Help With Stocking And Keeping A Sand Substrate Clean?

[SecretlyaZombie]

hello!
I started my first tropical aquarium last september, it's a 160 litre with aquarium sand and I chose tiger barbs as I heard they were quite hardy fish, (seven of them), a few weeks later I added 6 corydoras, (peppered, bronze and albino). The tiger barbs would pick at the bronze cories and damage their fins and also steal their sinking pellets so I had to buy a second tank for them. I got them a 35litre (an arcadia ark), they've grown a little now, so I think it's too small for them and they are every nervous, when I go to feed them they dash at the glass at the back. Do you think this is too small for them? If so, I'll probably have to rehome them, unless anyone has any ideas on how to keep the tigers from picking on them. However, I think if I were to try them in the larger tank again, it would become pretty over stocked as it now homes 3 (young) polka dot loaches and a bn plec as well as the tigers.

Also, i'm finding it difficult to keep the sand clean.. the picture below shows the sand right below the filter. Even if I mix the water a little in that area, the filter isn't strong enough to suck it up. I use a syphon to pick the waste up but I take alot of sand with me. Is there something I can buy which blows all the waste to collect together somewhere as it keeps getting caught in corners and under wood? I think the tigers and loaches like a stronger current to swim against too?

Fish waste collecting in Carl the pleco's hiding spot:

Another problem is algae growing on the sand, I can just mix the sand a little, but does this just hide it? And cause a rise in ammonia? How can I stop this happening? Would a stronger filter make a difference?

Thank you for any help answering my questions! Sorry, i've written quite a lot!

EDIT: the filter I currenly use is an interpet PF4, it's second hand as it came with the tank from ebay.

 

[fluttermoth]

Cories and tigers are a no no, in my experience; there's no way of stopping the tigers pickign on things, but I've found most loaches can hold their own.

I'm afraid 35l is too small for the cories. They really need to be in shoals of at least six of one species, or they don't really feel secure; sometimes adding 'dither fish' in the form of small tetras can help, but I'm afraid your small tank isn't big enough for either of those options.

Poop collecting on sand is just one of those things; some people use a turkey baster to get it out so they don't have to be constantly water changing. You will nearly always suck up some sand while cleaning it, but that's not a propblem; just rinse it in the buket and tip it back in.

You could think about adding a powerhead (which is like an internal filter without the filter bit) and aim it where most of the poo collects.

The algae..well; how long do you have your lights on for, and what are your nitrate levels like (in the tank and from the tap)? You can just stir the sand; once the algae is out of the light it will die off; there shouldn't be enough to affect your ammonia level though.

Hope that helps.

 

[SaTiVa1984]

I think that algae tends to appear if fish poop is left too long on the sand, i think it breaks down after a while and becomes that in your image.

I had it really bad after a long holiday, the person looking after my tank did not syphon, so after 2 week you can imagine the state it was in, even trying to suck it up with the pipe it still looked a mess, the only way i could get rid of it was to completely remove everything from the tank and run my fingers through the sand and give it a really good stir up.

I wish all my fish waste gathered in a corner it would make cleaning it a lot easier, when ever i have used power heads it tends to blow my sand all over the place, driving me nuts having to scoop it back.

 

[snake007]

Im having the same problem, play sand is to much work.
This is why im changing all my sand tanks to small black gravel.

 

[KittyKat]

I started my first tropical aquarium last september, it's a 160 litre with aquarium sand

Volume is not much use without the dimensions It's all about the areas and lengths!

[…] and I chose tiger barbs as I heard they were quite hardy fish, (seven of them), a few weeks later I added 6 corydoras, (peppered, bronze and albino). The tiger barbs would pick at the bronze cories and damage their fins and also steal their sinking pellets so I had to buy a second tank for them.

Both of the species are shoaling fish, and Corys are even schooling. A shoal (a school is a type of shoal) usually ranges from a few hundred to tens of thousands of fish. This is not the easiest thing to recreate in a home aquarium, so I recommend at least 6 per colour morph as an absolute minimum and ideally in groups of 10-15+ per colour morph.
I think the problem you're seeing with the tiger bars is directly related to the fish numbers as they're more "sensitive" to being in smaller groups and this shows up as aggression. For this species, I do recommend a minimum group of 10 per colour morph because of their behaviour: in larger groups, they pay more attention to potential mates than other species. In terms of keeping them away from the Corys' food, feed the Corys late in the evening, after lights out and after the barbs have been fed.

I got them a 35litre (an arcadia ark), they've grown a little now, so I think it's too small for them and they are every nervous, when I go to feed them they dash at the glass at the back. Do you think this is too small for them? If so, I'll probably have to rehome them, unless anyone has any ideas on how to keep the tigers from picking on them. However, I think if I were to try them in the larger tank again, it would become pretty over stocked as it now homes 3 (young) polka dot loaches and a bn plec as well as the tigers.

I would not consider a 35 litre aquarium to be suitable for tiger barbs even as a temporary home because they are relatively active, are more aggressive than the average "community" fish and do grow relatively large. If you are going to try them again in the larger tank, I recommend that you increase the numbers to at least 10 per colour morph.
I will also point out that Botia kubotai (polka dot loaches) are also schooling, so again, should be kept in a group of at least 10, and should have at least a 4 ft tank because of their adult size (5") and activity level.

Also, i'm finding it difficult to keep the sand clean.. the picture below shows the sand right below the filter. Even if I mix the water a little in that area, the filter isn't strong enough to suck it up. I use a syphon to pick the waste up but I take alot of sand with me. Is there something I can buy which blows all the waste to collect together somewhere as it keeps getting caught in corners and under wood? I think the tigers and loaches like a stronger current to swim against too?

Which filter do you have and which media do you use?

Another problem is algae growing on the sand, I can just mix the sand a little, but does this just hide it? And cause a rise in ammonia? How can I stop this happening? Would a stronger filter make a difference?

Are you sure that you're seeing algae and not cyanobacteria? What lights do you have and how long are they on for? The filter should not make much difference to algae…

 

[SecretlyaZombie]

Thank you for all your replies and suggestions. The tank dimensions are 100x40x50.3. I feel pretty bad for keeping the different kinds of cories together, they do seem to stick with their same pair. I'm not sure what to do... Taking them back seems to be the only option.

The tigers and loaches swim together and don't seem to both each other at all! I was told 4 is the minimum you can keep, (sorry I said 3 earlier, meant 4). They're really tiny now, I will be updating the tank size, however that will be in a few years. They're very confident fish, even though there's just four, they'll swim up to your hand and aren't scared at all.

I would not consider a 35 litre aquarium to be suitable for tiger barbs even as a temporary

Sorry, I meant the 6 cories are in the 35, not the tigers. Also, the different coloured tigers get on fine together, the one albino appears to be
the 'leader'.

 

[SecretlyaZombie]

Which filter do you have and which media do you use?
Are you sure that you're seeing algae and not cyanobacteria? What lights do you have and how long are they on for? The filter should not make much difference to algae…

My filter is an interpet PF4, I think it's quite an old model. ?
And i'm not sure about the algae.. ? Looking at pictures on google, it could be..
I leave the lights on for about 9 hours every day, it was 12 at first and I got a really bad algae problem so i'm trying to cut down even more. The lights are two tubes, the lengh of the tank and are 30W interpet ones.