Which fish should I choose???

[Fishareconfusing101]

For the green killing machine if your getting shrimp and snails you probably won’t need it unless it’s the algae that turns you water green. If you want you could take it just to case but you most likely wouldn’t use it. For plants (also a plant lover here) I love Amazon swords as a starter plant! Super easy and forgiving just make sure you don’t put them too deep. Also a fan of Anubis (idk if that’s how you spell it sorry) I have some growing on one of my logs. Along with that floating plants are awesome but just not duckweed because it could get out of control. That’s all I have to say for now! Good luck!

 

[Seisage]

A little algae here and there isn't a problem. I'm not sure what machine your friend is talking about but excess algae is usually caused by too much of something (light, nutrients etc) so it would always be preferable to treat the cause rather than just the symptoms if you did find yourself in a situation where you have an algae outbreak.

What is this machine exactly? The corys don't eat algae but biofilm would help them out.

Quoting you guys as an FYI. I looked it up and apparently it's an in-line UV sterilizer

I agree with Lcc and Tacocat though, a bit of algae isn't a problem, and a UV sterilizer might be a bit overkill, especially for a new tank where you might actually want to have some degree of biofilm accumulation.

 

[Essjay]

Do I need the algae for the Cory's?

No, because they are not algae eaters. They need a 'meat' based diet and in the wild eat tiny crustaceans, worms etc. They will graze on algae looking for tiny bugs in there, and eat a bit of algae but it's not their main food. They need to be fed on sinking pellets containing fish products or insects (eg Fluval bug bites) and fresh or frozen live food.

 

[Lebe]

No, because they are not algae eaters. They need a 'meat' based diet and in the wild eat tiny crustaceans, worms etc. They will graze on algae looking for tiny bugs in there, and eat a bit of algae but it's not their main food. They need to be fed on sinking pellets containing fish products or insects (eg Fluval bug bites) and fresh or frozen live food.

Thank you

 

[Lebe]

For the green killing machine if your getting shrimp and snails you probably won’t need it unless it’s the algae that turns you water green. If you want you could take it just to case but you most likely wouldn’t use it. For plants (also a plant lover here) I love Amazon swords as a starter plant! Super easy and forgiving just make sure you don’t put them too deep. Also a fan of Anubis (idk if that’s how you spell it sorry) I have some growing on one of my logs. Along with that floating plants are awesome but just not duckweed because it could get out of control. That’s all I have to say for now! Good luck!

Thank you

 

[sharkweek178]

Thank you
I have soft water

Can you tell us the number? That would help.

 

[sharkweek178]

The best plants (IMO) you can add to your aquarium are fast growing floating plants. Salvinia minima, anacharis, water wisteria, hornwort, water sprite, Amazon frogbit, guppy grass, red root floaters. They suck nutrients directly out of the water column. And because they grow fast, they absorb a lot. Which is good. They suck out bad stuff like ammonia and really help the water quality. Plus they provide shade and shelter which your fish will appreciate. Super easy to maintain. You don't even need to plant them. Just drop them in. After that, all you need to do is add a little liquid fertilizer and remove some every once in a while so they don't overwhelm the water surface.

 

[Lebe]

Can you tell us the number? That would help.

Not sure I'm getting a test kit tomorrow.

 

[Lebe]

Can you tell us the number? That would help.

Not sure I'm getting a test kit tomorrow

The best plants (IMO) you can add to your aquarium are fast growing floating plants. Salvinia minima, anacharis, water wisteria, hornwort, water sprite, Amazon frogbit, guppy grass, red root floaters. They suck nutrients directly out of the water column. And because they grow fast, they absorb a lot. Which is good. They suck out bad stuff like ammonia and really help the water quality. Plus they provide shade and shelter which your fish will appreciate. Super easy to maintain. You don't even need to plant them. Just drop them in. After that, all you need to do is add a little liquid fertilizer and remove some every once in a while so they don't overwhelm the water surface.

Thanks, I'll look them up

 

[sharkweek178]

Not sure I'm getting a test kit tomorrow

Thanks, I'll look them up

If you're using tap water, you can check the water company website.

 

[Essjay]

Stalybridge is with United Utilities.

Go to this page, scroll down a bit and enter your postcode in the box

Water quality | United Utilities

To find out the quality of the water in your area.

www.unitedutilities.com

That will give your water quality page with a summary box and a table. There are two tables, select 'full'. The first item is "alkalinity as CaCO3", which is what water companies call KH. Make a note of the number in the average column. Then scroll down the table to "hardness total as CaCO3" which is GH, and again note the number in the average column. Then post the two numbers here.

 

[Lebe]

Stalybridge is with United Utilities.

Go to this page, scroll down a bit and enter your postcode in the box

Water quality | United Utilities

To find out the quality of the water in your area.

www.unitedutilities.com

That will give your water quality page with a summary box and a table. There are two tables, select 'full'. The first item is "alkalinity as CaCO3", which is what water companies call KH. Make a note of the number in the average column. Then scroll down the table to "hardness total as CaCO3" which is GH, and again note the number in the average column. Then post the two numbers here.

KH is <9.59
GH is 38

 

[Essjay]

There are two hardness units used in fish keeping - ppm, which is the same as mg/l CaCO3 and dH.

GH 38 ppm/2.1 dH is very soft water.
KH <9.59/<0.6dKH is very low, which means you have very little buffer to stop the pH falling.

There are lots of fish which will love your water. You have just about all fish from south America and many form Asia to choose from. Avoid the common livebearers, rainbowfish and Rift Lake and central American cichlids. We have a member who uses only reverse osmosis water so his GH and KH are lower than yours, and his soft water fish thrive in that.
I would also check the hardness range of any fish you wish to buy on Seriously Fish.

 

[Lebe]

There are two hardness units used in fish keeping - ppm, which is the same as mg/l CaCO3 and dH.

GH 38 ppm/2.1 dH is very soft water.
KH <9.59/<0.6dKH is very low, which means you have very little buffer to stop the pH falling.

There are lots of fish which will love your water. You have just about all fish from south America and many form Asia to choose from. Avoid the common livebearers, rainbowfish and Rift Lake and central American cichlids. We have a member who uses only reverse osmosis water so his GH and KH are lower than yours, and his soft water fish thrive in that.
I would also check the hardness range of any fish you wish to buy on Seriously Fish.

I feel like I need a chemistry degree for all this, and I actually do have a pool plant operators qualification and can balance a swimming pool but this seems even more complicated than that

Will guppies, tetras and cordies be OK?

 

[Essjay]

Guppies, no I'm afraid. They need harder water than you have. Tetras and cories are good with your water.