New Tank Advice

[benjoey]

Hi all,
Its been about 10 years since I last kept tropical fish and I'm looking at getting a 240L juwel Rio. I'm just after some advice really.
The tank is going to be set up in an alcove of a fireplace and surrounded by houseplants, so I would really like to create something in keeping and have a planted tank.

This is what I'm roughly thinking, I wiuld really appreciate help with compatibility and suitability of what I'm thinking.

Dark 3d background to make plants and fish pop.

Either bogwood or some kind of stone, or a combination of both.

Limiting plants to easy grown varieties that dont require alot of maintenance, was thinking anubias attached to all the bogwood. I was thinking of limiting plants in the substrate so I could have a sand substrate with lots of room for some bottom dwellers.

Stocking I would definitely like cherry shrimp. Also would quite like some cory's and a nice schooling fish. The last tank I had a had harlequin rasboras in a lightly planted tank with bogwood but they alwwys semmed to stay in one place( I think it was a 120l tank. I would really like some schooling fish that are more active and that will move around the tank more (I think I need to work out how to arrange the tank wood / rock and plants to facilitate this and maybe the 240l tank will be better).
Also was thinking of having the tank stocked on the lighter side. I also want to add a blue LED striplight that will be on a timer to come on in the evenings for an hour or so once the main tank lights have gone ofd so was thinking a schooling fish that would be highlighted by the blue light would be nice.
Any thoughts you have would be much appreciated
Thanks
Ben

 

[imw]

I have recently set up a Jewel Rio 240. Sand Substrate, and planted. No fish as yet, but that is another story.

Your plan sounds sound, maybe wait a few months before you add the corys. Just do not over do the lighting period. And above all, take your time and enjoy.

 

[hansgruber7]

Sounds like a great plan. Anubias sound great. Maybe consider Java fern and a floating plant like frogbit too. As for schooling fish. They are super common, but I love my Neon Tetras and they may fit what you're looking for. Celestial Pearl Danios are also wonderful fish but aren't as hardy as Neon Tetras.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

All sounds well thought out and, fish aside, very similar to my first tank and the one I've just recently started.

 

[Byron]

The Jewel 240 is listed as 121 cm (4 feet) length, this will help in suggesting fish. What are the parameters of your source water? GH and pH particularly, KH if you know it.

 

[benjoey]

Im not sure on the parameters, I havent got the tank yet, I can get a test kit soon to find out, According to the local water authority the water is described as slightly hard. These are there average results fro. Water testing not sure if it is meaningful.

Hardness Total as CaCO3=109 mg CaCO3/l
Alkalinity as CaCO3 = 54.7 mg/l
Hydrogen ion (pH) = 7.44

From 10 years ago i think the water is fairly neutral but would have to test to check.

 

[benjoey]

I quite like the idea of either neon or carinal tetras, cherry shrimp and ome corys. I believe they have similar water rwquirements? But neons prefer more densely planted wheres cardinals require more open areas?
Thanks for all the replies

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I quite like the idea of either neon or carinal tetras, cherry shrimp and ome corys. I believe they have similar water rwquirements? But neons prefer more densely planted wheres cardinals require more open areas?
Thanks for all the replies

Not sure what the situation is in your neck of the woods, but Neons tend to be quite weedy and wishy-washy around me*, whereas the Cardinals all look bright and basically Good Fish. I notice that their price has dropped significantly and they are now comparable to the Neons, cost-wise.

*Evidence, perhaps, of the results of Neon Tetra disease, back at the fishfarms.

 

[Byron]

Im not sure on the parameters, I havent got the tank yet, I can get a test kit soon to find out, According to the local water authority the water is described as slightly hard. These are there average results fro. Water testing not sure if it is meaningful.

Hardness Total as CaCO3=109 mg CaCO3/l
Alkalinity as CaCO3 = 54.7 mg/l
Hydrogen ion (pH) = 7.44

From 10 years ago i think the water is fairly neutral but would have to test to check.

This is a perfect example of why we always ask for numbers. A GH of 109 ppm [mg/l is same as ppm] which equates to 6 dH [the ppm and dH scales are the common ones in the hobby] is soft water, not moderately hard. So that gives us a good starting point. Check with the water authority, it may be posted on their website or call them. But I will assume the numbers to be correct.

Avoid all livebearers, rift lake cichlids, some rainbowfishes (but not all), and a few others. That leaves almost all the fish from South America, and SE Asia. Quite a variety.

 

[Byron]

I quite like the idea of either neon or carinal tetras, cherry shrimp and ome corys. I believe they have similar water rwquirements? But neons prefer more densely planted wheres cardinals require more open areas?
Thanks for all the replies

Most forest fish will have identical requirements respecting parameters [already covered that] and aquascaping. None like overhead light, so floating plants are very beneficial, and they also remove all the ammonia the fish could ever produce. You could have lower plants (rooted in the substrate, or attached to wood or rock like mosses, ferns), or no plants but lots of sticks and dried leaves, with a sand substrate. Sand is your best option as it has no negatives when it comes to fish or plants.

 

[Essjay]

benjoey said the water company uses the words "slightly hard". In the UK these words mean in the band 100 to 150 ppm and 5.6 to 8.4 dH. The numbers they give fit into this band.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

benjoey said the water company uses the words "slightly hard". In the UK these words mean in the band 100 to 150 ppm and 5.6 to 8.4 dH. The numbers they give fit into this band.

'Slightly hard' is a tattoo, but of mother and a rose.

 

[Byron]

benjoey said the water company uses the words "slightly hard". In the UK these words mean in the band 100 to 150 ppm and 5.6 to 8.4 dH. The numbers they give fit into this band.

I use this chart, which I found I can't remember where, but I have seen it in a few places. I certainly would not use the word "hard" with water at 6 or even 7.

0 - 4 dGH 0 - 70 ppm very soft
4 - 8 dGH 70 - 140 ppm soft
8 - 12 dGH 140 - 210 ppm medium hard
12 - 18 dGH 210 - 320 ppm fairly hard
18 - 30 dGH 320 - 530 ppm hard
over 30 dGH over 530 ppm very hard

 

[Colin_T]

You don't need a 3D background. Just use some black card or a black picture on the back to make the fish and plants contrast.

 

[Essjay]

Most water companies in the UK use this scale (though a couple use a different one) and the words they use can mislead fishkeepers into thinking they need to keep hard water fish when their water is not what we would call hard.

Water company words -
0 - 2.8 dH; 0 - 50 ppm = soft
2.8 - 5.6 dH; 50 to 100 ppm = moderately soft
5.6 - 8.4 dH; 100 - 150 ppm = slightly hard
8.4 - 11.2 dH; 150 - 200 ppm = moderately hard
11.2 - 16.8 dH; 200 - 300 ppm = hard
over 16.8 dH; over 300 ppm = very hard

This is the reason I usually ask British members to look for a number on their water provider's website as many of the words they use are not the same as we would use.