MaddieLynn

OK, I've finally made my stocking plans, but I need to know if it will be overstocking, or if it will be OK. I'm trying to combine all of my questions and concerns into this one post. Here are the plans:

We have a beach near our house. Not an ocean beach, but a lake beach, that has alot of soft sand. I'm planning on getting some from there to go on the bottom of my tank.

How does one go about cleaning sand? Also, what do you do when you're siphoning? I'm planning on taking all of the existing gravel from my 10 gallon and very thinly covering the bottom of the 29 gallon, for 2 reasons: a) to get the beneficial bacteria, and b) to cover the undergravel filter so it won't suck up sand. I'm planning on suing a u.g. AND a regular filter.

Then I'll cover the gravel with a couple inches of sand. Hopefully, because of the trim on the tank, you won't be able to tell that there's gravel.

I want to have live plants, but I really don't have any experience with them. What would be good? What's hardy? I want my tank to look neat, not like an overgrown jungle, so what plants won't take over the entire tank?

After everything's planted, here are my stocking plans:

3 female mollies (which I already have)
1 male dwarf gourami (which I already have)
4 kuhli loaches
3 corydoras

Would this be too much for a 29 gallon with a undergravel AND regular 20-40 gallon filter?

Do the fish that I listed have a large, average or low bio-load? Could I get away with 4 corys?

Just so everyone knows, I'm planning on ditching the aquarium salt since our water pH is plenty high anyways.

I'm planning on the kuhli's and the u.g. filter keeping my sand from getting black and nasty underneath. Am I hoping for too much?

Can anyone help me answer my questions? I'm really excited about getting my tank set up, but I don't want to do it wrong.

MaddieLynn

Also, would the loaches get stuck to the u.g. filter because of the suction? Would it be better to just leave out the u.g.?

MaddieLynn

Anyone?

midnightwolf

i dont know muck about sand but i would think that u would boil it before it goes in your tank. i am sorry to say this but i dont think the DG will work with your tank as they can become agressive later on. sorry i couldnt help much but good luck.

Drew 43920

Sand may be polluted or have parasites. Why take a chance ?
Good aquarium sand is cheap.

MaddieLynn

The dwarf gourami is fine. He (like most dg's) is mild tempered and he only gets to 2.5 inches. They're good community fish.

midnightwolf

i didnt say that he was agresive but some are very mean to other fish so i just wanted to warn u.

MaddieLynn

He's nice to my mollies. I think you're mistaking it for some other type of Gourami. The bigger varieties can get nasty to their own species, but these are much more mild then the large ones.

Alasse

In some places removing sand from a beach is illegal...so just check first. Sand also wont work with an undergravel filter, it will block it from working correctly.

Stocking sounds good though

agabr123

IMO it would be better to just leave out the UG, it will probably end up just blowing sand all around the tank and you'd be fine with a good HOB like a biowheel or something like that. otherwise your stocking sounds good oh, and i'd go with a HOB rated for closer to a 40 gallon tank

midnightwolf

i am not mistaken some DGs get agressive!

MaddieLynn

http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-DwarfGourami.htm

I can understand how they could be aggresive to other fish, especially their own species, if they were improperly housed in an aquarium that was too small, overstocked, or both. However, if they are properly housed, they are peaceful and make good community fish, but they can be slightly teritorial to other D.G's.

However, I only have one D.G.

MaddieLynn

Reply to agabr:

My filter (which currently doesn't work) is rated for a 40. I'm planning on replacing the impeller, and I think that will fix it. When I said 20-40, that's what I would be getting if I can't get my filter to work.

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

namehater

smaller sized substrate will eventually 'fall' through the larger substrate. so even if you put sand on top of gravel, the sand will eventually be under the gravel.

MaddieLynn

But if I have 1/4 inch of gravel, and 1 1/2-2 inches of sand, even if it falls through the gravel, the gravel won't show because the sand is too deep. Right?

agabr123

i understand, if you can't get it to work then you'll want to go with the 40 especially if you wanted to maybe increase your kuhlis to five

Blub

Probably not, if its been like that for a while - it would eventually be mainly gravel showing.

MaddieLynn

Soooo.... how do I transfer the bacteria for an instant cycle?

Blub

Move the filter media from the old tank to the new. But BE CAREFUL. I lost a tank of fish because I did this without waiting a few days (putting fish food in of course) and testing to see if it is cycled - or the cycle is just speeded up.