My ~15 gallon fish tank project

[AlexT]

Tannins are the best. They should be mandatory in fishkeeping.

 

[BettaFishGirl]

I've never had tannins in my 7 Betta tanks and everyone is happy and healthy. Though they do have benefits, and if you want your tank to be a blackwater tank they look really cool.

 

[Mr_Harrys]

no, i don't want a blackwater tank, i want clear water as the tank is small. that's why i went for light gravel, to light it up a bit.

 

[BettaFishGirl]

no, i don't want a blackwater tank, i want clear water as the tank is small. that's why i went for light gravel, to light it up a bit.

How much carbon do you have? Water changes should eventually get rid of them.

 

[Mr_Harrys]

0.5 kg (1.10231 lb) I have no use for that much but it was the only box I've managed to found at the pet shop across the street, and i was to lazy to drive to the mall at the northern side of the city )) The filter came with a sponge, a small sack of ceramic rings and a small sack of carbon.

Also got some fertilizers.

 

[Mr_Harrys]

Fish & creature list update:

2 neritina snails
4 caridina crystal red shrimps

8 neon tetra

Now I can't decided if i'll go for only 1 thick lipped gourami or only 1 dwarf gourami (i tend towards this one)

 

[Kolykaf]

I did something stupid while placing the new root and rearranging some stones, by mistake i mixed the fertile substrate with the gravel. Do I need to replace the entire substrate+the gravel?

Not at all. Just put some more gravel on top if you don't like the look of the mixed substrates.

 

[Kolykaf]

Fish & creature list update:

2 neritina snails
4 caridina crystal red shrimps

8 neon tetra

Now I can't decided if i'll go for only 1 thick lipped gourami or only 1 dwarf gourami (i tend towards this one)

Crystal reds are beautiful shrimp, but they are unforgiving when it comes to water parameters. If you are using CO2, I wouldn't recommend them. It is also a big risk putting them in with those species of gourami, they may end up as snacks. (There is also a problem with an iridovirus plaguing many dwarf gourami in the trade.)

 

[Mr_Harrys]

So in this case i think i'll change my cleaning crew to the snail and...2 kuhlii?

 

[BettaFishGirl]

So in this case i think i'll change my cleaning crew to the snail and...2 kuhlii?

Definitely not. Kuhlis need at least 8 and plain sand. They will be very stressed with only 2. You could try Neocaridina shrimp, specifically cherry shrimp. They are easy to care for and if they are happy they will breed. You could also add some ghost shrimp. They are really cheap (50 cents for 10), and I really like them. They are good at cleaning and look really good with cherries.

 

[Mr_Harrys]

Did a water change, also replaced the carbon in the filter. Also I realized why the heater was not working properly, it was on the side of the filter instead of it being in the water flow. Fixed that and now it's all fine.

So regarding the fish the 2 snails and the neon tetra are a must have. For the rest of the cleaning crew I'm up for ideas... I want them to be able to properly do their job ))

What is your opinion on Neocaridina Blue Aura. They are so beautiful!!!

 

[Kolykaf]

Did a water change, also replaced the carbon in the filter. Also I realized why the heater was not working properly, it was on the side of the filter instead of it being in the water flow. Fixed that and now it's all fine.

So regarding the fish the 2 snails and the neon tetra are a must have. For the rest of the cleaning crew I'm up for ideas... I want them to be able to properly do their job ))

What is your opinion on Neocaridina Blue Aura. They are so beautiful!!!

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Your tank is looking great! Neocaridina shrimp are much hardier, so I’d give them a thumbs up. But, don’t feel as though you need a clean up crew. Your hands will be the best clean up crew your tank has. If you’re set on getting shrimp that will help take care of uneaten food or algae, you can’t beat amanos- they are much more effective than their smaller cousins, and much easier to care for (though not as colorful). If I were setting up a 15 gallon, I’d probably choose ten neons and ten habrosus corys. The neons provide lots of color and the corys lots of wiggling activity. With good filtration and plenty of plants, that would fully stock the tank (you could even add a couple of nerites and some neocaridina shrimp). Be warned about nerites: they lay sesame seed-like eggs on everything! The eggs won’t hatch in freshwater, but they’re near impossible to remove from rocks and driftwood.

 

[Mr_Harrys]

Aren't 20 fish too much? My goal was to keep it under 14. Also won't the honey gourami eat the nerite eggs?

 

[Essjay]

Also won't the honey gourami eat the nerite eggs?

Nothing eats nerite eggs. Since they don't hatch, the eggs stay wherever the snails laid them for ever. They can be scraped off glass and rocks but not wood or plants.

 

[Kolykaf]

Aren't 20 fish too much? My goal was to keep it under 14. Also won't the honey gourami eat the nerite eggs?

I don’t think 20 small fish is too many in a 15, especially when there are only 2 species and one is primarily a bottom dweller. (Not that there’s a whole lot of stratification in a 15, but still.)
The gourami will not eat the eggs.