New To This Fourm Would Like To Know Your Oppinion

[nathanbunce1@hotmail.co.uk]

hi all i have recently got my 190ltr corner tank back from the x which was funn (not) anyway i cleaned everything and had a think about what i wanted? so i decided to go with slate instead of gravel which looks awsome i might add, i have a ship wreak in 2 halfs with an air stone under each half for my co2.. a fluval in tank filter with biomax and carbon.. need to get a bigger heater but the 1 ive got is doing the trick for now... i have 14 plants and 14 fish i have no idea what the plants are called lol but the fish are 6x spotted danios 4x brown chinese sucking loach 2x firemouth chiclids and 2x silver shark soon to be geting 2x ram chiclids some siamiese algee eaters and maybe some clown loach if i get too many snails... all is going well have lost no fish yet and have some hair algee starting to grow so have reduced the lighting time to 8 hours and done a water change(which i tend to do 1 time every 2 weeks) at about 22ltrs as thats what my curver box will take b4 spilling when i move it lol... heres a pic before most of the fish.. think its just the silver sharks at this point... tell me what u think and any pointers would be appreciated... oh please excuse the reflection and i know your gonna say its by the window and will get direct sunlight but it dont as this is the back of my house and the sun comes up at the front and never get far enough round the back to be in direct contact with the tank
https/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/457168_10150994617888746_2065304129_o.jpg
i will try and get a better 1 today as the tank is more established now.. will post to this thread..

 

[dbanner]

Hi and welcome to the forum there are lots of knowledgable people here that can answer any questions that you may have...

From the fish you have mentioned I can tell you that the Firemouths and silver sharks will need bigger tanks. You may think they are ok for now of they are small but most people don't realise that even though they are small they still need the right size tanks in order to grow properly ad not get stunted. Also when it comes to very big and active fish like silver sharks it's important that the tank has a big footprint (the length and width of the tank). The problem with corner tanks is there is very little footprint which makes fish like these unsuitable.

The Firemouths would need a tank of around 55 gallons (250 litres), whilst the silver sharks (Bala sharks) should be in groups of at least 6 (around 10 being better) but they need a tank of around 6 feet long x 2feet high x 2 feet wide 180 gallon (600 litres) and that is still not going to be big enough long term.

IMO I'd rehome them. I can't comment on your other fish as I don't have experience with them but there are plenty of people on here that do
When it comes to doing water changes I'd up the amount to around 30-40% change once a week rather than every 2 (this is what I do as well as many others here) just make sure you add a good dechloranater to the water you put back in.

With the heater you will want a 200 watt as the general rule is 1 watt per litre but id get a 300 watt. Won't do any harm and you may decide to upgrade your tank one day.

Rams also need higher water temp so check the comparability with your other fish before getting them. Also German rams are harder to care for than bolivian rams

 

[nathanbunce1@hotmail.co.uk]

From the fish you have mentioned I can tell you that the Firemouths and silver sharks will need bigger tanks. You may think they are ok for now of they are small but most people don't realise that even though they are small they still need the right size tanks in order to grow properly ad not get stunted. Also when it comes to very big and active fish like silver sharks it's important that the tank has a big footprint (the length and width of the tank). The problem with corner tanks is there is very little footprint which makes fish like these unsuitable.

The Firemouths would need a tank of around 55 gallons (250 litres), whilst the silver sharks (Bala sharks) should be in groups of at least 6 (around 10 being better) but they need a tank of around 6 feet long x 2feet high x 2 feet wide 180 gallon (600 litres) and that is still not going to be big enough long term.

IMO I'd rehome them. I can't comment on your other fish as I don't have experience with them but there are plenty of people on here that do
When it comes to doing water changes I'd up the amount to around 30-40% change once a week rather than every 2 (this is what I do as well as many others here) just make sure you add a good dechloranater to the water you put back in. ok will look into water temps... and the difference between the rams... thx....

With the heater you will want a 200 watt as the general rule is 1 watt per litre but id get a 300 watt. Won't do any harm and you may decide to upgrade your tank one day.

i know those fish will get bigger and the sharks seem happy in there pair all the fish seem happy to be honest. i have my eye on a heater on ebay which is a 300watt.. im using some interpet treatments atm as it was easy to get whem i got the tank back but will upgrade when its all gone... any pointers on which makes of treatments are best to use ??? atm im using tapsafe for the water changes stresscoat for when ive added new fish/plants or had my hand in the tank for what ever reason a plant booster and waste control as the gravel hover dont work as well on the slate... i didnt change the filter pads for biological reasons (thought it would help the new setup along.. seems to have worked) will be changing the left side pads this weekend though..

 

[dbanner]

Is the filter cycled from a privious tank or from this tank being set up? How was it cycled? If not then have a look at the beginners thread on fish-in cycling its basically growing good bacteria which live in your filter that gets rid of ammonia and nitrites which are harmful to fish and turns them into nitrates which is only harmful when numbers are very high. Such as 60-80ppm. Any reading over 0 for ammonia and nitrites is harmful to fish.

The only things I put in with my water is seachem prime dechlore. I get a 500ml bottle for around £12 and 5ml treats 200 litres of tap water added to the tank. I change 200 litres of water a week and do a sand vac once (sometimes twice a week). I do have a bottle of protozin just in case I ever get any ich or fungus in the tank. I also have an api liquid test kit to test my tank readings. My tank is cycled so my readings are - ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
My ph is around 8
Temp kept at 26 degrees c

Yes you CAN keep silvers in lower numbers but it is advised to keep them in their required numbers. Same applies with things like tetras, corys, clown loaches, barbs and so on. They will just be happier and feel safer.

I can imagine how hard the slate is to keep clean with a vac lol I used to use play sand in most of my tanks but iv swapped it for black Limpopo sand now and I love it

 

[nathanbunce1@hotmail.co.uk]

Is the filter cycled from a privious tank or from this tank being set up? How was it cycled? If not then have a look at the beginners thread on fish-in cycling its basically growing good bacteria which live in your filter that gets rid of ammonia and nitrites which are harmful to fish and turns them into nitrates which is only harmful when numbers are very high. Such as 60-80ppm. Any reading over 0 for ammonia and nitrites is harmful to fish.

The only things I put in with my water is seachem prime dechlore. I get a 500ml bottle for around £12 and 5ml treats 200 litres of tap water added to the tank. I change 200 litres of water a week and do a sand vac once (sometimes twice a week). I do have a bottle of protozin just in case I ever get any ich or fungus in the tank. I also have an api liquid test kit to test my tank readings. My tank is cycled so my readings are - ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
My ph is around 8
Temp kept at 26 degrees c

Yes you CAN keep silvers in lower numbers but it is advised to keep them in their required numbers. Same applies with things like tetras, corys, clown loaches, barbs and so on. They will just be happier and feel safer.

I can imagine how hard the slate is to keep clean with a vac lol I used to use play sand in most of my tanks but iv swapped it for black Limpopo sand now and I love it

the filter was from within the same tank but a previous setup in it... it has always been my tank and i did the initial setup... all the fish were rehoused and i took the tank apart and reset it in the same day i just cleaned the filter pads in the old tank water and popped them back in ready for setup... i have tested the water and took some into my local aquatics place for testing there and no probs at all so happy with that... just new slate, new water, new airlines and airstones... i found an article on balas and it says 3 min but tey dont seem unhappy or nervious maybe as they were in the tank alone for 2 weeks... previously i had 2 balas and a red tail shark and all i can say is i wont be geting another redtail as it was the biggest bully in the tank... nice to look at but a total bully...

 

[dbanner]

Ok that's seem fine then. All I would say is if your going to be replacing anything in the filter like pads or sponge then don't replace all at once. Make sure ou still have some mature media in the filter and replace a bit at a time. Also keep an eye on your water readings whilst your doing this just to be safe.

Yes red tail sharks also need a tank of at least 250 litres as they are very terratorial. Also you should never mix any 2 types of shark in the same tank. If your going to keep the Firemouths (which I wouldn't advise) then id also keep a close eye on them. Being cichlids they will also become very terratorial and with your tank being so small its not a case of if they will or not it's a case of when...

 

[Man of fish]

Try a 9x3x3 for silver sharks they just aren't suitable for really any aquariums. They are very skittish and need groups of 10+. Clown loach aren't suitable for this tank either needing at least a 4x2 as babies and a 6x2 as adults, and groups of 6+. I highly recommend you get zebra loaches because these are just a smaller loach that will be suitable to your tank. I agree with everything dbanner has said as well.

 

[dbanner]

Try a 9x3x3 for silver sharks they just aren't suitable for really any aquariums. They are very skittish and need groups of 10+. Clown loach aren't suitable for this tank either needing at least a 4x2 as babies and a 6x2 as adults, and groups of 6+. I highly recommend you get zebra loaches because these are just a smaller loach that will be suitable to your tank. I agree with everything dbanner has said as well.

Yep, I agree on that kind of tank size for bala's. This is why I said around 6x2x2 but it wouldn't last long term.

 

[sadguppy]

Yoyo loaches are as attractive as clowns but much smaller, I have six which are currently in my medium sized tank which is smaller than yours, and they are great to watch and brilliant snail eaters, although that isn't why I got them, just a happy bonus!

It's looking really nice, well done.

 

[nathanbunce1@hotmail.co.uk]

Ok that's seem fine then. All I would say is if your going to be replacing anything in the filter like pads or sponge then don't replace all at once. Make sure ou still have some mature media in the filter and replace a bit at a time. Also keep an eye on your water readings whilst your doing this just to be safe.

Yes red tail sharks also need a tank of at least 250 litres as they are very terratorial. Also you should never mix any 2 types of shark in the same tank. If your going to keep the Firemouths (which I wouldn't advise) then id also keep a close eye on them. Being cichlids they will also become very terratorial and with your tank being so small its not a case of if they will or not it's a case of when...

yeah i have a fluval type filter with 3 cartridges left and right is filter sponge and it has a central cartridge with biomax and carbon so gonna change the left hand sponges and leave the rest... ok well if they get a bit to angry lol i will find them a new home... i realy like cichlids so are there any that will be ok in my 190ltr corner tank ???

 

[nathanbunce1@hotmail.co.uk]

Yoyo loaches are as attractive as clowns but much smaller, I have six which are currently in my medium sized tank which is smaller than yours, and they are great to watch and brilliant snail eaters, although that isn't why I got them, just a happy bonus!

It's looking really nice, well done.

thank you for the positive quote oh has a look at those yoyos and yes i think they will look very nice thx... yeah they got these posted as pakistani loaches in my local aquatics place lol

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Your slate is going to pose a bit of a problem too tbh, cichlids like rams dig around in it alot along with loaches, i can imagine it could be very sharp, I would advise sand as a much better substrate

 

[Man of fish]

Your slate is going to pose a bit of a problem too tbh, cichlids like rams dig around in it alot along with loaches, i can imagine it could be very sharp, I would advise sand as a much better substrate

+2


In terms of cichlids peaceful dwarfs are your only option for this setup. So rams, apistos, or scarlet badis.

 

[nathanbunce1@hotmail.co.uk]

Your slate is going to pose a bit of a problem too tbh, cichlids like rams dig around in it alot along with loaches, i can imagine it could be very sharp, I would advise sand as a much better substrate

+2


In terms of cichlids peaceful dwarfs are your only option for this setup. So rams, apistos, or scarlet badis.

havent had any problems with it so far but i am keeping my eye on all the fish as the tank hasnt been set for long... if i do encounter any problems like grazing then i will be changing it to something more standard... i dont realy like the idea of sand though to be honest... it must make a real mess when the gravel hovering is done ?? how long does it take to settle out ?? i will probably go for a nice gravel of some sort with of plant food under it... unless you or otheres can persuade me otherwise....

 

[Baccus]

I have just plain old sand in my tanks with a bit of gravel underneath it, my plants are growing great in the mix. I dont gravel vac the sand as the cory's and various locahes (yep I have Pakastani loaches as well as a few other types) do a good job of keeping any solids moving towards the filter intake. Dwarf Chain loaches would also be a good addition to your tank if the Pakastani (yoyo) loaches get too big.

The sand I got I rinsed really well until the water running out of the bucket I was using ran clear, it did still make the tank a bit murky when added to the tank but the fine sediment was soon either picked up by the filter or settled around the bases of my plants.

Some ottocinclus would also be a good addition for algea control, the plus side of them is they are not huge, and are peaceful. Another name for a brown Chinese sucking loach wouldn't happen to be Chinese algea eater by any chance would it? If so watch out when they mature, Chinese Algea Eaters (CAE) stop being good algea eaters once they get larger and are well known for becoming the tank bullies.