Okay, well, I have a 30 gallon long tank, with L-W-H 36"-12"-16". ~430 sq inches of surface water and substrate. I want to set up a tank with Corydoras Aeneus (Albino Cories) and Trichopodus Pectoralis (Snakeskin Gourami.)
I'm thinking of having 2, 3, or 4 Snakeskin Gourami (~15-30 inches of fish, 15-30 inches of surface water per inch of Gourami,) and a filling number of Cories (I'm dreaming around 10, but I feel like that's overkill.)
I want to have a filter (or pump [or PVC pipe connected to my filter, I'd hope,]) that allows me to pump water on the bottom part of the tank for a current for my cories without having the gourami deal with too much current.
I'm planning on using play sand as a substrate, with no plants planned to be planted in the sand. I'm also intending a "bogwood cave" down the tank for the current to rush through without disturbing the rest of the tank. I'm planning on attaching Java fern to the Bogwood (letting it grow out and expand to cover most of it) then leaving the rest of the tank empty until I have some floating water wisteria at the top.
The pH will be more-or-less neutral, the temperature would be in the 74-79 range (probably 77 degrees F [25 C,]) and I intend to keep malaysian trumpet snails.
Overall, these are my questions:
1. Would ~50-60 inches of fish, split between bottom feeders and surface feeders, be too much for the tank? I've heard the rule as both 1 inch or 2 inch per gallon.
2. Any decent ideas for a plant to plant into the substrate?
3. Any objections to anything planned thus far/
4. Is it possible to use piping to direct water flow out of a filter to the bottom as a stream? I'm concerned that gravity won't really be my friend.
5. Should I consider adding the light presence of a couple kuhli loach (for snail control) and/or some small midwater fish? I've heard that Snakeskins avoid eating smaller fish, and so I'm thinking of having Endler's Livebearer's added eventually, since I'm planning a 10 gallon purely for Endler's as well.
Any thoughts and ideas are welcome. Thanks to anyone who replies.
I'm thinking of having 2, 3, or 4 Snakeskin Gourami (~15-30 inches of fish, 15-30 inches of surface water per inch of Gourami,) and a filling number of Cories (I'm dreaming around 10, but I feel like that's overkill.)
I want to have a filter (or pump [or PVC pipe connected to my filter, I'd hope,]) that allows me to pump water on the bottom part of the tank for a current for my cories without having the gourami deal with too much current.
I'm planning on using play sand as a substrate, with no plants planned to be planted in the sand. I'm also intending a "bogwood cave" down the tank for the current to rush through without disturbing the rest of the tank. I'm planning on attaching Java fern to the Bogwood (letting it grow out and expand to cover most of it) then leaving the rest of the tank empty until I have some floating water wisteria at the top.
The pH will be more-or-less neutral, the temperature would be in the 74-79 range (probably 77 degrees F [25 C,]) and I intend to keep malaysian trumpet snails.
Overall, these are my questions:
1. Would ~50-60 inches of fish, split between bottom feeders and surface feeders, be too much for the tank? I've heard the rule as both 1 inch or 2 inch per gallon.
2. Any decent ideas for a plant to plant into the substrate?
3. Any objections to anything planned thus far/
4. Is it possible to use piping to direct water flow out of a filter to the bottom as a stream? I'm concerned that gravity won't really be my friend.
5. Should I consider adding the light presence of a couple kuhli loach (for snail control) and/or some small midwater fish? I've heard that Snakeskins avoid eating smaller fish, and so I'm thinking of having Endler's Livebearer's added eventually, since I'm planning a 10 gallon purely for Endler's as well.
Any thoughts and ideas are welcome. Thanks to anyone who replies.
