New Tank Suggestions?

[JenniferWarms]

So I recently decided to get into fishkeeping as a hobby. I had always enjoyed having an aquarium when I was a child, although I don't think my dad really knew what he was doing.. so now that I'm older and in charge of my own tank I've been doing a lot of heavy research and trying to do everything PERFECTLY. I bought a 28 gallon bowfront tank 24 x 16 x 18 and let it cycle for a week before adding any fish. (That was hard, but I managed

) Anyways, so I bought three zebra danio's and three mollies. I plan to go back for three more danio's when it' time to add more fish, and I'm going to breed my own mollies.

So it's been three weeks since I added them and I've been watching them and monitoring the water closely. Now I have a few questions, and I hope it's alright if I put them all in here instead of making a a bunch of different threads:

1) How soon can I add more to the tank? I was told a month, but then I've also heard three weeks could be sufficient. Asking because I might be going to my fish store soon, and it'd be nice to save a trip.

2) For bottom feeders, I was interested in a pleco as I think are most new fish keepers, but I've recently learned that my tank might not be large enough for one as they can grow to be quite big. Is there any similar type of fish that would thrive in my tank I could use as a substitute?

3) Is water changing 20-25% once a week preferable compared to more in depth cleaning over a longer period of time?

4) Lastly, what are some fish suggestions I could add with these relatively peaceful group? I'd like some variety so I can get to know different species. It can be a little overwhelming with all the different compatibilities and wide selection. I'd like one or two bigger fish than the schoolers to add some different variety, but I don't want to if they won't thrive in my tank size. What are some good options?

 

[GuppyPerson89586]

Hi!
Personally, I Would go for a three to four week wait, let your tank do it's thing first.
A huge recommendation would be the too cats, which are the otoclinclus catfish, are great for cleaning, and they stay a pretty small size! You can get these little guys in groups of 5+. They are social and very peaceful. The algae eaters are the less better package, but still and alternative for the Plecos. They tend to get pretty aggressive and since it looks like you're starting to build a community tank, they are exactly my best choice.
Moving on to the non-fish species, there would be shrimp. Such as the cherry, animo, and the ghost shrimp, etc. They are the cutest little critters and aren't that hard, and they are also you average friendly neighbour! Nerite snails were the super janitors of my 6 gal for a short month, and they still are! They come in a couple colours and patterns, not to mention their great sense of curiosity!
It would be better if you did a little bit of both from time to time, both are needed to have happy, and healthy fish.
Okay, so guppies are one of the most famous species in the domestic area, so I would definitely suggest them because they are, for one, very social, very clever, and get along great with anything! I have 3 guppies of my own and they live in my main tank with mollies and 6 sliver tip tetras. Other tetras, mollies, and some platies are also very good community fish.

 

[sharkweek178]

First thing you'll want to do is find out your water hardness. If you don't know it, you can find it on your water company website or look it up online but zip code.

 

[sharkweek178]

And what are your current water parameters? It takes longer than a week for a tank to cycle.

 

[biofish]

There are varieties of pleco that stay small! Two common ones are bristlenose pleco who max out at 4-5 inches. And another one is a clown pleco that max out around 3-4 inches. I have two of both, the clown plecos I’ve had for 2 years and I can guarantee they are small. I would personally NOT recommend otoclinclus catfish. They require a much more established tank in order for the biofilm to build up to a level that can support them. A tank should be about 6 months old before you add the little otos. I also tried them a few times when I got into fish keeping and none of them survived a week. The pleco on the other hand, are much more hardy, at least with my experience. The clown pleco are shy and spend most of the day hiding. The bristlenose are very active though, all over the tank constantly. My clown pleco are tank veterans; they stuck with me from my first 10 gallon. I just wish they were a bit braver LOL.

For algae clean I would recommend nerite snails. They leave eggs everywhere but they won’t hatch in a freshwater tank. They stay relatively small too, and are just constantly munching away! I have 4 types of snails and the nerites are by far the most hardworking. The pleco will do some, but not nearly as much as you would expect.

And the tried and true ultimate peaceful fish would be Cory catfish. Truly the cutest fish ever. I have way too many, just watching them scurry on the sand substrate and pop up to the water surface for air every now and then. They school and like to explore or just chill. They often add a nice relaxing energy to a tank to balance out their typically much more active tankmates.

My experience with danios is that they can be fin nippers in smaller numbers, so try and avoid long fined/slow moving fish unless you got a nice school so they can be terrors to each other! I successfully keep glo zebra danios, glo tetra, and one other tetra type together. I also love cherry barbs. I have 10 in my 55 and they offer a fantastic splash of red.

As for water changes, it depends on the substrate and level of plants. I have heavily planted sand tanks that I can’t clean the substrate even if I wanted to. Gravel tanks get a LOT filthier than sand. All those cracks for poo to fall in and get stuck, plus fry can get stuck and accidentally get squished. So I would say gravel in general needs more frequent in depth cleaning

 

[hobby5]

Hello Jen

I would not put zebra danio in such a small tank. They are very active and fast swimmers and the most fun in larger group of 10+ fish. Also for the mollies the tank is pretty small.

What kind of substrate do you have? Can you post a pic of the whole tank please?

 

[sharkweek178]

So I recently decided to get into fishkeeping as a hobby. I had always enjoyed having an aquarium when I was a child, although I don't think my dad really knew what he was doing.. so now that I'm older and in charge of my own tank I've been doing a lot of heavy research and trying to do everything PERFECTLY. I bought a 28 gallon bowfront tank 24 x 16 x 18 and let it cycle for a week before adding any fish. (That was hard, but I managed

) Anyways, so I bought three zebra danio's and three mollies. I plan to go back for three more danio's when it' time to add more fish, and I'm going to breed my own mollies.

So it's been three weeks since I added them and I've been watching them and monitoring the water closely. Now I have a few questions, and I hope it's alright if I put them all in here instead of making a a bunch of different threads:

1) How soon can I add more to the tank? I was told a month, but then I've also heard three weeks could be sufficient. Asking because I might be going to my fish store soon, and it'd be nice to save a trip.

2) For bottom feeders, I was interested in a pleco as I think are most new fish keepers, but I've recently learned that my tank might not be large enough for one as they can grow to be quite big. Is there any similar type of fish that would thrive in my tank I could use as a substitute?

3) Is water changing 20-25% once a week preferable compared to more in depth cleaning over a longer period of time?

4) Lastly, what are some fish suggestions I could add with these relatively peaceful group? I'd like some variety so I can get to know different species. It can be a little overwhelming with all the different compatibilities and wide selection. I'd like one or two bigger fish than the schoolers to add some different variety, but I don't want to if they won't thrive in my tank size. What are some good options?

Problem with even the smallest pleco like a bristlenose is that they are a heavy bio load fish. Even if the fish physically fits in the tank, they can quickly foul the water up. They're better off in at the very least a 30 gallon tank.
When you say substitute, could you clarity what you mean please? Do you mean something that inhabits the bottom area of the tank or do you mean something that will clean the tank?