54 Litre Tank Advice.

[Shelster]

So I have recently been allowed to purchase a smaller tank for the kitchen - my main being 180 litres.

It is going to be planted, with maybe one rock for algae growth for something to feed on.

I am intending on maturing the new filter by placing the media inside my fluval external running on my main tank, for about a month??

I use buffered RO water, so new tank will be set up with this and a smaller type of gravel (I have bad scratches on my big tank from sand . )

Can I please have some stocking advice on this size of tank? I have 6 encyclopaedias on freshwater fish, however I know these books go fast out of date, particularly as I was thinking of an angelfish and one of my books advocates a 24 inch tank / I now know my tank is too small for angelfish.
I want some different types of fish to look at from the ones in my main tank, so please, any suggestions on species would be great.
I appreciate a lot like a shoal of at least 6 which does limit want I cam have, so please take a look at my planned stocking list and advise.

- 6 mountain minnow - to ensure filter has cycled.

Then after another month:

- 1 male dwarf gourami and ?2 females
Two weeks later:

- 6 snow capped tetra

Then I am stuck on a bottom feeder.

My big tank has Pakistani, and polka dot loaches, and two hillstreams. I think a 54 litre is too small for a hillstream although they do such a fantastic job on the algae.
I was thinking of a Pygmy sucker mouth (oto) but they need to be in a tank which has been established at least 6 months.
Corydoras also need to be in a group of at least 6, however mine in my big tank never shoal together / and I don't want to overstock my small tank.
Then I was thinking weather loach but again think my tank is too small.

So please, any suggestions you experts can come up with for me to do some research on would be great.
Does the stocking seem ok? Too much? Too little?

Thanks for reading and taking the time to reply, it's greatly appreciated.

 

[the_lock_man]

You would need to leave the new media in the filter for at least 6-8 weeks to build up anything like a decent colony - the existing bacteria are very happy where they are, thank you very much indeed, they won't just think woohoo somwhere new, and jump over. If you want to wait that long, might as well do a standard fishless cycle.

What you can do is to take a third (but no more) of your existing media, and put it in the new filter. Refill the old filter with the new media that will have come with the new filter, and you will find that the existing bacteria colonies will recolonise the new filter very quickly, so much so that you shouldn't see any spikes.

However, in your new filter you will have a nice set of bacteria. I would suspect, given the size differentials, that your filter would be fully cycled with what you've put in there, but I would do a qualifying week with bottled ammonia to be on the safe side. Remember to keep feeding the bacteria once you've finished the week, until the day before you add the fish. If you do this, then you can add all your fish at once.

Regarding fish

WCMM come from the same kind of areas as zebra danio - cool, fast-flowing streams. A 54l tank is probably a bit too small for them.

I'm not sure about DGs, but if you get the 3 you propose, I would also get the tetras you like and a shoal of either Corydoras Habrosus or Corydoras Hastatus. I have Habrosus, and they do like to stick together, and take up much less room than the usual sized cories.

 

[Shelster]

Ok, set up new tank with buffered RO, place 1/3 of ceramic from established filter in new filter, then new media in old filter.

Place new filter with old ceramic in new tank.

Feed ammonia for 1xweek, check parameters.

Stop ammonia feeding then add fish following day. (Providing all is ok water wise)

Ignore WCMM as tank is too small. However if filter is ok a less hardy species can be added such as snow capped tetra.

Then add new filter media from old pump from two months into tank and go from there?


Sorry Lock man, just checking I have read your post correctly ...... (Ill blame this on baby brain!!)

Thanks for the response.

 

[the_lock_man]

All correct, apart from last sentence.

The new media will have been colonised very quickly by the existing bacteria, so leave that to look after the old tank.

The bacteria on old media will start processing the bottled ammonia, and subsequently the fish waste, and will also colonise any new media that you may need to fill up the new filter, so leave that to look after the new tank.

Job done.

 

[Shelster]

Sounds ideal, but unfortunately the filters are different makes. The new filter is an Eheim internal, where as my older filter is a fluval external 305, does that scupper the plans??

 

[the_lock_man]

No, not really, the bioballs/ceramics should fit in easily enough, the sponges may need to be chopped about a bit to fit in. So long as you can shove it all in there, it doesn't need to be a neat fit.

 

[Shelster]

Thanks lock man, you're a star! Was looking into a 106 fluval external but didnt realise they were equally as big as the 305 I have!
So chopping I shall do.
Thanks again for advice!