Magicpenny's New 30 Long

[MomeWrath]

I've been a very good girl lately, so I got this 30 long this weekend. Substrate is BDBS, rocks and wood from my yard. Whisper EX30 filter and an old Marina Double Bright LED I had lying around.
That was the easy part... Now, what to put in it?
I was thinking of keeping with the minimalism thing. Might add a java fern, but I don't have plans to plant it up.
Stocking ideas are most welcome, but you're not allowed to suggest any livebearers plz.

 

[kallililly1973]

looks very nice. How about getting some marimo moss balls and clumping them along the driftwood to give a moss type look in there. Not good at stocking but how about a species only school of Tiger Barbs 15 or so... I've become really attached to the 10 I have in my 29 they are amazing schoolers and a lot of fun to watch especially at feeding time

 

[MomeWrath]

looks very nice. How about getting some marimo moss balls and clumping them along the driftwood to give a moss type look in there. Not good at stocking but how about a species only school of Tiger Barbs 15 or so... I've become really attached to the 10 I have in my 29 they are amazing schoolers and a lot of fun to watch especially at feeding time

I do like Barb's a lot. Had a school of seven in my old 50 gallon. I was thinking of gold Barb's, or black Ruby Barb's. I've never had miss balls. Do you think they'd do okay under that bright light? It's hard to tell in the pic but it's a reef capable light. It's pretty bright.

 

[kallililly1973]

I do like Barb's a lot. Had a school of seven in my old 50 gallon. I was thinking of gold Barb's, or black Ruby Barb's. I've never had miss balls. Do you think they'd do okay under that bright light? It's hard to tell in the pic but it's a reef capable light. It's pretty bright.

I believe a couple different species of barbs will school together. Gold Tiger Albino Green... I believe i've read that before but don't hold me to it. I honestly don't have the greatest luck with moss balls but it's worth a shot doing an experiment with one or two maybe lower down the branch to not have the bright light hit it as hard. Or do strictly rhizome plants. Anubis Ferns and maybe some Buce.

 

[Basil]

I believe a couple different species of barbs will school together. Gold Tiger Albino Green... I believe i've read that before but don't hold me to it. I honestly don't have the greatest luck with moss balls but it's worth a shot doing an experiment with one or two maybe lower down the branch to not have the bright light hit it as hard. Or do strictly rhizome plants. Anubis Ferns and maybe some Buce.

My regular, glow, and green Tiger barbs are schooling together in my 75. And in the quarantine tank, the platinum green and regular TBs are schooling together.

 

[zby67]

looking good! id go with barbs or a group of phantom tetra's

 

[MomeWrath]

Looking good with the room darkened. Not 100% sold on Barbs...any other ideas?

 

[kallililly1973]

how about some smaller species of rainbows. shell dwellers?

 

[dragonflyaquatics]

I think you should go cold water! Danio and minnow species are so underrated in the hobby, a big school of zebra or leopard danios would look amazing in there, or white cloud minnows.

 

[MomeWrath]

I have thought:
Gold Barbs or
Long fin leopard danios or
A pair of jewel cichlids or
White clouds (could do those with gold barbs) or
A pair of kribs...my LFS had a pair of albino kribs a while back and I was mesmerized or
A pair of angels (my husband's suggestion since they are really my favorite fish)... So many options.
I feel like I should do something I couldn't keep in the other tank. I like the Coldwater idea. I thought about shelldwellers for a minute but I feel like the shells look cluttery lol. They are cool but I don't know if I'd enjoy keeping them.
What about keeping a single EBA? Too big for a 30?

coralbandit what about Rams??

 

[spicegirls5ever]

I have a Bolivian ram in my 20gal community tank and hes amazing, you could have a pair in that tank and they would be fantastic to watch and interact with. They're very smart

 

[coralbandit]

Bolivian rams could probably fit in with most anything at normal 70s temps .
German rams [any color] want over 80F .Not a big deal after that ..
Set your tank for 82f get some cardinal tetras ,sterbia cories and rams ..
The German rams need to be #1 fish in tank so no compromises on what they need.
But if you are cool with 82 f then go for it ..German rams are classic IMO .

 

[zby67]

angel rams!!!! there so pretty looking

 

[MomeWrath]

Well...all input was appreciated, and I did read about each of the suggestions, and ultimately the rabbit hole has led me through the warren to one of my favorite fish. It fits the bill for color, behavior, size, the tank setup just as it is, and I can't put them in the other tank:

Firemouth cichlids!!!

I am going to get a couple marimo moss balls and toss in there just for giggles and see how they do. I'm sure those fish will enjoy being able to rearrange them as they see fit. And I'll add one or two more java ferns. My daughter's tank has an unbelievable ability to grow them. They supposedly enjoy a sandy substrate and open space for swimming with a place to retreat when they need to. So I'm excited...
I moved my red betta along with the biorings from his Fluval Spec V filter, his big java fern, and the rocks it was attached to, so once the bacterial bloom goes away we should be good to go.

um...is that a bad idea (firemouths)?

 

[abbytherookiehuman]

I don't know much about cichlids but rasboras are really good looking and if I'm not mistaken they are pretty small and like to school. I think something colourful that schools would look great in there

 

[MomeWrath]

Bolivian rams could probably fit in with most anything at normal 70s temps .
German rams [any color] want over 80F .Not a big deal after that ..
Set your tank for 82f get some cardinal tetras ,sterbia cories and rams ..
The German rams need to be #1 fish in tank so no compromises on what they need.
But if you are cool with 82 f then go for it ..German rams are classic IMO .

I also wanted to thank you specifically. Rams were one of many ideas I was throwing at walls to see what would stick. I decided that the temp as well as the pristine water all the time thing were out of range for me right now. I have some bigger "fish to fry" these days so high maintenance fish are off the list. I wish they were easier because they really are so so pretty.
My hubs (all this was his idea) also reminded me that both aquariums, along with the rest of the living room and the entertainment center are all on one circuit, so adding another 100W to keep the tank at 82 made hI raise his eyebrows at me.... lol. That look alone almost sealed the deal for a coldwater tank.
Might just do one firemouth and throw some long fin black widows in there...
Of course I might get to the store to buy fish and completely change everything. I'm fickle like the weather.

goddangit.
As much as I love a firemouth, I just watched a video on youtube of a firemouth in a 30-gallon tank...that guy looked miserable. Just hanging there....in one place...
Back to the drawing board. I just want something that doesn't just mindlessly flit around the tank (hence my dislike for livebearers). My saltwater 30 long was one of my favorite tanks ever because there was always room for more coral. Freshwater isn't like that though. The real estate doesn't mean as much. I can't think of anything I can put in a 30 that couldn't have gone in a 29. Now I am pouting. Meh!!

 

[pagoda]

Purple Harlequins with standard Harlequins.....that would be a nice colour rash in a long aquarium cos they school together well so you would have a mass of purple, orange & black darting around your aquarium

 

[kallililly1973]

I have a great suggestion for you. A group of pea puffers! 5-7 could go into a 30 gallon from what i've been researching but you may have to plant it a bit which I think you mentioned you weren't going to do too much planting.

 

[blindfaith429]

School of pygmy corys?

You also didn't say if you wanted a community tank or a dedicated tank. Thoughts on that?

 

[MomeWrath]

I have a great suggestion for you. A group of pea puffers! 5-7 could go into a 30 gallon from what i've been researching but you may have to plant it a bit which I think you mentioned you weren't going to do too much planting.

I seriously thought about that. They would do well if I just put a bunch of java fern in it. I'm sure they don't care if I have fancy plants or basic ones as long as there are plenty of snails and places to explore....
I also just threw a handful of ramshorn snails from my daughter's tank in last night because the wood has gone fuzzy, so that's a step in that direction anyway. I was looking to see if there is some other minI puffer that is maybe less "mini" but it seems that they are all brackish and I'm not even gonna mess with that lol. Easy is the name of the game here.

School of pygmy corys?

You also didn't say if you wanted a community tank or a dedicated tank. Thoughts on that?

I have a sort of community in my 75 with angels, rainbows, and diamond tetras, so I want to use this tank for things I can't put in the big tank, so I'm thinking about either species-only or centerpiece/dither combination. Cories are useful and kind of cute up close, but not really a favorite...

Another option I just thought of is a mated pair of paradise fish with some danios or white clouds. That would check the centerpiece/dither and the not-needing-a-heater boxes.

 

[abbytherookiehuman]

I love the idea of a centre piece (paradise fish) and a school of something small and maybe with a dash of colour I really think that would look great. Danios or white clouds would be perfect
I’m so jealous

 

[FinalFins]

Coldwater hillstream. Hillstream loaches, white clouds, gobies.

 

[MomeWrath]

Well...as I thought, I went to the store and my decision was made for me. I think it was a good choice, and a good start to a pretty community... I was looking at EBA, and decided I wanted a curviceps/dwarf flag cichlid. And I got 5 itty bitty baby panda cities to go with him. And a bottle of Aqua Vitro Seed...just to keep things moving in the right direction. Gonna be a busy night!

 

[MomeWrath]

I take back everything I ever said about cories. They're hilarious and adorable. Everyone was doing fine this morning. Still no good pics because my water is a little white and my branch has that white fungus growing all over it...but the fish are good. Here's one of my panda cories

The laetacara curviceps is doing well too but he hasn't decided he likes his new home yet and is still afraid of me.
I finally found a LFS with a decent freshwater section. These fish were all fat and happy, and there was not oe fish in any of the freshwater tanks that I would have turned down. Too bad it's like two hours away...
They had Brazilian upside-down catfish. I had never seen them before, but they are jet black and absolutely beautiful. They had saltwater fish I have only ever seen pictures of before. They had a tank full of snakeskin gourami, which I had never seen before at all. Dozens of fat healthy angelfish... I will definitely be going back to Triad Reef Critters.

Edit - Almost forgot...I swapped the Whisper EX30 out for an EX70 I had in my fish box, so filtration is better than what I had originally installed, and the water IS clearing up quickly. It was nice because I just pulled out the sponge that had been running in the 30 and stuck it in one side of the 70, since it's basically a double-well version of the same design with a bigger pump on it.

 

[Pescado_Verde]

I've become a big fan of putting a Betta into a tank with a group of smaller fish. I know you said no livebearers so maybe Rasboras? Anyway, this is my koiboy "Colt" with his Endler's friends. It's a 20 long so there's plenty of room, with 30 gallons you could do LOTS of small fish. Low maintenance too.

 

[stella1979]

'Grats Penny... ya know, you could just do another 30 gallon reef tank. Kidding!! After reading, my thoughts are,

Pea Puffers are too cute!!!

Love the Paradise FIsh.

A FABULOUS betta like Pescado's with bright nano fish (idk... neons, rasboras, I'm out of my realm here), is maybe my favorite idea.

 

[Pescado_Verde]

Yeah, I don't know how I missed that she'd decided on a fish. Oops! Still think a large group of these little guys would look good with a Betta.

 

[MomeWrath]

Yeah, I don't know how I missed that she'd decided on a fish. Oops! Still think a large group of these little guys would look good with a Betta.

View attachment 629237

I've had a school of those rasboras in the past and they are very cool. Out of the school I had, my daughter still has one of them in her misfit toys tank.
I'm still on the hunt for my "filler fish" and they are on the list. I know I said no livebearers, but I'm actually now considering platies as well. I figured if everyone was starry-eyed over cories, and I was wrong, then maybe I'm wrong about platies. I haven't tried them since I was a dumb kid. What am I if not (indecisive) flexible?
I've got my Laetacara Curviceps settling in nicely. His personality is starting to show a bit as well. I had a rough week with the tank because one of the panda cories died (down to 4 now) and I could not find the body until yesterday when doing my water change. It was stuck to the back of the prefilter sponge. And, as soon as the air hit that piece of wood, it was like someone had opened a sewer line. So I did a bigger water change than I planned and ditched the stick. I also replaced the Whisper EX70 with an AquaClear 70. I had forgotten that the reason I had put the Whisper away was that after many years of service, it had quit re-starting on its own after power loss. So after the water change I had to do some percussive maintenance to get it started again. Hence the trip to PetSmart for a new Aquaclear, and I also picked up some water wisteria. The tank is already looking clearer, so there must've been more going on than I thought with the Whisper. The cories are doing their thing cruising all over the place, and the acara is looking more relaxed. I think all in all it was a near miss, and I'm feeling pretty bad about it. But at least I caught it before it became an outright disaster. :shrug:
No pics yet, but going to try to remember tonight. Yesterday was football...my poor Lions.

 

[MomeWrath]

'Grats Penny... ya know, you could just do another 30 gallon reef tank. Kidding!! After reading, my thoughts are,

Pea Puffers are too cute!!!

Love the Paradise FIsh.

A FABULOUS betta like Pescado's with bright nano fish (idk... neons, rasboras, I'm out of my realm here), is maybe my favorite idea.

I considered doing another nano reef, until I remembered that I would need to buy another skimmer, test kit, RO filter cartridges, live rock, water storage, etc. etc. etc. LOL

 

[MomeWrath]

While stopping into my LFS this weekend to get some small sinking pellet food, I was cruising the freshwater section looking to figure out what to use to "fill out" the tank, when what should my eyes fall upon, but a tank with four Laetacara Curviceps in it. One of them was a female (less pointy dorsal with an eye spot in it) so I nabbed her up. She's tiny still, but they are getting along well and hanging out together.
Sadly, I have lost another cory. I found him wedged between two rocks. So now there are three

 

[Pescado_Verde]

You're going to have to do something about the back of that tank. Either that or only take pictures at night. Whenever I see the reflection of the window I want to look over my shoulder and go shut the blinds but I don't have a window behind me.

 

[86 ssinit]

I guess I missed this thread . I’m all for the firemouths . Yes I know to late. Tank looks great. Never seen those curviceps before. Nice looking fish. Pandas are kind of hard to keep these days.

 

[goldface]

I was going to suggest doing a native fish tank. Oh well. Nice use of local hardscape.

 

[MomeWrath]

You're going to have to do something about the back of that tank. Either that or only take pictures at night. Whenever I see the reflection of the window I want to look over my shoulder and go shut the blinds but I don't have a window behind me.

I know it's awful. My whole first floor is practically windows so unless I turn off alllll the lights and take pictures at night there will be a reflection somewhere. I might do a blue background on this tank, but haven't decided yet. It would set off the yellow fins I think.

I guess I missed this thread . I’m all for the firemouths . Yes I know to late. Tank looks great. Never seen those curviceps before. Nice looking fish. Pandas are kind of hard to keep these days.

I hadn't ever seen them before either, but I'm finding out that they used to be very popular, and will readily breed in home aquariums (without murderizing the rest of the tank) and are good parents, so I'm hoping as the plants fill in that we might "get lucky" eventually. As with most fish, photos don't do them a lot of justice. The iridescent blue down the sides and the yellow tail are really pretty.

I was going to suggest doing a native fish tank. Oh well. Nice use of local hardscape.

Haha yes...local hardscape - rocks from my yard. I need to get a few more in there. Natives crossed my mind but I wouldn't even know where to source them or what I could get other than bluegill or pumpkinseed (no thank you very much I've heard stories!)...

 

[Cheesecake]

It's looking awesome so far! It's always nice when you go out and reward yourself for being "good". I've been very good lately, so that's why I have packages coming in the mail .

I've solved your stocking problem: 700 goldfish .

An exotic pleco would be cool.

 

[MomeWrath]

It's looking awesome so far! It's always nice when you go out and reward yourself for being "good". I've been very good lately, so that's why I have packages coming in the mail .

I've solved your stocking problem: 700 goldfish .

An exotic pleco would be cool.

ha! my daughter went to the state fair last weekend and came home with a COMMON goldfish for our pond. I'm full up on those guys!!
I may add a pleco later on when I have a little more plant matter available. And out of the two healthy cories I had left, now there's one, the tank has gone cloudy again, and I can't find the little sucker. In that tank...I can't find it. I think I'm done with that headache. IDK if the BDBS was too sharp for them or if I didn't feed enough or what I did wrong. Might try green cories instead or salt and pepper. I've never lost fish like this before. Even when I was doing everything wrong I never bought a group of fish and had every single one die.

 

[MomeWrath]

Went to the LFS with the intent to purchase harlequin rasboras, or maybe some lemon tetras or something easy and friendly to fill in the upper part of the tank since the curviceps tend to hang around the bottom of the plants and rocks. I found yet another fish that I guess I've seen before but hadn't really paid a lot of attention to: brilliant rasbora. So I picked up five of them. Happy to report all is well - the last panda cory is still fine, both acara are fat and happy, and all 5 rasbora are on day 5 in the tank and everyone is active, eating, swimming, and being normal. Yay!
Here is some blurry proof lol... (well you can only see three rasbora but they were looking for some dinner and not excatly schooling tightly at the moment.) And Pescado_Verde I managed to get the window out of the photo, but turning off the TV was 100% out of the question XD

 

[Basil]

I have brilliant rasboras in my 40 b. Love them! I only have 6 so I need to add more.

 

[MomeWrath]

I have brilliant rasboras in my 40 b. Love them! I only have 6 so I need to add more.

I might add a few more. They are very shiny and I love the yellow stripe. I didn't want to overwhelm the young filter with too many at once but in another week I will go look for some more.