New 36 gal bowfin

[mfletche]

Hi there,

I have recently downsized from 55 gallon to 36 gallon bowfin. So I went with more natural look in tank from past tanks I've had. Also went with Fluval 70 filter this time instead of Marineland Emperor. I have Crushed coral for substrate and all plants are fake . I just dont have the experience with real plants.
Current fish:
2 Sunset dwarf guaromis
5 rummy nose tetra
8 neon tetra
6 glow light tetra
5 phantom tetra
6 peppermint tetra
1 male Betta
4 male guppy
1 elephant ear guppy
6 Julii Cory

Lastly looking to add some gold Rams or Bolivian Rams. Enjoying it so far.

 

[Fishmanic]

What a great tank. Be sure to enter it in our Tank of the Month contest. Next contest starts Feb 1st. And if you have a pet, please enter our Pet of the Month contest...entries accepted now. Here is POTM contest thread. https://www.fishforums.net/threads/enter-now-january-pet-of-the-month-contest.455985/

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

You mentioned Rams...the common blue (or gold) ram needs warmth, at minimum 80F (227C) and that will not suit the neon tetra nor the cories, both need it cooler. The Bolivian Ram does not have this high temperature requirement.

A couple issues stand out...crushed coral is not a good substrate for cories. They require sand in order to sift (they are filter feeders), plus the crushed coral is likely rough. It will also raise the pH significantly, which is not going to help any of the tetras. Your New York soft water would be ideal on its own. The guppies would not like it.

Very nice aquascape.

 

[mfletche]

Welcome to TFF.

You mentioned Rams...the common blue (or gold) ram needs warmth, at minimum 80F (227C) and that will not suit the neon tetra nor the cories, both need it cooler. The Bolivian Ram does not have this high temperature requirement.

A couple issues stand out...crushed coral is not a good substrate for cories. They require sand in order to sift (they are filter feeders), plus the crushed coral is likely rough. It will also raise the pH significantly, which is not going to help any of the tetras. Your New York soft water would be ideal on its own. The guppies would not like it.

Very nice aquascape.

Thanks for the compliments. I have hard water so I went with the crushed coral. So far fish seem happy. Temp is 79 at the moment. As far as the Cory's they seem happy. Never knew about the substrate specific for the Cory's I am aware of the Bolivian rams water temps. For now I'll wait . I have had lots of different fish over the years...tiger barbs, beinos Aires tetras, pearl, praline, and powder blue dwarf tsunamis, ghost knife fish, bloodfin tetras, Platt's, koi angelfish, small south american cichlids, cardinal tetras, places (which I've never had luck with) bala sharks and small danios. So idk if I'll change substrate just yet. I feel like itll be a task to change over tank...is it necessary at this point?

 

[Byron]

None of us can know if fish are happy or not; their behaviours seldom change, unless or until they are severely stressed and that is certainly noticeable. I can say with certainty that your fish (aside fro the gupppies) would be healthier and have an easier time living (which means less stress) with an inert substrate. And I can say with certainty that the cories will have problems down the road if they are forced to live over crushed coral. And stress is the direct cause of 95% of fish disease. That's all I can say.

I had fine gravel for years, until someone who knew better convinced me to change to sand. I use play sand. Wish I had done it long before. The more I have researched the more I have realized how crucial things like this are to fish health.

 

[Retired Viking]

Very nice looking tank, the fake plants do look nice but I prefer live plants. A little more work but the benefits to the water quality is worth it. I had fake plants for many years and went to live plants last year. Now I will only use live plants after seeing the results.

 

[mfletche]

None of us can know if fish are happy or not; their behaviours seldom change, unless or until they are severely stressed and that is certainly noticeable. I can say with certainty that your fish (aside fro the gupppies) would be healthier and have an easier time living (which means less stress) with an inert substrate. And I can say with certainty that the cories will have problems down the road if they are forced to live over crushed coral. And stress is the direct cause of 95% of fish disease. That's all I can say.

I had fine gravel for years, until someone who knew better convinced me to change to sand. I use play sand. Wish I had done it long before. The more I have researched the more I have realized how crucial things like this are to fish health.

I wonder if it's possible to add sand substrate over the coral? Or would I have o remove the crushed coral if I decide to switch?

 

[Byron]

I wonder if it's possible to add sand substrate over the coral? Or would I have o remove the crushed coral if I decide to switch?

No, this will not work. First, the coral will continue to raise the pH, but even without that, the sand being smaller grain will disappear to the bottom leaving the larger coral gravel on top.

Changing substrates is a big job, but it is worth it. Plan it out, take a day, and be happy the fish are better for the effort! I changed my 8 fish room tanks over several years ago, including a 5-foot 115g tank.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Nice looking tank! But...there are some problems. As @Byron mentioned, the rams. As far as the substrate goes....it is a hard task, but worth it in the end. Might I suggest a dark play sand? That would make your fish colors pop, especially the gouramis. Just make sure to clean it really well before adding it to your tank. Best of luck and I hope to see you around!

 

[Byron]

Pheonix reminded me...I should have mentioned earlier, choose your sand carefully. Avoid any industrial sands, they are all too sharp, and I now realize that pool filter sand is also not good (for Corydoras, so says Ian Fuller who knows more about cories than everyone on this forum combined). I use play sand, but there are the true aquarium sands. Make sure it is inert (no calcareous material).

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Industrial sands being black diamond blasting sand, for example. Most actual aquarium sands are very expensive. I know Aquen makes black sand, it sells for $6 per 5 pounds. Which is crazy. I spent $4 on a 50lb play sand and I was able to sand my 10g, 5g, and 2.5g tanks.

 

[Retired Viking]

I picked up a 50lb bag of play sand from fleet farm for 3.99. Very nice clean sand, have not used it yet.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

You know its safe, because it has to be consumed with side effects on kids. Mine also didn't take that long to wash.

 

[Bub]

I would definitely say that Bolivians are a better option for your tank, though I would turn down the temp a bit. Your fish don't need it that high and some would prefer it cooler. With that said, I wouldn't recommend for you to get more fish. You seem pretty over stocked as it is.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

The fish he has needs tropical temperatures. So they do need it.