Nano freshwater with micro fish

Short back story. My angel fish and farlowella catfish started spawning so I wanted to grow out the fry. I started researching how to do this and set up a standard 10 gallon fry tank. Then the angels ate the second batch of eggs and this morning I discovered that the farlowella eggs are gone. They were about to hatch so I assume they hatched and the fry were eaten. I think I want to give up on the idea of breeding.

In my research I came across microfish and I’m fascinated. I have the tank setup with a cycled sponge filter so I am going to try to set up a nano tank. But I have questions. Here are the tank parameters ( there are currently no fish and won’t be till I’m sure the tank is properly cycled and planted for the fish I want)

10 gallons (38 liters)

20” Lx10”Wx12”T (50cm Lx25cm Wx30cm T)

pH 6.8 (I would like this lower, closer to 5 but I’m not sure how to do this. That’s question 1) when I test the water going in on water changes it tests at 7.4 and the main tank even after a 50 % change always tests at 6.4.

KH is 34ppm
GH is 51ppm

The light is a small LED light left over from a prefab tank that I broke down when I upgraded a couple months ago. I want the lighting to be subdued because the fish I want need that.

Filter is a sponge filter that was cycled in my main tank for two weeks. I will test that theory before adding any fish.

Heat is currently set at 78 F (26 C). That can easily be lowered. Not sure what the wattage is of the heater. It came with a 55 gallon store bought aquarium kit. It’s doing the job but I am willing to buy a smaller heater if I need to. Question 2

Substrate is a neutral white sand. Right now there is 5lbs (2.3 kg) of it but willing to put more in if needed. Question 3

Currently there is a small potted sword plant, several rocks including a moss covered rock from my pond, a small piece of driftwood added yesterday, and oak leaves that haven’t sunk to the bottom yet. I would like to add anubais to the driftwood and frogbit from my main tank. I wanted the driftwood to stain the water because I want a black water tank for the fish I want but the water is still too clear. Is the piece not big enough or has there not been enough time? That’s question 4.

I’ve been researching fish and these are the fish I am interested in. They are all available at my favorite aquarium store. Tell me which I could get and which I should avoid and other species you think will work. I do not want guppies, endlers, killifish or a betta. All data comes from seriouslyfish.com.

Habrosus dwarf Cory (corydoras habrosus): This one is the only South American fish on the list. Ideal parameters are 68-78F (20-26C) pH 5.5-7.5 36-179ppm for hardness.

The following species all come from Southeast Asia.
Chili Rasbora (Boraras rasbora): 68-82F (20-28C) pH 4.0-7.0 18-179ppm in hardness

Dwarf maculata rasbora (Borarus maculatus): This species I am very interested in hence the reason I want to lower my pH. 68-82F (20-28C) pH 4.0-6.5 18-90ppm hardness

Neon blue rasbora (Sundadanio axelrodi): probably the most challenging species on my list. 73-78F (23-26C) 0-85pmm in hardness.

Asian stone catfish (Hara jardoni): 64-75F (18-24C) pH5.6-7.6 136-255ppm in hardness. I realize this one may not work due to its hardness requirements and that’s ok. I put it on the list because I want a bottom dweller from Asia and this is the only one I found. Hoping someone else knows of a good fit.

All of these fish need schools of at least ten ( more is better). Except the Asia stone catfish but I would like five IF he could actually work. I would like at least one midwater swimmer and one bottom bweller but I would REALLY like two different species of midwater if the tank is big enough for two schools of ten microfish. I would like this to be a Asian biotope but I’m not sure you can consider it that if the plants are not from the region. With that in mind I would like some kind of shrimp that would do well in this water. I don’t think bamboo shrimp would work because the current wouldn’t be strong enough and it’s two big to be considered micro anyway. Are there tiny shrimp from Asia in the hobby? The aquarium store has several different species but I have not researched them yet. Also any snails from the region. I know assasins are but I don’t think they would do well in this soft water though I could be wrong. They proliferate in my main tank.

I know this is loooong and if you have read to this point I appreciate that alone lol. Any advise is appreciated. This is the tank as it currently is. I know I need more plants (any suggestions on those are helpful) and I am going to put a black background before I put any fish in. Thank you

To start, you need to decide on the aquascape, as the fish mentioned will not work together since they require differing habitats. The Hara jardoni [one of my reliable local shops has some of these, and I was very tempted, but I do not have an appropriate tank and no room unless I get rid of other fish] requires more water movement than the other species will appreciate, in fact complete opposite. Finding upper fish to complement this substrate species in a small tank will not be easy. Most nano type fish are very quiet water species, which is understandable, as being so tiny they will not last getting buffeted around. Sponge filter you have is ideal here; I have sponge filters in all my smaller tanks (10g up to 40g).

I'll leave the stone catfish at that [here's more info: http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hara-jerdoni/ ] and move on to a habitat for the other species, which is in line with your photo. I would change the sand to something less white though, as this is going to have an impact on the fish. A bag of play sand will do this nicely. Another chunk of wood, or two; some branches if you can find some (collecting branches is about the only option, here anyway, as stores rarely if ever have branches). More leaves (these will sink when they are waterlogged, in my case it takes 3-5 days depending).

At this point, you can decide on plants. Two options, both authentic. First has some lower plants, low light species, like moss, Java Fern (staying with the Asian theme). I would remove the potted sword; it takes up a lot of room, and having less intense light as here may not be sufficient. Second option is no lower plants, just lots of wood (and leaves) and floating plants. Now to your specific questions.

The pH. This naturally lowers as the organics decompose. The GH/KH buffer it, but these are low so you can expect the pH to lower on its own. More organics will aid this, like thee dried leaves, more wood, and when fish are in leaving the substrate alone. Each tank will establish its own biological system, even when the "additives" (light, fish load, plant load, organics, water changes) are identical. I let mine do what it wants, and I have tanks that remain around 6.6, others around 6, others 5 or below. As for your source water, the water people may add something to raise the pH, and depending what this is it may dissipate out; I have that, with soda ash here.

Heater. My 10g has a 100w heater. The higher wattage heaters tend to be more reliable (I've had three or four 50w heaters fail, but never a 100w, 150w, 200w failure in 20 years).

I've answered questions 3 and 4 above, but ask if anything is unclear. And fish are fine, aside from the stone catfish. Shrimp I don't know about, but many species are being bred in SE Asia so you'll likely find some. Snails, stay with small ones, like Malaysian Livebearing Snail. Water parameters are immaterial with this species.

Wow that was helpful. Ok so stone catfish is out which I kind of figured just wanted to be sure but they are cool aren’t they! Potted plant is out which makes me happy. I’m imagining all floating plants with just wood and leaves as decor and I think I love it but what about adding moss to this method? I have some in my main tank so it would be easy to transfer.

Play sand, I’m never sure what people mean when they say that, I’ve never used it and sand from a kid’s playground is what comes to mind. Is that it?

Branches. Can I get some from my yard? My lot is very wooded with many species of trees but I assume oak is best because of the leaves being appropriate. Finding leaves is never going to be an issue for me.

Fish. How many do you think I could get? I was thinking 2 species with ten of each school but that may be too many. And a bottom dweller, do you know of one from Asia? A google search brought nothing that would be appropriate. But if I have enough snails and can find appropriate shrimp maybe I would be happy without a bottom fish. Thanks this was very helpful.

stanleo said:

Wow that was helpful. Ok so stone catfish is out which I kind of figured just wanted to be sure but they are cool aren’t they! Potted plant is out which makes me happy. I’m imagining all floating plants with just wood and leaves as decor and I think I love it but what about adding moss to this method? I have some in my main tank so it would be easy to transfer.

Play sand, I’m never sure what people mean when they say that, I’ve never used it and sand from a kid’s playground is what comes to mind. Is that it?

Branches. Can I get some from my yard? My lot is very wooded with many species of trees but I assume oak is best because of the leaves being appropriate. Finding leaves is never going to be an issue for me.

Fish. How many do you think I could get? I was thinking 2 species with ten of each school but that may be too many. And a bottom dweller, do you know of one from Asia? A google search brought nothing that would be appropriate. But if I have enough snails and can find appropriate shrimp maybe I would be happy without a bottom fish. Thanks this was very helpful.

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Yes, moss is fine, and will do well (once established) in low light. If you have some on some of the wood, it will quickly spread.

Play Sand is that intended for kids' playground. It is the most refined of the industrial sands, so completely safe. The sand I use is Quikrete Play Sand which is very dark grey when dry; I believe others have mentioned that they also have a buff tone play sand, depending where you live. Either is better than white.

Branches. Hardwood trees (oak, maple, beech) are safe from the standpoint of the wood itself. Collect them after they fall (never cut fresh, takes too long to dry out) so they will be completely dead and dry of all sap. Wash off any bird droppings; I leave mine out in the rain as washing branches in the sink can be difficult. They may float at first, but can be weighed down under chunks of wood or rock.

Fish. Species like the Boraras rasboras (thinking size), you could have 12 of each species, and two species. A few years back I had my 10g as an experiment, no filter, no light, just a heater and placed in front of a west facing window. Play sand, wood, plants. Fish were 12 Boraras brigittae, 11 Corydoras pygmaeus, and Malaysian Livebearing Snails. Had this for a year, then moved it and added a sponge filter and light; the window made it too difficult to see in the tank (light from behind), and algae was hard to control with fluctuating daylight. But two species like the Boraras and a group of dwarf-species cory like C. habrosus or C. pygmaeus would be fine. Thinking of fish sizes/numbers here as illustration. I do not know the Asian substrate fish well, other than loaches which are all too big for this tank.

It is best not to mix the Boraras species as they may cross-breed; OK if you never release fry into the hobby. Buyt one of these rasbora, and a group of the Sundanio, would be the idea. I've never had the latter.

I switched out the white sand for a brown sand, looks much better. I added 15 more leaves so up to about 25. I also got another piece of driftwood and some Malaysian wood ( sticking to the Asian motif) and a branch that the store had with this moss plant stuck to it that I couldn’t risist. I also picked up some duckweed and Silvania that is hanging out in my main tank until the leaves sink. I still want to put some frogbit from my main tank in, is that too much?

I have decided on the Borarus maculatus (12) and the Sundadanio axelrodi (12). I spent most of the night googling and could not find a suitable bottom dweller from Asia though I thought I was onto something with a minute species of goby but It seems too aggressive for this tank. I did discover that both genus of dwarf shrimp come from Asia and would do well in this setup provided the temp is lowered to 76 F. I also found a sparkling dwarf gourami Trichopsis pumila that might work as a pair. They stay at 4cm however I may be pushing the bioload adding this and they may also be too aggressive for this tank. Thoughts?

This is the tank so far.

looking good. WIll follow with interest.

seangee said:

looking good. WIll follow with interest.

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Thanks. I’m really excited about this, it’s a fun project. Up until a couple weeks ago I thought the only options for nano tanks were guppies and endlers. Really cool that there are so many options out there.

stanleo said:

Thanks. I’m really excited about this, it’s a fun project. Up until a couple weeks ago I thought the only options for nano tanks were guppies and endlers. Really cool that there are so many options out there.

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Understand that. I've aways thought of 80 - 120 litres as "nano" but recently been considering having a go at something between 40 & 60. Have started scouring eBay for tanks and if/when I do find something suitable will most likely go for an Asian theme as well.

stanleo said:

I switched out the white sand for a brown sand, looks much better. I added 15 more leaves so up to about 25. I also got another piece of driftwood and some Malaysian wood ( sticking to the Asian motif) and a branch that the store had with this moss plant stuck to it that I couldn’t risist. I also picked up some duckweed and Silvania that is hanging out in my main tank until the leaves sink. I still want to put some frogbit from my main tank in, is that too much?

I have decided on the Borarus maculatus (12) and the Sundadanio axelrodi (12). I spent most of the night googling and could not find a suitable bottom dweller from Asia though I thought I was onto something with a minute species of goby but It seems too aggressive for this tank. I did discover that both genus of dwarf shrimp come from Asia and would do well in this setup provided the temp is lowered to 76 F. I also found a sparkling dwarf gourami Trichopsis pumila that might work as a pair. They stay at 4cm however I may be pushing the bioload adding this and they may also be too aggressive for this tank. Thoughts?

This is the tank so far.

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That does look good, nice work. If you find some dried branches they will really add to the space, and make it appear larger too.

The pygmy dwarf gourami is possible, but I would stay with one. Discerning male/female is next to impossible except by behaviours within the group when the fish are free of stress. A group of three or more (if not just one) but in more than a 10g. with all the other fish here.

I did a deeper dive into the regions these species are found and discovered that the maculatus is found in southern Malaysia while the Sundadanio is found just across a narrow seaway in the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia. So I think that works as a biotope. But the dwarf gourami trichopsis pumila is found further north in Loas, Cambodia and Thailand so I’m not sure if it would fit with a traditional biotope. Also the dwarf shrimp species hail from China and Taiwan. I’m going with Malaysian Trumpet snails as well. So I guess it’s a loose take on a Southeast Asia Blackwater biotope since none of these species would be found in the same body of water only in the same continent. With the floating plants being from South America it’s kind of a bust on creating a biotope. Kind of a bummer but I may down the road try for an authentic biotope from South America maybe since those plants seem to be more readily available. I still think I want to stick to this plan because I just like it so much.

The MTS will keep the substrate in order.

Byron said:

That does look good, nice work. If you find some dried branches they will really add to the space, and make it appear larger too.

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Thanks Byron! Do I have to remove the bark before putting it into the tank? If so, is it ok if there is a little bark left on the smaller twigs that branch off?

stanleo said:

Thanks Byron! Do I have to remove the bark before putting it into the tank? If so, is it ok if there is a little bark left on the smaller twigs that branch off?

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No to removing bark. Provided the branch is clean, meaning rinsed (I mentioned earlier I leave mine out in the open for a few good rains) and also free of any bird droppings, put it in the tank with the bark. Sometimes this peels off slowly, but that is natural and tannic and organic, all good things for soft water fish.

I find that after a time (a few months, maybe longer) the branches will get so soft that they easily break if you happen to touch them. I keep some on hand so maybe once a year or so I can "renovate" the tank with new branches, and maybe move some plants or thin them at the same time. My 40g Amazon blackwater tank is due for this.

stanleo said:

I did a deeper dive into the regions these species are found and discovered that the maculatus is found in southern Malaysia while the Sundadanio is found just across a narrow seaway in the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia. So I think that works as a biotope. But the dwarf gourami trichopsis pumila is found further north in Loas, Cambodia and Thailand so I’m not sure if it would fit with a traditional biotope. Also the dwarf shrimp species hail from China and Taiwan. I’m going with Malaysian Trumpet snails as well. So I guess it’s a loose take on a Southeast Asia Blackwater biotope since none of these species would be found in the same body of water only in the same continent. With the floating plants being from South America it’s kind of a bust on creating a biotope. Kind of a bummer but I may down the road try for an authentic biotope from South America maybe since those plants seem to be more readily available. I still think I want to stick to this plan because I just like it so much.

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There are many variations of a "biotope" aquarium. If you want to be strictly biotope, then all plants, fish, and décor items must be from the one specific watercourse. Getting a little less strict, you can use décor not from that exact habitat but what resembles that habitat, example using dried oak leaves as leaf litter rather than the leaves of a tree native to that region. And some people also use non-biotope plants to replicate an effect. Moving more to what I like to term geographic rather than biotope, you can combine fish from different watercourses provided they share the exact same habitat requirements; example, having the pygmy gourami in with the rasbora. However, combining neon tetras with cardinal tetras would not be authentic in any sense of the word, because they are never found in the same habitat. It all depends upon how strict you want to take geographic and biotope.

My most authentic biotope is probably my present 33g, which houses one species, the Black Ruby Barb. As I intended this to be the only fish, I decided to be as authentic as I could so I carefully researched the river habitat on Sri Lanka to which this species is endemic. Sand substrate, chunks of wood, dried leaf litter; Java Fern and moss, and floating Ceratopteris cornuta. I know the sand, wood and leaf litter is the habitat of this species' river, and I know the plants mentioned do have a range including this river, though admittedly for all I know they may not grow in this particular river. But aside from that, this is a very authentic habitat biotope. Photo below shows this tank.

Byron said:

No to removing bark. Provided the branch is clean, meaning rinsed (I mentioned earlier I leave mine out in the open for a few good rains) and also free of any bird droppings, put it in the tank with the bark. Sometimes this peels off slowly, but that is natural and tannic and organic, all good things for soft water fish.

I find that after a time (a few months, maybe longer) the branches will get so soft that they easily break if you happen to touch them. I keep some on hand so maybe once a year or so I can "renovate" the tank with new branches, and maybe move some plants or thin them at the same time. My 40g Amazon blackwater tank is due for this.

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Good cause that would be tedious in the extreme. I tested for pH today out of curiosity and it’s 6.2. I assume cause the color looks between 6 and 6.4. My API master kit doesn’t go below 6. I think that’s an excellent start. But I thought the water would get more brown than it is. Does it just need more time? I finally found some ammonia today so I’m starting the cycle and I want to wait until the microbes have time to proliferate before adding the fish so I have time to wait.