36 gallon bowfront

[Endlersendlers]

Hi, I am putting this out there for input. This is my 36 gallon glass bowfront. It has been set up just over a year.
8 cherry barbs (1 born in tank)
4 neon tetra
5 harlequin rasbora
6 endlers (5 of these are juveniles)
2 or 3 mystery snails
2 tiger nerite snails
1 Hillstream loach (add to things my LFS told me)
1 otocinclus

Water sprite
Guppy grass
Anubis
Pennywort
Jungle Val
Lilaeopsis novaezelandiae
Substrate eco-complete
Water parameters: temp 78, pH 6.24

carbonate (KH) 40 mg/L, alkalinity (TAL) 60 mg/L, hardness (GH) 300 mg/L, Cl 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, NH3 0.


Water treatment: Fritz Pro ACCR
Kordon’s pH Increase 2 capfuls (10 ml) with water changes (when I remember and pH is below 6.5, so about every 2nd to 3rd water change.
I previously used no name fertilizer capsules but yesterday changed to Flourish tabs next to the roots.

Lighting: Current programmable LED on 7 hours a day, 15 minute sunrise/sunset.

Filtration: SunSun 303b
Coodia UV filter (added today as back up filtration before upcoming vacation)

Aeration: HDOM ac/dc air pump

Maintenance: 30-40% water change every 5-7 days with substrate vac.

Feeding schedule: auto feeder 3x daily with Tetra min tropical granules. Fluval Bug Bites once every couple weeks. Dried daphnia or dried bloodworms about monthly. Wonder Shell every month for the snails.

I have other tanks in a screened room with water temps 78-82 in the summer. If someone has to leave, they would have to go there or outside. (Spouse’s rules, no more tanks in the house.

Problems:

1. I probably don’t have the desired rapid flow for the Hillstream loach. Got him from the LFS who (wrongly) told me it needs nothing special or different from the endlers, and he had it in a 5 gallon tank with endlers. I like them and forgot why I had decided this species was a bad idea. Thought of taking it back because this is not the best environment for it, (space, limited water flow, and only having 1) but thought it would have a worse outcome ending up in someone’s 5 gallon nano tank since the owner of the shop didn’t know any better.
2. I should probably decide whether to keep fighting the pH (I can keep it around 6.5 to 7 if I maintain using the pH increase with water changes) or take out all snails and let it be a stable 6-6.2, where this tank wants to be, or change to cichlid substrate which I’m not sure I want to do.
3. The neon terra could use at least 1 more, as could the harlequin rasboras, but I’m hoping they might reproduce and just one egg make it (dare I hope?)

Thoughts?

 

[Fishmanic]

My recommendation is that you enter that tank in our August Tank of the Month contest which is for 31 gallon and larger tanks.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello Endlers. Very nicely done. I especially like your choice of bottom material. How are you doing the lighting? I'm thinking you'll need strong light to reach the bottom plants. Isn't the 36 gallon fairly tall? Don't think the light that came with the tank would be enough for most aquarium plants.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Endlersendlers]

Hello Endlers. Very nicely done. I especially like your choice of bottom material. How are you doing the lighting? I'm thinking you'll need strong light to reach the bottom plants. Isn't the 36 gallon fairly tall? Don't think the light that came with the tank would be enough for most aquarium plants.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Thank you. Yes, it is. That’s not the original light but a programmable Current USA Satellite. The one that came with it was pathetic and the first thing to go.

 

[Geoffrey]

Looks great! I love the turtles.

I have hillstream loaches too, and to create some fast flow for them, I put two air stones in, one in each of the rear corners, and turned them on full blast. I also have an AC110 in the tank (37g) at full flow. Additionally, I took some river stones, put them in some water outside, and grew algae on them. I plop a few in at a time, and once they eat the algae, I put new ones in and put the clean ones back in the water container outside. Sort of a continuous rotation of algae.

 

[Endlersendlers]

My recommendation is that you enter that tank in our August Tank of the Month contest which is for 31 gallon and larger tanks.

I’m hoping those flourish tabs make a difference.

 

[Wills]

Your water is a bit of a challenge with a low ph and high hardness. Have you ever done a liquid test for ph or hardness? On this basis you have some fish that will do well in here and others that won't. I'd say the hardness will be an issue for your Neons, Ottos and likely the Harlequins but your Cherry Barbs and Endlers with the Snails will do quite well - I agree with you the Hillstream Loach isnt ideal in here because of the flow.

I'd possibly have a think about which fish you really want to keep and move forward from there.

Tank and plants do look really good though

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Lovely!

 

[Endlersendlers]

Your water is a bit of a challenge with a low ph and high hardness. Have you ever done a liquid test for ph or hardness? On this basis you have some fish that will do well in here and others that won't. I'd say the hardness will be an issue for your Neons, Ottos and likely the Harlequins but your Cherry Barbs and Endlers with the Snails will do quite well - I agree with you the Hillstream Loach isnt ideal in here because of the flow.

I'd possibly have a think about which fish you really want to keep and move forward from there.

Tank and plants do look really good though

Thank you for the compliment. For the snails, is hardness more important than pH?

I’m looking for a more appropriate home for the loach. Taking it back to the LFS could make its life worse. Maybe adding distilled water now and then?

 

[Endlersendlers]

Added a 530 gph wave maker aimed across the lower front of the tank for the Hillstream loach. He’s been chasing others around and kind of being a bully so I decided to put it in and give him more exercise, so maybe he’ll relax more. He still thinks everything from the middle of the tank down is his sovereign domain.

 

[Endlersendlers]

Is it normal for Cherry barbs to flash now and then? I noticed a female flashing against pottery several times yesterday, then she stopped when I put a light on her to look, and today one of the males was flashing off the bottom for a minute or so then stopped. Over the past year I’ve seen them just do a random single flash now and then, but have never seen any spots.