added cuttlebone and a mini wondershell to my tank just in case. Next, I got 4 nerite snails, 1 is the mini horned type. They've all done well, so I just splurged and added 1 mystery snail. Yes, I really like snails!
I dont have an algae problem, so I feed New Life Spectrum Algaemax, NLS betta food, freeze-dried brine shrimp, freeze-dried green algae sheets, frozen blood worms, and fresh zucchini and cucumber. I also do a 25-30% water change weekly & keep the temp around 77-78 degrees. So far so good!
I'd like to add (5-6) kuhli loaches and possibly several (3) dwarf corys, but don't want to overload the tank. Lastly I'd like to add a betta so my grandson & I can compare 'notes'.
Do you think this would be too much? I have several live plants, some marimo balls and java moss, and plan to get more live plants. I use larger smooth river rock and petrified wood in the tank, but portions of the bottom are bare glass. I'd make sure it was completely covered if I get the betta, which would be the last fish.
Thanks for your input - sorry this was so long an introduction!
I've mostly kept ponds, but recently helped my grandson set up a 5 gallon betta tank for his first pet. It reminded me how much I enjoyed aquariums when I was a kid. The next theing I knew, I had a 20-gallon high set up.
I started out with 3 Amano shrimp, and added 7 ghost shrimp after a few weeks. We have extremely hard (well) water but also have a water softener, so I added cuttlebone and a mini wondershell to my tank just in case. Next, I got 4 nerite snails, 1 is the mini horned type. They've all done well, so I just splurged and added 1 mystery snail. Yes, I really like snails!
I dont have an algae problem, so I feed New Life Spectrum Algaemax, NLS betta food, freeze-dried brine shrimp, freeze-dried green algae sheets, frozen blood worms, and fresh zucchini and cucumber. I also do a 25-30% water change weekly & keep the temp around 77-78 degrees. So far so good!
I'd like to add (5-6) kuhli loaches and possibly several (3) dwarf corys, but don't want to overload the tank. Lastly I'd like to add a betta so my grandson & I can compare 'notes'.
Do you think this would be too much? I have several live plants, some marimo balls and java moss, and plan to get more live plants. I use larger smooth river rock and petrified wood in the tank, but portions of the bottom are bare glass. I'd make sure it was completely covered if I get the betta, which would be the last fish.
Thanks for your input - sorry this was so long an introduction!