50 Gallon Peaceful Tank

[TOMatt]

Hey,
So i've been on this forum for about 4 months, and have learned a hell of a lot (thank you)!

I'm finally at a point where I can stop "building" for a while. So i thought I'd post a pic to show off my 50 gallon peaceful community tank:

Right now it's a little sparse. I'm going away for 10 days next month and had to promise my wife i'd leave it understocked so she might not have to change the water while i'm gone (but she will if the nitrates rise).

Stock:
6 Dwarf Spotted Danios
4 Peppered Cory Cats
2 Red Platies
Amazon swords, wisteria, and cryptocoryne for live plants.
4 pieces of driftwood, sand substrate, Aquaclear 70 filter.

The non-organic things in the tank are the fake stone in the middle-left, a small terracotta pot in the back right, and a ceramic hollow log that the cories like too much to remove.


Any comments or suggestions?

 

[Cynic]

Fantastic looking tank, sick of seeing tanks overstocked to stupidity with fish.

Yours is a perfect example of how less is more so congrats.

 

[TOMatt]

Thanks Cynic.

I'm planning on adding more stock, but probably won't go over the 80% capacity on AqAdvisor. I don't want it too busy.
A few more Cories, a few more Danios, and a Bristlenose Pleco... besides, that leaves room in case something special catches my eye.

 

[deb_unlimited]

Nice tank! Better to take your time and get what you want rather than having to tear everything apart later.

 

[Hholly]

Looks really nice!

 

[Tetra1990]

Do you have a background on that tank? It looks very clean and neat.

 

[TOMatt]

Thanks Deb. Actually i've gone too fast. I started at the beginning of October with a 20g and filled it with plastic plants and gravel substrate, and bought the 50g last month. lol
Now i have a 20g QT...

Thanks Hholly.

Tetra, there's a simple background i found at the LFS. It's just a pic of sand at the bottom and calm water with light shining from the top. I didn't want anything busy, this aquarium is meant to help me relax after work. Gotta be better than too much beer...

 

[Cynic]

Gotta be better than too much beer...

Possibly but one is a lot easier and less expensive

 

[Scottyhorse]

Like it a lot! A gold nugget pleco would be very cool, but are expensive. Cheapest I have found is $50...

 

[CharlieKlein]

Yeah, a gold nugget would be sweet! As for the stock, I think a great stock would be 8-12 of the danios, 6 Cory's, 3 platy, the pleco, and a pair of rams!

 

[deb_unlimited]

Thanks Deb. Actually i've gone too fast. I started at the beginning of October with a 20g and filled it with plastic plants and gravel substrate, and bought the 50g last month. lol
Now i have a 20g QT...

LOL! My advice is really to myself! I had a 10 gallon tank that I kept orchids in and when they outgrew the tank, I thought it would be neat to have an aquarium in my study. So, colored gravel and a betta. Then I started researching and learning and then my tank started a slow leak, I thought (actually I just overfilled it). So, I ordered two tanks from the big blue chain store. They were so crappy, big gobs of silicone all over, that I ordered two 13.3 gallon bowfronts. PLUS, I had found a 30 gallon on Craig's List. Okay, so one tank morphed into 6 tanks. Actually, it is now five tanks because my husband took one out last week with a well-aimed blow to the front of a 10 gallon. Poor dear was moving the stand for the 30 gallon. I hear a few loud expletives and a "HONEY, YOU BETTER COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Water is pouring out of the tank and onto the floor. He's scrambling to put something under the waterfall, I'm scrambling to find something to put the betta in. It was a real circus. I'd really like to have a big tank but I think I will stick with my little ones for the time being.

 

[TOMatt]

Hmmm, that Gold Nugget Pleco is tempting.
Three issues that are keeping me from getting one:
1. This single fish will take up 40% of my bioload, according to AqAdvisor. That seems pretty significant.
2. I've read that they can be agressive/ territorial to Cories. I don't want to instigate any tankfights.
3. Temperature. Everything currently in my tank is recommended for the low 70s. GNP is apparently best suited for high 70s-low 80s.

If anyone can show me where I'm wrong, i'd be really happy to get one!

 

[CharlieKlein]

All I can give help with is temp. I believe al those are tropical fish and need around 78.

 

[Joshfishguy]

Looks amazing