Starting Fresh

[I Like Rare Fish]

Back in my early days of fish keeping I bought pool filter sand. It is a good substrate for outside tanks, where the sun gives a more natural light, and it isn’t as bright.

I went with a pure white ‘sugar’ sand for my community tank.

I think you should start giving numbers for your stocking. If you say 40 fish I am getting stressed out. You say most are tetras, but does most mean 10,20,30? If I where you this is the stock list I would use

Neon Tetra: 15
Dwarf Chain Loach: 7
Clown Killifish: 5-7
Bolivian rams: do well in groups of 6
Amani Shrimp: great cleaners, I would add 10 in a 55. They don’t do anything to the bio load.
Stiphodon Goby: Don’t know much about them except that they need an established tank, and can be hard to take care of.

Clown killifish are jumpers, so make sure to have a nice lid. Most of the fish you picked out are not beginner fish, and do require some special parameters, so warning you on that.

Good luck, I hope this helped!

 

[Byron]

Posted here: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/quarantine-tank.483242/ but do you think a 16" cube tank (14gal) would be suitable for the fish I listed purely for QT?

If you have the space, a basic 20g would be my choice over a basic 10g, but having said that, if space is the limiting factor, the 10g will certainly be sufficient. The fish mentioned in the link will be acquired as fry or very young, and not need the sort of space that mature fish would, so as a QT it will work fine.

 

[djlombar]

Back in my early days of fish keeping I bought pool filter sand. It is a good substrate for outside tanks, where the sun gives a more natural light, and it isn’t as bright.

I went with a pure white ‘sugar’ sand for my community tank.

I think you should start giving numbers for your stocking. If you say 40 fish I am getting stressed out. You say most are tetras, but does most mean 10,20,30? If I where you this is the stock list I would use

Neon Tetra: 15
Dwarf Chain Loach: 7
Clown Killifish: 5-7
Bolivian rams: do well in groups of 6
Amani Shrimp: great cleaners, I would add 10 in a 55. They don’t do anything to the bio load.
Stiphodon Goby: Don’t know much about them except that they need an established tank, and can be hard to take care of.

Clown killifish are jumpers, so make sure to have a nice lid. Most of the fish you picked out are not beginner fish, and do require some special parameters, so warning you on that.

Good luck, I hope this helped!

40 included the shrimp, so ~30 not including them The numbers you gave are on par with what I was originally thinking (except replacing 5-6 Tetra with an extra 2 or 3 Bolivian Rams).

Definitely going to have a glass lid!

I may reconsider some and look at them for future. The Goby would definitely be the last I added; I used to do a lot of scuba diving and I just love their behavior. I know freshwater will be a bit different but I've got a soft spot for the ground guys. Any others you'd recommend? Plecos are just alright IMO.

 

[emeraldking]

Welcome to TFF...
Your plans look fine. Post some photos of the tank once you've got it running...

 

[djlombar]

Hey all, especially @Byron @Wills @Rocky998 @emeraldking. Coming back with an update! I've got both tanks hardscaped and planted. The 14g quarantine tank is officially cycled and I added a few nerite snails and some cherry shrimp (some ghost shrimp made their way in so 2 or 3 of them too). The 55g tank is still being cycled but I was able to jumpstart it with some extra filter media from the 14g so I have nitrates already and ammonia is dropping (though nitrites are still too high so not stocking anything yet).

I'm thinking once the 55g is ready I will start with Neon Tetra (maybe 14 or so) and Panda Corys (start with maybe 6-8 and add more on down the road). Curious what your thoughts are on starting stocking. I was thinking of two options:

1. Getting 6-8 Panda Corys now and putting them in the quarantine tank. Let the 55g finish cycling (probably another week or two) and adding the 14 Neon Tetra to that 55g tank. Once they pass their 6ish week "quarantine" (since they would be the first fish in there) I'd move the Corys over.
2. The reverse: start with the Neon Tetras in the 14g and Panda Corys (definitely more than 6 if this route) in the 55g.

I like #1 more just because the Corys can help do some cleanup, though I love shrimp and wouldn't be opposed to adding more as cleanup crew. Thoughts?
Regardless of which I do I am curious as to something like 8 Panda Corys in a 14g. It would definitely not be their permanent home but if they're in there for up to 8 weeks of quarantine will that be ok for them? And similarly something like 14 Neon Tetra in 14g for 6-8 weeks.

 

[Rocky998]

Hey all, especially @Byron @Wills @Rocky998 @emeraldking. Coming back with an update! I've got both tanks hardscaped and planted. The 14g quarantine tank is officially cycled and I added a few nerite snails and some cherry shrimp (some ghost shrimp made their way in so 2 or 3 of them too). The 55g tank is still being cycled but I was able to jumpstart it with some extra filter media from the 14g so I have nitrates already and ammonia is dropping (though nitrites are still too high so not stocking anything yet).

I'm thinking once the 55g is ready I will start with Neon Tetra (maybe 14 or so) and Panda Corys (start with maybe 6-8 and add more on down the road). Curious what your thoughts are on starting stocking. I was thinking of two options:

1. Getting 6-8 Panda Corys now and putting them in the quarantine tank. Let the 55g finish cycling (probably another week or two) and adding the 14 Neon Tetra to that 55g tank. Once they pass their 6ish week "quarantine" (since they would be the first fish in there) I'd move the Corys over.
2. The reverse: start with the Neon Tetras in the 14g and Panda Corys (definitely more than 6 if this route) in the 55g.

I like #1 more just because the Corys can help do some cleanup, though I love shrimp and wouldn't be opposed to adding more as cleanup crew. Thoughts?
Regardless of which I do I am curious as to something like 8 Panda Corys in a 14g. It would definitely not be their permanent home but if they're in there for up to 8 weeks of quarantine will that be ok for them? And similarly something like 14 Neon Tetra in 14g for 6-8 weeks.

View attachment 168048

Whoa... That looks amazing

 

[Rocky998]

Glad to here it's cycled man!
Also you should look into Cardinal tetras instead of neons. They are wayyyyy hardier. Neons are pretty sensitive

Do you know the hardness of your water and the PH?
Make sure you do a large water change the day before getting fish just to be safe.

I think you've done amazing! Nice work!

 

[Rocky998]

Oh wait you already have the neons. Misread it as your WERE going to get them... I really hope they hold strong for you

 

[djlombar]

Glad to here it's cycled man!
Also you should look into Cardinal tetras instead of neons. They are wayyyyy hardier. Neons are pretty sensitive

Do you know the hardness of your water and the PH?
Make sure you do a large water change the day before getting fish just to be safe.

I think you've done amazing! Nice work!

Thanks!

Noted, I've been back and forth on Neon vs Cardinal but didn't realize the Cardinal are more hardy. I leaned towards Neon just because I can actually get them, none of my LFS have Cardinals and if things are how they were years ago it can take them months to get something in (may order from AquaHuna instead).

Need to do a hardness test (will report back later today). PH has been sitting between 6.8-7.2.

 

[djlombar]

Oh wait you already have the neons. Misread it as your WERE going to get them... I really hope they hold strong for you

No I don't have any fish. "Just" some snails and shrimp (I love watching them honestly)

 

[Rocky998]

Oh ok! Sorry.

Seems like you have a plan. Also I would add to the corydora group you're planning. You can have an easy 15 in a 55

 

[djlombar]

Oh ok! Sorry.

Seems like you have a plan. Also I would add to the corydora group you're planning. You can have an easy 15 in a 55

For the Corys yeah I would want a dozen optimally but if they're in a 14g quarantine tank for 6-8 weeks that's where my concerns are.
Thoughts on Tetra in 55g and Corys in 14g or Corys in 55g and Cardinals in 14g first?

 

[Rocky998]

For the Corys yeah I would want a dozen optimally but if they're in a 14g quarantine tank for 6-8 weeks that's where my concerns are.
Thoughts on Tetra in 55g and Corys in 14g or Corys in 55g and Cardinals in 14g first?

I would do corydoras first... My view is to start at the bottom and work your way up. Lol

After you qt them then you can qt another batch to put in. So say you do a group of 6-8 at first and then another group of 6-8

 

[djlombar]

I would do corydoras first... My view is to start at the bottom and work your way up. Lol

After you qt them then you can qt another batch to put in. So say you do a group of 6-8 at first and then another group of 6-8

Sounds good thanks! And good rule of thumb

Thinking on it now maybe I go with some mid-dwelling fish other than the Neon/Cardinal Tetra and wait to add them until after the tank is well established? I am pretty set on Clown Killifish but would add those after having some mid-dwelling fish.

 

[Rocky998]

Sounds good thanks! And good rule of thumb

Thinking on it now maybe I go with some mid-dwelling fish other than the Neon/Cardinal Tetra and wait to add them until after the tank is well established? I am pretty set on Clown Killifish but would add those after having some mid-dwelling fish.

Sounds good dude!