I am just joining the aquarium hobby for the first time and I'm nearly 3 weeks into the fishless cycle of my tank (ammonia is dropping at a rate of 2ppm per 24 hours) following this guide: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
Tank parameters are as follows:
29 Gallon Rectangular Tank
Aquaclear 50 (HOB) Filter (no carbon)
Finnex 24/7 Light
2 Aquapro 100W Heaters
Gravel Substrate (finer grain than average gravel) @ 2-3.5-inches deep
Driftwood and Rocks
I am planning to do a "low-tech" planted tank
pH 7.8
Hard Water (I don't know the numbers, but it is definitely hard)
My tentative fish load-out is:
7 Neon Tetra
5 Black Phantom Tetras or 5 Pristella (x-ray) Tetras (haven't decided which species)
1 Red Dwarf Gourami
2 Guppies
1 German Blue Ram (leaning towards not getting it due to my tank's water having too high of pH and hardness)
1 Bristlenose Pleco
3 Cory Catfish
1-3 Amano Shrimp (maybe)
My tentative plant load-out is:
Java Fern
Amazon Sword
Bacopa caroliniana
Anubias barteri nana
Staurogyne repens
Brazilian Pennywort
My questions are:
1. Do you see any potential problem(s) with any of the above stocking plans?
2. Do you have any alternate suggestions for fish?
3. Do you suggest I phase my fish purchases? If so, how?
4. How soon after fish should I start adding the plants?
5. What temperature do you recommend for my tank?
Thank you so much for the help!
Tank parameters are as follows:
29 Gallon Rectangular Tank
Aquaclear 50 (HOB) Filter (no carbon)
Finnex 24/7 Light
2 Aquapro 100W Heaters
Gravel Substrate (finer grain than average gravel) @ 2-3.5-inches deep
Driftwood and Rocks
I am planning to do a "low-tech" planted tank
pH 7.8
Hard Water (I don't know the numbers, but it is definitely hard)
My tentative fish load-out is:
7 Neon Tetra
5 Black Phantom Tetras or 5 Pristella (x-ray) Tetras (haven't decided which species)
1 Red Dwarf Gourami
2 Guppies
1 German Blue Ram (leaning towards not getting it due to my tank's water having too high of pH and hardness)
1 Bristlenose Pleco
3 Cory Catfish
1-3 Amano Shrimp (maybe)
My tentative plant load-out is:
Java Fern
Amazon Sword
Bacopa caroliniana
Anubias barteri nana
Staurogyne repens
Brazilian Pennywort
My questions are:
1. Do you see any potential problem(s) with any of the above stocking plans?
2. Do you have any alternate suggestions for fish?
3. Do you suggest I phase my fish purchases? If so, how?
4. How soon after fish should I start adding the plants?
5. What temperature do you recommend for my tank?
Thank you so much for the help!