Low maintenance tank

[2swimmersAlike]

I was looking for pointers on starting a low maintenance tank, as I am a high school student who will be doing sports and having driving instructions soon, (not to mention homework!)

I will have enough time for feeding in the mornings, and have cleanings on the weekends

I will need to know:

What size tank to get
Types of plants if at all
Hardy and resistant fish
Filter types and media and such
Substrate
And other necessities

Under-stock, over filter.
Got it,

I really love active fish bright colors as well, I've seen Harlequin rasboas and love them,

I know how to set up a tank, and cycle it. Just looking for a nice low maintenance setup!

Thank you for your support

 

[fishenthusiast]

I was looking for pointers on starting a low maintenance tank, as I am a high school student who will be doing sports and having driving instructions soon, (not to mention homework!)

I will have enough time for feeding in the mornings, and have cleanings on the weekends

I will need to know:

What size tank to get
Types of plants if at all
Hardy and resistant fish
Filter types and media and such
Substrate
And other necessities

Under-stock, over filter.
Got it,

I really love active fish bright colors as well, I've seen Harlequin rasboas and love them,

I know how to set up a tank, and cycle it. Just looking for a nice low maintenance setup!

Thank you for your support

The tank size and filter will really depend on how much money you want to put into it. For ease of maintenance, I'd recommend 40 gallons or smaller. I'd say a 20 gallon long or a 30 gallon long would be nice. I'm old fashioned with water changes and I still use buckets, so if you are the same, it'd be easier on you if you don't want to fool with connecting hoses when performing water changes; smaller tanks usually require less maintenance time as well. If you have the funds, go with a canister. I always recommend the Eheim classic canister line--top notch! HOB filters would do the job though. Harlequin Rasboras are great and hardy. Many tetras are hardy (Rummynose Tetras are known to be a bit finicky--I've always had trouble with them), as well as Corydoras, Kuhli Loaches, Cherry Barbs, Platies, White Cloud Mountain Minnows, and many others! I always recommend plants for freshwater tanks where the inhabitants won't destroy them. They just make the tank look more natural. Java Fern, Anubias, Bucephalandra, Echinodorus, Dwarf Sag, and Cryptocoryne are all great plants for low tech tanks. No special substrates are needed. Eco-complete is nice though. Just supply root tabs to the heavy root feeders, dose some micro and macro nutrients here and there, and if so inclined, dose "liquid CO2" such as Flourish Excel. For a low tech tank, you can just get a couple daylight T8s and call it a day.

Take a look at the following article:

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/articles/the-low-tech-planted-aquarium

 

[BBradbury]

Low Maintenance Tank

I was looking for pointers on starting a low maintenance tank, as I am a high school student who will be doing sports and having driving instructions soon, (not to mention homework!)

I will have enough time for feeding in the mornings, and have cleanings on the weekends

I will need to know:

What size tank to get
Types of plants if at all
Hardy and resistant fish
Filter types and media and such
Substrate
And other necessities

Under-stock, over filter.
Got it,

I really love active fish bright colors as well, I've seen Harlequin rasboas and love them,

I know how to set up a tank, and cycle it. Just looking for a nice low maintenance setup!

Thank you for your support

Hello 2...

There is a type of tank called a Terraphyte" tank that requires little maintenance. It uses land plants in place of the mechanical filter and requires no water changes, just replacing water that's lost to evaporation with distilled or reverse osmosis water.

Probably a bit ahead of things for you at this point, but the system is easily assembled and will run indefinitely.

B