Setting up a new 50g!

[Danicole]

Hi guys! My siblings and I have just set up a 50g long tank . We have a Marineland Penguin 350B filter, black sand substrate, and a hand full of live plants that I'm just keeping my fingers crossed about, as well as some silk plants and other deco for the fish to shelter/hideout in. This is our first tank, so we definitely plan to stock lightly at first and add the rest over a few months, but here is a idea of what we'd like to have:

8x Black Neon Tetra
8x Glowlight Tetra
5x Longfin Zebra Danio
4x Bummblebee Cory
4x Emerald Green Cory
2x Honey Gourami
6x Bamboo Shrimp
6x Cherry Shrimp

According to AqAdvisor, this would put us at about 70% capacity. What do you think? Is there anything you would add/take out? We are 100% open to suggestions, since we have never done this before.

 

[josh7]

That sounds good honestly though cherry shrimp will probably get eaten by Gouramis or tetras. Also you might want to reconsider bamboo shrimp they are kind of hard to take care of they need extremely clean highly filtered water. And are you familiar with the cycling process of your new tank?

 

[aquandrew]

bamboo shrimp need an aquarium thats been up and running for 6 months to have a sufficient food source and thrive so i would not suggest getting those right away. have you read about quarantining the fish? i would suggest getting a 10 galllon qt tank and add each group of fish at a time after they go through the quarantine. otherwise you might end up with a mass die off and its very sad going through that

 

[Danicole]

Thanks for the info about the shrimp, I didn't realize the bamboo were that sensitive, and I def don't want the cherry to be a snack. Would ghost shrimp be a better option?

Yes, I do know about cycling. We are doing fish in, because my dad has lots of experience with it and has never lost a fish during cycling. We bought a API master test kit and are going to do daily tests, and water changes as needed, so I think we are on track. We bought 5x black neons and 5x zebra danios Friday evening and they all seem happy and active, so far so good.

 

[BBradbury]

Your 50 G Tank

Hello Dan...

Don't forget some floating plants, like Anacharis or Pennywort. The more plants, the more comfortable the fish. Varieties of Anubias are also good. They don't need much light and grow fine attached to lava rock or a piece of driftwood.

Don't neglect your water changes. I like to remove and replace half the tank water at least every couple of weeks, more often when time permits.

B

 

[Danicole]

Ok, I have a question about water changes. Well 2 questions actually. As I said the fish I'm cycling with have been in the tank since Friday evening. Did a water test this morning and it was the first time any ammonia showed, it was at .25. 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates. With the ammonia so low, should I still do a pwc? And, when I do pwc, I know you are supposed to treat the new water. I bought Seachems Prime and treated the water when we first set up the tank. When I add new water though, should I be adding the prime before the water goes into the tank, or to the existing water before adding the new? I've read it both ways, and just want to make sure I'm doing it right.

 

[Danicole]

Here is the water test I just ran. I'm hoping I'm reading it right. Ammo 0.25, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 10? Doing a pwc this evening and then testing again afterwards.

 

[Danicole]

Just finished a 20% wc. Will do another water test after things settle down. Added a few taller plants for the upper level fish to chill out in.

I love my zebra danios! They were not at all bothered by the pwc, instead they were very curious and came right up to the hose. One even brushed my hand when I was arranging the new plants. The black neons were a little shy, they mainly stayed on the opposite side of the tank. They didn't seem stressed though, and as soon as I was done they came over to investigate why the lid was open. I also like how I have tetras and danios and they all seem to school together. I could be because they wish they had more of their own kind to school with. I only have 5 of each currently, but I plan on getting 3 more tetras and 1-2 more danios down the road.

Sorry if I've rambled on a bit, but I have definitely got the fish fever! Haha, it's how I spend all my free time now, researching, planning, water tests, pwc, and surfing the forums here.

I want to say thanks to everyone who replies to these threads with advise or suggestions. As a new fish fanatic, I can't tell you how helpful and inspiring it is!

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

Ok, I have a question about water changes. Well 2 questions actually. As I said the fish I'm cycling with have been in the tank since Friday evening. Did a water test this morning and it was the first time any ammonia showed, it was at .25. 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates. With the ammonia so low, should I still do a pwc? And, when I do pwc, I know you are supposed to treat the new water. I bought Seachems Prime and treated the water when we first set up the tank. When I add new water though, should I be adding the prime before the water goes into the tank, or to the existing water before adding the new? I've read it both ways, and just want to make sure I'm doing it right.

Dan...

Even a trace of ammonia or nitrite is enough to harm your fish. Remove and replace a quarter of the water. This will remove enough toxins to keep the fish safe and still grow the bacteria needed to use these forms of nitrogen as food. Larger water changes may be a bit better for the fish, but they remove the toxins the bacteria need to live. A strange arrangement, but this is why you use hardy fish in the first place. They'll tolerate the traces of ammonia and nitrite produced from the fish wastes. Test the water daily and perform a water change when you have a positive test. When you have several daily tests that show no traces of the above toxins, your tank is cycled.

Add prime according to the instructions when you add new tap water. The chlorine and chloramine the public water people put into the tap water to make it safe for us to drink is toxic to fish.

B

 

[bettaowner]

If you want an invertebrate you should consider getting an orange dwarf crayfish

 

[Danicole]

Dan...

Even a trace of ammonia or nitrite is enough to harm your fish. Remove and replace a quarter of the water. This will remove enough toxins to keep the fish safe and still grow the bacteria needed to use these forms of nitrogen as food. Larger water changes may be a bit better for the fish, but they remove the toxins the bacteria need to live. A strange arrangement, but this is why you use hardy fish in the first place. They'll tolerate the traces of ammonia and nitrite produced from the fish wastes. Test the water daily and perform a water change when you have a positive test. When you have several daily tests that show no traces of the above toxins, your tank is cycled.

Add prime according to the instructions when you add new tap water. The chlorine and chloramine the public water people put into the tap water to make it safe for us to drink is toxic to fish.

B

Thanks for the explanation. I feel like I know so much more about this whole process then I did a few days ago thanks to everyone on here.

We actually are using well water, not public water, an my dad assures me there is no chlorine in it. But I have been using the prime anyway. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Danicole]

I just noticed these white spots on my black neons. Is that just part of their coloring? I hope I am just worrying for nothing.

 

[Fresh2o]

I just noticed these white spots on my black neons. Is that just part of their coloring? I hope I am just worrying for nothing.

Looks like Ich

 

[Danicole]

Looks like Ich

That's what I was afraid of. I guess I will be running to the lfs then. Any recommendations as to meds?

 

[Scottyhorse]

Aquarium salt and heat

 

[Danicole]

So after gradually increasing the water temp over the past day, all the spots are gone and my fish are soo much more active then they were. I think they must have been sick when I got them, because they never acted like this before I saw the white spots. The water temp is at 84f now and I'm going up to 86f today. Doing pwc everyday too.