Hey Everyone,
I posted a few weeks back about stocking ideas for a nearly cycled tank. And thanks for all the great responses. Apologies if I'm supposed to add to that thread, I just have some different questions now, so thought I'd start a new thread.
So my 56 gallon column tank finally finished cycling and I added the first fish just over a week ago. I got 5 leopard cory's and 10 rummynose tetras to start. Understocked, but while the water passed all tests, I wanted to make sure the water quality was OK before fully stocking. Unfortunately, I lost one rummy w/in 2 hrs.
But now, one week in, the other 9 are swimming happily w/ blood red noses and the cory's all seem to be thriving as well. While it made me sad to lose even one fish, I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with it so far. Fingers still crossed, but 14 of 15 fish still alive after 1 week+ in a brand new, recently cycled tank seems solid. And I test water daily - parameters are good. Took 6 weeks for my cycle, but I was very diligent in making sure water quality was there. Looks like my patience paid off.
So my question is how should I round out the tank. My girlfriend really wants to get some guppies based on their stunning colors. I'm not opposed, just worried about live-bearers. I don't want the population to grow. We also want to get two angels and then maybe some ghost shrimp, just as an interesting addition. I've been running scenarios on aqadvisor and will be closely following stocking guidelines, so that's not my worry. I guess my two questions are this:
1. Can I keep just two angels? Sometime I read keep one or three, not two. Sometimes I read two are no problem. But I hate the idea of keeping 1 of a single species. But I know they can become territorial. Tank has plenty of plants, hiding spots, etc. Just wondering if I start w/ two juvenile angels, if I can keep them?
2. Thoughts on keeping the guppies my GF wants (just a few, maybe 4-6)? They're pretty fish, but I worry that live-bearers may give me more guppies than I want, adding to the tank population. Sounds cruel, but I'm hoping that other tank inhabitants would eat the young. Really sorry if that's cruel...I figure it's circle of life. I also keep reptiles and hate feeding them rats. But hey, snakes and fish are people to and everyone has to eat. Food chain.
Anyway, maybe not clear, just wondering if I can add 2 angels, a few guppies and a few ghost (or similar) shrimp to the tank. Stocking guidelines check out, wondering about community chemisty.
Sorry for long post. Thanks in advance for any replies!
I posted a few weeks back about stocking ideas for a nearly cycled tank. And thanks for all the great responses. Apologies if I'm supposed to add to that thread, I just have some different questions now, so thought I'd start a new thread.
So my 56 gallon column tank finally finished cycling and I added the first fish just over a week ago. I got 5 leopard cory's and 10 rummynose tetras to start. Understocked, but while the water passed all tests, I wanted to make sure the water quality was OK before fully stocking. Unfortunately, I lost one rummy w/in 2 hrs.
But now, one week in, the other 9 are swimming happily w/ blood red noses and the cory's all seem to be thriving as well. While it made me sad to lose even one fish, I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with it so far. Fingers still crossed, but 14 of 15 fish still alive after 1 week+ in a brand new, recently cycled tank seems solid. And I test water daily - parameters are good. Took 6 weeks for my cycle, but I was very diligent in making sure water quality was there. Looks like my patience paid off.
So my question is how should I round out the tank. My girlfriend really wants to get some guppies based on their stunning colors. I'm not opposed, just worried about live-bearers. I don't want the population to grow. We also want to get two angels and then maybe some ghost shrimp, just as an interesting addition. I've been running scenarios on aqadvisor and will be closely following stocking guidelines, so that's not my worry. I guess my two questions are this:
1. Can I keep just two angels? Sometime I read keep one or three, not two. Sometimes I read two are no problem. But I hate the idea of keeping 1 of a single species. But I know they can become territorial. Tank has plenty of plants, hiding spots, etc. Just wondering if I start w/ two juvenile angels, if I can keep them?
2. Thoughts on keeping the guppies my GF wants (just a few, maybe 4-6)? They're pretty fish, but I worry that live-bearers may give me more guppies than I want, adding to the tank population. Sounds cruel, but I'm hoping that other tank inhabitants would eat the young. Really sorry if that's cruel...I figure it's circle of life. I also keep reptiles and hate feeding them rats. But hey, snakes and fish are people to and everyone has to eat. Food chain.
Anyway, maybe not clear, just wondering if I can add 2 angels, a few guppies and a few ghost (or similar) shrimp to the tank. Stocking guidelines check out, wondering about community chemisty.
Sorry for long post. Thanks in advance for any replies!
