Setting up a 37g tank

[tannercurtidor]

Hi, I'm setting up a 37g tank and am just open for ideas though I'd prefer to stay freshwater. My current idea for my 37g is to mate convicts in it for food for my brother's piranha. I currently have a 29g with 6x tiger barbs and 4x albino tiger barbs with a female convict, and a 20g with 2 angelfish. There's also a 17 with x2 guppies x1 platy x2 dwarf gourami and x5neons. My current plans are to leave the 17g, and maybe put the angels in the 29g and put the tiger barbs in the 20, or I could put the angels in the 37g and do something new with the 20g and leave the 29g as is and make my bro buy feeder fish

 

[NinjaTetra]

I would move the angels to the 37, and get some corydoras and large tetras. Maybe plant it at least moderately?

 

[NinjaTetra]

Also, I'm not sure about where you are but here feeder fish are only like 14-20 cents a piece, so I think he could afford that... And if not, you could get some more guppies and breed those as feeders.

 

[Luananeko]

Store bought feeder fish are very poor nutrition and are usually diseased due to the conditions they are kept in. If you must feed feeders, breed them yourself and gut load them with nutrients prior to feeding them to the piranha. This article has a lot of options for what you can feed the piranha other than feeders: https://www.msu.edu/~torresm2/piranhasfood.html

 

[tannercurtidor]

Store bought feeder fish are very poor nutrition and are usually diseased due to the conditions they are kept in. If you must feed feeders, breed them yourself and gut load them with nutrients prior to feeding them to the piranha. This article has a lot of options for what you can feed the piranha other than feeders: https://www.msu.edu/~torresm2/piranhasfood.html

Feeder fish almost always seem to be in bad condition, which is why I wanted to breed some. But come summer me and my bro are gonna try catching some grasshopper from the backyard

 

[tannercurtidor]

I would move the angels to the 37, and get some corydoras and large tetras. Maybe plant it at least moderately?

I may do that cause I'll have empty 20g to breed guppies in. Not sure if I would add other fish though, I like my angels just with themselves

 

[Luananeko]

Feeder fish almost always seem to be in bad condition, which is why I wanted to breed some. But come summer me and my bro are gonna try catching some grasshopper from the backyard

Be careful about catching your own bugs to feed him... Many of the insects you'll catch outside may be contaminated by pesticides. Store bought (either from pet store or bait shots) or self-bred insects are the only ones that you can be sure won't accidentally poison the fish. It's a little ironic that store bought feeder FISH are usually diseased, but their feeder INSECTS are pretty safe

 

[tannercurtidor]

Be careful about catching your own bugs to feed him... Many of the insects you'll catch outside may be contaminated by pesticides. Store bought (either from pet store or bait shots) or self-bred insects are the only ones that you can be sure won't accidentally poison the fish. It's a little ironic that store bought feeder FISH are usually diseased, but their feeder INSECTS are pretty safe

I know this is a little off topic, I watch a documentary on places that eat bugs and apperently for the amount of crickets produced with little food and water is crazy and can solve worlds hunger if we just eat bugs. Maybe I should try breeding then lol

 

[tannercurtidor]

Thanks for the advice though I'll probably buy crickets instead

 

[Luananeko]

Thanks for the advice though I'll probably buy crickets instead

From what I'm reading it sounds like the crickets are more nutritious than the guppies anyways (unless you're taking the time to gut load the guppies). If so, I'd recommend setting up the 20g as a breeder tank only if you actually like keeping guppies. If you don't have any interest in the guppies other than breeders, don't bother since it's not really justified from a nutrition standpoint, and just set up the tank for something you actually are interested in

 

[NinjaTetra]

The 20 would be great to breed guppies. My recommendation would be to fill the bottom with java moss and maybe a sword, and float tons of anacharis, pennywort, and hornwort to make sure there are hiding places for the fry. You could fee them infusoria, nutrient-rich pellet foods, and live wingless flies and/or live worms.... Loaded guts.

 

[tannercurtidor]

From what I'm reading it sounds like the crickets are more nutritious than the guppies anyways (unless you're taking the time to gut load the guppies). If so, I'd recommend setting up the 20g as a breeder tank only if you actually like keeping guppies. If you don't have any interest in the guppies other than breeders, don't bother since it's not really justified from a nutrition standpoint, and just set up the tank for something you actually are interested in

That's interesting maybe I'll try a betta splendens, when I was a kid i was also so happy when I got like $10 cause it ment I could get a betta and a pack of Pokemon cards. Never had much luck with them when I was a kid

 

[tannercurtidor]

The 20 would be great to breed guppies. My recommendation would be to fill the bottom with java moss and maybe a sword, and float tons of anacharis, pennywort, and hornwort to make sure there are hiding places for the fry. You could fee them infusoria, nutrient-rich pellet foods, and live wingless flies and/or live worms.... Loaded guts.

That would be an amazing setup for guppies