40g Tank Update!! Stocking, cycle, etc

[carligraceee]

Hey guys!

It has been about two and half weeks since my cycle finished and I have added my new stock today! The entire stock is as follows:


Molly x3
Platy x1
African Butterfly Fish x1
Rainbow Shark x1
Japanese Trapdoor Snail x1
Inca Snail x1
Orange Volcano Snail x1

We will probably add a couple more snails, maybe a Batik Crab or another Rainbow Shark- deciding in the near future.
Recommendations for bottom feeders?
(I have about 20% filter capacity left for a bottom feeder)

Everything looks good, I did a water change and tested the water today. The water has a little cloudy tint to it but it is getting better (bacteria bloom I am assuming).

So excited!

 

[Slaphppy7]

Congrats on the cycle, and the new fish.

Question: You say it's been 2 1/2 weeks since your cycle finished...have you been adding ammonia in the meantime, to supplement your BB colony until fish were added?

The cloudy water isn't a bacterial bloom...hopefully just WC debris

 

[carligraceee]

Congrats on the cycle, and the new fish.

Question: You say it's been 2 1/2 weeks since your cycle finished...have you been adding ammonia in the meantime, to supplement your BB colony until fish were added?

The cloudy water isn't a bacterial bloom...hopefully just WC debris

I added fish right after I finished my cycle (after a water change)! The 4 mollies are my original stock, I just added two more fish and two snails to my stock today.

 

[Circus]

I would avoid having 2 rainbow sharks. Once they are full grown, they will get territorial and one will beat up on the other.

 

[Colin_T]

make sure you have a cover on the tank to stop the butterfly fish jumping out.

make sure the pH stays around 7.0-7.4 and the GH is around 200ppm or the mollies will suffer.

 

[Byron]

Water parameters as Colin mentioned are crucial here. Respecting stocking, I concur with @Circus that two "sharks" is really asking for trouble. The other stocking issue is the African Butterfly, presumably the species Pantodon buchholzi. This quiet, sedate (rarely moves except to feed) fish is not especially good in a community tank and lower activity will disturb it even if it does not get picked on, which is likely to occur. I had a pair (male/female) for over a decade until I had to give them away when I moved; they were in their own shallow tank which must have thick floating plant cover.

 

[carligraceee]

Water parameters as Colin mentioned are crucial here. Respecting stocking, I concur with @Circus that two "sharks" is really asking for trouble. The other stocking issue is the African Butterfly, presumably the species Pantodon buchholzi. This quiet, sedate (rarely moves except to feed) fish is not especially good in a community tank and lower activity will disturb it even if it does not get picked on, which is likely to occur. I had a pair (male/female) for over a decade until I had to give them away when I moved; they were in their own shallow tank which must have thick floating plant cover.

I did extensive research about this and spoke with several professionals in my area since this is my first real “rare” fish. I was reassured by google and the specialists that Davinci (my butterfly fish) will be just fine in a community tank.
When I feed him, I keep my mollies on one side so he can eat in peace. So far, all is well.

I am staying on top of the water conditions and monitoring all my fishs’ behaviors very closely.
I will not give Bruce (my rainbow shark) any friends then in the future. I might just build on my community of mollies. I will be adding secondary filtration sometime in the next month or so.

I promise, I do extensive research before I purchase any fish and I found nothing that said butterfly fish can’t be paired with other fish. All I’ve noticed is he waits to eat until the mollies swim away. So now I designate some time to feed just him so I can keep my pesty mollies away for a few minutes. I feed him live crickets and freeze-dried krill.

Thank you all. I am thinking about a clown pleco or a school of pygmy corys for the bottom feeder (when I get secondary filtration). Thoughts?

 

[Naughts]

What is your GH? If you do not have a tester you can look on the water suppliers website at the water quality report. It may give GH in degrees or parts per million so get the units as well as the number.

If your water is suitable for mollies (very hard water fish), it won't suit pygmy cories (softer water fish). Also I prefer to keep pygmies with other nano fish so they are not intimidated. Mollies can get quite large.

 

[carligraceee]

What is your GH? If you do not have a tester you can look on the water suppliers website at the water quality report. It may give GH in degrees or parts per million so get the units as well as the number.

If your water is suitable for mollies (very hard water fish), it won't suit pygmy cories (softer water fish). Also I prefer to keep pygmies with other nano fish so they are not intimidated. Mollies can get quite large.

It is moderately hard-hard water. A little low for mollies but not drastically!

I did not know pygmys were soft water. You learn something new every day. Would the clown pleco or the bristlenose be a better option then? I know they are suitable for moderately hard water.

 

[Slaphppy7]

The ABF is also a soft water fish: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pantodon-buchholzi/

See how it does with the water you have, just be cautioned that it can grow to almost 5" long, and will eat whatever will fit into it's mouth (mollie fry, for example)...see link above...that being said, if they as sedate as described, may not be an issue...the mollies should breed, regardless

A BNP or Panaqolus maccus should be OK, just be sure to offer plenty of DW...

 

[Byron]

"Moderately hard" can mean different things, it would be advisable to pin down the actual number. This is more crucial than many realize, as the level of calcium and magnesium in the water directly 9impacts the physiological functions of a freshwater fish. The mollies must have harder water than what will work for the soft water species like pygmy cories (this is not a good idea with the African Butterfly anyway, the cories frequently breach the surface and this species spends a lot of time up in the water column and at the surface browsing plant leaves and roots, and will readily get snapped up.

Like many, you think all is well because you cannot see the problems. External signs are not always evident, until it is too late. I don't know who those "specialists" are, but nothing on the web should be taken as accurate unless you know the individual behind it. That is a major problem with this hobby, the so-called "experts" have a site and everyone assumes they must know this or that, when they do not.

 

[carligraceee]

"Moderately hard" can mean different things, it would be advisable to pin down the actual number. This is more crucial than many realize, as the level of calcium and magnesium in the water directly 9impacts the physiological functions of a freshwater fish. The mollies must have harder water than what will work for the soft water species like pygmy cories (this is not a good idea with the African Butterfly anyway, the cories frequently breach the surface and this species spends a lot of time up in the water column and at the surface browsing plant leaves and roots, and will readily get snapped up.

Like many, you think all is well because you cannot see the problems. External signs are not always evident, until it is too late. I don't know who those "specialists" are, but nothing on the web should be taken as accurate unless you know the individual behind it. That is a major problem with this hobby, the so-called "experts" have a site and everyone assumes they must know this or that, when they do not.

The specialists are fish care-givers who raise and sell saltwater, freshwater, exotic and rare species of fish from all over the world. They are also very conservative with tank sizes and tankmates, to be safe. There is nothing else to trust but specialists and the internet, as that is what research is... using the internet and first-hand experiences.

I test my water weekly, observe behavior every day, do frequent water changes, and am on top of my questions. If I have any questions about a certain behavior or external issue, I will ask on this forum.

My GH is around 9-10.

 

[carligraceee]

The ABF is also a soft water fish: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pantodon-buchholzi/

See how it does with the water you have, just be cautioned that it can grow to almost 5" long, and will eat whatever will fit into it's mouth (mollie fry, for example)...see link above...that being said, if they as sedate as described, may not be an issue...the mollies should breed, regardless

A BNP or Panaqolus maccus should be OK, just be sure to offer plenty of DW...

Okay. So far so good, I do not have very hard water (around 9).

The Bristlenose is so interesting and I think he would fit so well in my tank with all my oddballs. I am not too worried about the fry getting snatched up. As of now I have three females who were with a male. I am raising 28 fry right now in a 12g tank and will give them to AquaImports when they are at the appropriate size. I have one large piece of driftwood as of now, but I am soaking another piece for a week and half currently. Do I need more in the future? (the BNP purchase size will be around 1.5" - 2")

Thank you!