Hello From The Uk. Any Help Or Information Would Be Helpful

[englishmitch]

Hi I'm Mitch and setup a 110l tropical tank about 6 months ago now, I tried to upload a pic but file-size is too big and no idea how to change it.. lol

Stock wise I have 2 x albino cory's, 2x pearl gourami, pair of killi fish, pair of dwarf ram's, a red-tail shark, boesmani rainbow, koi angel, dwarf gourami, "golden wonder" (it was called in the pet-store) lol and a black ghost knife fish.

I know the ghost knife, angel and others will need a bigger tank eventually but are small now and will  be setting up another tank in the next few months to accomodate the bigger growing fish

Some stocking advice, size tank i'll need to get for certain fish and help with introducing live plants would help me a lot cos my knowledge is only what i've read online.

i do weekly 20% water changes and water tests. Thanks for reading, any help would be greatly apprecialted

 

 

[fluttermoth]

Hello, Mitch,

to the forum.
 
My first thought would be, as your tank is pretty heavily stocked, that your water changes should be much bigger. I don't know what your nitrate level is like (if you could post all the results from your last tests, that would be a big help), but I suspect it'll be creeping up; there is also some evidence that inadequate water changes can cause fish to become 'stunted' which, as you can imagine, isn't good for their health!
 
I would up that to at least 50%, and possibly more, depending on the nitrate levels; water changes aren't just about nitrate, but it's a useful indicator.
 
As to tank size...for most of your fish something in the region of 200l would be fine, but you want to look at tanks that are deeper than the usual 15", because of your angels; it's normally recommended that they have tanks with at least 18" of water, as they're so tall.
 
The black ghost...that's going to need something much larger, I'm afraid; they can grow to potentially 20" long, so you're going to have to be looking at something like a 5'x2'x2', if you want to keep it long term.
 
As for plants; there are very many really easy plants that don't need much looking after. I grow all these types successfully, with no fertilizers or CO2; vallisneria, Amazon swords, Java fern, anubias, cryptocorynes, dwarf sagittaria. Just bear in mind that the Java ferns and anubias do best attached to rocks or wood; they have a rhizome that tends to rot, if it's planted in the substrate.
 
Corydoras do best in shoals, and it's recommended to keep them in groups of at least six.
 
I hope that hasn't left you too disheartened; we've seen much worse than your stocking here, believe you me; you aren't doing too badly

 

[englishmitch]

http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/5/bild0305.jpg/ not the best pic but my camera is poor!

I will be removing the fake plants and buying some of which you suggested. I'm also invested in a 250-300L tank in the next few weeks so will be moving certain fish to there and keep my ghost knife for longer (because he's pretty amazing tbh) lol

I'll post all my results tomorrow but will be doing bigger water changes now you suggested, do you always treat your water before adding to the aquarium? I guess the java and anubias will connect to fake wood aswell then?

Thanks a lot for your reply and all your help is appreciated

 

[Blondielovesfish]

For your new tank, make sure to cycle it before you add any fish.
Always treat your water with dechlorinater before you add it as it kills the beneficial bacteria that have been grown through cycling and also I think some fish don't like chlorine although I'm not completely sure on that.
The 250L-300L tank should be alright for the BGK but try to get it longer rather than taller. Which will be annoying especially if you want to put the Angel's in there as well.

 

[RCA]

Blondielovesfish, BGK?  Can you also post the answer in here please, for tcamos to add to the Acronyms

englishmitch, cool name
If you are upgrading and considering live plants then also consider a plant base for your plants, which goes below the substrate.  I would also recommend you get a finer substrate, most people prefer sand for Cory's, take a look at the Unipac stuff which is good stuff and does not require too much cleaning.
 
In respect to adding de-clorinator I recently switched to Seachem Prime, although it is generally more expensive you only need a very small amount.
 
Where are you in the UK, and which LFS do you frequent?
 
TIP: add your location to your profile as it assist people in advising you, due to different countries medications/products.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

BGK stands for the Black Ghost Knife fish.
I'll go post in the Acronyms as well so it will hopefully be added.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Just to add to what has already been said, Boesmans really need to be in groups for 4-5 at least and should be in a tank at least 4ft. They get 4-5 inches in size and like to swim around a lot. They'll enjoy a bigger tank though!

I'd also keep corys in groups of 4-5 as a minimum as they will be happier.

 

[englishmitch]

I'm speeding up the process of getting a new tank now, going to sort it this week or next latest so can get it cycling and set up properly asap.

If I add 5 panda cory when I get the new tank will the albino cory shaol up with them or? Didn't really want 6 of the albino ones.. Plus i will get some more rainbows, do the different types shoal up or should I just stick with the boesmani?

I'm from Leicester, England and LFS are Clearwater aquatics, F.I.S.H (friends in soggy homes) and a local garden centre I use.

The unipac sand seems a good price so will be adding that when I get setup, is there any plant bases you recommend? I don't mind getting a pricey one if it's gonna keep my plants in better condition.

Cheers for all your help people, this forums helping me a lot already!

P.S
local fish stores just seen to want money! they didn't mention anything about shoaling fish and so on. WIll be quizzing them a lot more before buying anything else. Or give them a taste of there own medicine and lock them up on there own with no friends lol

 

 

[PrairieSunflower]

You've got two Maidenhead Aquatics in your area (http/fishkeeper.co.uk/site/storefinder), they are usually a really good store.
 
Nothing to add, but happy to see your willingness to do what is needed for your fish! 

 

 

[englishmitch]

oooo there's one 12 miles away, I will pay them a visit tomorrow thanks a lot for that PrairieSunflower. 

Fish give me enjoyment, it's only fair I treat them with respect and let them live how they are supposed to

I'll be having a word with LFS about not telling people Corys, rainbows (and im sure others in there) NEED to be in a group. Has angered me they don't mention this to take your money.

 

[the_lock_man]

If I add 5 panda cory when I get the new tank will the albino cory shaol up with them or? Didn't really want 6 of the albino ones.. Plus i will get some more rainbows, do the different types shoal up or should I just stick with the boesmani?


 

 
In both instances, you need to get the same species - albino cories know the difference between themselves and pandas. Albino cories do not know the difference between themselves and bronze cories, as they are the same species, but a different colour morph.

 

[englishmitch]

I will get some bronze cories aswell then as they look great! thanks a lot for the info  lock_man

 

[jwalser18]

I will get some bronze cories aswell then as they look great! thanks a lot for the info  lock_man

+1 I did the same . And, welcome to the forum!

 

[englishmitch]

Cheers jwalser, and i appreciate everyones help! Know so much more already

My test results are:      Nitrite 0-0.5max           Nitrate 50-100 max (more like 70)                GH 125-250max               
(MG per Litre)                KH 50-100                   PH 6.4                                                             Ammonia 0.

I know my stockings a mess currently but are these values really bad?

 

[jwalser18]

sounds like your ending your cycle! do a 75% water change, check it again in 24 hours!

no, nitrate is the end result of ammonia turning into nitrite then nitrAte. So, when you have readings like you do, you're at the end of your cycle!