tank upgrade issues

[lornajane89]

Hi all im currently running a 45gallon with:
5 polka dot loaches
4 rainbow cichlids
1 ctenopoma acutirostre
1 leopard frog pleco

At the minute most are juvenile.

Im looking to upgrade to a bigger tank.. I was trying to push for a 120g but the missus says 70g max.

2 reasons i wanted to upgrade are 1- id love to have a severum and 2 - my fish will get bigger and i think a bigger tank is in order. Do you think i could get away with my current stock plus a severum in a 70g... I was hoping for more than 1 but probably a bad idea.
Also if i go for the 70 is there room for more than just 1 severum, i mean other species, i know severums can be territorial with there own species so what else could i put in there.

If you think a severums a bad idea please suggest other mid-sized fish that can add some colour to my community.

Thanks
Dean

 

[Hholly]

Just curious... Is the foot print of the 70 that different from the 120? May be an arguing point. another cool fish might be an Electric blue jack Dempsey.

 

[Zimmanski]

Just curious... Is the foot print of the 70 that different from the 120? May be an arguing point. another cool fish might be an Electric blue jack Dempsey.

Haha I was thinking the same thing, except I would shoot for a 90, exact same footprint as a 75g but a few inches taller

 

[Hholly]

You could just tell her it's a 70.

 

[lornajane89]

90 is a good idea, Its a foot of living room and another few hundred quid for the 120. Arent jds pretty aggressive?? i was thinking rotkeil severum for the smaller size. Im gonna measure all the tanks up and see if i can get a good feel for how itd be. I think we got room for the 120 if we have a reshuffle of the living room lol . Most of my fish are supposed to reach 6 inches, so do you think ive got room for much more in a 90? At the minute my tank can look empty at times with the stock in the 45g... I jus dont want a big empty lookin tank.

Thanks

Also i think the 90 is more expensive than the 120 with the tanks im lookin at so i think thats a debatable point

 

[Hholly]

The electric blue JDs are less aggressive than the normal ones. But I would double check with the cichlid experts. Yes, I think you could have a couple more fish in a 90. Keep you eye on Craigslist for a deal.

 

[DavidAl]

Hello Dean,

I am a world renown, highly honored and widely acclaimed relationship expert...you can just ask the many, many thousands of women I have dated.

The time has come for some negotiation talks. Is there something your better half has been wanting, but has had to be postponed due to a difference of opinion? You get where I'm going, right?

David

 

[lornajane89]

Lol im workin on the bribery.. Not havin any luck tho.. Maybe a petition lol i think 90 is the most i can get... really wanted the floor space for my loaches. The boss likes the fish too but doesnt want the extra foot taken up i think its wider aswell so i dnt blame her.. Just not got the bug like i have.. I think the 90 is ok for now plus it leaves room for another upgrade in future, when she gets used to that. I like the ebjd's dont think i noticed them before. I love cichlids so thanks for the suggestion i need a fairly mild temprament cause of the rainbows and my perch is pretty passive too.. My youngest loach is the boss at the minute...

Ill keep on with the negotiations

 

[lornajane89]

Finally agreed to disagree with the boss and met in the middle. goin to pick up a juwel 400 in a few hours so approx 450litres from what i read about 120g YAY!! Its been used for cold water. In 2 minds whether to bleach the lot and start over or to try and keep the cycle going. Apparently hes had no problems with it hes downsizing to a 4 footer for the extra space. I wont be adding fish immediatley i need to pick up another filter before i do that.

Any ideas what would be good additions in my new tank with my current stock is very much appreciated.

Thanks
Dean

 

[lornajane89]

Got the tank just leak testing now. Cant set it up till we have the floor sorted in the living room so 1st march then i start cycling. Will give me time to bleach everything tho

 

[Hholly]

Wow! That's going to be cool!

 

[Zimmanski]

Congrats! That looks amazing, love the stand and tank. I'm jealous!

 

[lornajane89]

Hi again, what do you reckon.. To bleach or not to bleach. The tanks passed the leak test but i cant move it to the lounge till the carpets fitted so ive got some time to clean it up. The guy i bought it from said he had no problems with the tank, diseases, sick fish etc they all got moved to his smaller tank. Should i just give it a scrub.

Ill be cycling with ammonia when its in place could i use ammonia to clean it?.. It is sold as a cleaning product.

Also im waiting for sunsun filter/uv sterilizer to come, it only pumps 1400litres p/h but will be an addition to the internal filter that came with the tank which im not sure how much that pumps but im sure will be sufficient once some new pads and media are added.

Also i really wanted sand substrate but am hearing for plants isnt the best idea plus i wanted heavily planted but that rules out severums from what ive heard.... I really need start planning what im doing!!

Tips/ideas/advice PLEASE!!

Thanks

 

[Hholly]

I don't think bleaching it is necessary. Maybe ammonia scrub.

 

[lornajane89]

I think that was the fastest response ive ever had, thank you.

i thought ammonia should be ok. Last thing i want is to kill my current fish with bleach.. I cant wait now, next few weeks are gonna drag.

What do you think on substrate. I think ill skip the severums they are beautiful fish but will limit what i can do with the tank. Id really like a couple of clown loaches and the jack dempsey you recommended would be nice but i need to check compatability. The missus like gouramis but im not sure how theyd get on with mild tempered cichlids. i also wud like a few more leopard frog plecos as i barley see the one ive got and think a few more might add to its confidence... But... I also feel like im stocking up on bottom dwellers..... Im so confused... Feel like a kid pickin a new bike or summat... So many options?!?

 

[Hholly]

I think that was the fastest response ive ever had, thank you.

i thought ammonia should be ok. Last thing i want is to kill my current fish with bleach.. I cant wait now, next few weeks are gonna drag.

What do you think on substrate. I think ill skip the severums they are beautiful fish but will limit what i can do with the tank. Id really like a couple of clown loaches and the jack dempsey you recommended would be nice but i need to check compatability. The missus like gouramis but im not sure how theyd get on with mild tempered cichlids. i also wud like a few more leopard frog plecos as i barley see the one ive got and think a few more might add to its confidence... But... I also feel like im stocking up on bottom dwellers..... Im so confused... Feel like a kid pickin a new bike or summat... So many options?!?

You can seed your filter on your new tank with the old filter media. Careful with the jack Dempsey. I think they're pretty aggressive. Ecocomplete is nice substrate for planted tanks.

 

[lornajane89]

About seeding im probably just gonna let it just do its thing if i can get rid of my 30 gallon in the kitchen soon enough then ill put the u4 filter in from that to kick start everythin but im in no rush now really the tank (and the new carpet(bribing tool)) have cost me alot so even if i was fully cycled next week id have no money to stock the tank, plus the plants and substrate are gonna cost a bit so... Besides being super eager to get goin im gonna be countin down till pay day but atleast the biggest step has been taken now.

I thought u suggested the electric blue jd's ohwell.. I heard jack dempseys are pretty fiesty i havent looked into them specifically but ill still check as the pics i found were awesome. Thats why i liked the severum idea cause theyre pretty placid but they grow big and apparently destroy planted tanks. Im after fish that grow to 6 inches or more and very colourful also some big tetras... Congos or something like that..

 

[Hholly]

About seeding im probably just gonna let it just do its thing if i can get rid of my 30 gallon in the kitchen soon enough then ill put the u4 filter in from that to kick start everythin but im in no rush now really the tank (and the new carpet(bribing tool)) have cost me alot so even if i was fully cycled next week id have no money to stock the tank, plus the plants and substrate are gonna cost a bit so... Besides being super eager to get goin im gonna be countin down till pay day but atleast the biggest step has been taken now.

I thought u suggested the electric blue jd's ohwell.. I heard jack dempseys are pretty fiesty i havent looked into them specifically but ill still check as the pics i found were awesome. Thats why i liked the severum idea cause theyre pretty placid but they grow big and apparently destroy planted tanks. Im after fish that grow to 6 inches or more and very colourful also some big tetras... Congos or something like that..

Oh yeah, the electric blues are supposed to be less aggressive that the regular JDs.
Have you looked at Denisons Barbs? They get about 6 inches and are peaceful and colorful.

 

[lornajane89]

Sorry i should have been more specific lol. No ive never heard of denison barbs i always ruled out barbs for bein fin nippers so ill check those im after a nice schooling species and a couple of centre piece fish.. I think the clown loaches are definatley goin in there but ill be keeping all the stock from my 45g that are listed in the first post. Thanks for the suggestions more are very welcome at the minute but i really dont want to over stock so im trying to build an image of how its all gonna look... The last thing inwant is a big empty lookin tank

 

[Zimmanski]

I don't know about the species of these fish so I'mno help there. But I wouldn't use ammonia or bleach, I would use a vinegar and water solution to clean it and then leave it for two weeks to be sure. Most things can be taken care of with vinegar and waiting two weeks will make sure, things like ick which is probably most common will die within two weeks without a host. Bleach and ammonia are both pretty harsh and you'd have to rinse a lot I think, that's pretty difficult with larger tanks