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Addarw

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Joined
Jul 28, 2017
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Location
California
Hi,

I'm new to the forum, haven't kept fish for a few years, moving around and such, but finally have the chance to settle down and get a new tank!

I'm thinking about a 29 gallon Amazon biotope, looking for suggestions on stocking and equipment as well.
Current plan:
2x Apistogrammas, not sure what species, open to a harem as well
Two groups of bottom dwellers - Cories, Rubbernose Pleco, Whiptail Catfish, Otocinclus
School of something - Hatchetfish, Tetras... not sure
Shrimp!

What do you think? Totally open to any ideas. Will probably be planted, not sure about what types or low/high tech.

Also curious about equipment besides the filter/heater/lights. Automatic water changing and feeding? I travel a fair bit, would be nice if I didn't need to phone a friend every month.

Very much in the early stages of planning, but I'm excited to be back in the hobby! Will post pictures when things start coming together.

Cheers!
Addarw
 
Hi there, Addarw, welcome to the forum.

Do you know the dimensions of this tank, and do you know the hardness and pH of your water?

We can't really advise on fish species without knowing those things :)

Roughly how long are you usually away for? It might be that your fish will be perfectly happy without feeding or water changes, depending on the time periods.
 
Thanks!

Right now I have nothing at all :lol: I'm thinking of something in the 30g range, choosing between
29 - 30L x 12W x 18H
30 breeder - 36L x 12W x 16H
33 long - 48L x 12W x 12H
Essentially asking you to design my whole tank for me :blush:

pH is 8.5 - 9, hardness is 20ppm according to the water company. Might be a little basic for the fish I'm considering, would using peat or CO2 fix this?

I'm often away for 3 days to a week, and I'm spending a month out of town at the end of the year.
 
Are you sure the hardness is 20 ppm not 20 degrees? 20 ppm is very soft which does not usually go with a pH that high. But 20 deg is very hard, which usually does go with a high pH.
 
The water supply company lists it at 20ppm, people say this area has soft water. Was a little strange to me too.
 
In that case, was the pH value of tap water straight from the tap or tap water left standing overnight? You say you haven't got a tank yet so it can't be that pH :)

The reason I ask is because some water companies in soft water areas add chemicals to boost the pH temporarily. In these places if you test the pH as soon as you have run the water it will show as a lot higher than a sample of water that's been allowed to stand for 24 hours.
 
Ah, that's a good point, that should be straight from the tap. Don't have a testing kit right now, but asked a friend and their goldfish tank has a pH of 7.3, which seems much more reasonable. The water actually tastes different after sitting out for a day, I always wondered why :lol:
 

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