Going big - Noob!

And to make things even messier, smaller fishes can out-bully a much larger fish by nipping at their fins. Even primarily herbivore-types.

 

If the other fish is small enough to fit in its open mouth, it will usually be eaten. Angels will eat cardinal/neon tetras sometimes, but never a black skirt. Bigger fish can eat bigger fish and so on and so forth

Okay thanks for the advice, I think I should be okay saying the biggest fish I have can only hit 6 inches and the other fish will only hit 3 inches.

I never had a problem of my pets eating other pets before.

 

What fish are you thinking about again?

 

26 Total.
1 Male and 1 Female - Red and White Ryukin Goldfish 26$
1 Male and 1 Female - Black Moor Goldfish 16$
2 Males and 4 Females - Albino Cory Catfish - Clean Sand & Algea 24$
GLOFISH BARB- GLOFISH DANIO- GLOFISH TETRA 134.99

 

Cory cats don't really eat algae, they prefer a higher protein diet than that. 200 gallons is really big, so I think you could go with a school of 10-15 on the cories, but I'm not sure since 4 goldfish xD. Anders247 is the stocking guru. Hoe many of each glofish? And why all three kinds? I think doing a single big school of one, or two medium schools would be better than 3 small schools. Kinda feel like they'd out compete the goldfish for food, but you could easily spot feed the golds.

 

Just another point to note, too many people think that cories can survive off scraps of leftover food, or algae. However you WILL certainly need to proactively feed it. Good sources of food include shrimp pellets, general sinking pellets.

I personally feed mine a mix of
- hikarI sinking algae wafers (twice a week)
- hikarI sinking pellets for bottom feeders (4 times a week)
- once every week or 2 weeks I feed them frozen bloodworms.

Cories actually love their meaty proteins.

 

Personally, I'd either keep it a goldfish tank or a tropical fish community.

And corys are not a clean up crew or algae eaters as mentioned above. You'd have to keep the sand extra clean as a dirty substrate will cause them to get bacterial infections since they are in constant contact with the sand.

 

Okay, so what do Cory cat fish eat? I love how Cory cat fish look but I would like something that could eat algae plus flip the sand over. I will make sure the school fish dose not steel any food from my big fish.

Personally, I'd either keep it a goldfish tank or a tropical fish community.

And corys are not a clean up crew or algae eaters as mentioned above. You'd have to keep the sand extra clean as a dirty substrate will cause them to get bacterial infections since they are in constant contact with the sand.

Okay thanks what fish would be able to do what I'm looking for?

Just another point to note, too many people think that cories can survive off scraps of leftover food, or algae. However you WILL certainly need to proactively feed it. Good sources of food include shrimp pellets, general sinking pellets.

I personally feed mine a mix of
- hikarI sinking algae wafers (twice a week)
- hikarI sinking pellets for bottom feeders (4 times a week)
- once every week or 2 weeks I feed them frozen bloodworms.

Cories actually love their meaty proteins.

Okay thanks if I do get Cory fish I will buy it it's own food from pet smart.

 

I don't know of a fish that would be compatible in a goldfish tank that would sift sand and eat algae. You may want to look at malaysian trumpet snails but they breed very quickly.

 

I don't know of a fish that would be compatible in a goldfish tank that would sift sand and eat algae. You may want to look at malaysian trumpet snails but they breed very quickly.

K, thanks I hope someone might know some other fish. And why did you say compatible?

 

K, thanks I hope someone might know some other fish. And why did you say compatible?

Mostly because of the temperature. Goldfish like it in the 60's and most tropical fish need it in the 70's.

 

Mostly because of the temperature. Goldfish like it in the 60's and most tropical fish need it in the 70's.

Yeah, I look into that and I found out all the fish I have could do 75F.

 

That's too warm to keep the goldfish at that temp permanently. Goldfish don't even need heaters but your tropical fish do.

 

That's too warm to keep the goldfish at that temp permanently. Goldfish don't even need heaters but your tropical fish do.

Yeah, that's why I'm getting the heathers, because I would be able to have all fish in my list if the tank was running 75F.

 

Yeah, that's why I'm getting the heathers, because I would be able to have all fish in my list if the tank was running 75F.

It's not good to keep fish at their maximum temperature range for an extended period of time. Imagine if you were stuck in a box set to 100 degrees all day everyday. Preferred temp is in the middle of the range, which for goldfish is about 68-70.

 

Yeah, that's why I'm getting the heathers, because I would be able to have all fish in my list if the tank was running 75F.

Like I said, not a good idea with goldfish.

 

It's not good to keep fish at their maximum temperature range for an extended period of time. Imagine if you were stuck in a box set to 100 degrees all day everyday. Preferred temp is in the middle of the range, which for goldfish is about 68-70.

Okay sorry I did not know that, I definitely don't want my fish to feel that way. I will take some time and go make a other list that could fit my school fish with a good temp.

Okay, after all, the feedback about my fish, I will be running my fish tank water temperature at 78°F. I was told on the GloFish website it's best If I keep my fish tank at 72-80°F. Because I live in Florida and my house AC is always running 78°F I will be running my tank heaters at 78°F too. Right now with the 16 fish I have on my list I'm going to be taking up around 43 gallons of water if I had to give each fish 1 gallon of water for its max size.

Fish I'm buying right now:
GloFish Tetra x 6
GloFish Danio x 5
GloFish Barb x 5

I would love if you guys could name me some fish that could be happy in fish tank water temperature at 78°F. The fish must be able to live with my fish in the list plus I would love some fish that are colorful and could eat algae and flip the sand over a lot. I would love if the fish could have cute baby fish a lot that is not that big too.

Some fish that I think look cool:
Angelfish
Red Tailed Shark

 

I wouldn't do an angelfish but a red-tail shark should be OK in a 60 gallonwith these fish.

 

I wouldn't do an angelfish but a red-tail shark should be OK in a 60 gallonwith these fish.

Why no angelfish?

 

They need warmer temps than danios.

 

K, thanks do you know any other fish that would be nice to have I would love some school fish that could eat algae and flip over sand a lot.

 

K, thanks do you know any other fish that would be nice to have I would love some school fish that could eat algae and flip over sand a lot.

You don't need a fish to take care of that. You can attach a chopstick to your siphon to stir the sand while you vacuum. With algae, there are ways to control it by decreasing lighting, not overfeeding, etc.

 

I have a school of 16 GloFish Tetras that looks nice. If you don't have the special lighting, the danios look washed out compared to the tetras, which is why I went all tetras. I have mine in natural light with black sand and a black background. I also have corycats.

 

You don't need a fish to take care of that. You can attach a chopstick to your siphon to stir the sand while you vacuum. With algae, there are ways to control it by decreasing lighting, not overfeeding, etc.

K, thanks.

I have a school of 16 GloFish Tetras that looks nice. If you don't have the special lighting, the danios look washed out compared to the tetras, which is why I went all tetras. I have mine in natural light with black sand and a black background. I also have corycats.

Thanks for the advice.

 

If you're keeping your tank at 78F then I wouldn't have the danios as they prefer much cooler temperature, I'd just up the numbers of the other two Glofish® schools especially the barbs as they can be nippy when kept in small numbers.

 

Okay, I'm thinking I will get a school of Albino Cory Catfish and and a Red Tailed Shark. Dose anyone know a Beautiful fish that could breed naturally, I would like 1 male and 1 female of a fish that could have baby's and be my tank biggest attraction.

If you're keeping your tank at 78F then I wouldn't have the danios as they prefer much cooler temperature, I'd just up the numbers of the other two Glofish schools especially the barbs as they can be nippy when kept in small numbers.

K, thanks I will look into it.

 

Albino Cory cats will breed. I had a mated pair for a while and lots of babies occupying my fry tank at all different stages. They lay eggs, usually on the glass so it is precarious to get them moved to the fry tank and kept viable until hatching. You will want to do your research on things like keeping the fungus down until they hatch (air stone and methylene blue).

I think your red tail shark will be your tanks biggest attraction. Mine is in a 120 gallon and he is always out and showing off for us. He is quite large and fun to watch.
Unfortunately, they do not do well with more than one aggression wise. I have not heard of successful breeding of the RTS.

If you are still setting up a 100g, check out leopard ctenopoma. They are the coolest fish. They are leaf fish and need lots of vegetation to "hide" in. I have fake bamboo plants that are 3 feet long on each end. Mine are about 8" and practically eat out of my hand when I offer shrimp pellets or earth worms.

 

Okay, I got some good news, I was able to buy a good tank with a stand to get me start it for 25$ USD. it's a 50 Gallon fish tank, I made up my mind to get a small tank with some fish for now since this is my first time doing anything with fish. I will be upgrading to a 250 gallon next summer but I feel this 50 Gallon tank was a great deal and would allow me to learn the basics without having to start with something giant. I will be picking up the tank this weekend with nothing in it but the lights and the tank itself.


Fish I'm thinking to put in the tank:
Open Line < I'm looking for some colorful school fish for this line any ideas would be great!
Albino Cory Catfish x 6 < Males Only
Red Tailed Shark x 1 < Male Only
I pick the male fish since they don't get that big.

Because I live in Florida and my house AC is always running 78°F I will be running my tank heater at 78°F too.

Questions:
Can I run a sponge filter?
How many hours max can I run the LED lights?
Would any fish sand work for the tank?
Will 1 air stone be okay?

I will do a 25% water change every week plus I would clean the sponge filter too.
Any feedback would be great.

PS:
This forum is a lot better then SpigotMc forum!
Keep up the work I'm loving the FishLore book! <3

 

I would not use a sponge filter only in any size tank. Why are you stuck on using a sponge filter after all the stringent advice against it? Sponge filters are supplements to a main filtration system except for maybe a very small fry tank.

I run lights for about 8 hours.

Pool filter sand is good if rinsed really, really good. Inexpensive at home and garden or hardware stores in 50lb bags.

 

I would not use a sponge filter only in any size tank. Why are you stuck on using a sponge filter after all the stringent advice against it? Sponge filters are supplements to a main filtration system except for maybe a very small fry tank.

I run lights for about 8 hours.

Pool filter sand is good if rinsed really, really good. Inexpensive at home and garden or hardware stores in 50lb bags.

Could you offer me a filter that could support a 50-gallon tank? Are 8 hours the best I could do, I don't mind if I have to clean the glass a lot but my goal is to not affect the fish that much. I live in Florida so the sun is up 6am to 7pm most days. Will 1 air stone be okay, how can I tell how many air stones I need? Plus I'm looking for some colorful school fish.

I would love if the filter was just something, I took out every once week and clean it out and did not have to replace or add more chemicals

 

I must be blind or smth. That tank does not look like 50US gallons.

My suggestion is to shoot for over filtration, given that you already know you're upgrading to a much larger tank anyway.

I use Eheim Ecco pro 300, or the classic 350 for all my tanks, from 20 gallons all the way up to 70. I do use multiple for my larger tanks though

Based on the types of fish you're getting at this point, you could probably:

- do just water change once or twice a week
- do filter maintenance once 2 to 3 weeks.

Filter maintenance sounds deceptively complex. The truth is it just involves:
- squeezing the sponges and floss in tank water
- squishing your bio media in tank water.

AT MOST you'll needa clean the pipings once every couple of months.

 

I must be blind or smth. That tank does not look like 50US gallons.

My suggestion is to shoot for over filtration, given that you already know you're upgrading to a much larger tank anyway.

I use Eheim Ecco pro 300, or the classic 350 for all my tanks, from 20 gallons all the way up to 70. I do use multiple for my larger tanks though

K, Thanks for the advice and sorry about the picture lol.

Last Post:
Are 8 hours the best I could do, I don't mind if I have to clean the glass a lot but my goal is to not affect the fish that much. I live in Florida so the sun is up 6am to 7pm most days. Will 1 air stone be okay, how can I tell how many air stones I need? Plus I'm looking for some colorful school fish.

 

Lol, If I was not a noob I would buy this tank it's about 30 minutes from my house and the whole thing is only 20$ USD.

 

I think it would be more helpful for people to give you stocking advice if you got the dimensions of the tank.

 

K, I will contact the seller for more info.

 

What does the tank your buying come with? You said just lights and tank. No stand? No filter? No heater? Just making sure.

Now to me, your wanting a KISS (keeping it simple......uhhh yeah). So I think I'm about to burst your bubble a bit. Fist, figure out what you want on the bottom. Most recommend sandy bottoms because they are easier to clean and softer on the bottom dwellers. You can use gravel or even 50 pounds of glass marbles, as long as it is clean with no chemicals or for salt tanks like live coral sand. And no, don't go running to the beach with a 5 gallon bucket to fill up with sand. Now the reason most use sand vs gravel is because the fish waste stays on to, and no little cracks for it to fall through. Which brings me up to my next point. You'll have to clean (vacuum) your substrate at least once a week once you get fish in your tank after the cycle is done. Sorry to say, not all fish waste and food will make it into the filter. Plus if you get live plants, your going to have to deal with leaf debris once in a while. So vacuuming is a must on tank maintenance.

As for your filter, a HOB Marineland 400 will work. Maintenance will be washing off the cartridge in old tank water once a week. Bio wheel gets ignored, and it comes with a media box you can put in Matrix or what ever. Once a month you'll need to break down the whole thing and use a bottle brush to clean the propeller and intakes, plus the tube that water flows through to turn the bio wheel.

Chemicals you should always have on hand is Prime and Stability. Test kits you should have API Master Test Kit, and maybe a GH/KH test kit, but will only need that if you have PH crashes.

Aide items you might want... A power head for water flow if the filter isn't doing enough movement. Air stone and pump to aerate the water if nitrate gets high or if you have fluctuating PH problems. Or you can just get it if you like bubble effects in a corner of the tank. It will also cause water movement so can bypass the power head that way. Heater, and it depends on what fish. Cold water fish you don't need it, but warm water fish you might need it for nights in the winter when the temp gets below the 78 you normally keep your place.

If you really want to keep it as simple for yourself as possible, then maybe higher in someone to do tank maintenance for you once a week. Some pet shops and some business out there just do tank maintenance.

 

What does the tank your buying come with? You said just lights and tank. No stand? No filter? No heater? Just making sure.

Now to me, your wanting a KISS (keeping it simple......uhhh yeah). So I think I'm about to burst your bubble a bit. Fist, figure out what you want on the bottom. Most recommend sandy bottoms because they are easier to clean and softer on the bottom dwellers. You can use gravel or even 50 pounds of glass marbles, as long as it is clean with no chemicals or for salt tanks like live coral sand. And no, don't go running to the beach with a 5 gallon bucket to fill up with sand. Now the reason most use sand vs gravel is because the fish waste stays on to, and no little cracks for it to fall through. Which brings me up to my next point. You'll have to clean (vacuum) your substrate at least once a week once you get fish in your tank after the cycle is done. Sorry to say, not all fish waste and food will make it into the filter. Plus if you get live plants, your going to have to deal with leaf debris once in a while. So vacuuming is a must on tank maintenance.

As for your filter, a HOB Marineland 400 will work. Maintenance will be washing off the cartridge in old tank water once a week. Bio wheel gets ignored, and it comes with a media box you can put in Matrix or what ever. Once a month you'll need to break down the whole thing and use a bottle brush to clean the propeller and intakes, plus the tube that water flows through to turn the bio wheel.

Chemicals you should always have on hand is Prime and Stability. Test kits you should have API Master Test Kit, and maybe a GH/KH test kit, but will only need that if you have PH crashes.

Aide items you might want... A power head for water flow if the filter isn't doing enough movement. Air stone and pump to aerate the water if nitrate gets high or if you have fluctuating PH problems. Or you can just get it if you like bubble effects in a corner of the tank. It will also cause water movement so can bypass the power head that way. Heater, and it depends on what fish. Cold water fish you don't need it, but warm water fish you might need it for nights in the winter when the temp gets below the 78 you normally keep your place.

If you really want to keep it as simple for yourself as possible, then maybe higher in someone to do tank maintenance for you once a week. Some pet shops and some business out there just do tank maintenance.

Thanks for the feedback, I will reply in the morning.

 

Could you offer me a filter that could support a 50-gallon tank? Are 8 hours the best I could do, I don't mind if I have to clean the glass a lot but my goal is to not affect the fish that much. I live in Florida so the sun is up 6am to 7pm most days. Will 1 air stone be okay, how can I tell how many air stones I need? Plus I'm looking for some colorful school fish.

Will they be getting natural sunlight? I keep it to 8 hours to give the fish "down time" without bright lights. They get natural sunlight from Windows for a few hours prior. Some tanks I don't turn lights on at all to keep stress levels down. They are in a spot where sunlight shines through windows into the tank for a few hours.

I would love if the filter was just something, I took out every once week and clean it out and did not have to replace or add more chemicals

I use marineland penguin 350 HOB and a canister filter on my 55g. I don't change out the filter media every week when I do water changes. I check to see if the filter media needs to be swooshed in tank water. I change cartridges and clean HOB filters once a month and every other month with the canister. I have found an inexpensive canister that does a great job on my mid-size tanks. The marineland HOBs have double slots for filter cartridges so I only change half of them out and keep up with the last one replaced so I am throwing out the oldest ones.

Link for canister:


Now on my 120 gallon I have a fluval fx6 canister and marineland empires 400.
You want filtration that gives you a minimum 10x gph. For your 55 gallon you want at least 550 gph. I go for more.

 

I use marineland penguin 350 HOB and a canister filter on my 55g. I don't change out the filter media every week when I do water changes. I check to see if the filter media needs to be swooshed in tank water. I change cartridges and clean HOB filters once a month and every other month with the canister. I have found an inexpensive canister that does a great job on my mid-size tanks. The marineland HOBs have double slots for filter cartridges so I only change half of them out and keep up with the last one replaced so I am throwing out the oldest ones.

Link for canister:


Now on my 120 gallon I have a fluval fx6 canister and marineland empires 400.
You want filtration that gives you a minimum 10x gph. For your 55 gallon you want at least 550 gph. I go for more.

Thanks for the feedback!
I got me a new job, so I will be busy all summer making money for my tank.