15 gallon

[littlefishie]

Depending on how my parents are feeling this week, I may be getting a 15 gallon tank for my birthday [which is Friday, the 7th]. Originally they were going to buy it for me and everything, but after they discovered a mark I'd gotten [50% on an in-seminar essay, which I was upset about because the seminar leader never elaborated on the topics beforehand, but whatever] just prior to Christmas, they yelled, screamed, and told me that they weren't getting me the tank anymore.
Then they told me they were giving me $50 for my birthday.
I have $30 right now.
With $80, would it be feasible to set up my tank? I know lighting will be a concern as it's more expensive, but I'll probably just use some desk lamps from WalMart until I can convince my dad to build me a stand again.
I can get the tank itself for $15 from Eric, my friend at the LFS, and he may be able to throw an Aquaclear Mini into that for me if he can find it. After that, I'd have roughly $65 to spend on the substrate, plants [preferably fake, I don't have the capacity for real at the moment], and fish.
Stand-wise [as I've noticed this is a current concern on the forum], I'd be using some good old dorm furniture that's been a makeshift chair for a while. Picture shall be attached. I'm pretty sure it can handle the tank's weight, as my friend Corey, who is 295lbs, constantly uses it as his chair when he comes to visit.

So basically, for $80, with the tank costing me $15 possibly including a filter [if not the one I want will be $20] can I do this? And does the stand look like it could support the tank?
[Please pardon the mess on the soon-to-be stand lol.. I'm siliconing a crack in one tank, plants in another, and then babysitting the red male betta in the teeny bowl.. he's my housemate's betta, and I tried to talk her into a bigger bowl, but she refuses. And as for my female in the Betta-tech setup.. she's teeny, and my mom gave it to me for Christmas, so I kinda have to use it. Please don't hurt me! I've got limited space in my dorm.]

Edit: I forgot to mention.. Any ideas for substrate and fish?

 

[Alurny]

Heya! Thats about the size tank im getting. I'd deffo reccomend geting at least on bristlenose plec! They are fantastic algae eaters and are so cool looking! (i'm turning into a bristlenose fanatic lol!) Well if you want shoaling you cant go wrong with a few harliquin rasbora. And a specie of tetra would go down a treat. Just a suggestion mind you.

 

[sylvia]

Well I think you can manage with the costs ok. Let me just say from now that you should get sand It's just that EVERYONE seems to eventualy convert their substrate to sand so if you can avoid the hassle later and do it now - well obviously that means less stress for your future fish when you DO want to do that If you don't like it though, by all means, get gravel.
Lighting doesn't matter if you won't have live plants. The fish won't mind going without light for a little while.
Make sure you get a hood with the tank though - fish can easily jump out of 15 gallons and that's one of the worst ways a fish can die IMO - suffocation can't be fun...
As for fish - well what do you like? 15 gallons can hold a surprising variety of species so it's all a matter of what sort of tank you are looking to have.
Make sure you cycle the tank before you get the fish. Fishless cycling is quite easy - especialy if you already have an established tank (the betta bowl should hold bacteria in the gravel to start off a quick cycle) and then add pure ammonia, fish food or a frozen prawn and monitor params.
Let us know what fish you are considering...

 

[littlefishie]

I've got an established 5 gallon, so I was going to put some of that gravel in a cup and run the new filter on the 5 for a while first.
I was actually thinking of sand, but I've got to consider a few things first. After talking to my mom she said she'd be more supportive of the tank if I sell the 5 gallon. So I'm thinking if I use the bacteria from the 5 to set up the 15 and then sell it, I'll use the money from the 5 to buy sand. I can get enough for the tank for roughly $20.
Hoodwise, I'm not sure.. Eric's not got the hood for it anymore, but I was thinking maybe a temporary one out of plastic craft canvas, which is what I have on my 2.5 gallon. No fish jumping out, and it costs a little more than a buck at WalMart. Would that be okay temporarily? When I go home in April my dad said he'd probably build me a stand and hood, so I didn't really want to waste the money on something he'll build for me. ..Maybe he can do that for my birthday.

Fishwise, I don't really want livebearers. I have my guppies, and I'm working on convincing my boyfriend to let me give them away to our friend Paul. We're at his house every weekend, he can still see the guppies. My first thought was neons, since I can probably get 5 for $5. They're shiny and entertaining. Other than that, I'm really not sure. I'd like to put my oto in there, and maybe get him a friend or two. ADFs aren't allowed whatsoever [and I've discovered I can't sneak it as my don now likes coming to see my fish.. he loves watching the baby guppies as they grow, and seeing the bettas flare.. he doesn't have a fish, so he just watches mine.] which is sad cos I like those. I so badly wanted dwarf puffers, but I'd have problems with constantly feeding them snails and such. As much as Eric likes me, I think his manager would be upset with him giving me free snails every week. ..Basically, I'm thinking 5 neon tetras and my oto, and the rest is entirely open.

 

[sylvia]

Sounds good... the hood idea should work fine. Might I make a suggestion on fish? I like black phantom tetras or harlequin rasboras more than neons. Neons are pretty but they lack character and harlequins are much better schoolers. Black phantoms display to one another and can rapidly change color. They also have individual characters unlike similarly small fish. If you like neons though - go for it Otos are cute little fishies but I'm sure he would like a few friends so do consider getting some more if you like them. Pygmy (and other) cories, honey gouramies, golden dwarf barbs and blue/gold rams are also nice fish you may want to consider. It's all up to you - I'm just suggesting some fish I personaly like and which don't get too big.

 

[littlefishie]

Turns out that Eric may have a hood for me. He's going to go through the basement tonight and check.

Harlequins were another idea.. I've got a while to work out what I want, and Eric [whom I am totally loving right now lol] said that if I'd like, I could give him the money and he'd buy the fish for me with his discount. If he can do that I want to get panda cories, because they're $6.08 each. Discount = lots cheaper. ..I was looking as some really nice little cichlids but I know they wouldn't fit. What about shelldwellers? I've heard of them but never seen them.

And I love honey gouramies, but the only place in town that has them, I wouldn't buy them from. [It's a SuperPet]

 

[sylvia]

Shell dwellers are lovely but they are kind of complicated compared to other possibilities None the less, I love them so if you are willing to go for a species tank (I don't think I'd reccomend going for a mixture in a small tank if you've never kept them before - but it's possible if you do the right research for it first)...

You'll need a high pH for them cause they are rift lake (tang.) cichlids and of course you'll need good-sized snail shells. They also require a sand substrate that they can easily move around and some (most) species will bury their shells. Most live in small colony/family groups with one male and many females and fry. My pursonal favourite is also the smallest - n. multifasciatus - these adorable fish have attractive striped patterning and look absolutely irresistable IMO. There are many nice shell-dwellers but I think these are great and they'll breed quite readily too.

You can keep a bristlenose plec or some small upper-layer shoaling species with them but my prefference is for a species tank because that lets you see their most natural behaviour - unfortunately it can often look like you don't have any fish because they are very attached to their shells

It might also be possible to split the tank into 2 halves with some rockwork and make one half for rock-dwellers and the other for shell-dwellers but that might take a little more thought and the species you'd want might be more difficult to get hold of.

Concerning the honey gouramies, you should be able to ask your LFS to order them in - they are easy to get hold of in general so you shouldn't encounter too many problems with that - great little fish and if you someday want to breed them, they are quite easy gouramies to spawn and raise because you don't need a large breeding or grow-out tank and they aren't as aggressive as many other species tend to be.

 

[littlefishie]

Yeah, the shellies are out. I called Eric earlier and he said they don't carry them, because there's no major demand for them. And to order them would cost me wayyy more than I can spend.

I'm thinking either neons or harlequins, and then I'm going to wait and see what else the LFS comes out with. That way I don't stock like mad and then end up with no space when they get something really nice. ..That, and I have to keep Chris' guppies in there, and just hope that they mysteriously die. I really don't want them anymore but he'd be so upset if I gave them away. Though I'm working on the Paul idea..

One more quick thing, just to make sure I'm not crazy..
If I run either my new filter on the old tank before I give it to Sarah, or run the old filter on the new tank for a few days along with the new filter, and add a cupful of cultured gravel to the new tank, it will be like an instant or mini cycle? I'm not going to have the 5 much longer than 2 days after I get the new tank, so it's got to be done quick.

 

[sylvia]

Yes but you need to have fish in whichever tank the filters are running on to keep the bacteria alive (or another source of ammonia). The same applies to gravel from the established tank - the bacteria need to eat so there has to be ammonia present from somewhere - the guppies would do the trick.

 

[littlefishie]

Add guppies and filters, and instant cycle?

I think I am liking these guppies a little more now.

Thanks for all the help! I'm picking up the tank tomorrow, so now I'm all excited. Is 1 or 2 days okay for the filters to run? Actually.. Since Sarah is getting my old gravel, I could put new cartridges in the filter for her and just stick the old ones in the new filter. The filters aren't the same, but I can smush some carbon and sponge in there temporarily, along with guppies. Would that be okay? I know Sarah's equally excited to get the tank off of me, and if I can just get her new media and use the bacteria in the gravel for her, then I can use the filter media in my new tank and give her the tank sooner.

But if that sounds too wrong, just let me know.

 

[newfishies]

The filters aren't the same, but I can smush some carbon and sponge in there temporarily, along with guppies. Would that be okay?

probably shouldn't put the guppies in the filter...

 

[littlefishie]

lmao I totally didn't think it would be taken like that. I meant put the old media in the filter, and the guppies in the tank. ..You know I just suffered through a 4 hour Spanish class when.. lol

 

[Yenko]

Heya! Thats about the size tank im getting. I'd deffo reccomend geting at least on bristlenose plec! They are fantastic algae eaters and are so cool looking! (i'm turning into a bristlenose fanatic lol!) Well if you want shoaling you cant go wrong with a few harliquin rasbora. And a specie of tetra would go down a treat. Just a suggestion mind you.

A bristlenose catfish is far too big for a 15 gallon tank. Just transfer the filter media (if you can) from the old filter to the new filter, that will be an instant cycle. The gravel-transfer is unnessesary, bacteria will find their way in there soon enough.

 

[littlefishie]

Yayyyy cheap filter media! lol

I'm not really into bristlenoses, I like my little otos. But if I can get pygmy cories.. *bwahahahahahaaa*