16 Gallon stocking

[Morasea]

Cherry barbs are great fish! Super colorful! And I'm sorry if I got your hopes up about the banjo catfish... I saw their minimum tank size was about 15-18 gallons but then out of curiosity I looked up how big they get and they get to be 6 inches and sometimes have reached up to 16 inches! I wouldnt put that size of fish in that small of a tank tbh.

Wow I didn’t realize they hit that big! That’s weird though lol I checked briefly for tank size and temperature and it said 15-18 gallons too. I’ll definitely look around for different kinds of fish though and thanks for all the help!

 

[Rocky998]

Wow I didn’t realize they hit that big! That’s weird though lol I checked briefly for tank size and temperature and it said 15-18 gallons too. I’ll definitely look around for different kinds of fish though and thanks for all the help!

Anytime man! There are a lot of smaller fish like kuhli loaches and ranger plecos and a ton of rasbora types... Just keep searching and eventually you will find the perfect fish

 

[Sgooosh]

Anytime man! There are a lot of smaller fish like kuhli loaches and ranger plecos and a ton of rasbora types... Just keep searching and eventually you will find the perfect fish

boraras!!!

 

[Morasea]

boraras!!!

I’m looking at a couple different kinds of them now, I love the look of all of them!

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

can’t remember my GH off the top of my head but I do plan on planting it so that will help lower it.

Plants or wood do not lower GH. They lower KH by a small amount.

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

But I love Chili Rasboras

 

[Morasea]

Plants or wood do not lower GH. They lower KH by a small amount.

Ahh ok good to know, will definitely have to check then.

 

[Morasea]

Plants or wood do not lower GH. They lower KH by a small amount.

Ahh ok good to know, will definitely have to check then

But I love Chili Rasboras

Me too probably gonna get a nice school of them

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

Me too probably gonna get a nice school of them

According to multiple sources, Mississauga has moderately hard water so you can't have soft water species like Chili Rasboras. Well, you can but they will not be in optimal conditions.

 

[Morasea]

According to multiple sources, Mississauga has moderately hard water so you can't have soft water species like Chili Rasboras. Well, you can but they will not be in optimal conditions.

I just looked into the cities water a little more. I think I’m going to try and experiment with water softeners because I’d love to give them a shot.

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

I just looked into the cities water a little more. I think I’m going to try and experiment with water softeners because I’d love to give them a shot.

But don't think hard water is bad! You can have amazing Endler's, Guppies or Platies and the best part is SNAILS!

 

[Essjay]

If you want to make your tap water softer, the best way is to mix in some pure water (reverse osmosis, distilled etc) though this would tie you into using the exact same proportions every time you did a water change.
Many water softeners, including some of those pillows that go inside a filter, swap the hardness minerals for sodium which is not good for fish. If the softener can be recharged with salt, it's the sodium kind.

 

[Sgooosh]

According to multiple sources, Mississauga has moderately hard water so you can't have soft water species like Chili Rasboras. Well, you can but they will not be in optimal conditions.

If you want to make your tap water softer, the best way is to mix in some pure water (reverse osmosis, distilled etc) though this would tie you into using the exact same proportions every time you did a water change.
Many water softeners, including some of those pillows that go inside a filter, swap the hardness minerals for sodium which is not good for fish. If the softener can be recharged with salt, it's the sodium kind.

you can use reverse osmosis + driftwood i think that will soften water reasonably,
also leaf litters
when you are looking for wood and leaves i would not use Manzanita since it barely has any tannins
i dont think banana leaves have good tannins either

But don't think hard water is bad! You can have amazing Endler's, Guppies or Platies and the best part is SNAILS!

also african chilids, rainbowfish, and SHRIMP!

 

[Morasea]

you can use reverse osmosis + driftwood i think that will soften water reasonably,
also leaf litters
when you are looking for wood and leaves i would not use Manzanita since it barely has any tannins
i dont think banana leaves have good tannins either

also african chilids, rainbowfish, and SHRIMP!

I’ll have to look into leaf litters, I’ve never read into them really but assumed they might start rotting and cause problems if I wasn’t careful. Not sure if that’s the case

 

[Sgooosh]

I’ll have to look into leaf litters, I’ve never read into them really but assumed they might start rotting and cause problems if I wasn’t careful. Not sure if that’s the case

i like magnolia leaves they dont rot easy to clean up