I Am Soooo Excited!

[rebrn]

First and foremost, a very big thank you to drobbyb, for selling me his 55 gallon tank and cycled filter for an awesome price

I am SOOOOO excited I just don't know what to do with myself. I have no idea how I am going to stock this tank. Any suggestions would be great. I know for sure I definately want some zebra danio in this tank, the zebras were the entire reason why I got into this hobby in the first place, definately a nice big school I'm thinking maybe 16 of zebra danio for sure. I am thinking a few MTS for sand sifting, but I supose in a tank that big I don't necessarily have to use the MTS I could use something else. Anyway since I really don't know a whole lot about the various fish types, other then Bettas and Zebra Danios, I am at a loss as to what to put in this tank, plus I am keeping my 12 gallon so that will need to be stocked now too.

Ok so in the 5 gallon, keeping my single Betta and a MTS.

In the 12 gallon - maybe some minnows and MTS

In the 55 gallon - 16 (or so) Zebra Danio, will need something to sift sand, and after that no idea.


This is going to be so much fun, I'm beside myself with glee!!! Thanks again drobbyb

 

[OldMan47]

If you choose to go with sand, get a half dozen or more corydoras catfish. You will be pleasantly surprised to find they are at least as entertaining as the zebra danios.

 

[drobbyb]

You are most welcome! I'm glad that it's going to a fellow TFF member.

Multiple tank syndrome is great isn't it

 

[rebrn]

Yes it is And my husband actually did rather well with the news when I put it too him in terms of how costly his video game habit is, after all he buys at least one video game a month, so this is just my payback

If you choose to go with sand, get a half dozen or more corydoras catfish. You will be pleasantly surprised to find they are at least as entertaining as the zebra danios.

I was thinking of corys but I heard they are hard to keep alive, is that true?

 

[JustFrozen]

well, from what i hear, they like to pick up the un-eaten food that falls to the bottom and also sift the sand, kind of like the floor cleaners of the aquarium.

as for how hardy they are, it probably varies, but i'll let someone else chip in on that

 

[Xanthous]

With Sand, Clown Loaches are a blast, I'm just not sure if this forum would rec. them in a 55 gallon tank. Minimum of 5.

 

[rebrn]

OK I did some looking on the Internet, this is what I came up with so far for the 55 gallon:

16 zebra danio
6 dalmation mollies
5 panda Cory catfish
3 zipper loach (for sand sifting - not sure if they do this though)
1 plec (if and only if algae becomes an issue)

For the 12 gallon

3 dwarf loach (sand sifting)
6 Harlequin Rasboras
1 oto (if algae becomes an issue)

I used the AQadvisor.com, found on a forum post, and everything seems fine according to that but wanted to double check. Also filter is an emporer 400, if that makes any difference.

I am willing to change out anything but the Zebras, those must stay.

Thanks

 

[xem]

If your a betta fan why not divide the 12 gallon - for 2 more bettas in there, you can never have enough! just another idea.

also about the plec for the 55 gallon - I'd say get a plec because you want one, not to clean algae - with or without algae in the tank they will still need wafer food.

as already stated corys love sand - i recently got some pygmy corys in with my betta and that has sand and they just dig through it all day. very different to the ones in my community tank which is gravel (conversion is on the cards but its really my other halves tank so that might just happen if im off one day ) but they are so entertaining to watch

For the 55 gallon maybe a centrepiece type fish? And the large shoal of zebra danios will look awesome. Good luck stocking and researching

Edit: grammar fail

 

[rebrn]

Hi,

I am not actually planning on getting any algae eaters yet. Just sort of thinking a head, and the type of algae eater I get, if and when it becomes a problem, will, of course, depend on the type of algae.

As for splitting the 12 gallon for the betta, I had thought of doing that, I was actually thinking of just giving him the entire tank. However, it is an eclipse system, and the current the filter produces is quite strong, with no way of turning it down, or changing the direction of the out put. I did try putting a sponge in the out take, but all that did was stop the bio wheel from turining, which kinda defeats the purpose of the bio wheel. Even divding the tank and putting the betta on the side without the output, the current is still too strong, and I am afraid it would stress him out too much.

For center peice fish, any suggestions. I am new to fish, so I really don't know many fish types yet (still learning). I basically picked those because I liked the look of them, but there may be some that are better suited for the tank, or make it look even better and I am just not aware of the species.

I definately want to keep the zebras, they are set in stone so to speak, and I really like the look of the dalmation mollies, so I think I want to stick with those too, but if I find something that looks better I would be willing to give up the mollies.

Thanks

 

[Littlemonkey]

Hi and Good luck. Just a quick note if you do go and get Otto's, they prefer to be in a group, I have three but will be looking at adding more when I get a bigger tank. They are great at keeping the Algae down and are fun to watch.

 

[OldMan47]

When it comes to Corydoras, the C trilineatus (julii) and the C paleatus (pepper) are much hardier than the panda. I also find the C habrosus are quite tough but they are so small you would want a dozen in a tank that size.

 

[rebrn]

Thanks OM I will keep that in mind. A lot of it is going to depend on what I can find, I am still nervous about buying fish on-line, but may have to do that. Does the rest of the stocking plan look good, or should I make some adjustments?

 

[OldMan47]

The loaches are not something that I am really familiar with. I have seen some in stores but they just never appealed to me. Do not buy fish to do tank maintenance, that is your job. If you like a pleco, then by all means have one but stick to one of the small ones. You do not want an 18 inch long monster in a small tank. I have some otocinclus and enjoy them but do not find them to be as hardy as most of my fish. I really think the problem is that they do not eat anything but algae and can starve to death with an abundance of food in their tank. I would avoid them unless you can provide a non-stop supply of fresh algae. Again, it is safer to take care of algae problems yourself than to buy a fish for it.
My experiences buying fish on line have been quite good but that is not universally true. There are people who have had bad experiences doing that too. I do not order fish when temperatures are below freezing or are high enough to be uncomfortable when I am fully dressed. The extremes of temperature can be hard on the fish in transit because they do not have a temperature controlled environment.

 

[rebrn]

Yes I know what you mean by the loaches, the only ones that really appealed to me where the clown (which I know aren't suitable for this tank - too small) and the zebras ... I was actually going to scratch the loaches until I saw the zebras, the fact that they will assist me in the sand sifting is just a bonus. As for the plec, again just thinking ahead, not planning to add straight away, only if algae becomes a problem, and even then may not get a plec depends on the type of algae. Basically all my choices were based on the fact that I liked the look of the fish, if they help with tank maintenance then that is a bonus not a requirement. As for ordering fish on-line, that is exactly what I was worried about too, the temperature extremes. I live in South Carolina, but as the temperature is cooling off, I suppose I will be ok now (it never gets too cold here, below freezing at night, but warms up again during the day. I guess it is just a matter of finding a reputable on-line store (one with good feedback) and sticking with it. I will have to start doing some research on that. Thanks for the tips. As always awesome advise, OM

 

[JustFrozen]

I live in South Carolina, but as the temperature is cooling off, I suppose I will be ok now (it never gets too cold here, below freezing at night, but warms up again during the day.

Can you clarify what you mean by this? If it gets below freezing at night I'd be extremely worried. I doubt the fish are only going to be shipping during the afternoon I think I just misunderstood what you said