Stocking New Tank

6 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


fishy9696
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:44 pm

Stocking New Tank

by fishy9696

Hello, first time using this forum, and just wanted a little suggestion here. I have a 29 gallon tank, no fish, no plants. I know I want to use live plants, and I want to have a community or species tank. Ive looked at some of the freshwater cichlids, like jack dempseys, and jewels, and I like them, but I feel like they would be cramped. Small rams are also cool, and I like them too. I also like cardinal tetras, dwarf gouramis, and angelfish. Tiger barbs are cool too, but they dont get along well with anything else that would fit once you put in a school of six of them. As you can see I have a lot on my mind in terms of what to put in, and any suggestions for fish and plants that could work would be much appreciated!


Okiimiru
 
Posts: 275
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 10:19 pm

Re: Stocking New Tank

by Okiimiru

There are many combinations of different substrates, lights, and fish that make for a good planted tank. As long as the plants grow and the fish breed, your combination is correct whether or not other people do it the exact same way. Myself, I use Special Kitty brand kitty litter and Home Depot Lithonia 4 foot shop lights with full spectrum bulbs and it works pretty well. The plants grow great. Here's my youtube channel so you can see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/user/Okiimiru/videos
Here's why I chose pure clay kitty litter: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilize ... jamie.html
I bought my plants from sweetaquatics.com, a vendor I found on aquabid.com. I was able to combine shipping to order many different species of plant at once and pay as little to ship them to me as possible. If you buy from multiple vendors you will pay shipping more than once.

You sound like you would enjoy more options as far as small fish go. Here's my list of one inch fish. Not all of them are available, and most of them aren't at your local pet store. But you can find some of them online at websites like aquabid.com. You can see what each looks like by copying and pasting its name into the youtube.com search bar.

1. Apistogramma elizabethae (elizabeth dwarf cichlid)
2. Aspidoras pauciradiatus (false corydoras)
3. Barbus hulstaerti (african butterfly barb)
4. Barbus jae (jae barb)
5. Boraras maculatus (dwarf rasbora)
6. Boraras micros (no common name)
7. Boraras merah (phoenix rasbora)
8. Boraras urophthalmoides (sparrow rasbora)
9. Boraras brigittae (mosquito/chili rasbora)
10. Brachygobius doriae (bumblebee goby)
11. Carinotetraodon travancoricus (malabar dwarf pea puffer)
12. Celestichthys margaritatus (celestial pearl danio)
13. Corydoras habrosus (venezuelan pygmy cory)
14. Corydoras hastatus (black diamond cory)
15. Danio erythromicron (zebra rasbora)
16. Danio choprae (glowlight danio)
17. Dario dario (scarlet badis)
18. Elassoma genus
a. Elassoma gilberti (gulf coast pygmy sunfish)
b. Elassoma okefenokee (okefenokee pygmy sunfish)
c. Elassoma evergladei (everglades pygmy sunfish)
19. Epiplatys annulatus (clown killifish)
20. Etheostoma microperca (least darter)
21. Etheostoma tippecanoe (tippecanoe darter)
22. Hara jerdoni (asian stone catfish)
23. Heterandria formosa (dwarf livebearer)
24. Horadandia atukorali (platinum barb)
25. Hyphessobrycon amandae (ember tetra)
26. Leptolucania ommata (pygmy killifish)
27. Nannostomus espei (barred pencilfish)
28. Nannostomus marginatus (dwarf pencilfish)
29. Otocinclus cocama (zebra otocinclus)
30. Paracheirodon innesi (neon tetra)
31. Pseudomugil gertrudae (spotted blue-eye)
32. Rasbora dorsiocellatus (eyespot rabspora)
33. Tanichthys micagemma (sparkle-eye whitecloud)
34. Trichopsis pumila (sparkling gourami)


natalie265
Site Admin
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:48 pm

Re: Stocking New Tank

by natalie265

You are right that the jewels and jack dempseys are too big. Any of your other options would work. However, I had a pair of angels in a 30 gal once and they seemed cramped to me, so i wouldn't do it again. The little sunfish that okiimiru sells are pretty cool. Check out her videos. Dwarf neon tetra are my new found favorite. Unfortunately, photographs rarely do them justice. They are about an inch long and a school of them in a planted 30 gallon would look fantastic! This is a male:

http://www.loumarks.com/praecox_NA.jpg

I like to use eco-complete in my planted tanks. It's a bit more expensive, but i like the black color and plants seem to do well. One of my favorite plants is cryptocoryn wendtii. It comes in several colors and sizes and is super easy to grow.


fishy9696
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:44 pm

Re: Stocking New Tank

by fishy9696

Thanks to both of you, very helpful. I really like the neon tetras, but I would probably get cardinals if I went in that direction as I find them a little more colorful. I like the idea of a school of cardinals along with a pair of something like rams, gouramis, or apistogramma cichlids. Concerning the first post, Ive heard mixed stories about ordering fish online and having them shipped. Ive heard that theyll arrive safe and sound and live a long happy life, or theyll be stressed and die quick, any experience with this?


natalie265
Site Admin
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:48 pm

Re: Stocking New Tank

by natalie265

Sorry, the fish that i suggested are actually called dwarf neon "rainbows" not tetras.

I think a school of cardinals with rams, gouramis or apistos is a great idea. It's really good that you are planning ahead and thinking this through. You'll avoid a lot of beginner mistakes with a little forethought.

I don't have experience with buying or selling fish through the mail, so i'll let someone else address that.


Okiimiru
 
Posts: 275
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 10:19 pm

Re: Stocking New Tank

by Okiimiru

"Concerning the first post, Ive heard mixed stories about ordering fish online and having them shipped. Ive heard that theyll arrive safe and sound and live a long happy life, or theyll be stressed and die quick, any experience with this?"

I buy and sell fish in the mail all the time and have been doing it for years. As of this exact moment I have two shipments coming to me in the mail and I have an auction up myself for fish I'm selling. Link: http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/ ... 1340753312
Imagine being able to choose from a country wide selection of fish species, not just those at your local pet store. And imagine as a fish seller being able to let people from all around the country bid and compete to buy your fish. I love online fish :)

My page on shipping advice: http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php/topic/ ... -supplies/
(scroll down to my post. My name is Erica Wieser. You can't miss it; it's really long.)

If you're unsure of buying fish online, buy from a buyer with a DOA (dead on arrival) guarantee. That's a no risk purchase. If the fish arrive dead or die within a few hours, they'll send you more. Make sure to follow their rules, such as not opening the bag before taking a picture of their corpses. But you don't have anything to worry about; in my years of buying fish online never has a single one arrived dead.

Stocking New Tank

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