New To FW 30Gallon

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HoCkEyGmC

HoCkEyGmC

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
1,008
Location
Detroit Area
some of you may have read my previous post about my 30 gallon. it once was an awesome community tank in an office at my old house. but ever since it has been run down and an eye sore. so latly my mom has been making me not get anything for my sw tank and i have talked her into letting me fix up the 30 gallon. so now im going into this a total newb to fresh. my plans are to ditch everything but the tank, the stand, the filter, and most of the water. fish in the tank at the moment include a 5" bumble bee cichlid, a 6" trinidad pleco, and an unidentifyed catfish of some sort. im returning the fish to the lfs for credit.
so my new plans for the tank are to go with the hob filter and a ug filter. i dont really know what substrate im going with yet. i know i want driftwood and some slate type rocks. maybe fake plants. i'd only do real plants if they were extreemly low matinence or low matinence. ok now on to fish. dont know too much about fw fish at all. i want to breed some fish though. i have a 16 gal laying around so i think ill use that tank for breeding the fry. anywho back onto the fish, for a list here we go: A pair of GBRs (4 but just till they pair up, then just 2?)
4 guppies (2 males, 2 females?)
1 BN pleco (maybe albino)
3 swordtails (1 male 2 female?)
2 red tailed sharks(male and a female?)
6 neon tetras

sound good? any advise/comments/feedback appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
 
Everything sounds good to me. For substrate I suggestion Pool Filter sand, looks great in aquariums and only about 5 bucks for a 50lbs bag. Also if you do go with real plants I see you want extremely low matinence plants. Java moss is a good one and since you want to breed would prob save some fry if you don't switch the fish in time to the breeder tank.

Your fish choice seems alright expect with the guppies you will want 1 male per 2-3 females. Like your swordtail ratio. Besides that everything seems alright. It wouldn't hurt to boost your neon school to like 8-10 neons instead of 6. As long as you keep up on your pwc though.

If you got anymore questions about anything ask away.
 
I agree being thats pretty much the list i gave you. But FishCrazyBenBOMB is right i would either take the guppy population down to 3 and have 1 male 2 females or just have 1 male 3 females. I would suggest 1 male and 2 females being as you already have 2 othe female livebearers in the tank you will have a ton of fry either way.
 
FishCrazyBenBOMB said:
Everything sounds good to me. For substrate I suggestion Pool Filter sand, looks great in aquariums and only about 5 bucks for a 50lbs bag. Also if you do go with real plants I see you want extremely low matinence plants. Java moss is a good one and since you want to breed would prob save some fry if you don't switch the fish in time to the breeder tank.

Your fish choice seems alright expect with the guppies you will want 1 male per 2-3 females. Like your swordtail ratio. Besides that everything seems alright. It wouldn't hurt to boost your neon school to like 8-10 neons instead of 6. As long as you keep up on your pwc though.

If you got anymore questions about anything ask away.
Click to expand...

so if i go with pfs that meanss no ug filter so ill prob need to get another hob for the tank. not a huge deal. so then ill need a power head aswell.
new stock list:

4 guppies (1 male, 3 females)
1 BN pleco (maybe albino)
3 swordtails (1 male 2 female)
2 red tailed sharks(male and a female)
8 neon tetras

Other random questions: what do i feed the fry? how big should the fry be to sell them to the lfs? how long will it take for the fry to breed? and about what % of the fry will survive (long-ish term)?
 
HoCkEyGmC said:
so if i go with pfs that meanss no ug filter so ill prob need to get another hob for the tank. not a huge deal. so then ill need a power head aswell.
new stock list:

4 guppies (1 male, 3 females)
1 BN pleco (maybe albino)
3 swordtails (1 male 2 female)
2 red tailed sharks(male and a female)
8 neon tetras

Other random questions: what do i feed the fry? how big should the fry be to sell them to the lfs? how long will it take for the fry to breed? and about what % of the fry will survive (long-ish term)?
Click to expand...

I don't think you'll need 2 HOB filters, one will do fine.

Stock list sounds good as well.

For the random questions, I fed my fry this until they got fairly big, then I just fed them flake food. I don't know how large they should be to sell to the lfs, you could go in there and see how big there stock is already or just ask them how big they would have to be for them to accept them. I'm sure once they start getting good enough color you won't have to worry about size. The fry females can get pregnat at around 3 months after they are born themselves, so sep the males and females asap. When I collected my fry I only found 30 (most got eaten or sucked in filter.) Now I have around 20ish and it's been prob half a year. Most died because of getting sucked in the filter and only one died of natural causes. So livebearer fry survively rate is fairly good.
 
FishCrazyBenBOMB said:
I don't think you'll need 2 HOB filters, one will do fine.

Stock lsit sounds good as well.

For the random questions, I fed my fry this until they got fairly big, then I just fed them flake food. I don't know how large they should be to sell to the lfs, you could go in there and see how big there stock is already or just ask them how big they would have to be for them to accept them. I'm sure once they start getting good enough color you won't have to worry about size. The fry females can get pregnat at around 3 months after they are born themselves, so sep the males and females asap. When I collected my fry I only found 30 (most got eaten or sucked in filter.) Now I have around 20ish and it's been prob half a year. Most died because of getting sucked in the filter and only one died of natural causes. So livebearer fry survively rate is fairly good.
Click to expand...

so just the hob? its years old. rated for a 60 gallon tank many years ago i believe (ill confirm that later). ill get some pics of the tank asap(few hours prob.) Thanks!
 
Yeah your one HOB filter should be fine, i've got 1 HOB filter rated for a 60 gallon on my 55 gallon and it is stocked with like 20 mollies, 3 black skirt tetras, a gold gourmi, 4 p. cories, 1 true chinesse algae eater. My filter handles it fine, I might have to clean the filter more often then other tanks but that tank is just as clear as the rest of mine.
 
FishCrazyBenBOMB said:
Yeah your one HOB filter should be fine, i've got 1 HOB filter rated for a 60 gallon on my 55 gallon and it is stocked with like 20 mollies, 3 black skirt tetras, a gold gourmi, 4 p. cories, 1 true chinesse algae eater. My filter handles it fine, I might have to clean the filter more often then other tanks but that tank is just as clear as the rest of mine.
Click to expand...
I know off topic but how long have you had all those fish in there that is overstocking by quite a bit.
 
could i feed my fry super fine crushed flakes or could i like make something to feed to them? or is it pretty much special requirements for fry food?
 
HoCkEyGmC said:
could i feed my fry super fine crushed flakes or could i like make something to feed to them? or is it pretty much special requirements for fry food?
Click to expand...


There are no special requirements for fry food, it's just some things are more benefitial then others. As in newly hatched baby brine shrimp and that powdered fry food that I showed you would be more benefitial to the fry then say crushed flake food.


Anything will work but there is always something better.
 
ok, im sure ill find something to feed the little ones. im going offline for a little bit. ill be back on shortly. limited battery time tonite so ill be restricted on time =[!!!!!!!!!!!
 
HoCkEyGmC said:
ok, im sure ill find something to feed the little ones. im going offline for a little bit. ill be back on shortly. limited battery time tonite so ill be restricted on time =[!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...


Lol ok, well i'm getting off for the night anyways, faster I go to bed faster tmorrow will come so I get to go to the petstore and get some new fishy family members.


Keep in touch with my 10 gallon planted log so you can see whats goin on with my stuff, haha :D
 
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