Help figuring out a tank....

[enchanted]

Alright, I have the ground ideas of a tank, but after talking with my parents (whom were the ones with tanks the whole time I was growing up) they don't know much more than me.......

But they did keep fish alive.

I want to do this right though. Currently I have what we have figured is a 28 Gallon tank, with the help of a forum member here.

36 wide
12 deep
15 high

I have 3 Plastic Plants, 1 small little neon colored gave think, 4 small sacks gravel (can't remember the size), a tetra 20/30 gallon submersible heater, an Aqua-tech 20/40 power filter Deluxe, a used Elite 803 pump powering two airstones (one flexi with small bubbles, one solid with big bubbles), a Pulsar Three pump w/ two outlets that doesn't work so good.

I have on the way 3 more plastic plans, a baby plastic plant thingy (can't remember what it's called), some more gravel (I have a few bare spots) and a hi-lite underwater lighting system (after reading I realized I wanted the laser one, but oh well, next time.).

I currently have 4x male guppies and 1x female + 1 plecostamus (common).

So, what I'm trying to figure it is what I should do. Should I pull all the plastic plants and put in real plants?

What fish can I have alongside the guppies without creating a turbulent enviroment?

What would you recommend?

BTW, at full go the heater seems to only hold 72/74 is this normal?

Thanks,
Larry

 

[Tempestuousfury]

The plec, if common, will grow to over a foot in length. You should give it away.

You should have 1 male to 2 or three females. You seem to have way more males than females. I'd suggest getting at least 6 or so more females or trying to give males away.

Do you have a water testing kit?

The general rule for gravel is around 2 inches at the bottom. therefore you seem to have far less gravel than you should.

You should get another low-powered heater. That way the burden is shared and if one fails to work you have a backup.

 

[enchanted]

This one is a 100 Watt (had to dig to find that) and wasn't very expensive so I will pick up a second like it.

As for the Plec, he is only about 2" right now, and from what I understand (please correct me if I'm wrong) they don't grow very fast so I have time before I need a bigger tank.

I was thinking that. Just trying to decide how to transport them since I threw the bags away. Zamzows (local garden/pet store) offered to trade if I brought them down and bought some other fish.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Good, then trade. Simple answer: get bags from the store.

The plec won't grow very fast, but they excrete a lot of waste. It might jus t be better to return it and get otocinclus in place. These guys stay small and you can get more than one of them. What food do you have to feed these guys?

 

[enchanted]

TetraColor Tropical Flakes Nobody recommended it, just looked like a good idea, and Algae Wafers for the pleco (glad he is small those things are spendy).

 

[Tempestuousfury]

You might also want to invest in some frozen or dried foods. It's best to have a wide variety of food for your fish so they domn't get tired of their food or to prevent the lack of a certain mineral or vitamin.

Suggestions:
blood worms
tubifex worms
brine shrimp

You should also get shrimp pellets because the bottom feeders need protein like all other fish.

Also, once more, you should invest in a water test kit in order to see if there's a probelm in your tank.

 

[Aquascaper]

If you like the look of the plec you could always swap it for a different species. There is plenty of plecs that stay small (3" - 4") like the clown plec. It's true plecs are big waste producers (relative to their size) but they're always good for a bit of window cleaning

 

[clutterydrawer]

Well, if you like the appearance of the plec but don't want the size, get some otocinclus instead. They are very tiny plecs, only reaching 2" in size. and they do an ace job getting rid of algae. The shop will probabyl give/sell you some bags for moving fish.

I *think* the general rule for heaters is 5 watts per gallon of water. So you would need a 150 watt heater. maybe this is why it's having trouble keeping the temp up? I accindetally bought an underpowered heater for a friend's tank (sssh, don't tell her!) and I had to set it to 32 to keep it at 26.

plastic vs. real plants is a matter of taste/opinion. IMO they look infinitely ebtter and they help keepthe tnak healthier. If you choose low maintenance ones they have plenty of advantages and barely any disadvantages.

other fish i would recommend to go with your guppies are tetras, cherry barbs, danios, and corydoras catfish.

 

[enchanted]

I'm going to get the water tester tomorrow, especially after losing a guppy today. The others all look to be doing really well though.


As for the Plec, I'm hoping to buy a 75 to 125 tank around Christmas. Was watching ebay and seeing them for $300 or so............. Eventually I want to build one, but I haven't fully settled on where, how, etc... and I think I should get well into caring for the fish before I gambit off and build tanks.

I will definitely check the dried shrimp, etc.. when I'm at the store tomorrow.

 

[clutterydrawer]

Hehe...I see MTS ("Multiple Tank Syndrome") is taking hold already!

good luck with all your future fishkeeping

 

[enchanted]

Okay, Tetra needs to update there heater boxes..... 10-30 Submersible = 100WATT.
It has a control system, but not actual "temperature setting".

As for the plants, both my parents kept telling me they have to be replaced often because the fish eat them. How do you get around this?

Also, how big do neon tetras get? I keep remembering them being small, but then again I was small to.

 

[enchanted]

Well, I've always liked fish (and cat's, but don't tell the fish that. ). I've wanted "a tank" for a long time, and now that I have one, I want to fill it and build it, and shape it, then get a bigger one.

But, I have to consider space, etc... If I do one per room I can do 5 (if I don't count the bathroom).

 

[enchanted]

How do Mollys get along w/ guppys?

Would they go good in this tank?

 

[Tempestuousfury]

They should be ok, but you shouldn't do any changes until you know your tank readings and have fully decided what you want and what you want to stick with.

 

[cation]

Many fish do not eat plants, or only nibble them. Right now I have bettas, corys, rasboras, guppies. and a pleco, and none of them have ever eaten my plants (except one time my pleco sampled an amazon sword leaf. I can only assume he didn't like it cause it hasn't happened for months!) I highly recommend live plants - they are a lovely and healthful addition to many aquariums.