Dream Tank

[Kopix Nation]

I want to get my 60g up and running so it can become a dutch aquarium filled with all of my favorite plants!!I need to know if I keep 1 elephant nose,2-3 clown loaches, and 4-5 angelfish in that dutch aquarium will I need co2 fertalization to keep it healthy?Also will any of the fish I mentioned become a problem? I was think of having a sand pit in the forground so that the elephant nose could wallow around in it...The rest of the soil in the tank is going to be this kind of gravel that already has the nutriants and bacteriea plants need to grow in it. Does this sound good to you guys?

claire

 

[Misskiwi67]

I tried keeping 6 angelfish in a 55. Ended up with three pairs. 2 pairs eventually went to the lfs because there was only room for 1 pair when they were ready to breed. Whoever had the highest hormone levels would beat the tar out of the other pairs. And one pair really got tore up when the pairs with territories on each end of the tank decided to breed the same day. 4 was ok, but far too stressful for poor me who had to come home and make sure they were behaving every day....

 

[Adistar]

Clown loaches get 1 foot long, that tank would be too small for them if you want to keep them for a longer period of time.

I dont kno much about elephant noses, and with the angels, you'll prolly end up with atleast a couple pairs.

 

[Kopix Nation]

Clown loaches take like 25 years to grow that big so it should be fine for several 3" clowns. I guess I will have four angelfish.

claire

 

[lljdma06]

Yeah! Go for the Dutch style. Amano's cool, but Dutch reminds me of a lovely English garden in a tank. So have fun.

I agree about the loaches, they'll get to big, and some take much less time to achieve that size than you think. So be wary. Elephant noses are cool, but I don't think they look right with Angelfish. I prefer just the angels and maybe a large shoal of a pretty corydoras, then you'll never have to replace a fish or worry about moving them when they get too big. Sorry, me going all biotope again. Have fun with the Dutch, keep us posted with pics. I will live vicariously through you.

 

[Kopix Nation]

I don't like cory cats they are ugly. I was woundering how hard it is to keep a lace leaf .....and if I could keep banana plants in with those kinds of swords. I was thinking of having a piece of driftwood and put java fern or other kinds of plants that like wood growing. I guess I could get coolie loaches. I think they would be the next best thing...

claire

 

[Angry_Platy]

Noone else has said this but if you have sand and gravel together in the tank they will eventually mix with the sand eventually ending up underneath the gravel.

Whether or not you need CO2 depends on yur lighting. If it is more than 2.5wpg then you will need CO2 and a fertiliser regime otherwise you will end up with nasty algae.

HTH

 

[George Farmer]

If you wish to have a classic Dutch style tank you will need plenty of light, CO2 and nutrients.

The Dutch style is based on growing a wide variety of (normally) stem plants that are generally colourful and demanding.

Another large part of the Dutch concept is fish choice. The plants are the main feature with the fish used as a complementing feature. Large shoals of small peaceful fish work best i.e. tetra and rasbora.

Are you sure you're after a Dutch style layout? From the bogwood, ferns etc. you mention it sounds like you're after a more nature style layout.

Whatever you decide I recommend reading the pinned articles to get a basic understanding of what you need to grow plants successfully.

Good luck, you have the potential to create something wonderful with a 60G.

 

[RYO]

I don't like cory cats they are ugly.

Eeeeeep (slaps her round the head with a soggy kipper) corys are cute as hell lol (each to there own i supoose)
The clowns are a stunning fish but can get a tad overzelous in thier digging.(i love loaches)
I use sand in one of my tanksand have no probs with it, the loaches and corys (cute lol)love it.
Once youve sorted out how much lighting you have you should get a better idea on the rest of the hardware needed.

 

[Kopix Nation]

I was only going to put one mid size piece of driftwood in it. I was thinking of putting the sand in some kind of put thingy so it would not have contact with the gravel...khuli loaches better than clowns for this tank?

claire

 

[emma12321]

How about chain loach or zebra loach instead of the clowns, they could happily live out their lives in a tank of that size.

Emma

 

[Kopix Nation]

what about khuli loaches!!!!!Are they ok with elephant noses and angelfish??

claire

 

[Kopix Nation]

I am going to put a altum in that tank

claire

 

[George Farmer]

Best of luck with the Altums - beautful fish, worth the hard work and attention.

Do you plan on upgrading your tank when they outgrow the 18" depth you presently have?