The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

[Bettababe1011]

I'd get a bn pleco if you get the pleco. The commons get huge, and in that tank size will get stunted.

I really like zebra danios as a schooling fish. They're very active, and it's funny to watch them play tag.

 

[eco23]

just need to figure out what fish me likes..community tank. right now im thinkings....school of tetra...pair of dwarf gourami....pair of bolivian rams...pleco....and an another school of fish of some sort.

This is all for a 36g bf....hope it all fits. tbh pleco is optional.

Dude, go with Otos instead of the pleco. They are officially my favorite fish ever. They are a 24 hour cleaning crew. Those little guys don't quit.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Dude, go with Otos instead of the pleco. They are officially my favorite fish ever. They are a 24 hour cleaning crew. Those little guys don't quit.

If you do, wait about six months. They need a good supply of algae, and some will eat nothing but algae. Not even wafers.

 

[eco23]

I'd get a bn pleco if you get the pleco. The commons get huge, and in that tank size will get stunted.

I really like zebra danios as a schooling fish. They're very active, and it's funny to watch them play tag.

I agree with the danios suggestion. I've got a school of danios/Glofish(same thing)...and they're the life of the tank. If you dip your finger in they come flying to the surface and nip at your fingers.

 

[Irish.OG87]

ok pretty much i need a year with this tank to upgrade, cos when my lease is up in my apartment, im moving to a bigger gaff. So Im hoping the fish i get dont outgrow my tank within the year. otos? tbh never heard of them lol

 

[eco23]

Mine chow down on my lovely diatoms I've got going on right now, and absolutely tear through the occasional algae wafer I drop in. I've got 7 of them.

 

[Bettababe1011]

ok pretty much i need a year with this tank to upgrade, cos when my lease is up in my apartment, im moving to a bigger gaff. So Im hoping the fish i get dont outgrow my tank within the year. otos? tbh never heard of them lol

They are amazingly cute. Look em up.

 

[Irish.OG87]

i read about guppies which my gf wants, and i thought they were a scholling fish, i guess not, they do wat they want when they want im readin lol....rebel fish ftw lol

 

[Bettababe1011]

i read about guppies which my gf wants, and i thought they were a scholling fish, i guess not, they do wat they want when they want im readin lol....rebel fish ftw lol

Yup. My guppies are rebels. They chew on my arm when I'm putting in stuff or having to net out a fish.

 

[eco23]

They are amazingly cute. Look em up.

My German Blue Ram and the Danios are the highlight of my tank...but I am obsessed with the Otos. I sit there watching them forever, and my Ram swims up and down in front of me trying to get my attention.

 

[Irish.OG87]

They are amazingly cute. Look em up.

sweet...they look purdy darn nice lookin.

 

[eco23]

sweet...they look purdy darn nice lookin.

They're much cuter in person than in Internet pics. They're tiny and REALLY active. Bettababe's right though, it's best to add them once you've got some algae for them to munch on. The vast majority of newly cycled tanks get diatoms (brown algae) within the first weeks or months. If that stuff starts showing up, time to put the cleaning crew to work.

 

[Irish.OG87]

My German Blue Ram and the Danios are the highlight of my tank...but I am obsessed with the Otos. I sit there watching them forever, and my Ram swims up and down in front of me trying to get my attention.

whats considered a school 12 or more? i want alot of differnet fish but i dont wanna overstock...i cud follow that site aqadvisor.com but its hard to know if they are talkin stock lvls as a juvenile or an adult.

 

[Bettababe1011]

6+ is a school.

 

[eco23]

whats considered a school 12 or more? i want alot of differnet fish but i dont wanna overstock...i cud follow that site aqadvisor.com but its hard to know if they are talkin stock lvls as a juvenile or an adult.

I've got 9 neons, 7 red eye tetras, 8 Glofish and Leopard Danio mix, 7 Otos and my GBR. There's supposed to be 20 RCS in there too, but I think they ended up a snack because I haven't seen them since I put them in.

I think minimum of 6-7 is a school. The more there are, the more comfortable they feel.

 

[eco23]

Aqadvisor can be a helpful tool, but it's only to give you an idea. Right now, according to Aqadvisor I'm around 80% stocked. The site says I can add the school of Corys I wanted and still be at 92%, but common sense tells me there wouldn't be enough swim room for everybody to be happy, so I'm sticking with what I have.

Pigeonfood, did you say you have a 36 or 46 gallon?

 

[eco23]

I just saw from your PM that you've got a 36. I told you we had the same, but mine is actually a 48...my brain wasn't working I guess. In your case, I'd skip that last school you were talking about.

I prefer more small schooling fish as opposed to only a few larger ones...so I'd go with a good sized school of danios, a school of tetras you like, either the Rams or Dwarf Gouramis you like, and maybe some Corys or shrimp to keep the substrate clean.

 

[Irish.OG87]

ok will do....i gotta pick between the rams or the dwarves ugh lol

 

[Irish.OG87]

im gonna go with the rams if thats the case lol

 

[Irish.OG87]

an oto is a cory right?