Building my first set up!

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Too many fish

 

[Broke EF]

Too many in general, or too many because of their size? What should I get rid of, and how many of them?

Sean

 

[Gboy66]

Too many in general, or too many because of their size? What should I get rid of, and how many of them?

Sean

Personally, i wouldnt fo the tiger barbs. They really restrict tank mates, and after awhile it will annoy you that some of them have nipped fins, and that they stress other fish out. Not to mention that they king if lock your tank into not being much of a community.

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Id say no gourmiz and no barbs. Replace barbs with lemon/ rummynose tetras, and gourmis with rainbow fish or something elz. Gourmis are prone to desiese and not very fun to look at

 

[Broke EF]

Personally, i wouldnt fo the tiger barbs. They really restrict tank mates, and after awhile it will annoy you that some of them have nipped fins, and that they stress other fish out. Not to mention that they king if lock your tank into not being much of a community.

I read that the Tiger Barbs are less prone to bullying/fin nipping when in groups. I read anywhere from 5 to 8 as a minimum to keep them occupied with themselves.

I like tetra, but I don't like tetras (if that makes sense). They are pretty small, and in my past experience kind of boring. With that said though, I have never had a large amount of them, usually only a couple because I didn't know any better.

Just as a reminder to people who may not have read though, this is my fall back stocking plan.

It seems to be pretty solid, and I have not heard any negative comments about it. I just keep looking around and changing my mind because I have too much time on my hands while the tank cycles.


Sean

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Haha no offence but i have a negative comment. First of all it says stock is 108 percent. You should realize thats odviously too many fish. Second i disslike barbs. Do not risk putting an agressive fish with ur expensive rams and oter fish, thats a no brainer. I like ur stock, i really do, but try not to over stock and put in bad fish just because they arnt as boring.

 

[Broke EF]

LOL, I meant no negative comments on the fall back plan (81%). I am not easily offended, and if I didn't want advice (good AND bad) I wouldn't ask any questions.

Sean

 

[eco23]

I like your backup plan...not the one with the Barbs. If you want to ensure you have a peaceful community tank, just going with one GBR is a good idea, they don't need to be in pairs. GBR's are also NOTORIOUSLY sensitive to the point many experienced hobbyists have given up on keeping them. Bolivian Rams are a more hardy substitute if you like the look of them.

One thing to keep in mind when choosing schooling fish...what you start with is usually what you'll end with (or at least have for a very long time). Since they need to be in schools, even as they age / die off, they'll need replacements because it's simply not right to keep a schooling fish without friends. For example, Neon Tetras are something I've had bad luck with...and even though I've had them die off and I'd prefer to go with another species...I have to keep buying more so the remaining ones can be happy. It's a cycle you'll be stuck in...so make sure you truly select fish you're satisfied with long term. I personally vote a strong no on the Tiger Barbs.

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

LOL, I meant no negative comments on the fall back plan (81%). I am not easily offended, and if I didn't want advice (good AND bad) I wouldn't ask any questions.

Sean

Ok i like ur back up plan. And good haha

 

[Broke EF]

OK, so cycle is going good! Everything is moving along nicely I have decided to make a couple of changes to the tank. My main question is about driftwood though. I know that the pleco requires driftwood, but does it need to be real? I have found some artificial ones that I really like, but if they are no good I will pass.

Thanks,
Sean

 

[librarygirl]

OK, so cycle is going good! Everything is moving along nicely I have decided to make a couple of changes to the tank. My main question is about driftwood though. I know that the pleco requires driftwood, but does it need to be real? I have found some artificial ones that I really like, but if they are no good I will pass.

Thanks,
Sean

Yes it has to be real for the Pleco as they like to munch on the wood.

 

[Broke EF]

Thanks! That's what I thought, but I figured I would double check real quick before wasting any money. Anybody have any good recommendations for driftwood?

Thanks,
Sean

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks! That's what I thought, but I figured I would double check real quick before wasting any money. Anybody have any good recommendations for driftwood?

Thanks,
Sean

I only know of one place since that's where I purchased mine from, but I got mine from Big Al's online. It's a very nice piece, branchy and the wood is a rich brown color (much darker than what is shown in the photos). I'm not sure what type of wood it is and I'm not sure if Pleco's require or prefer a certain type, but that's where I got mine (I don't have a Pleco) and I'm satisfied with it. You could probably find cheaper pieces of course but I wanted something branchy looking and that's the best I could find.

 

[Broke EF]

I checked the ones at Al's, they weren't really my style. I was thinking in my head more of a low style that is more "chunky" for lack of a better word. I found this a while back, and I keep coming back to them. I will probably order one up soon. I'm also going to put in a 3D background (wish I would have decided that before I started the tank). I think I will slowly be changing it to a more natural style tank, and will probably add in some live plants as well. Ill update with pictures as things progress

Sean

 

[Broke EF]

OK I may have a problem... Last night after I tested all of my levels I topped off my water. I added about 2 quarts (I know this because I used a pitcher) of tap water, but forgot to add in prime! Now I'm at work and cant do anything until I get home, but how worried should I be?

Sean

 

[ashleynicole]

Usually small amounts of chlorine and chloramines will be taken care of by the biological filter without water conditioners.

I like malaysian driftwood and mopani wood.

 

[Broke EF]

OK, just questioning how everyone things my cycle is doing. As I have said earlier I am doing o 4ppm Ammonia every day, and in about 24hrs its going down to 0 (or very close). My NitrItes are going up and are currently over 50ppm (darker purple), but my NitrAtes are hanging around say 20-30ppm for about a week now. I have not seen it get as dark, or darker, than 40ppm and depending how you look at it is maybe a little darker than 20ppm.

From what I understand I should be waiting for my Nitrites and Nitrates should go off the scale, then I need to do about a 40-50% water change. Then shortly after that I should see the NitrItes go away. Then I should be able to dose ammonia up to 4ppm, and within 24 hours see ammonia and NitrItes go to 0ppm and NitrAtes increase.

I guess mu question is, do I have a problem that anyone can see or is it moving along the way it should I need more patience?


Thanks,
Sean

 

[librarygirl]

OK, just questioning how everyone things my cycle is doing. As I have said earlier I am doing o 4ppm Ammonia every day, and in about 24hrs its going down to 0 (or very close). My NitrItes are going up and are currently over 50ppm (darker purple), but my NitrAtes are hanging around say 20-30ppm for about a week now. I have not seen it get as dark, or darker, than 40ppm and depending how you look at it is maybe a little darker than 20ppm.

From what I understand I should be waiting for my Nitrites and Nitrates should go off the scale, then I need to do about a 40-50% water change. Then shortly after that I should see the NitrItes go away. Then I should be able to dose ammonia up to 4ppm, and within 24 hours see ammonia and NitrItes go to 0ppm and NitrAtes increase.

I guess mu question is, do I have a problem that anyone can see or is it moving along the way it should I need more patience?


Thanks,
Sean

I looked back at the thread but didn't see a log but it seems like you started cycling on the 21st of October? For about 3 weeks in you're doing very well, actually! I"d say right on schedule if not a bit ahead. How long have nitrites been high? I'm guessing your reply earlier was a typo when you wrote 50 nitrite; was that supposed to be 5?

The Nitrite spike phase is the longer of the phases; it can take 2-3 weeks on average for them to come down to 0 (mine took almost 3). If your PH drops significantly or if your nitrites have been 5+ for over a week you can do a very large water change to get them to a readable level on the chart if you like. Don't be surprised if they shoot back up the next day though, that's normal. One day you'll test and they'll be magically 0; it just happens in its own time.

I wouldn't worry too much about the nitrate. Do you have live plants in the tank? Also the nitrate test is very finicky; if you don't do it exactly the way it calls for you can get erroneous readings. It's also a good idea to shake both bottles for 30 seconds and tap the 2nd bottle on a hard surface as it has a reagent powder that can get clumped inside the bottle and cause inaccurate results.

Keep us posted!

 

[Broke EF]

Yeah, I meant 5 Wasn't a typo, just not thinking Well I am glad it all seems to be going good!! As soon as I posted I did the same thing and checked when I started everything, great minds must think along. So in theory I am about 2-3 weeks from being able to add in some fish?!?! I should have my new background this week, and I will probably order up some drift wood tomorrow as well.

Question about driftwood, should I just boil it in any old pot? Is it going to screw up the pot at all? How long should I boil it?

Thanks again for all of the help I have gotten! Makes it so much easier when you can ask questions to make sure everything is still on track.

Sean

 

[Broke EF]

WOO HOO! I ordered up a nice piece of driftwood from Angels Plus after seeing them in another thread (for seeded filters). I started poking around their site and found their driftwood which has pictures of the actual pieces you are ordering. I found a piece I liked right away, checked some others but came back to my first choice and ordered it up!

I'm pretty excited to get this and the 3D background in, should make the tank look a lot better and should make the fish happy

BTW, I missed it in my last response, but my tank is NOT live planted. I may end up doing some later though. I am making the tank a little more natural, which I probably should have done from the start. Oh well, live and learn.


Sean