Simple 45Litre Tank

[madmcphil]

New member...so hi to all and thanks in advance for any help I receive. 
 
Trying to keep a nice and simple tank but have been thinking of introducing some moss. I fancy something to cover the rear wall of the tank....
 
just not sure how to do it?
 
1. With rocks and some moss?
 
2. Slate with moss?
 
3. What kind of moss?
 
This tank will hold one red tail black shark and some neon tetra with possibly a electric blue discus later on when the tank is established more (and I have a clue what Im doing)....
 
I do like the simple look, any ideas to guide  me on my way?
 
Kind regards
 
Philip
 

 

[Ninjouzata]

Very pretty tank! I'm sorry I can't offer help on a moss wall.
 
I did want to let you know your planned stocking for the tank is not going to work, unfortunately.
 
The red tail black shark requires a minimum of a ~208l tank, the Discus a ~255l tank.
HERE is more info on the RTBS and HERE is more info on discus.
 
I realize it's probably not what you want to hear but it's best you know this now than after you had gotten the fish

 
Can you give the dimensions for your tank and is your water soft or hard? This will help me or others make some suggestions for what you can have instead.
 
Have you cycled the tank or are you going to? You can read about cycling HERE.

 

[madmcphil]

Thanks for the advice..... best to know these things in advance. Im after a happy tank.  Im going to have a rethink on stocking! (or start building a big tank....maybe once I have got this one running safely).
 
Water hardness is an issue for me. I live in an area with extremely hard water. My Ph is 7.6, no3 is 0.5 and no2 are at < 50 , Gh 500, KH 180.
 
My tank has been setup for about 3 days now without stock. I have added a fluval u2 bio filter to help start the tank and also some fluval biological enhancer to try and kick start the "cycle". I took the two moss balls from a friends tank in the hope that would help speed things up a little too.
 
Dimensions are off the top of my head 45 X 35 X 32 cms. 
 
I really appreciate the help.... now going off to do some research into some other fish. I like minimalistic  but powerful colour. Im not after a tank with a bit of everything in it....
 
Thank you all to who reply and thanks again to Ninjouzata for her heads up on the stocking issue!

 

[benthyer]

Tank looks very nice good work!
 
I am very envious as I want to change my tank to sand as I'm not happy with the gravel I have but I also have to battle the misses as she's not a fan of sand in the tank!!
 
If you are on facebook look up a group called "World of Mosses" a guy runs it and sales all sorts of things moss including moss walls and will be able to help guide you on how to do it and get one established.
 
Keep us updated with the progress!

 

[madmcphil]

Thanks benthyer...
 
Im pleased with the sand too. I did put a pete substrate under the sand (JBL PROFLORA AquaBasis Plus) then the fine JBL sand on top. Hoping it all works nicely...

 

[Ninjouzata]

Most bacteria in a bottle don't work but it doesn't hurt to try. If you want a reliable one I'd go with Dr. Tim's One & Only though I think it is difficult to get a hold of there?
Keep in mind even with adding that you need to add ammonia and test the tank following the article I have linked (which you can also find at the top of the page 'Cycling a Tank'.
 
A good test kit would be API, you want tests for ammonia & nitrite though pH and nitrates are good to have too. You'll also need some ammonia which you can find sources for HERE.
 
Those links I gave you on the RTBS and Discus, that site is very useful..so if you see a fish you like try looking it up on there. Of course feel free to post here about it too!
One type of fish I'd recommend to you, which would be the centerpiece of sorts, are peacock gudgeons. Small, peaceful, colorful, easy to breed..really lovely fish! HERE is some more info on them.

 

[madmcphil]

Just did an ammonia test now.... comes in on 0.5 (Nh3 / NH4+) which I suppose means the process has started in the tank? Think the tank is on course going by the cycle tank link....
 
To get a tank cycled in a reasonable amount of time, you need to make sure that, in addition to ammonia, the bacteria will also have:

• Lots of oxygen by keeping the surface of your water well agitated to let oxygen in.
• Inorganic carbon (as carbonates) by keeping your KH up. Do not let it drop below 3 dg (55 ppm).
• A good pH level by insuring it is above 6.5. The closer to 8.0 the faster the cycle will go. We do not recommend one alter their pH if it holds fairly steady anywhere between 6.8 - 8.5.
• An optimal temperature by having a heater set to between 75F and 85F. Lower tends to slow the cycle while higher won’t make things go even faster.

 
 peacock gudgeons are very pretty indeed...so thank you for the info. Do you have a suggestion for a sandy passive bottom feeder? 
 
kind regards
 
Philip
 
p.s Wish I bought a slightly larger tank... finding out the majority of fish I like are NOT suitable

 

[Ch4rlie]

Wish I bought a slightly larger tank... finding out the majority of fish I like are NOT suitable

 
That is unfortunately what happens to many newcomers to the hobby, in fact 45 litres is not bad to start with really.
 
I have a 10 gal tank, its a very simple set up done the way i like it, with low tech plants, Red Cherry Shrimps, Assassin Snails and 6 Black bar Endlers. (You can see the tank in my sig)
 
With a little research, you'll find there ARE quite a few specie of small fish that would be perfectly ok in a 45 litre tank, CPD's. Chilli Rasboras, Endlers, Guppies, Dario Dario, Betta Splenden are all examples of what could be suitable for these little tank, with the addition of shrimps (not recommend with a betta ) or snails as well can make this a really nice little tank

 

[Ninjouzata]

Did you add ammonia yet? Have you tested your tap water for ammonia?
 
Unfortunately I don't know of any sand sifters for the tank, my first thought was one of the pygmy cories (pygmaeus, hastatus, or habrosus) but they need a 50l minimum.
 
As Ch4rlie said though there are still lots of options for this type of tank. They might not be as easy to find in your LFS but they are beautiful and certainly worth having.

 

[madmcphil]

Sorry for late updates...... Decided to do it properly...... purchased a 180 litre tank.  All is running well. Tank cycled quick enough as I used the filters and plants and water from the previous tank and borrowed some water from my friends tank which is well maintained.  Just trying to work on the Ph of the water now. Water is very high in Ph here and Gh.  Off to get some ro water. I have peat balls at the moment working away to drop the Ph...(proper peat balls none of this market stuff... e.g over 1000 year old peat which is like treacle). Need to find a wonderful large piece of bogwood now for a nice aqua-scape and hopefully that will also help the Ph.
 
 
Put some   Riccardia Chamedryfolia and some Fissidens Fontanus mosses in the tank which have already started to creep around a little. All in all nice and happy I got the larger tank which lets me have a broader range of the fish I like. Still going to stick with the minimalistic idea though... keeping it simple.