15 Gallon Stocking And Diatoms

[EllieJellyEllie]

As some of you may have seen, my betta, Ace, passed away recently. He was very ill and I had to euthanize him.

Well, he was my main fish, and my tank is practically empty. I have no solid plans for this tank. Like, at all. Its just been sitting there for a while.

I have 4 kuhlis to work around, I plan on getting 2-3 more to make the shoal bigger. Im thinking another mystery snail, and 2-3 nerites as well. Thats all I have planned. What are some fish that I could have a small shoal of? Could I have a small shoal and then a gourami with this sert up? I would add slowly, of course.

If its even possible, would I be able to have no lid with this set up? My lid is nasty so I haven't had it on since I euthanized Ace, and the kuhlis have been fine.

Also plants- I have jungle vals and thats it. They are huge now and Im kind of sick of them, so I think Im gonna get rid of them and do 4-5 different species of plants. I have no ifea what plants I want either. Things easy that I only need low lighting and no added CO2 for.

Tank dimensions are 122412 and it is kept at 79*F
***EDIT****

Also I have horrible diatoms, but perfect stats. Any idea why?

 

[TallTree01]

No need for lids in almost all circumstances really.
As for the stocking I would do the kuhlis, snails and a gourami. Not really room for much else in there.

 

[attibones]

Well I disagree on the lid thing. They keep jumping fish in the tank, but they also provide a barrier between lights and water. If water splashes onto the lights, there is a potential for a problem depending on the type of lights you are running. They also keep other things out of the tank such as bugs (though these do sometimes work into the tank), or cats. However, they are not essential pieces of kit, just helpful.

Gourami, betta, and many other species are jumpers but if you avoid fish like these, a lid may not be needed.

What if you finished off your loaches, added the snails, and got some celestial Pearl danios? That would make a pretty tank, I think.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Well I disagree on the lid thing. They keep jumping fish in the tank, but they also provide a barrier between lights and water. If water splashes onto the lights, there is a potential for a problem depending on the type of lights you are running. They also keep other things out of the tank such as bugs (though these do sometimes work into the tank), or cats. However, they are not essential pieces of kit, just helpful.
Gourami, betta, and many other species are jumpers but if you avoid fish like these, a lid may not be needed.
What if you finished off your loaches, added the snails, and got some celestial Pearl danios? That would make a pretty tank, I think.

I actually find this really funny because the other day I dropped the lights in the tank and they were fine xD I'm very lucky but Im glad they are waterproof. The lights I have are meant to go on a lidless tank

As for CPDs I've been looking at them but I want to figure out this tannin issue first xD

No need for lids in almost all circumstances really.
As for the stocking I would do the kuhlis, snails and a gourami. Not really room for much else in there.

Hmm, not really a fan of gourami, I have no idea why

 

[attibones]

The CPDs would actually prefer tannins in the water, so if you want them, you should let the water color up.

 

[Byron]

First, is the "diatoms" problem mentioned in post #1 is the same issue as what is being referred to as "tannins" in post #4?  If the issue is diatoms, which is a brown type of algae that can easily be wiped off with your fingers, this is likely due to an imbalance.  It is common in new tanks for this reason.  In established tanks, diatoms can occur due to one or more of low light, nutrient imbalance, and an excess of silicates in the source water.  We should be able to resolve this once you can confirm.  Tannins leech from wood, dry leaves, peat, and similar organic matter and colour the water a yellowish or brownish tint.  This is harmless, and as Atticus said some fish will thrive in such water.
 
I'd like to offer some insight on the tank cover issue.  I don't know what light you have, but if it is suitable on open tanks then it presumably has some sort of guard to keep moisture out.  It is still wise to have some type of clear separation (glass, plastic) just in case fish jump.
 
And many fish will jump, even some that seem unlikely to do so.  And your kuhli loaches are known to jump out of the water, particularly if they get frightened or startled.  Such things usually occur during darkness, and this loach is nocturnal.  I would securely cover the tank.
 
There are other issues about tank covers.  These reduce evaporation, and aside from the tank just losing some water, this evaporating water gets into the structure of the room, just like in a bathroom.  Dust and other objects can easily settle in the tank, and this is not good.  Temperature of the tank water is easier to keep stable (and this means less work from the heater) with a cover.  And the air above the water must be kept warm for fish that may "breathe" such as anabantids, many catfish, and surface fish.
 
To the question of adding fish, it would help to know your water parameters.  A 15g is best with "dwarf" type species, and many of these will be wild caught so knowing the parameters is important.
 
Byron.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

First, is the "diatoms" problem mentioned in post #1 is the same issue as what is being referred to as "tannins" in post #4?  If the issue is diatoms, which is a brown type of algae that can easily be wiped off with your fingers, this is likely due to an imbalance.  It is common in new tanks for this reason.  In established tanks, diatoms can occur due to one or more of low light, nutrient imbalance, and an excess of silicates in the source water.  We should be able to resolve this once you can confirm.  Tannins leech from wood, dry leaves, peat, and similar organic matter and colour the water a yellowish or brownish tint.  This is harmless, and as Atticus said some fish will thrive in such water.
 
I'd like to offer some insight on the tank cover issue.  I don't know what light you have, but if it is suitable on open tanks then it presumably has some sort of guard to keep moisture out.  It is still wise to have some type of clear separation (glass, plastic) just in case fish jump.
 
And many fish will jump, even some that seem unlikely to do so.  And your kuhli loaches are known to jump out of the water, particularly if they get frightened or startled.  Such things usually occur during darkness, and this loach is nocturnal.  I would securely cover the tank.
 
There are other issues about tank covers.  These reduce evaporation, and aside from the tank just losing some water, this evaporating water gets into the structure of the room, just like in a bathroom.  Dust and other objects can easily settle in the tank, and this is not good.  Temperature of the tank water is easier to keep stable (and this means less work from the heater) with a cover.  And the air above the water must be kept warm for fish that may "breathe" such as anabantids, many catfish, and surface fish.
 
To the question of adding fish, it would help to know your water parameters.  A 15g is best with "dwarf" type species, and many of these will be wild caught so knowing the parameters is important.
 
Byron.

 
 
The diatoms and tannins are different- I have a piece of mopani leaching (leeching?) tannins, and then diatoms covering the front and back glass panels.
 
The tank has been set up over 3 years (2 with previous owner and I made sure to keep media wet so one with me), so ammonia and nitrite are 0, nitrates dont go under 20ppm (tap water has high nitrates) and pH is 8.2
 
I'm thinking harlequin rasboras and kuhli loaches for stocking, TwoTankAmin said they should be fine without a lid, but I might end up putting mine back on. The only think is I don't have the back strip for mine, so there is 1 1/2 inches open in the back

 

[Byron]

The diatoms and tannins are different- I have a piece of mopani leaching (leeching?) tannins, and then diatoms covering the front and back glass panels.
 

 
OK, the tannins will reduce in time.  I wouldn't worry about this, though Mopani can be worse than some woods for initial tannins.  Water changes will reduce the tannins bit by bit.
 

The tank has been set up over 3 years (2 with previous owner and I made sure to keep media wet so one with me), so ammonia and nitrite are 0, nitrates dont go under 20ppm (tap water has high nitrates) and pH is 8.2
 

 
This is likely part of the diatoms problem.  I can't offer much more without knowing more data, such as the lighting, any plant fertilizers being added, and if there are silicates (a type of mineral) in the tap water.  But diatoms are relatively easy to resolve.
One question though, you are sure this is diatoms and not a form of brush algae?  There are frequent threads where the OP assumes diatoms, and it turns out to be brush algae, which can be brownish/blackish.  The diatoms will easily rub off with your finger; brush algae will not.
 

I'm thinking harlequin rasboras and kuhli loaches for stocking, TwoTankAmin said they should be fine without a lid, but I might end up putting mine back on. The only think is I don't have the back strip for mine, so there is 1 1/2 inches open in the back
 

 
I would still cover the tank well, I've given my reasons.
 
The Harlequin Rasbora should be OK in a 15g with the kuhli loaches, nothing more.  A group of 7-8 rasbora.  They are inactive fish, and with live plants this should work for you.  I would be inclined to have some of the "dwarf" rasbora species, but being wild caught they will have fussier water parameter needs on the soft and slightly acidic side.
 
Byron.