3 new tanks - cycling for species only

[IHaveADogToo]

I went on a little shopping spree and bought 3 new (small) tanks this weekend. A 20 gallon long, and 2 10 gallon tanks. I put a sponge filter in each one and I'm cycling them now.

One of the 10 gallon tanks has the water and substrate and decor from my cycled 2 gallon tank in it, as well as some additional (new) substrate and new water. It's just a basic rock gravel, in assorted shades of brown. This one will probably complete the cycle first, as it has stuff borrowed from established tanks in it.

The other 10 gallon and the 20 long are both cycling without substrate or ornaments. So basically there's only water and sponge filters in these two for now.

I'll start doing my scapes over the course of the next week. Here's my plans:

20 Long: 2 axolotls
Tile/Slate bottom with a fine dusting of sand and sand between the cracks. Basically, I will use tile but use sand instead of grout. No light. Screen lid with fans for additional water cooling. Right now without fans the water temp is ~68 degrees (F) at night, but above 70 (F) during the day. So I just need a few degree drop. Scape will be mostly rock and tile, with minimal plants. Plants will be potted, and additional clay pots will be used as shelters.

10 Gallon with rock gravel: Pea Puffers
I'm hearing these guys need sand, and I have some sand I can mix with the rock if need be. This particular gravel mixes very well with sand, and I've had success with that in my community tank with kuhli loaches and corydoras. I want to do 3 dwarf pea puffers, 2 females and 1 male. From all my research it sounds like that's the maximum number of puffers for 10 gallons, although some get away with 4, I don't want to risk it. I'm also finding mixed messaging on whether or not to keep otos with them. If I can keep a few otos permanently in a 10 gallon with pea puffers, I want to. But if it's a bad idea for the long-term, then no. What is the recommended stocking? As for scape, like I said I can mix sand with my existing rock gravel, which is what I did for my kuhli loaches in the 30 and they seem to love it. I'm going to go HEAVILY planted on this on, with driftwood and rocks as well. I do not currently have a lid for this tank. Do I need a lid for pea puffers? Do they jump?

10 Gallon barebottom: I can't decide
Obviously anything can happen here as this is a blank slate. I'm trying to *not* do another betta tank, as I already have 10 bettas (and counting). So I was thinking about doing a sand tank for shell dweller cichlids (multies). Would a generic hardware store sand work for this, or are cichlids really picky about their sand? I've never kept cichlids before. Do I have to get cichlid specific sand? Since it's only 10 gallons I would not try tank mates with multies, although if it were a larger tank I probably would. I'm thinking 2 males and 4 females for this 10 gallon tank, and at least 15-20 shells. Can I keep multies in an uncovered tank? Or will they jump? If I don't go for multies, I think I would still want to make this a species tank. So if you all know of another species that makes a great 10 gallon species tank, let me know. I already have a 30 gallon community tank so I'm not trying to do that (Unless I can find silver kuhlis. If I can find silver kuhlis, that changes everything).

Existing additional tanks currently empty:

2 Gallon Cube (Filtered, heated, covered)
3 Gallon Fish Bowl (Sponge Filtered, heated)

These additional tanks can be used for hosptial/quarantine, or in case I happen to buy yet another betta because I seem to have a betta addiction. Right now they are torn down and will need to be cycled again if used.

So what do you all think? Is anything in my plan popping out as worrysome? Does anyone have any additional ideas or information that you think will be beneficial to me in this quest?

 

[Colin_T]

If you have an established tank with a power filter, put the new filter sponges in with the established ones. Try to have them in contact with the old sponges and within a week some of the beneficial bacteria will move across onto the new sponges. Increase feeding in this tank when you do it to get more bacteria going

 

[IHaveADogToo]

Oh yes, Colin, remember, I was all excited when I discovered I could seed sponge filters from my main tank.



When I say "I added a sponge filter" I mean I took and replaced a sponge filter from an established tank.

The only exception is the 20 long. That one is cycling old-school. I added the bacteria product and a few sinking bottom feeder pellets. Why? Because that particular sponge filter is rather large, rated for 55 gallons. There's just no physical room for it in any of my established tanks.

 

[seangee]

A lot of pea puffers won't take anything but live food. I was also told (by my LFS so take it from where it comes) that they NEED food every day. They are also (apparently) very greedy so just throwing in enough live food for a week won't work.

If that's a commitment you are comfortable with great. I chose to keep something else because I like my holidays too much

 

[IHaveADogToo]

A lot of pea puffers won't take anything but live food. I was also told (by my LFS so take it from where it comes) that they NEED food every day. They are also (apparently) very greedy so just throwing in enough live food for a week won't work.

If that's a commitment you are comfortable with great. I chose to keep something else because I like my holidays too much

Yeah I'm okay with daily feedings. I can live with that. I'm seeing they need to be fed 2 or 3 times daily. As for the live food... I might use my 2 gallon cube to culture pest snails, but all my research is telling me that pea puffers don't need to grind their teeth on snail shells like other puffer species do and that they can actually thrive on a diet of frozen (thawed) bloodworms, with snails as a once weekly treat.

 

[Colin_T]

When I say "I added a sponge filter" I mean I took and replaced a sponge filter from an established tank.

The only exception is the 20 long. That one is cycling old-school. I added the bacteria product and a few sinking bottom feeder pellets. Why? Because that particular sponge filter is rather large, rated for 55 gallons. There's just no physical room for it in any of my established tanks.

The new tank that got the filter material from the established filter can have fish added straight away. If you don't add fish within a few days the bacteria start to go dormant and you might get a mini cycle when you do eventually add fish.

If you have a big filter sponge, you can tie or use a rubber band to hold a small piece of sponge from an established filter onto the new sponge. The bacteria will live on the old sponge and quickly spread onto the new sponge. This gives you an established filter and fish can go in straight away too.

----------------------
re: feeding puffers, boxfish, cowfish etc. Try to get young fish and tank raised fish. If they don't want to eat new food and only eat live food, get a piece of string that you use to sew a button on a shirt. Put the thread through the eye of a sewing needle and pull the string through so there are two equal lengths about 18inches long.
Tie a small knot in the end of the string so the two pieces are joined together.
Use a pr of scissors and trim the ends of the string so the knot is right near the end.

Get a small piece of prawn or fish and feed it down over the needle and along the string until it reaches the knot. Then lower the food on the string into the tank. Jiggle it about slowly to get the fish's attention. The small knot on the end should stop the food sliding off, but if a fish grabs the food, it will be able to pull the food over the knot. If the food slides off the knot too easily simply tie another knot on the first one, then try again.

 

[NickAu]

While not pea puffers bumblebee gobys can also be fussy.

A lot of pea puffers won't take anything but live food. They even spit out blood worm, Im told its my fault because I started giving them live food, they used to love frozen blood worm.

they can actually thrive on a diet of frozen (thawed) bloodworms, with snails as a once weekly treat.

Maybe maybe not.

I have Bumblebee Gobys like that wont even take frozen food, 2 do try pellets but spit them out.

I would suggest you set up at least 2 sources of live food before you get the puffer.

I have at least 2 bottles of brine shrimp on the go at any one time

I also keep a tub of live blackwork and have started a tub of daphnia (water fleas)

 

[IHaveADogToo]

I would suggest you set up at least 2 sources of live food before you get the puffer.

I have at least 2 bottles of brine shrimp on the go at any one time

And there's the excuse I've been looking for to set up a brine shrimp hatchery.

 

[Colin_T]

and a daphnia pond

 

[IHaveADogToo]

and a daphnia pond

One step at a time. I'm not ready for my ENTIRE condominium to become a fish room.... yet.