Soft water 35cm cube stocking

[ZanaZoola14]

Hello,

I am looking to change my current nano reef tank to a freshwater tank. I have previously kept freshwater and feel this sized tank would be better as a freshwater tank than salt.

The inside display tank dimensions are roughly 35cmX27cmX30cm (length x width x height). 35x35x35cm including the AIO chamber.

I have already started the set up of the tank, after a very deep clean, using wio substrate, titan rocks and corbo wood. So everything except the plants is very dark nearly black in colour.

The tank is filled with RO/DI water alongside peat. So has tannins and is a very low ph currently.

It will be planted with marsilea, some crypts, narrow and trident java ferns, alongside buce and likely some anubias.

I am not 100% on what I am going to stock this tank with. I am thinking maybe
Scarlet or tiger Dario, sparkling gourami, neon red blue eye rainbowfish. However, I also don't know whether to do any kind of apistogramma instead of the Dario, or a wild betta instead of the sparkling gourami, or maybe spotted instead of neon. Maybe even some licorice gourami as the tank will be suitable for them as well.

Kind of lost on where to take this now, except this is set up similar to how I previously bred licorice gourami.

Any opinions or ideas appreciated, many thanks.

 

[jaylach]

If I'm reading right that is a REALLY small tank. I would be think more along the lines of shrimp.

 

[ZanaZoola14]

If I'm reading right that is a REALLY small tank. I would be think more along the lines of shrimp.

Total tank volume is around 35ltrs.

 

[jaylach]

Total tank volume is around 35ltrs.

OK, so you have a bit under a 10 gallon tank. In that water volume you would be at the bare minimum for 2 licorice gourami but not much else if anything.

 

[CassCats]

A single male Scarlet badis (Dario dario) could work, might need to remineralize the water slightly though.

Small volume of water plus being a cube shape, you are very, very limited on options. Wild betta typically need larger setups, as do many on your list of considerations. The length of the tank is crucial to well being and territorial integrity.

 

[ZanaZoola14]

OK, so you have a bit under a 10 gallon tank. In that water volume you would be at the bare minimum for 2 licorice gourami but not much else if anything.

A single male Scarlet badis (Dario dario) could work, might need to remineralize the water slightly though.

Small volume of water plus being a cube shape, you are very, very limited on options. Wild betta typically need larger setups, as do many on your list of considerations. The length of the tank is crucial to well being and territorial integrity.

Alright, thank you for the replies.

I do have some remineraliser if needed as well.

 

[jaylach]

Alright, thank you for the replies.

I do have some remineraliser if needed as well.

I would not go with the Scarlet badis (Dario dario). It is almost always a bad idea to try to change the water to fit a fish. It is always much better to fit the fish to the water.

 

[CassCats]

I would not go with the Scarlet badis (Dario dario). It is almost always a bad idea to try to change the water to fit a fish. It is always much better to fit the fish to the water.

They're already using RO water.

If they're using it straight, there's no mineral content to it, and very few fish would be suitable for this tank size that require a GH of 0 and a pH below 6.

 

[jaylach]

They're already using RO water.

If they're using it straight, there's no mineral content to it, and very few fish would be suitable for this tank size that require a GH of 0 and a pH below 6.

Sadly there are not a lot of fish suitable to this tank size. Mayhaps I'm wrong but I just don't like RO, and the like, solutions for making water OK for fish and now we talk about adding stuff to defeat the RO water. I just don't like this idea. I'll look at my water's natural state and find fish I like that will fit.

 

[ZanaZoola14]

Sadly there are not a lot of fish suitable to this tank size. Mayhaps I'm wrong but I just don't like RO, and the like, solutions for making water OK for fish and now we talk about adding stuff to defeat the RO water. I just don't like this idea. I'll look at my water's natural state and find fish I like that will fit.

My natural water comes out as hard as a rock, and with some traces of ammonia alongside nitrate already at 50ppm. If I used my normal water then I would not be able to keep fish. I also have the RO unit as I keep marine.

 

[ZanaZoola14]

I would not go with the Scarlet badis (Dario dario). It is almost always a bad idea to try to change the water to fit a fish. It is always much better to fit the fish to the water.

I have previously kept a group before alongside trios of tiger Dario (in a different tank), and has no issues. Remineralising once you get the hang of it isn't that difficult when you make sure to mineralise the same amount each time to learn the amount needed (I used to do 25ltr barrels at a time)

 

[jaylach]

My natural water comes out as hard as a rock, and with some traces of ammonia alongside nitrate already at 50ppm. If I used my normal water then I would not be able to keep fish. I also have the RO unit as I keep marine.

I would love for you to help me to understand the above. A salt tank NEEDS hard water as that is the natural state.

It sounds like you are giving marine advice for a fresh water tank but they just don't work the same. I mean zero insult or anything as I'm sure you have the best of intentions but you just can't apply salt conditions to a fresh water tank.

Oh, as I said, I prefer to match fish to water but a high natural nitrate level makes it hard to do. Nitrates of 50 PPM are actually OK for many fish but it cuts down options a lot. Still I'd look for fish with a high nitrate tolerance before trying to win the losing battle of making the water fit the fish.

 

[ZanaZoola14]

I would love for you to help me to understand the above. A salt tank NEEDS hard water as that is the natural state.

It sounds like you are giving marine advice for a fresh water tank but they just don't work the same. I mean zero insult or anything as I'm sure you have the best of intentions but you just can't apply salt conditions to a fresh water tank.

Oh, as I said, I prefer to match fish to water but a high natural nitrate level makes it hard to do. Nitrates of 50 PPM are actually OK for many fish but it cuts down options a lot. Still I'd look for fish with a high nitrate tolerance before trying to win the losing battle of making the water fit the fish.

I couldn't run a sw tank using tap, old copper pipes so there is some copper in the tank which you really shouldn't have in a marine if you ever want shrimp or similar. And I will not run a fw tank using my tap either. I lost all my fw tanks previously because I used tap water, I don't want to just keep guppies or something when soft water fish like apistogrammas have always been my favourite. I also have chloramine in my tap which means I will have to use something to make it safe anyway. So I might as well keep the fish I want anyway.

I have an African tank and I am debating stripping it, I am not enjoying it. That runs off water similar to my tap, but they are not catching my eye. I tried to run similar to my natural water but it doesn't work for me.

Of course, this is all opinions and such. You prefer to match fish to water. I prefer to to keep fish that I do enjoy, even if that means using RO or something.

 

[seangee]

My natural water comes out as hard as a rock, and with some traces of ammonia alongside nitrate already at 50ppm. If I used my normal water then I would not be able to keep fish. I also have the RO unit as I keep marine.

I'm in the same boat with my tap water for tropicals. I only use RO and remineralise where appropriate - very soft, acidic water doesn't work for everything

 

[ZanaZoola14]

I'm in the same boat with my tap water for tropicals. I only use RO and remineralise where appropriate - very soft, acidic water doesn't work for everything

The RO gives the capacity for me to make very soft all the way up to very hard, like my African tank. At the moment this tank is a bit of a blank slate, I could make it as soft or as hard as I want at this point while there is no current live stock. But softies are my favourites.