Guidance for Daughter & Dad..

Hi all,

I bought my 11 yr old a 40ltr tank and we have been using this forum extensively, so a big thank you to the Fishlore community for the great content!
Its been great experience for my daughter and I to spend time together..

She currently have 5 neon Tetras (two passed from either Tetra disease or something else) 6 guppies and 2 Nerite snails and some pest snails :-/ All seem to be doing fine in a 0,0,0 cycled planted tank

My daughter now wants to use her savings + birthday money to buy a 125 litre (~30 gallon) upgrade and we would value your opinions on 1) tank advise and 2) stock selection:

Choices:

1) Aquariums so far seem to be (order of preference):
- Juwel Rio 125 (read the finishing is good and great brand, but filter box looks cumbersome and im worried i could break it if I remove it)
- Fluval Roma 125 (read the lighting needs upgrade
- Aqua One 130 (read it is a bit flimsy)

2) ) Desired Stock:
- 12 Guppies
- 10 neon Tetras
- 5 cherry shrimp
- 7 Cory Pandas
- 5 Panda Garra
- Dwarf gourami (is solitary better)
- Hypsolebias picturatus (if they fit/work)
- Elephant/ Rabbit snail

She particularly enjoys charismatic fish
Do you think there are any particular conflicts in combination above? Would you suggest / replace any and do you think the tank would be over stocked?

Thanks for any advise

Dad & daughter

 

Aww, how cute, and thoughtful, and just the best.


I'm not familiar with those tank kits, but typically kits will feature less than awesome components in order to provide a "deal". If budget allows, it's usually better to buy at least filter and heater separate, you get to pick exactly what you want that way.

I'm also not familiar with the Panda Garra, had to look those up, they look pretty cool though, and never heard of the Hypsolebias picturatus.

The rest seem OK, and definitely go with rabbit snails, I have them and they are amazingly cute to watch, they are my kids' favorite.

When choosing species, just first cross reference by each temperature range, and preferred water ph for compatibility. Those are the easiest to see if things will be compatible. Then move to behavior, with shrimp, you have to watch for fish that will snack on them, most fish will eat a shrimp if they can fit it in thier mouths. I tried a community tank with shrimp but never saw them, I started with 20, and after a week, I moved all the fish to a bigger tank, and now see the shrimp all the time, but are missing half of them. I'm thinking they were snacks. Now that they are not threatened they are super active.

 

0,0,0, is not a cycled tank. Please tell me you have some nitrates. Guppies in a 40 litre should definitely always have nitrates. With snails and tetras as well you should have nitrates on the test always in a 40 litre.

skip the dwarf gourami. Most sold in shops are the brighter coloured males and are aggressive. A honey gourami is much more peaceful. A little smaller but you could have a male and female ?

Perhaps a 140 litre now ,Might stop you getting it in six months time?

 

For 30g I would eliminate some of your stocking list. Seems a bit over stocked. Maybe do the tetras or the guppies. Also, if your tank reads 0,0,0, that's generally not a good thing. For the third number, nitrates, you want to have between 5-30ppm. It seems possible your tank may not be cycled.

 

What plants do you have in your current tank? Those might be sucking up available nitrates?

 

The 30 gallon would be overstocked with that amount of fish and the size they will end up growing to. I wouldn't stock a dwarf gourami just because you want to have big enough groups of all your schooling fish in your tank. If you really want shrimp, make sure there are tons of hiding spots.

I would suggest the following stocking:
-6 guppies
-10 neon tetras
-5 cherry shrimp
-5 cory pandas
-3 panda garras
-snails

 

I am a relatively new fish keeper and have been learning with lightly stocked tanks. Light stocking is forgiving of a multitude of mistakes.

I currently have 20 Harlequin Rasboras in a 40 gallon tank. I really enjoy watching their schooling behavior.

 

0,0,0, is not a cycled tank. Please tell me you have some nitrates. Guppies in a 40 litre should definitely always have nitrates. With snails and tetras as well you should have nitrates on the test always in a 40 litre.

skip the dwarf gourami. Most sold in shops are the brighter coloured males and are aggressive. A honey gourami is much more peaceful. A little smaller but you could have a male and female ?

Perhaps a 140 litre now ,Might stop you getting it in six months time?

Hi thanks for comment - It is heavily planted and we did a lot of prep, had all the ammonia nitrite and nitrate spikes etc, and saw then differences when adding stock - now readings are 0 on everything and have been for a while. Im feeling worried now so will double check.
Interesting note on the honey gourami, will have a look now..

The 30 gallon would be overstocked with that amount of fish and the size they will end up growing to. I wouldn't stock a dwarf gourami just because you want to have big enough groups of all your schooling fish in your tank. If you really want shrimp, make sure there are tons

What plants do you have in your current tank? Those might be sucking up available nitrates?

Hi thanks for comment - It is heavily planted and we did a lot of prep, had all the ammonia nitrite and nitrate spikes etc, and saw then differences when adding stock - now readings are 0 on everything and have been for a while. Im feeling worried now so will double check.
Interesting note on the honey gourami, will have a look now..

Hi thanks for comment - It is heavily planted and we did a lot of prep, had all the ammonia nitrite and nitrate spikes etc, and saw then differences when adding stock - now readings are 0 on everything and have been for a while. Im feeling worried now so will double check.
Interesting note on the honey gourami, will have a look now..

f hiding spots.

I would suggest the following stocking:
-6 guppies
-10 neon tetras
-5 cherry shrimp
-5 cory pandas
-3 panda garras
-snails

What plants do you have in your current tank? Those might be sucking up available nitrates?

hi - I cant remember the proper names, but I think they are along the lines of: floating lettuce, egerias densa, some grasses, java moss and wisteria. We've had a few rounds of 40pm nitrates and then controlled them with water changes etc. Im not sure if it is relevant but there has been a few big bladder snail infestations and algae problems which have now been resolved. Am I reading correctly that we can overplant?

thanks,

 

I second skipping the Dwarf Gourami not only are they aggressive but they often come with health issues.
Honey's are fantastic, peaceful and have a tonne of character. I'd keep 3-5 with 1 or 2 males but ideally more females.

 

It sounds lovely, could you post a picture?

 

hi - I cant remember the proper names, but I think they are along the lines of: floating lettuce, egerias densa, some grasses, java moss and wisteria. We've had a few rounds of 40pm nitrates and then controlled them with water changes etc. Im not sure if it is relevant but there has been a few big bladder snail infestations and algae problems which have now been resolved. Am I reading correctly that we can overplant?

thanks,

No, you can't overplant (or at least I'm fairly certain you can't). More plants are a good thing.

 

0,0,0, is not a cycled tank. Please tell me you have some nitrates. Guppies in a 40 litre should definitely always have nitrates. With snails and tetras as well you should have nitrates on the test always in a 40 litre.

Completely incorrect. It's common for a planted tank to read 0 0 0. The plants consume the ammonia and nitrogen compounds. There's no cause for concern here.

 

Completely incorrect. It's common for a planted tank to read 0 0 0. The plants consume the ammonia and nitrogen compounds. There's no cause for concern here.

Now I'm curious. I haven't tested for nitrates (or anything else) in my 40 gallon breeder tank in months. It has over 30 fish, but is so heavily planted that I don't usually see more than 5 or 6 except at feeding time. I need to check it to see if I have nitrates.

 

Now I'm curious. I haven't tested for nitrates (or anything else) in my 40 gallon breeder tank in months. It has over 30 fish, but is so heavily planted that I don't usually see more than 5 or 6 except at feeding time. I need to check it to see if I have nitrates.

check! I was really surprised to test my killifish tank for the first time in months, only to find the readings were all zero.. a little research later and i realized my fast growing java moss and water lettuce were consuming all the bad stuff. it's certainly not the case for any old tank with live plants in it, but not uncommon for a heavily planted tank with plants that are actively growing.

 

Completely incorrect. It's common for a planted tank to read 0 0 0. The plants consume the ammonia and nitrogen compounds. There's no cause for concern here.

this is exactly why i asked which plants for OP. I didnt want people to get on his case about not cycling, that sometimes happens, and IF you are heavily planted with floating plants especially, it seems likely to have very little nitrates. If he wasnt cycled, with that many fish, there would be ammonia for sure.

 

Well it would surprise me if a 40 litre/10 gallon tank stocked with 6 guppies 5 neon tetras 2 nerite snails and some pest snails set up by a father and daughter team could possibly have enough plants to consume ALL the ammonia and nitrates Fishproblems. But if you say it’s common who am I to question the safety of a Bridgers fish?

 

Well it would surprise me if a 40 litre/10 gallon tank stocked with 6 guppies 5 neon tetras 2 nerite snails and some pest snails set up by a father and daughter team could possibly have enough plants to consume ALL the ammonia and nitrates Fishproblems. But if you say it’s common who am I to question the safety of a Bridgers fish?

You could do to look it up if you don't want to take my word for it. I've got 4 gallons of water with two gardneri killies, java moss, and water lettuce. bi or tri weekly 25% water changes, and readings are 0, 0, 0. And I'm not speaking solely from personal experience. If you look at his plant list, the tank is full of low maintenance fast growers. There's no need to cause panic about the tank not being cycled just because you weren't previously aware of the science behind how plants contribute to the nitrogen cycle.

I also don't think Bridgers being a dad negatively impacts his ability to set up a fish tank. Not sure how or why that's relevant to the situation at all.

 

Now I'm curious. I haven't tested for nitrates (or anything else) in my 40 gallon breeder tank in months. It has over 30 fish, but is so heavily planted that I don't usually see more than 5 or 6 except at feeding time. I need to check it to see if I have nitrates.

check! I was really surprised to test my killifish tank for the first time in months, only to find the readings were all zero.. a little research later and i realized my fast growing java moss and water lettuce were consuming all the bad stuff. it's certainly not the case for any old tank with live plants in it, but not uncommon for a heavily planted tank with plants that are actively growing.

I just checked. It's at 40 ppm, 8 days after a 25% water change.

 

You could do to look it up if you don't want to take my word for it. I've got 4 gallons of water with two gardneri killies, java moss, and water lettuce. bi or tri weekly 25% water changes, and readings are 0, 0, 0. And I'm not speaking solely from personal experience. If you look at his plant list, the tank is full of low maintenance fast growers. There's no need to cause panic about the tank not being cycled just because you weren't previously aware of the science behind how plants contribute to the nitrogen cycle.

I also don't think Bridgers being a dad negatively impacts his ability to set up a fish tank. Not sure how or why that's relevant to the situation at all.

I just checked. It's at 40 ppm, 8 days after a 25% water change.

View attachment 700211

 

Regarding the panda garras, five is a great number. They are aggressive to their own kind so it’s good to have a few to ensure no one panda garra is picked.

They are however not shrimp safe. They will eat them so you might want to consider either not having shrimp or looking at an alternative to the panda garra.

 

I just checked. It's at 40 ppm, 8 days after a 25% water change.

View attachment 700211

Looks really nice! My daughter now wants to "tidy her garden" before posting as there is som algae and bladder sna

Regarding the panda garras, five is a great number. They are aggressive to their own kind so it’s good to have a few to ensure no one panda garra is picked.

They are however not shrimp safe. They will eat them so you might want to consider either not having shrimp or looking at an alternative to the panda garra.

Thanks for this I hadn't read that before. My daughter likes them a lot so I think we wont bother with the shrimp. By any chance do you know if they become stressed with other bottom feeders eg Cories?

Thanks

 

Looks really nice! My daughter now wants to "tidy her garden" before posting as there is som algae and bladder sna

Thanks for this I hadn't read that before. My daughter likes them a lot so I think we wont bother with the shrimp. By any chance do you know if they become stressed with other bottom feeders eg Cories?

Thanks

Sorry, not kept bottom feeders with them so no idea. The garras aren’t really bottom feeders so it would be hard to predict how they would behave without having actually seen the two in a tank. Mine were all over the tank. They even learnt how to eat flakes from the water surface so are very good at adapting to all areas of the tank.

Hopefully someone else can help you that has experience with garras and corys.