is this tank setup ok?

[terrorist_124]

i'm getting a new tank about 85g and i'm going to put small pebble gravel
pH 7.6
temp 25-26
it will have plants but not a lot
i'm going to keep a trio of platy(1 male 2 female),a trio of mollies,a trio of swordtails , around 50 guppy fry , a baby bala shark and a 12cm black knife ghost fish.
i'm going to let them breed and give birth in the tank and let nature take its course, i'm not going to save any fry i will let them survive on their own.
1 hang on power filter which blows air and 1 or 2 heaters

do you think the tank will become overcrowded after a while?
should i put 1 or 2 heaters?(if i put 1 then 1 side of the tank will be warmer than the other)
will i need an airstone?
should i put salt as it is mostly a livebearer tank?
what are the ideal water conditions for this type of tank?
do i need a cover?

sorry for so many questions ) but i really want to get this right,my current tank is a mess





p.s. any advice will be looked at with an open mind

 

[boxman]

Do you want this tank to be a breeding tank or a community tank?

Salt is a VERY bad idea for Black Ghost Knife and I don't believe it's any good for guppys either.

do you think the tank will become overcrowded after a while?

With BGK you wont' have fry left! Black Ghost Knife fish will grow BIG (possibly 22") and will without a doubt eat any fry in it's path! 1.5" minimum for any fish so it depends if you want fry or a BGK.

do you think the tank will become overcrowded after a while?

Yes, if by some miracle the fry survive then you will be (with the BGK potentially).

should i put 1 or 2 heaters?(if i put 1 then 1 side of the tank will be warmer than the other)

Yes 2, sounds like a plan!

will i need an airstone?

I'm not sure which sort of filter you mean, to be honest an 85g is a big tank and so you'll need something that's going to have a high gph rate (better to have more power than the tanks needs - better for a filter not to struggle or just be adequate). With an airstone, it's up to you, airpumps can be noisy but it depends if your filter is going to provide enough oxygen in the water - saying that bubbles do look nice in a tank.

should i put salt as it is mostly a livebearer tank?

See above I know some people put salt with molly's, i'm not an expert, especially a livebearer one.

what are the ideal water conditions for this type of tank?

Depends what you decide to keep. What you stated is about the same as mine and my BGK's are very happy!

do i need a cover?

Depends if you have a lid with inbuilt light - if so then I wouldn't bother. If not then get a lid with inbuilt light unless you like peeling fish from your floor and having a dark tank.

Hope that helps - I'm sure there are several people who have replied by the time I've typed this out.

Definately good questions to ask - good to ask them before you take the plunge!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

You won't want to raise the guppy fry to total maturity as they'll inbreed with each other despite being brothers and sisters and inbreeding can have bad consequences on their offspring, which you don't realy want as it'll lower their imune systems, increase mutation rates and just produce poor quality guppys in general. is the tank completely new as if the fry are still young they are unlikely to survive being moved to a cycling tank.
It might be worth asking about the ghost knife in the oddballs section of the site
Bala sharks can between 13 and 16inchs so you'll need to take this into consideration with future tank stocking

 

[terrorist_124]

thanx a lot boxman

tokis,i will stabalise the water conditions before i put the fry.
as for inbreeding,the guppiess' fry would most likely be eaten by the bala and black knife.thanx for ur advice as well.

how many filters do you think i need?
what type of filter would be best for this type of tank?

thanks in advance

 

[wrs]

no to the bala shark, and no to the BGK. When they are bigger, they will eat the live bearers. Plus, Balas need to be in schools, and be in 125 gallon plus tank.

 

[terrorist_124]

so your telling me that a bala can eat a 1-2 inch long fish

my bala is only 8cm and my BGK is only 11cm they have a long time to go before they can fit a 2 inch molly in their mouths

 

[wrs]

I never said a molly would eat them! The bala can eat the 1-2 inch fish easily as he gets bigger. Best to stay away from them, especially sence your tank isnt big enough.

 

[Polardbear]

If you are going to have swordies I would strongly recommend a cover/hood. Swordies are very good jumpers and you don't want them to decide to exit the tank.