Need Help With New Tank ..noob

[Dskize]

In the process of setting up my second tank ,going from a small 35 litre community tank to a 125 litre for some thing a bit more individual I hope.

I have a Fluval 405 as a filter which I think is sufficient ? plus heaters.

I'm using gravel as a base layer with a plastic thin mesh on top as a devider with about a 1/2 inch of sand as the surface layer ,I'm not really fond of planted tanks and would like to just have a small amount of stone or possibly one large ornament piece of wood as the centre piece with a couple of Juwel granite backgounds.

Stock wise I was hoping for something of the small shark family or possibly Tiger barbs ? and maybe something like shrimp as a substrate cleaner ,I realise this is not a big tank so I'm curious as to whether Im going in the right direction for the type of stock I want or will I be better looking for a different type of fish, I fully admit to knowing nothing about anything bigger than a Tetra so please excuse me if I'm waaay off here.

Obviously I'm concerned about the fish being comfortable with sand ,tank size etc, sparse furnishings, no plants and I assume all the usual noob questions.

Any help appreciated I realise there is a lot there.I've searched and read but there is a whole lot of information out there so a point in the right direction would be great.

Ta

 

[ajs2294]

Putting 2 substrates divided by mess wouldn't be practical at all. First of all I doubt there are many types of mesh that would allow adequate flow as well as preventing sand from getting on the gravel. Second a divider between substrates would render cleaning the gravel impossible, this would be a big problem as poop and debris will find a way down there and cause all sorts of issues if not cleaned on a regular basis. So I advise you to choose either sand or gravel one or the other. The only other alternative would be to have half the tank gravel the other sand but chances are fish being animals and the flow of water you'll end up with a mixture.
Tiger barbs would be fine you could easily fit a shoal of 10-15 in the tank. Just be aware that there aren't that many tank mates that would get along with the persistent fin nipping of barbs. I'm not experienced with "shark" species but I know that Bala Sharks will not fit in a 125l unfortunately. Tiger barbs will do fine in a relatively empty tank they don't need much in the way of hiding spots if any.
If your into rock sculptures and nothing else have you looked into Chiclid species? many enjoy having rubble and rocks as their sole ornaments in their tanks and will set up territories and what not without needing and fancy decor defiantly no plants though

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Dskize.
You have a huge filter for the size of your tank. A tank that size should only need a 105 or maybe a 205 as a filter. The 30 gallons tank, + or -, means you have space to accommodate many possible stockings. I am not a big fan of the tiger barbs but I am aware that many people just love them. I find that tiger barbs deserve the name tiger. They are very rough with any tank mates in my own experience. Since I usually strive to have a peaceful tank, tiger barbs just have no place in my tanks. Shrimp make lots of sense to me if you have a peaceful stocking but do not make as much sense to me with tiger tank mates.

 

[Dskize]

Thanks to you both

Substrate wise I read the article on here and the separated Sand/Gravel idea appealed, I re-read and I appear to be using the wrong sand (Aquarium sand, which I assume is just expensive play sand) too fine to let flow yes ? If I use a very thin layer of sand ,<2cm in a Non-planted tank will this cause problems ? If I was to add plants I would put them in something with a little soil/gravel and space to root,ultimately I would have a compatible tenant that shifts the sand about however as I don't really want plants.

Filter wise I was looking at a lot of threads and it kinda suggested that you couldn't really over-filter and the price difference from the 205 to the 405 seemed quite little ,plus the flow rate is adjustable so I thought I would just got for the biggest one ..kinda like I would if offered a wine list

yep a happy tank is what I'm after, but not necessarily a community tank I would quite like to pick a small amount of specific fish that would be happy in that kind of tank with 1 or 2 additional catfish or shrimps or snails to help with cleaning the substrate...of course I don't know what kind of fish that is yet but I'm just about to start cycling the tank so I have plenty time to ask advice .

One more thing if you wouldn't mind ,If I need to use a thicker layer of sand as a substrate and I'm fishless cycling, I assume as there will be no fish or food debris the possibility of Anaerobic(sp) pockets arising before I introduce the stock is non-existant as this is obviously my main concern about sand.

thanks

 

[OldMan47]

If you stay with semi-aggressive fish, you might indeed do well with the tiger barb stocking. I have very specific experience with "over filtering" a tank. This is what happens when you have a filter rated for about 40 gallons operating on a 20 gallon tank.

Since I am not a fan of sand dunes in my tanks, I reduced the flow by changing filters and ended up with this in that same tank.

 

[Dskize]

Thats quite a difference ,is that down to flow rate ?

I suppose I can only try it when I'm cycling, and if the above happens I'll get a 205 and call it a (another) lesson learned.

I'm not rally stuck on one type of fish it was just through suggestions from a friend who is an ex-fish keeper.

I am open to all species, there is just so many.

 

[JoshuaA]

I don't think it's a really approved of method but you could always place more media into your filter to "baffle" the flow of water and decrease the flow but you'd in effect be increasing surface area of potential biological housing.

 

[OldMan47]

My change was a simple recognition that the tank had far too much flow with the first filter/power head combination. When I decided to replace that combination with a more suitable filter with a lower flow rate, the results are obvious, at least to me. There is nothing I can say that will make things easier for you, you have already spent the money on your 405. I would, in your position, do whatever I could to minimize the flow from your filter. There is no such thing as too much filtration when it comes to biological effectiveness, but flow <> biological effectiveness. Instead I find filter media volume is far more important than flow in terms of dealing with ammonia and nitrites.

 

[meguro]

u could do a shoal of tiger barbs and have a group of kuhli loaches to take care of the bottom. if ur using sand theyre also a decent choice as they will help keep it spotless and "turned over".

i would also consider a few plants. tiger barbs tend to prefer subdued lighting in my experience so either a weak light or floating plants to help provide shaded areas in the tank (even something as simple as water wisteria floating on the surface would suffice if u cant source true floating plants).

the loaches will prefer caves/holes created by placing rocks and/or branches on top of each other as u seem to have indicated in ur first post. as for the wood centrepiece, consider attaching an anubias plant to it (or buying one already attached)

 

[Dskize]

Well I like the Loaches Idea so I'm working on the above advice and have found what I think is the ideal wood/plant in classifieds and am hoping I can get that ,if not I will seek in LFS as there are 3 in Edinburgh within easy reach.

Due to space and neccesity I had to look at only running one tank, so after filling the 125 litre with clean sand, and using the internal Fluval U3 that came with the tank to make sure the water was clear of debris/silt (over 72 hours) I moved the other Fluval U2 filter from my 35 litre tank into the new one and of course then the fish,

After 24hrs water tests say

Nirite 0 ppm

Nitrate 5.0 ppm

Ammonia 0 ppm

Should I expect another fiah in cycle to start ? ...I hope not the filter was from a 9 months running tank.

I realise I will have to annoy the fish a tad when I rescape there home around or with them out, but it's certainly put the kibosh on anything more unique than danio's and tetras for a while.