40g breeder plans...

[Rocky998]

I'm not knocking all tall tanks like the 65g you mentioned, they definitely have their uses! Like you said, especially for tall bodied fish like angels and discus. And if you still want the 65g, I think you should go for it!

It's the tall tanks that sacrifice footprint that I don't like, and I really don't like circular tanks! Part of that might just be a strong personal opinion making me dislike the look of them, plus I remember the trend where people were buying tall tube things to stick in their living room, and putting real fish in them so perhaps circular tall tanks remind me of that. Like these;
View attachment 165740

I do love this round tank though! Enough footprint, interesting scaping that suits both the neons and rams, huge numbers of the same species so they're happy!

Yup exactly!
That first tank you showed there where it's really tall and not at all long is just bad...
The second one... THATS EPIC!
And I did decide not to do the 65g. First of all it's extra $$$ and second of all maintenance... Pain in the back (literally)

 

[Rocky998]

I found a super duper uperly awesome fish that I might just do in the 40g...
Their commonly called Rainbow Emperor Tetras or scientifically called Nematobrycon Lacortei.
They are absolutely stunning!! I love the blue on them.
So far from what I've seen their checking all the boxes

 

[connorlindeman]

I found a super duper uperly awesome fish that I might just do in the 40g...
Their commonly called Rainbow Emperor Tetras or scientifically called Nematobrycon Lacortei.
They are absolutely stunning!! I love the blue on them.
So far from what I've seen their checking all the boxes

Kinda bland looking arent they?

 

[Rocky998]

Kinda bland looking arent they?

Have you ever looked them up!? Their different from average emperor tetras. Their known as rainbow emperor tetras like I said...

 

[Slaphppy7]

Jeez! Aren't they worried about damaging that tank? I guess it's acrylic, but still. Holding the weight of a grown man on one side only can't be good for it. What a stupid tank design. I don't understand the people who want them. I don't think it looks any more impressive than a large, well scaped rectangular tank, it's horrible for the fish, and is impossible to set up and maintain properly. Doesn't impress me at all, for all of those reasons.

That pic was just something I ran across while bored at work this morning, I know nothing about it's history

But when I saw it, it made me think of the content of this thread, concerning the pros & cons of tall tanks, ones @Rocky998 was considering: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/...ium-can-i-start-anew-and-use-new-sand.483469/

And, I thought he'd get a laugh out of it....I certainly did

 

[Rocky998]

That pic was just something I ran across while bored at work this morning, I know nothing about it's history

But when I saw it, it made me think of the content of this thread, concerning the pros & cons of tall tanks, ones @Rocky998 was considering: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/...ium-can-i-start-anew-and-use-new-sand.483469/

And, I thought he'd get a laugh out of it....I certainly did

I got a laugh as well

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

That pic was just something I ran across while bored at work this morning, I know nothing about it's history

But when I saw it, it made me think of the content of this thread, concerning the pros & cons of tall tanks, ones @Rocky998 was considering: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/...ium-can-i-start-anew-and-use-new-sand.483469/

And, I thought he'd get a laugh out of it....I certainly did

It's a good photo! And he's doing that to set it up, wonder what they plan to do to clean the substrate? They're gonna need scuba gear to maintain their tank

 

[Rocky998]

It's a good photo! And he's doing that to set it up, wonder what they plan to do to clean the substrate? They're gonna need scuba gear to maintain their tank

I would love to have a tank where I get to do that!! Swim wit da fishies

 

[Rocky998]

I think I want to use quikrete pool filter sand as a substrate. It's cheap and I've heard good stuff about it. Also saw an opened bag at Lowes and wasn't afraid to dig my hand in.... Really nice and fine.
Perfect for bottom dwellers. I also may get some caribsea super naturals sunset gold

 

[Byron]

I found a super duper uperly awesome fish that I might just do in the 40g...
Their commonly called Rainbow Emperor Tetras or scientifically called Nematobrycon Lacortei.
They are absolutely stunning!! I love the blue on them.
So far from what I've seen their checking all the boxes

Warning...this species can be a real terror. The common Emperor, Nematobrycon palmeri has a reputation of being a bit feisty at times, other times not, but N. lacortei is rarely seen and from my experience is a real risk. I had a group of 12 in a 5-foot tank, and after a few weeks I went into the fish room and observed that the tank looked fishless except for this species. Then I saw why...the other fish, all 100+ of them, were shivering behind the plants. Whenever one came out, it was immediately attacked by one of the male N. lacortei. Well, I don't allow that to go on, so the 12 lacortei were netted into the 90g tank. Within a day or two, same problem. So they went into the 29g and I advertised them in the local forum for free; I made very sure the individual who took them knew their history, and she said they would have a 55g tank all to themselves except for substrate fish, so that should have worked.

 

[Byron]

I think I want to use quikrete pool filter sand as a substrate. It's cheap and I've heard good stuff about it. Also saw an opened bag at Lowes and wasn't afraid to dig my hand in.... Really nice and fine.
Perfect for bottom dwellers. I also may get some caribsea super naturals sunset gold

Don't get pool filter sand if you intend cories, and loaches. Their Play Sand is softer. Also, if it is white, it will stress fish especially substrate dwellers.

 

[Rocky998]

Warning...this species can be a real terror. The common Emperor, Nematobrycon palmeri has a reputation of being a bit feisty at times, other times not, but N. lacortei is rarely seen and from my experience is a real risk. I had a group of 12 in a 5-foot tank, and after a few weeks I went into the fish room and observed that the tank looked fishless except for this species. Then I saw why...the other fish, all 100+ of them, were shivering behind the plants. Whenever one came out, it was immediately attacked by one of the male N. lacortei. Well, I don't allow that to go on, so the 12 lacortei were netted into the 90g tank. Within a day or two, same problem. So they went into the 29g and I advertised them in the local forum for free; I made very sure the individual who took them knew their history, and she said they would have a 55g tank all to themselves except for substrate fish, so that should have worked.

Daaaang... Bullies. Scratching them off now... That sucks

 

[Rocky998]

Don't get pool filter sand if you intend cories, and loaches. Their Play Sand is softer. Also, if it is white, it will stress fish especially substrate dwellers.

It's not completely white.
I don't want all white ew lol
But when I was there at the store I put my hand in the bag and it was a fine grain!
But I will try finding play sand although I've heard it is really dirty

 

[Byron]

It's not completely white.
I don't want all white ew lol
But when I was there at the store I put my hand in the bag and it was a fine grain!
But I will try finding play sand although I've heard it is really dirty

Dirt is not a problem, but pool filter sand is. What it feels like in your hand is not a reliable guide, I fell into this trap some years ago with a plant substrate (also not good with substrate fish, BTW). Here is a post (January 4, 2020) from Mark Wolek, a member of CorydorasWorld. that covers this.

Let's talk sand for a moment. I see so many people recommend PFS for Corys which doesn't seem ideal to me.

Reef keepers with sand sifting fish won't use PFS because it is sharp edged and, while it may not kill the fish, it is likely uncomfortable for sharp edged sand to pass through soft gills. Reefers have argranite sand like Southdown available to them, which is very fine, powdery and soft, I have a whole trash can of the stuff from my reef, but it will buffer water, so it's out for Corys.

PFS works by having sharp edges which are used to catch dirt. Over time all of these sharp edges fill with collected material, wear down, and the sand needs to be replaced.

I know a LOT of people use PFS for their Corys, but is it really ideal? I don't think it is... A fish isn't going to stop sifting sand because of discomfort, it's engrained in their biology to do this.

Black Diamond "Sand" is basically coal slag and is also very sharp. The recommended size, 2040, is too large to sift. The finer 3060 sand may be siftable but looked pretty sharp to me, and also has a green tint I am not fond of.

In the wild, from the videos I've seen, I suspect they are actually sifting through mulm, very fine sand and mostly soil, which is probably incredibly soft (ever step in the bottom of a lake or non-rock bed river with bare feet? SO soft!)

So what is really the best sand for sifting fish, that won't affect pH or hardness? I am 100% not sold on PFS yet.

The most commonly used pool filter sand is #20 silica sand. It comes from ground quartz, which creates sharp silica grains with jagged edges excellent for trapping particulates from passing water."
https/www.swimuniversity.com/change-pool-filter-sand/

'Many years of forced water wears away the sharp edges of pool filter sand. Over time, the sand grains become more circular, losing their sharp edges, and their ability to trap small particles.'
https/www.poolcenter.com/sandPoolFilter

 

[Rocky998]

Dirt is not a problem, but pool filter sand is. What it feels like in your hand is not a reliable guide, I fell into this trap some years ago with a plant substrate (also not good with substrate fish, BTW). Here is a post (January 4, 2020) from Mark Wolek, a member of CorydorasWorld. that covers this.

Let's talk sand for a moment. I see so many people recommend PFS for Corys which doesn't seem ideal to me.

Reef keepers with sand sifting fish won't use PFS because it is sharp edged and, while it may not kill the fish, it is likely uncomfortable for sharp edged sand to pass through soft gills. Reefers have argranite sand like Southdown available to them, which is very fine, powdery and soft, I have a whole trash can of the stuff from my reef, but it will buffer water, so it's out for Corys.

PFS works by having sharp edges which are used to catch dirt. Over time all of these sharp edges fill with collected material, wear down, and the sand needs to be replaced.

I know a LOT of people use PFS for their Corys, but is it really ideal? I don't think it is... A fish isn't going to stop sifting sand because of discomfort, it's engrained in their biology to do this.

Black Diamond "Sand" is basically coal slag and is also very sharp. The recommended size, 2040, is too large to sift. The finer 3060 sand may be siftable but looked pretty sharp to me, and also has a green tint I am not fond of.

In the wild, from the videos I've seen, I suspect they are actually sifting through mulm, very fine sand and mostly soil, which is probably incredibly soft (ever step in the bottom of a lake or non-rock bed river with bare feet? SO soft!)

So what is really the best sand for sifting fish, that won't affect pH or hardness? I am 100% not sold on PFS yet.

The most commonly used pool filter sand is #20 silica sand. It comes from ground quartz, which creates sharp silica grains with jagged edges excellent for trapping particulates from passing water."
https/www.swimuniversity.com/change-pool-filter-sand/

'Many years of forced water wears away the sharp edges of pool filter sand. Over time, the sand grains become more circular, losing their sharp edges, and their ability to trap small particles.'
https/www.poolcenter.com/sandPoolFilter

Hmmm... We have HTH pool filter sand in our garage and THAT is coarse and I wouldn't use that but that quikrete stuff was really nice and smooth...
But maybe my human hands are playing tricks. But it also looked really fine.

I can't seem to find play sand near me though. Ace doesn't have any and I tried looking for it at Lowes (I don't think I looked hard enough though) but didn't see any...