15 Gallon Tank Tetra tower

Hello all I am new to this whole keeping fish but that’s okay I want a place to post a journal like thread for my aquariums.
This thread is going to be about my 15 gallon vertical(tall) tank. It has a substrate of black sand and neon gravel mix. There is plants in the tank, A bubble ring, ceramic, clay, plastic, silk decorations.
I believe I am doing well for my cycle in this tank and am just having trouble balancing the chemistry. Currently in the tank is four glofish spitfire red long fin tetras and four Nerite snails. My plan is to add three corydoras to help with cleaning my gravel. I’ve attached some pictures of the tank and my favorite feature that I made in the tank.

 

Cool Names!

 

Thank you Taj! The nerite snails are named Gary he’s a black racing snail, Annette a red racing snail, Muffsies a red spotted, and Billy a striped one.

 

Tank looks cool. Although I wouldn’t add the corys because they like to be in bigger groups and need a long tank rather than tall.

 

Tank looks cool. Although I wouldn’t add the corys because they like to be in bigger groups and need a long tank rather than tall.

I’ve been told the minimum group I can have is 3 the preferred is 6. Is this correct?
also what do you recommend then since it’s a peaceful small community? I had panda corydoras in this tank before however I didn’t know they were classified as scaleless/sensitive fish and accidentally killed them with ich meds

 

I’ve been told the minimum group I can have is 3 the preferred is 6. Is this correct?
also what do you recommend then since it’s a peaceful small community? I had panda corydoras in this tank before however I didn’t know they were classified as scaleless/sensitive fish and accidentally killed them with ich meds

They can be in three that’s correct but like bigger groups. Since they are bottom dwellers they need a longer tank to fit comfortably. Maybe some sort of shrimp will help you keep it clean but they are really sensitive.

 

I’ll get back to you with measurements and estimates on how much “floor” space the corys would have after my dentist appointment
Okay I had time before leaving. The vertical tank is a 12in x 12in square so approximately 144 in of floor space and they would be the only bottom dwellers. I can look into shrimp but they are like you said highly sensitive.
So panda Cory get 2 inches big and I have approximately 144in of floor space for them plus floating items. Would they be unhappy? How many could I house with my 4 adult glofish tetras?
what’s your advice on shrimp which one should I a complete inexperienced aquarist get? Can shrimp be added to a unfinished tank? Are they warm or cold water? Both my tanks are warm/subtropical to tropical.

 

Responding to your thread here! The only potential problem with your tank is compatibility. "GloFish tetras" are, in reality, White Skirt Tetras, which are a semi-aggressive fin-nipper that enjoy pushing others around. I've always called them mini Piranhas for a reason! And like Tiger Barbs, White Skirt Tetras need to be in larger groups of around 6-8 in order to keep the aggression levels down. Otherwise, they'll start taking their problems out on the more peaceful species. They also get very big (up to 2" I've seen!) and, therefore, need large, long tanks.

Corydoras are active little buggers that, depending on the species, enjoy being in large or moderately sized groups. If you ask me, three is far too small. I've noticed over the decade that the smaller the cory, the larger the group they prefer. Larger species like Corydoras sterbai and the like enjoy being in schools of around six, whereas smaller species like Corydoras pygmaus prefer groups of at least ten. Most are bottom feeding although some are mid-dwellers. They prefer long tanks, not tall.

Really the only tankmate I'd agree with is the Nerite Snail. They're sturdy, hardy, peaceful, and will keep algae levels down (although as I've mentioned many times on Fishlore, you don't want to 100% eliminate algae from your aquarium! Trim it if it's in an unsightly area or just growing too much, but keep it if it grows in a "dead spot". It helps controll excess oxygen, ammonia, nitrites, and often serve as a form of food for some species of aquatic creature). It's also best to mention that you should never see a fish as a "cleaner". Corydoras, Plecostomus, shrimp, snails...all are detritivores/algaevores and will help keep unsightly organic material at bay, but remember...they contribute in the bio-load too. As I've always said, "it's better to just perform water changes than purchase more fish to do the work for you."

Overall, I think you're doing a good job within the hobby, but you have much to learn!

 

Well my algae would be for my 4 nerite snails that are already present. In my I guess my best bet is just make this a tetra tank and get 2 more to make it 6 fish(to make a school) and put the corydoras in my 20 g long

 

2/17/2021
I have 4 full grown tetras(2in) and four nerite snails.time for stocking ideas

idea 1.
6 tetras
4 snails
5-10 blue bolt shrimp

idea 2.
6 tetras
4 snails
5-10 golden white bee shrimp

idea 3.
6 tetras
4 snails
5-10 leopard shrimp

idea 4.
6 tetras
4 snails
5-10 mixed colony

 

This tank is decommissioned for 11 weeks a serious outbreak of ich has made me just leave it running for the next 10 weeks before adding new fish.

 

2/17/2021
I have 4 full grown tetras(2in) and four nerite snails.time for stocking ideas

idea 1.
6 tetras
4 snails
5-10 blue bolt shrimp

idea 2.
6 tetras
4 snails
5-10 golden white bee shrimp

idea 3.
6 tetras
4 snails
5-10 leopard shrimp

idea 4.
6 tetras
4 snails
5-10 mixed colony

Shrimp can be pretty difficult to keep and get expensive. What’s your ph? Gh? Kh?

 

Shrimp can be pretty difficult to keep and get expensive. What’s your ph? Gh? Kh?

The tanks current readings are pH(6.8) gh(100) kh(80) it has 3 snails, nerite one is a baby.

 

The tanks current readings are pH(6.8) gh(100) kh(80) it has 3 snails, nerite one is a baby.

From what I’ve looked up the recommended gh for shrimp is 8-10 and recommended kh is 2-8....

 

From what I’ve looked up the recommended gh for shrimp is 8-10 and recommended kh is 2-8....

Explain what that means the numbers. It’s like you are reading a different chart range? My gh is (100ppm = 6dgh) and the kh is (80ppm = 4.8dgh)
Im sorry I have a learning disability so you’ll have to explain better.

 

so everything that isn’t a plant or snail has died in the 15 gal no matter what I did the ich just killed everything. Also my Nerites had children.

 

View attachment 770194
so everything that isn’t a plant or snail has died in the 15 gal no matter what I did the ich just killed everything. Also my Nerites had children.

I’m really sorry. It’s awful to lose even one fish, multiple is so much worse.

Nerites can’t breed in freshwater, are you sure they aren’t bladder snails?

 

Here’s a photo. Also I’m treating the water with a water softener pillow.

I’m really sorry. It’s awful to lose even one fish, multiple is so much worse.

Nerites can’t breed in freshwater, are you sure they aren’t bladder snails?

 

Here’s a photo. Also I’m treating the water with a water softener pillow.View attachment 770199

I would stop treating the water. Soft water isn’t good for nerites. Those look like bladder snails or pond snails. They breed like crazy, but they won’t do any harm.

 

How did they get in my tank? The only snails I have are nerite, mystery, and one ramshorn. all it’s been treated with aquarium salt soaked into a satchel that I have to recharge in the salt water every 48hours. I can remove it I just need more information other than Nerites don’t like soft water. If Nerites don’t reproduce in freshwater would they if the tank is treated with salt regularly?

 

How did they get in my tank? The only snails I have are nerite, mystery, and one ramshorn. all it’s been treated with aquarium salt soaked into a satchel that I have to recharge in the salt water every 48hours. I can remove it I just need more information other than Nerites don’t like soft water. If Nerites don’t reproduce in freshwater would they if the tank is treated with salt regularly?

Bladder and pond snails can come in on any new items that were in water previously. They don't need to mate to reproduce, so they spread quite quickly.

Nerites are naturally from areas with hard water. If kept in soft water long term, their shells will slowly dissolve, leading to ugly white patches. This is the case for all snails, not just nerites.

Nerites can only reproduce in brackish water, and it's rare for the babies to make it past the larval stage. Almost all nerite snails are wild caught because they're very hard to breed. I believe there would only be a chance of them breeding if you treated the tank with marine salt, rather than aquarium or epsom salt, although I could be wrong on that part.

 

Okay thank you!
they must have come in on my frogbits or something as that’s the only new thing in the tank. A group of floaters. I have two in my tank and they only appeared like two days ago. Like 4-5 days after adding the new plants.
I will remove the saline pillow it was only in there for my tetras anyway.

I would stop treating the water.