Upgrading my 50 litre aquarium to either a 90 or 152 litre

Hi,
So I'm thinking of upgrading my 50 litre aquarium to either a 90 or 152 litre.

I had 2 questions:

1.) What could I put in there in terms of stocking? I'd quite like some African butterfly fish and a big school of some sort, I'd also like a dwarf gourami and killifish of some type.

2.)
How do I upgrade? Can I move all my cycled ceramic media over to the new tank and put the fish in one is up to temperature or should I add my cycled media to aid in a new cycle and treat it as a new tank (I run 2 canister filter and have a whole canister filter full of cycled ceramic media)

Thanks,
Ethan

 

As for upgtading, yes. You do have to move the entirety of your media to the new tank. However, because of your current media capacity, you have to treat your new tank as your old one until your BB colonies accommodate for the new amount of water. You must stock the tank VERY paced and not all at once or you'll end up exhausting your media and create a bacterial bloom and a subsequent tank crash.

 

African butterflyfish won't work well in a 40 breeder or 30 gallon.

 

You can do a single butterfly in those tanks, you just have to stock around them. Fish like to nip their long fins and they don’t move a lot. They are a hard fish to stock around.

What kind of fish do you already have?

 

You can do a single butterfly in those tanks, you just have to stock around them. Fish like to nip their long fins and they don’t move a lot. They are a hard fish to stock around.

What kind of fish do you already have?

Hi,
I have one DG and he's the reason I'm upgrading to a bigger tank.

I also have some ammano shrimp

Ethan

 

African butterfly's wouldn't work with a DG. Maybe do a community with th DG

 

African butterfly's wouldn't work with a DG. Maybe do a community with th DG

Ok,
Looks like he may not be in the new tank after all, he isn't looking too great.
Not sure what it could be, he is about a year old and was wild caught (so I was told) so mabey he is old.

Could I do ciclids in the tank, or angels, or discus? (Not all together, just throwing ideas around)

Ethan

 

Yeah, not both in a tank. Some cichlids would work, angles is pushing it, and discus are incredibly finicky.

GourmI can live to 5-7 years I think. Have you started another thread about him?

 

Yeah, not both in a tank. Some cichlids would work, angles is pushing it, and discus are incredibly finicky.

GourmI can live to 5-7 years I think. Have you started another thread about him?

Hi,
I haven't started another thread, he was doing fine until a water change yesterday, nothing was abnormal, I added conditioner and preheated the water.

I also lost some Cory catfish earlier this week to what I think was velvet (they had an odd pail coating on them.
I wonder in my DG has got something from them?

Also what types of ciclid could I do?

Ethan

 

Hi,
I haven't started another thread, he was doing fine until a water change yesterday, nothing was abnormal, I added conditioner and preheated the water.

I also lost some Cory catfish earlier this week to what I think was velvet (they had an odd pail coating on them.
I wonder in my DG has got something from them?

Also what types of ciclid could I do?

Ethan

I’d suggest starting a thread. Velvet is gold, it sounds like a slime coat problem.

I don’t know a lot of cichlids, I think you’d have to do some of the smaller ones. Kribs, some of the Rams, shell dwellers are just a few off the top of my head.

TexasDomer and I’m drawing a blank on everyone else.

 

Not many. Shell dwellers and dwarf could work. Maybe a firemouth pair. An african cichlid tank should be 55 min. Dicus are a no. Angelfish get too big for a 40g

 

Not many. Shell dwellers and dwarf could work. Maybe a firemouth pair. An african cichlid tank should be 55 min. Dicus are a no. Angelfish get too big for a 40g

Ok,
I'll go to my LFS and have a look,
Thanks for the ciclid suggestions

Ethan

I’d suggest starting a thread. Velvet is gold, it sounds like a slime coat problem.

I don’t know a lot of cichlids, I think you’d have to do some of the smaller ones. Kribs, some of the Rams, shell dwellers are just a few off the top of my head.

TexasDomer and I’m drawing a blank on everyone else.

Ok,
I am mainly worried that. The biological media will bring any illness I to my new tank?

Should I dry it and set the new one up as a new tank?

Ethan

 

I would keep your biological media, as the fish you have have already been exposed to the illness by being in the same tank. Moving them to a new tank won't matter. Just wait a few weeks before adding new fish, to kind of "QT" the old fish, to make sure no one else gets sick.

What are the dimensions of the two tanks you're looking at?

African butterfly fish and angelfish could work, depending on the dimensions.

 

I would keep your biological media, as the fish you have have already been exposed to the illness by being in the same tank. Moving them to a new tank won't matter. Just wait a few weeks before adding new fish, to kind of "QT" the old fish, to make sure no one else gets sick.

What are the dimensions of the two tanks you're looking at?

African butterfly fish and angelfish could work, depending on the dimensions.

Ok,
The dimensions can be found here:

I plan either the 90 or 125.

I went to my LFS and had a few more fish I would like to add:
Glass catfish,
Peackock Gudgeons (or any freshwater gobie),
Killifish,
Celebs halfbeak,
KulI loaches,

I think id either go with a few big fish or a school and lots of smaller fish.

Both would be a planted aquarium.

Ethan

 

I would go with the bigger tank. The smaller tank doesn't give you as many options

What species of killifish did you want?

What's the main fish species you want to keep? We can help you stock around that.

 

I would go with the bigger tank. The smaller tank doesn't give you as many options

What species of killifish did you want?

What's the main fish species you want to keep? We can help you stock around that.

Ok,
So I will probably go for the bigger one depending on budget.

I think if I went with a school it would be something simple and cheap like neon or cardinal tetras, as if it were a "monster fish" tank I'd go with something like ciclids or angels.

I don't really have a fish I'm desperate for .

I have kept notho killifish before but wanted to try something like steel blue killis.

Ethan

 

Neither of your tank choices are suitable for monster fish, but you could keep a single angel in the larger one, or small cichlids in either.

If you're going to keep annual killis, I wouldn't keep them with cichlids or anything other than small, peaceful schooling fish.

 

Neither of your tank choices are suitable for monster fish, but you could keep a single angel in the larger one, or small cichlids in either.

If you're going to keep annual killis, I wouldn't keep them with cichlids or anything other than small, peaceful schooling fish.

Ok,
By monster fish I ment monster for my size tank like ciclids.

What sort of ciclids could I put in the tank?

Also, do you have any good suggestions for things that I could put in if I did the community with a school of some sort?

One of the killis died after a week but I was sold 2 males. I added a femail with one male and they lasted about 8 months.

Ethan

 

Dwarf cichlids, sa and ca cichlids. Africans IMO are not suitable for a 40 gallon

 

Dwarf cichlids, sa and ca cichlids. Africans IMO are not suitable for a 40 gallon

Would a flower horn work?

 

NO. Definitely not. Maybe a firemouth pair? Or an ecb?

 

Not for your tank sizes.

Peaceful cichlids (peaceful to schooling fish) like keyholes, apistos, or rams would work.

 

Not for your tank sizes.

Peaceful cichlids (peaceful to schooling fish) like keyholes, apistos, or rams would work.

Ok,
I like the apistos.
Do you know of any fish that had lots of personality (like the flowerhorn)?

Are the apistos ok for a community?

Also, for the school id probably go for neon tetras as they are cheap and hardy, how many could I have in there?

Ethan

NO. Definitely not. Maybe a firemouth pair? Or an ecb?

Firemouths are cool, how big do they get and would I be able to put them in the community?

Also, what's an ecb??

Ethan

 

Apistos are fine with schooling fish. They have personality. Most cichlids do.

For the larger tank, 15 or so neons would be fine. Make sure to get an Apisto pair that is temp compatible with neons.

You could do a firemouth in the larger tank with some schooling fish.

I think he meant EBA, or electric blue acara.

 

Apistos are fine with schooling fish. They have personality. Most cichlids do.

For the larger tank, 15 or so neons would be fine. Make sure to get an Apisto pair that is temp compatible with neons.

You could do a firemouth in the larger tank with some schooling fish.

I think he meant EBA, or electric blue acara.

Hi,
I am leaning towards ciclids now because of personality, I've seen the king of diy's flowerhorn on YouTube and I'd love one.

Do other ciclids do similar things (follow your finger ect...)?

Ethan

 

Most all cichlids have personality and will interact with you.

 

Most all cichlids have personality and will interact with you.

Ok,
Can I put any with my dwarf gourami?

 

Yes, the peaceful small dwarf cichlids should be fine with a DG.

 

Yes, the peaceful small dwarf cichlids should be fine with a DG.

Ok,
Thank you everyone very much for all your help
It Has been very useful

Ethan