what to add

[fishfanatic26]

I have a 30 gallon and I was wondering what to put in it. Its fully cycled my water pH is 7.6 and I was thinking mabey 1 dwarf gourami, 6 neon tetras, 6 harliquine rasboras and a gold ram or angelfish.

 

[rmiller]

I would choose one school or the other. The more you have of one schooling fish the more impressive they will be. I'm not certain on the rest of the combo you're thinking about.

 

[Reaper216]

I don't know what your preferences are but I got a couple of lyretail dalmation mollies last night at petsmart, they're having a pretty amazing sale right now too! 80 cents per on a wide variety.

One of the mollies has a huge tail and sail fin and looks very betta like.

 

[fishfanatic26]

I have had mollies and I want to try something different. Thank you for the suggestion though. I can't decide what one I like better out of the schooling fish but what one gets a little bigger.

 

[rmiller]

They are about the same length, but the harliquin is taller bodied. I've know several people who do an angel with harliquins. Maybe consider something like a small pleco, cories, or kuhlis for the bottom.

 

[fishfanatic26]

They are about the same length, but the harliquin is taller bodied. I've know several people who do an angel with harliquins. Maybe consider something like a small pleco, cories, or kuhlis for the bottom.

I like pepperd Corie's so how many of those should I get

 

[rmiller]

I would do the angel, a dozen harliquin, and 6 peppered corries.

Are you doing live plants?

 

[fishfanatic26]

I have a carbon filter and doesn't that take all of the nutrience out of the water that the plants need

 

[Krissycakes]

I have a carbon filter and doesn't that take all of the nutrience out of the water that the plants need

You could maybe get amazon swords and use root tabs under the substrate. But I have never used a carbon filter.

 

[Krissycakes]

And I would say a minimum of 4 corys of same species=)

 

[rmiller]

Carbon is only effective for a couple weeks at a time and only needed to remove medications from the water. Most will replace the carbon with a sponge or floss to remove debris from the water.

 

[fishfanatic26]

So I have had my tank running for about 3 month with the carbon filter is it safe to get plants or not and if I do what light do I need?

 

[Fishperson]

1. Yeah, carbon lasts for maybe 4 weeks at most, so it's definitely expired now. Besides, I read that the plants take up the nutrients faster than the carbon traps them so even if it was still active I don't think it would matter.

2. For plants, there are three main types: low light (15-35 PAR), medium light (35-55 PAR), and high light (55 and above). Low light plants are best for beginners, so if you want to go low light I would recommend something around 25-30 PAR. If you're willing to go for medium or high light plants, it will generally take more time, money, and effort, but is generally better in the end. So, first, decide which light level you want, and then it will be easier to recommend lights and equipment.

Also, PAR is a way of measuring the intensity of a light, or, more precisely, how well plants can use it (I think). Anyway, in general, the higher PAR, the more light available to plants.

 

[fishfanatic26]

So what plants can I have on low par

 

[azmodan]

Java fern, java moss and anubias are the three easiest. Most crypts do well in low light too although they need periodic root tabs placed near their roots.

 

[fishfanatic26]

OK sounds good. So one angel fish 12 harlequins and 4 Corie's. What about the dwarf gourami or ram

 

[azmodan]

A ram would work too but they prefer mature tanks so it's typically recommended to make sure your tank has been up and running for several months before adding one.

 

[fishfanatic26]

I was wondering could I add a piece of drift wood to my tank or is that harmful to the fish?

 

[rmiller]

Driftwood makes a wonderful addition to a tank. If you are collecting it locally you'll want to make sure its clean before adding it to your tank. Also keep in mind it will release tannins in the water, it makes it look like tea. There are ways to prevent that if you'd like to know more we can go into detail.

If you are getting it from a fish shop, they've likely already treated it, but it never hurts to do it again to make sure its good and clean before it goes in your tank.

 

[fishfanatic26]

So how do I treat it. I found a wonderful piece of drift wood by a lake that I live by. And I would really like to put it in my tank.