Scottyhorse's 25 Gallon Community Build

[Scottyhorse]

Originally Posted by CorallineAlgae

I'm not sure I'd add guppies if you're thinking of having rams. Could be wrong on that though. Somebody had pictures of them together. I'd add a school of about 6 small fish of your choice, plus a couple of nerite snails. Let that ride for a bit and see how your tank handles it.

I'm a little cautious with shrimp and waited about 6 weeks after adding fish to try shrimp but you can add a few if they sell them at the shop. If they're available locally and aren't to pricy it won't be much of a gamble. If you have to order them online it's worth waiting to see how stable your tank is after you have fish in there.

Wellllll, the only small fish I am going to add are the Ember Tetras which I have to order online, in a school of ten. So that's why I was wondering if I could add couple danios or guppies first because they are hardy. If not I'll add the three upside down cats/Pit Bull Plecos/Panda Cories and nerites.

I just talked to Rivercats and she said I could add a couple 'experiment' shrimp and see how they do. I am going to add my two amanos because they are impossible to kill. LOL.
The amano shrimp here are about 2.50 so not that bad, really. I'm also going to try and breed them also when I have a brackish tank up so I'll have a little army

[severum mama]

I would not add nerites right off the bat. They often refuse prepared foods and starve in captivity.

Glofish/danio rerio are schooling fish. I missed the point where they entered into the possibilities, as the thread is now 31 pages long.

Pond snails aren't that big of a deal IMO. Some folks hate them, I have found that they don't overpopulate as long as you don't overfeed.

[Scottyhorse]

Okay I won't add the nerites today then. The lfs may not even have them...

If I shouldn't do danios (which I won't anymore) could I add a couple guppies, or no?

I am just leaving the Pond Snails. They are fun to watch and are actually kind of cool looking with their spots, so I won't do anything with them.

The Amano shrimp are doing great so far! They like to hang out on the Lava rock, because that's where the most food is. To them at least. I got some pics of them last night and this morning so I will post them here in a little bit.

I also have a question, in my 2 gal shrimp tank, I tested the PH and its like 8.2!? I just have regular old gravel, what could be causing that? Tap and 25 gal PH tests at 7.6. I don't get it...

[Scottyhorse]

Sigh, can't go to the fish store today

[Scottyhorse]

I'm going to the fish store today! I am going to have ( oh my gosh I couldn't remember how to spell that for a minute lol) to go to Petco of City Zoo (the weird lps) I think I'll go to City Zoo though because they have a larger selection, but I'll let you know when I get fish! Yay!

[The CodFather]

YAY!! Pics when you bring your goodies home!!!!

[bud29]

Awesome! Getting fish is always super exciting!

Also, did your co2 finally start working? Just wondering, cause mine is bubbling like crazy now

[DjBootleg]

Originally Posted by bud29

As for rasbora or tetras - you could get harlequin or espei rasbora, and get a school of 8 or so. If you get a smaller tetra like neon tetras you could also do about 8. If you want to do larger tetras such as rummynose tetras, you probably should only do 6 or so.

Neons do better in odd numbers i.e 5,7,9 etc.. Just an fyi

[bud29]

Originally Posted by DjBootleg

Neons do better in odd numbers i.e 5,7,9 etc.. Just an fyi

This "theory" really has no evidence to back it up. Some say keeping them in odd numbers reduces aggression but you can't tell me that if you have 144 neons and they're fighting, adding one will make the entire school peaceful. I have kept neons in both even numbers and odd numbers and there was no difference whatsoever in behavior.

[CorallineAlgae]

Originally Posted by Scottyhorse

I also have a question, in my 2 gal shrimp tank, I tested the PH and its like 8.2!? I just have regular old gravel, what could be causing that? Tap and 25 gal PH tests at 7.6. I don't get it...

It may be worth checking the gravel and your tap water. You can take tap water, add an airstone and aerate it overnight, then test the pH. If it's higher after aerating then it means the tap water is low in oxygen and possibly high in co2 (not unusual). If it's not higher then add a handful of tank gravel with the airstone still running. Let it go for a day then test the pH again. If it's higher then that's your culprit.

You could always just do a test with muriatic acid on any gravel or stone if you have some on hand or have a friend with a pool who may have some. Vinegar doesn't always work in my experience.

[Scottyhorse]

Sooo.... I got some new friends!!

We went to Petco while my parents were at home depot getting some tile. I was looking at their small fish selection not really finding anything that I really wanted. Except for some spotted cory cats and awesome marbled hatchet fish. I couldn't get the cory cats because the fish guy there ( who seems really awesome and a fish geek) had a lot of the tanks closed for sale for observation, and the hatchets were reserved. So all they had were the usual stuff, cichlids, goldfish, plecos, mollies, platies, gouramis, not even guppies! So I asked the guy if he had any cory cats that he could sell. In his gold fish display tank he said he had some emerald cory cats. So he showed them to me. I wasn't that impressed with them but I was like what the heck I'll take all three! Those guys are so fast and small, and the tank was so big he couldn't catch them for ever! Then they found a spot in the back corner where he couldn't reach. Finally he caught the. It was pretty funny to watch so I wasn't complaining. He bagged them up (really well) and I grabbed some Hikari Sinking Bottom Feeder Pellets, small size.

So on the way home I was thinking, these aren't exactly pretty fish, I don't really like them so I hope they act cool. Well, I go them home under the light and they are COOL! Poor guys were hyperventilating so fast. After I acclimated them for a while (and got some pics of course ) I released them. That's when they really got scared!

Does any one know how to sex these guys? I got one big fat one who is the funniest to watch, and them two smaller, skinnier ones. I'm guessing the bigger one if either male or female... Just Kidding! Haha.

So I have some pics for you!!! If I can get them to load....

Okay I lied... The laptop will not let me save the pictures! I'll try and upload in the morning, promise! That way the camera wizard a.k.a my mom can help

[Scottyhorse]

Originally Posted by bud29

Awesome! Getting fish is always super exciting!

Also, did your co2 finally start working? Just wondering, cause mine is bubbling like crazy now

No

At petco they had liquid carbon I was tempted to buy... Poor some in once a day and the headache is gone... They also had a co2 kit for $50 that looked interesting but I didn't check it out. 45 gram refills were ten dollars each, so that may not be bad.

[The CodFather]

OH YAY FISH IN THE TANK!! I'm sorry you couldn't get the ones you really wanted but hey look at it this way...everything happens for a reason and there was some reason those others weren't meant to be in your tank right now. I am SO GLAD (and even a bit impressed) that they had those tanks as not available due to observation!!! I wish lfs around here would do that more when they have sickly fish . I can't wait for the pics!!

[Coursair]

Emeralds are actually a Cory cousin. They are Brochis splendens. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...species_id=114
They get bigger, about 3" each. Longer nose than true Cory. Bigger wider one may be a girl. When they are happy they are iridescent green, really lovely.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/co...article_id=229

[CharlieKlein]

Very happy for you!!! So now what's your ending stock plan?

[Scottyhorse]

Lol, they are actually bronze cory cats, my bad! I hope I can put some pictures for you guys to see! They are doing great this morning and so far the tank is handling the bio load well! I tested this morning and there is no ammonia and nitrites. He said the other fish in the tank will be ready by Thursday, and he will special order fish in for me. Which is cool. He said that the cory cats are from very healthy stock, and he must take extra care of that tank because they are his goldfish (kinda) and he's had them for two years now, so he's gotta keep that nice and clean! If we go in thursday, I am going to get a spotted cory cat. Hopefully female. Then maybe another schooling fish if they have them. The cory cats are so funny to watch. They are still pretty stressed banging into the walls. Haha. They've eaten a little bit of wafer and plant crap. So far I am really loving the cory cats!

Charlie, I am going to stick with the original stocking plan, minus the ember tetras. I decided not to get them, because I don't want them out competed with food.. I am going to replace them with either guppies, or something else. Not sure.

The CodFather Yes, me too! The guy really seems to know his stuff. Last time I was there getting a shrimp, he was messing with the SW tanks in river waders, humming to himself. Haha. He seems really great. Better than the mom and pop store, so far! I think those fish were just new shipments. He gets to decide what they get in and he says he quarantines them for a week or so after they get there. He gets new fish in on Thurs.

[The CodFather]

Girl that is SO GREAT you have them to go to in your neck of the woods!! I am so glad you connected with him and that he will even order fish for you too! It sounds like you're set up with someone that cares about his fish and his customers!! I am so excited for you

[CharlieKlein]

If you go and get 1 spotted cory,I'd advise against. If anything get 1 more bronze. Then 2 gbr, 5 hatchets, and the Mabye zebra danios

[Scottyhorse]

Originally Posted by The CodFather

Girl that is SO GREAT you have them to go to in your neck of the woods!! I am so glad you connected with him and that he will even order fish for you too! It sounds like you're set up with someone that cares about his fish and his customers!! I am so excited for you

Haha thanks! Yes he's much better than the guy at the lfs who speaks almost no english, and let me tank a bunch of fish home to an uncylcled tank.. It's a good thing (and bad) that the pet stores are all at least 30 mins away or I would be there all the time!

[Scottyhorse]

Originally Posted by CharlieKlein

If you go and get 1 spotted cory,I'd advise against. If anything get 1 more bronze. Then 2 gbr, 5 hatchets, and the Mabye zebra danios

Why...? I have seen lots of people having mixed species or cories in an aquarium.