From goldfish to planted...transitioning

HI everyone. I found this forum while searching up information on how to change over my kids gold fish tank to a planted tank. I'm hoping to gain some really great info from experienced keepers.

Back-ground information:

I have a 25Gallon Bowfront, with T* lighting...and a little Marineland sand under the blue gravel, because I dabbled in Amazon swords while the goldfish were in the tanks. This is my starting point.

The Goldfish got too big for the tank, and were sent back to my dad's pond, where they came from(gift to kids), so I moved my son's remaining 2 Neon Tetras and 1 green Danio from the Ten Gallon to my 25. We've since added 7 more Zebra Danios, and plan on putting in some more Tetras to complete the school for the existing fish, who are quite happy with their new tank


Questions:

1 what's the best way about adding a substrate to this existing tank? My idea is to take a section of PVC and use it to sift Fluval down to the bottom of the tank...I've heard you don't get as much dust off of Fluval, as it's more gravelly? Then, as I add Fluval, I will remove blue gravel.

2 The kids want to know if a Beta could live in their community tank? I've heard that Danios are good tank-mates to Betas, because their quick movements distract them from aggression? I like these Zebra Danios, because they're incredibly active..I can believe it lol!

3 What's a good way to add color to a freshwater tank? Hubby wants colorful fish before I finish stocking up. He likes the Tetras, which is good

4 What plants are good beginner plants for kids and newbies? (I'm still considering myself a newbie on account of my fake tank and giant destructive goldfish preventing me from growing anything)

Thanks for taking time to read, I look forward to reading your answers

 

1. I don't know what you're talking about.

2. It will vary from the betta. Every betta fish shows aggressiveness in a different way than the other betta. You have to find a betta that's not too aggressive. But since zebra danios and neon tetras are very fast, the betta couldn't reach them, so you don't have to worry too much. Just make sure you have LOTS of plants for them to hide.

3. You should add at least 4 more neon tetras to make them a schooling fish. They are constantly stressed since there's only 2 of them. Once you add more neon tetra, I'm afraid there's not going to be space left for more fish- you'll be fully stocked. You could get Red Cherry Shrimp, though. They are red and very small but they're amazing to watch (with black sand).

4. Goldfish eat lots of live plants, so you didn't have much choice before. But now you have the freedom to choose the plants and aquascape your aquarium. 'Beginner plants' are mostly considered low-light plants. That includes Java Fern, Anubias, Java Moss, Water Wisteria, etc. It all depends on the lighting. The stronger the light, the more plants you can choose from. Just don't forget that you'll need a liquid fertilizer for the plants to thrive.

 

I'm afraid the fish you have are cooler water fish than Bettas. I also wouldn't mix in a Betta because either the Betta will be stressed or the other fish will.

 

Welcome to Fishlore!

I've answered your questions the best I can below.

HI everyone. I found this forum while searching up information on how to change over my kids gold fish tank to a planted tank. I'm hoping to gain some really great info from experienced keepers.

Back-ground information:

I have a 25Gallon Bowfront, with T* lighting...and a little Marineland sand under the blue gravel, because I dabbled in Amazon swords while the goldfish were in the tanks. This is my starting point.

The Goldfish got too big for the tank, and were sent back to my dad's pond, where they came from(gift to kids), so I moved my son's remaining 2 Neon Tetras and 1 green Danio from the Ten Gallon to my 25. We've since added 7 more Zebra Danios, and plan on putting in some more Tetras to complete the school for the existing fish, who are quite happy with their new tank How long after did you move the fish into the 25g after the goldfish left? You will have wanted to keep a constant source of ammonia for the beneficial bacteria so it doesn't die off. What are your water parameters?


Questions:

1 what's the best way about adding a substrate to this existing tank? My idea is to take a section of PVC and use it to sift Fluval down to the bottom of the tank...I've heard you don't get as much dust off of Fluval, as it's more gravelly? Then, as I add Fluval, I will remove blue gravel. I don't have experience with that particular substrate but I would rinse it off really well before adding it to the tank. I would also first remove the blue gravel first before adding in the new substrate. Using a PVC pipe would be just fine or filling the new substrate into a 2 litre soda bottle works as well.

2 The kids want to know if a Beta could live in their community tank? I've heard that Danios are good tank-mates to Betas, because their quick movements distract them from aggression? I like these Zebra Danios, because they're incredibly active..I can believe it lol! Personally, I would not risk putting in a betta with other fish. The opposite is likely to occur where fast moving fish would stress out the betta more. Also, zebra danios and neon tetras prefer cooler temps (below 75F) than your betta which likes it at 78F min.

3 What's a good way to add color to a freshwater tank? Hubby wants colorful fish before I finish stocking up. He likes the Tetras, which is good What are the tank's dimensions?

4 What plants are good beginner plants for kids and newbies? (I'm still considering myself a newbie on account of my fake tank and giant destructive goldfish preventing me from growing anything) What kind of light do you have? Usually great beginner plants require very low light and no ferts like water wisteria, water sprite, anacharis (all of which can be planted or left floating), crypts, anubias, java ferns or marimo moss balls.

Thanks for taking time to read, I look forward to reading your answers

 

How long after did you move the fish into the 25g after the goldfish left? You will have wanted to keep a constant source of for the beneficial bacteria so it doesn't die off. What are your water parameters
There was about three days between the goldfish coming out,and the tetras moving in. I brought with them their own water, to make up for water lost to cleaning up the tank, and catching the goldfish...and their own filter, as the goldfish had had an over-powered 50 gallon filter keeping the tank crystal clean(it would have sucked up the tiny fish)
Personally, I would not risk putting in a betta with other fish. The opposite is likely to occur where fast moving fish would stress out the betta more. Also, zebra danios and neon tetras prefer cooler temps (below 75F) than your betta which likes it at 78F min.
Thanks for that info. I'll stick with the Tetra school then I think by the time I get in enough Tetras, we'll be plenty colorful...and I don't want stressed fish

The tank is 18hx24Lx12wide with the bowfront coming out to 15inch wide

The light is a T8 strip light, and we have LED energy saver bulbs in a ceiling fan(which may or may not have an impact on the tank, as one is aimed in the direction of the tank?)

 

So you removed the 50 gallon filter? What's the gph on it? Sounds like you could've just left it on the tank since it would've been enough filtration for the tank size and all you would've needed to do was put a prefilter sponge over the intake. You would've also needed the extra filtration to support the extra fish added. Besides, healthy fish don't get sucked up into the intake. So is the 10 gallon filter all there is on the tank? Have you tested the water parameters - pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?

IMO, two schooling fish is a bit cramped for a 24" long tank. If you rehomed one, maybe you could have a single dwarf gourami or 2-3 honey gouramis for the top? And then 6-8 panda corys for the bottom as long as you have sand or smooth gravel for a substrate?

 

Yes, I removed the 50G filter,and I'm going to put on a second filter of the same type, but more power as the 15G that I have for the Tetras. It's handling the current bioload nicely, but I wouldn't risk putting in anything else without support. My current filter does 80GPH, and I change the filter every few weeks. I have a year's supply, so I thought I'd buy a second one, and run two, alternating filter replacements

I can see how 24" might get cramped once I add more tetras...it does look a bit busy at times, with 7 zebras, a green danio and 2 tetras. The only reason I was really thinking of adding more Tetras was the "schooling factor" They do seem pretty happy in with the Danios though.

Personally, I keep coming back to the fact that these two tetras and green danio were all that were left in my son's tank for months....so they're probably happy to have tank-mates again, right? lol they do join the bigger Zebras to swim, and don't seem at all stand-off-ish

 

Oh, to clarify...the reason I removed the 50 gallon filter:
the tube that draws up the water(and protects the fish) kept falling off, and the thing was powerful enough that it once sucked a snail out of it's shell. Since I once lost one of these Tetras to my other 25G in-tank filter(it was sucked up against the filter and couldn't swim away, and died), when we first started keeping them, I didn't want to risk losing any more to big filters. If someone can link me to bigger, Tetra-safe filters, I'll happily buy one

 

Yes, I removed the 50G filter,and I'm going to put on a second filter of the same type, but more power as the 15G that I have for the Tetras. It's handling the current bioload nicely, but I wouldn't risk putting in anything else without support. My current filter does 80GPH, and I change the filter every few weeks. I have a year's supply, so I thought I'd buy a second one, and run two, alternating filter replacements

I can see how 24" might get cramped once I add more tetras...it does look a bit busy at times, with 7 zebras, a green danio and 2 tetras. The only reason I was really thinking of adding more Tetras was the "schooling factor" They do seem pretty happy in with the Danios though.

Personally, I keep coming back to the fact that these two tetras and green danio were all that were left in my son's tank for months....so they're probably happy to have tank-mates again, right? lol they do join the bigger Zebras to swim, and don't seem at all stand-off-ish

For a 25g, you want at least 200-250 gph when fully stocked. I like AquaClears if you're wanting another HOB. Tons of media space an again, you can just put a prefilter sponge over the intake tube for a safety measure. I'm guessing with your stock now, you're ok for the moment with your current filter. But if you've been changing out the filter cartridges, you're throwing out your beneficial bacteria that's colonized on them. The manufacturer tells you to replace them every month to sell more. The only thing you need to do is rinse them in removed tank water during water changes. Can you list your water parameters - pH, temp, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? Do you own a test kit?

The schooling fish would feel more comfortable having others of the same species so the neons would benefit from having at least 4 more of their own but again, the danios and neons are extremely active fish and would probably appreciate more horizontal swimming room.

 

I can't get the parameters, as I don't have a testing kit yet....the idea of doing more than feeding pond fish is still new to me lol

My goal is to work up to a 75g, but first I want to learn to run this one. My fish experience is a beta(which I put in the living room, and it died.....I think the Ceiling fan over stimulated it, because it swam furoiusly around the 3 gallon tank, then went belly up) and two goldfish that my dad gave the kids out of his pond.

I am easily considered a newbie lol

 

I see. When you do get a chance, I'd purchase the API Freshwater Master Test Kit which is much more accurate than the strips. They'd last longer also even though you pay a little more upfront. Mine is over a year old and I still have plenty left in the bottles to probably last me another year. If you can't get one right away, you could always take a water sample to your LFS (if they use the liquid test kit) and write down the numbers they give you.

A 75 gallon would be great!

 

1) what I did to change mine was but the fish in a big bucket with 25-50% of their tank water, scoop the old substrate out put the new in, fill up with new water (like a water change), turn filter on high and wait for it to clear up. The whole process took about 3 hours. You'll get more dust off of fluval than you think, make sure to rinse it first too.

2) I don't know about Danios but my Betta lives just fine with my neon tetras. Neons temp is 68-78 Betta is 76-82 and I keep the tank at 78. The neons are fine. I kept it at 76 before but raised it to 78 eventually and I really don't see a difference in the neons. I think the bettas benefit at 78 outweighs the tetras loss. I personally think it's fine to do that. The neons act exactly the same as they did before in my tank. However, you have to be careful with filter current with a Betta. And 78 isn't Betta minimum it's Betta ideal. You wouldn't heat it to 80-82 unless the fish was really ill.

3) I would say the tetras are really the right way. Maybe some cardinals too? Or some glolight?

4) I agree with thefishlit

Also get that neon school up to 8 asap.

I recommend the aquaclear 50 for your setup. Keep the media of course. I took an aquaclear sponge (a brand new one) and cut a tunnel through it lengthwise making sure not to go through the bottom and used my finger to rip it wider and put that over the intake. Not pretty but safe.

 

Why is 78 ideal? Keeping any fish permanently at the extreme of its temperature range is going to affect it, whether through health changes or an altered lifespan.

If you want tetras with your Betta, why not choose a species that's temperature compatible? Glowlight Tetra and Black Neon Tetra are a couple that I keep. They're very nice!

 

2) I don't know about Danios but my Betta lives just fine with my neon tetras. Neons temp is 68-78 Betta is 76-82 and I keep the tank at 78. The neons are fine. I kept it at 76 before but raised it to 78 eventually and I really don't see a difference in the neons. I think the bettas benefit at 78 outweighs the tetras loss. I personally think it's fine to do that. The neons act exactly the same as they did before in my tank. However, you have to be careful with filter current with a Betta. And 78 isn't Betta minimum it's Betta ideal. You wouldn't heat it to 80-82 unless the fish was really ill.

3) I would say the tetras are really the right way. Maybe some cardinals too? Or some glolight?

So the comfort and health of the betta is more important than the neons'? Then why keep neons if you're not going to give them the conditions they need? 78 is much too warm for them and as Aquaphobia mentioned, will cause health issues and shorter lifespans even if you don't see anything wrong with them now.

There's definitely no room to add more schooling fish in this tank.

 

1 what's the best way about adding a substrate to this existing tank? My idea is to take a section of PVC and use it to sift Fluvaldown to the bottom of the tank...I've heard you don't get as much dust off of Fluval, as it's more gravelly? Then, as I add Fluval, I will remove blue gravel.

I cleared out the gravel slowly, "rinsing" it in the tank water to keep as much of the good bacteria as possible. then I used a small container to fill the tank with the sand, after I "washed" the sand like 5 times. it settled and the water was perfectly clear in about an hour. the tank was already cycled, so I tested the water and then put my fish in.


2 The kids want to know if a Beta could live in their community tank? I've heard that Danios are good tank-mates to Betas, because their quick movements distract them from aggression? I like these Zebra Danios, because they're incredibly active..I can believe it lol!

I have a betta in my community tank- platys and guppies. there is no issue at all, but I have a very sedate, docile betta. some bettas are NOT docile at all.


3 What's a good way to add color to a freshwater tank? Hubby wants colorful fish before I finish stocking up. He likes the Tetras, which is good

we have platys in all different colors and guppies, which are insanely active. tons of color.


4 What plants are good beginner plants for kids and newbies? (I'm still considering myself a newbie on account of my fake tank and giant destructive goldfish preventing me from growing anything)

the best ones I have are ludwigia, java fern and marimo balls. they are doing VERY well. I add liquid ferts once a week and maintain a normal light and dark cycle. I also did a DIY co2 dispersal system in my tank, directly into the filter box in to the water to be dispersed into the tank

 

Thanks everyone, you've offered me a wealth of information

I have this thread bookmarked,and I can refer back to it now every time I head out to the fish store to make an improvement on my tank (filter first, or course)