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TofferMora

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Yes I know another what fish question! Sorry!
So I am doing a planted cycle on my tank at the minute and am wondering what to fill it with when it is finished. It's mine/ my son's and he would like some shrimp and likes neon/ cardinal tetras. But I am open to suggestions/ opinions. It's a 100 ltr tank, 90cm long by 30 cm wide by 40cm tall and my pH is 7.2.
Thanks
 
Ive found Neons to be easier to look after than Cardinals. They look very similar but they are different, both quite simple but neons marginally easier.

"Shrimp compatible mates" blogs are going to be your late night reading then.

People have lots of different experience with shrimp, giving them cover and hiding sports and breaking sight lines can open up stocking options.

If you get enough shrimp to sustain a colony the loss of some shrimp fry may not be an issue.

Many forget to think of stocking options of the different levels. Think for the lower third, eg your shrimp, or corys, oto, kuhli loaches etc, then move on to mid level and then the upper,

that way you could have a balanced tank.

Remember to keep a nice group of Neons together, look great when they move as a group.

Good Luck
 
This is a good size with a number of options, once we know more on the water parameters. The pH at 7.2 is not bad, it gives you a number of options. Of more importance is the hardness, expressed as GH (general or total hardness). The GH of the source (tap) water is all you need to find out, check the data on your water authority's website. GH does not tend to change much in an aquarium, so no point in a test kit once we know the tap water number. The pH is tied to the GH and the KH, and the GH will tell us what we need to know here.
 
StripySnailGirl04 said:
Because your pH is quite high, I would go for hard water fish like Platy or Molly. But a large group of neons/cardinals would look stunning! But keep in mind that they prefer acidic water. And snails! Never forget the SNAILS!
Click to expand...
The ph of 7.2 isnt high. That is a perfect PH for softwater fish. GH matters though and im going to guess this person has a GH of around 50-100ppm. My water is around 8.2 in ph and its soft. But the reason the ph is high is due to the kh or carbonate hardness. It is the amount of calcium in water, so my water is perfect for snails 🤣. A low GH for hardwater fish like mollies can lead to health issues and eventually they will die. So, 6-7.6 is usually a good ph for most softwater fish while a ph of 8-9 is usually good for hard water fish (unless you have my water 🤣)
 
Rocky998 said:
The ph of 7.2 isnt high. That is a perfect PH for softwater fish. GH matters though and im going to guess this person has a GH of around 50-100ppm. My water is around 8.2 in ph and its soft. But the reason the ph is high is due to the kh or carbonate hardness. It is the amount of calcium in water, so my water is perfect for snails 🤣. A low GH for hardwater fish like mollies can lead to health issues and eventually they will die. So, 6-7.6 is usually a good ph for most softwater fish while a ph of 8-9 is usually good for hard water fish (unless you have my water 🤣)
Click to expand...
Oh. It just feels high to me. I see a lot of people have a pH of 6 and I'm jealous because I have a pH of 8.4:S
 
StripySnailGirl04 said:
Oh. It just feels high to me. I see a lot of people have a pH of 6 and I'm jealous because I have a pH of 8.4:S
Click to expand...
Same, I wish I just even had a ph of 7.5... 7.2 would be better though. Luckily my lps (local pet store) also has a high ph... so ig thats the bright side
 
@Byron it's 13.6mg/l.
@StripySnailGirl04 here you go, needs a water change as I must not have washed the sand enough before putting it in. Also need to sort some doors or something for the base but it will do for now.
IMG_20220125_180904.jpg
 
Cant wait to see it when its all grown in!
 
A GH of 13 mg/l (which is the same as 13 ppm) is very soft, so that gives you lots of options. And depending upon the KH the pH is likely to lower below 7, ideal, but not a problem if it does not. The GH is the crucial parameter. Definitely avoid any livebearers and other fish that need moderately hard water, they will not last long in very soft water. But the soft-water options among South American fish and SE Asian fish is almost endless.

It would be advisable to get a floating plant here too; all fish suited to this sort of environment appreciate shade from floating plants, they will be healthier and more colourful. Substantial floating plants (as opposed to the tiny floaters like duckweed or Salvinia) like Water Sprite, Frogbit, Water Lettuce, and some stem plants like Pennywort are good left floating too.

This will be a wonderful project.
 
Byron said:
A GH of 13 mg/l (which is the same as 13 ppm) is very soft, so that gives you lots of options. And depending upon the KH the pH is likely to lower below 7, ideal, but not a problem if it does not. The GH is the crucial parameter. Definitely avoid any livebearers and other fish that need moderately hard water, they will not last long in very soft water. But the soft-water options among South American fish and SE Asian fish is almost endless.

It would be advisable to get a floating plant here too; all fish suited to this sort of environment appreciate shade from floating plants, they will be healthier and more colourful. Substantial floating plants (as opposed to the tiny floaters like duckweed or Salvinia) like Water Sprite, Frogbit, Water Lettuce, and some stem plants like Pennywort are good left floating too.

This will be a wonderful project.
Click to expand...
If it is soft water, then, cardinals and neons should be an option!
 
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