Stocking And A Few Other Questions

[zyrus_elgoog]

Hey guys,
 
Long story short, my daughter has a brand new 100L tank and we have successfully transferred everything over into it and have run the old and new filters in it for roughly 3 weeks now. I figure the bacteria must have been transferred so it's time to add more fish and plants. Her two guppies jumped out of her old tank and killed themselves while nobody was in the house so I think guppies are out.
 
She currently has 5 neon tetras as one died recently so it looks very bare. Her thoughts on new fish were something like this: 
 
- 6 neon tetras total
- 6 other small tetras
- 1 honey gourami
- (?) red cherry shrimp
 
Please suggest any other fish as I am really unsure here.
 
Also, what plants would you recommend that are very low maintenance that don't require CO2?
 
Water parameters are roughly:
 
- 25 degrees (Heater adjustable)
- 7.6 pH (This seems too high from what I've been reading?)
- Ammonia, Nitrates and nitrates and fine i.e. 0, 0, 10
- Don't have a test kit for water hardness
 
We also live in Australia, if that has anything to with fish options etc. (Weather?)
 
Cheers guys.
 

 

[squidneh]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Kudos to you for doing some research, it is more than most people do.
 
That pH is a bit high, but I wouldn't worry much about it. That's about what my water is. If it's possible to get a kit for the gh/kh, that'd be a helpful tidbit of information for suggesting fish. It is better to work with your pH than try to change it, as fish are sensitive to changes in pH. So you will just work with what you have.
 
As far as stocking goes, it is better to have a large school of one type of tetra than multiple types.  Their behavior will be much more natural and they will be more active, colorful, and fun to watch.  I would go for at least 9 neon tetras rather than two separate schools. Red cherry shrimp are cool, but I'm not sure about their care and how they would fare in your setup, so I will let someone else help out with that.  Have you thought about any bottom feeders? I would think about a clown pleco maybe for a tank your size - don't be fooled though, they will not clean your tank. No bottom feeder really will, it just is nice to have fish swimming at all levels of the water.

 

[stanleo]

Hi welcome.

I have two species of midwater schooling fish in a 208L tank and I love watching them interact together.

If you have soft water your stocking plan is fine but if it's hard water than you will have issues. If it's soft you should consider a school of corydoras. If it's hard, consider Australian type fish like the different rainbow fish available.

Cherry shrimp will be fine if there is enough cover for the babes to hide in. If not, they will be lunch.

 

[Byron]

Just a suggestion, rather than buying a GH/KH test kit which you may only use once, contact your municipal water supplier and ascertain the GH and KH from them.  They likely have data on their website.  GH and KH will not alter much in the aquarium unless it is being targeted somehow, so once you know what is coming out of the tap, you can more easily select fish accordingly.  Many fish are adaptable to some extent, but a few do have more specific needs when it comes to hardness.
 
And I agree with whoever suggested increasing the existing tetras; you have space, and a group of 8-10 of both would be fine.  Some substrate fish like corys would be a nice addition, though shrimp if small will be seen as food.  Many of our aquarium fish come from habitats where tiny crustaceans are a normal food source.
 
On the plant question, I have found sword plants very hardy.  The common Amazon sword can get large, so one of these would make a nice display, along with some pygmy chain swords or chain swords.  Floating plants are always wise, and appreciated by forest fish that naturally live under a "roof."  Water Sprite, Water Lettuce, Frogbit; the stem plant Brazilian Pennywort is lovely left floating.
 
Byron.

 

[zyrus_elgoog]

Hi guys,
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. Maybe I'll have a look with her this week and see what is available. It is one of the biggest stores in Sydney and has a ridiculous amount of variety so I'm guessing any fish suggested should be there. =)
 
I was definitely looking at the Amazon sword as one of them and different floating plants. I was actually going to pick up this Anubias log that looks pretty nice this Saturday. I assume that the plants need to be quarantined as well but do they also need a filter/heater whilst being quarantined?
 
I checked the water site, it says the pH is in range of 7.7-7.9. That seems really high for a lot of fish?
 
Cheers,
ZE

 

[Byron]

It really is the GH (general hardness) that is more important to fish.  This is the level of mineral in the water.  The KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) is worth knowing as this tends to "buffer" the pH, preventing it from fluctuating.
 
The pH is important too, but without knowing the GH we are still somewhat in the dark.  The pH may tend to naturally lower in an aquarium, depending upon the KH.
 
Anubias is a low light/low nutrient plant, and is grown attached to wood or rock.  We haven't talked about light yet, what you have over the tank.
 
Byron.

 

[zyrus_elgoog]

Hi Byron,
 
I can't find a GH in the table. There are three hardness levels though and they are:
 
- Total hardness - 48-62
- Calcium hardness - 29-40
- Magnesium hardness - 19-22
- Alkalinity - 32-41
 
Currently have a 100W - white LED, no timer. 
 
Cheers,
ZE

 

[Byron]

The total hardness is sufficient, and I would assume these are in ppm (parts per million) or mg/l (milligrams per litre) which are basically the same thing.  It is not likely to be degrees, as ranges like these would be impossible.  So that means you have very soft water.  GH at 48-62 mg/l (ppm) is roughly between 2 and 4 dGH.
 
The Alkalinity is the carbonate hardness (KH) and this is low, not surprising as KH usually (though not always) closely matches or parallels GH and soft water will tend to have a low KH.  This is fine.  It means the pH will likely lower gradually as the aquarium becomes biologically established.
 
So to your fish, staying with soft water fish (tetra, gourami, etc) will be fine.  Your shrimp may find it difficult, without more calcium.  Plants should generally be OK, especially if the GH is closer to 4.  Liquid fertilizers like Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement will have some calcium and magnesium which will probably be sufficient with your GH.
 
Byron.

 

[zyrus_elgoog]

So to your fish, staying with soft water fish (tetra, gourami, etc) will be fine.  Your shrimp may find it difficult, without more calcium.  

 
Hi Byron,
 
Thanks for all of your help. What do you mean by more Calcium. Is it as simple as buying the additive and adding it to the tank water?
 
The honey gourami is currently in the quaratine tank and looks like he is doing well. My daughter absolutely dotes on him. He was really shy when we got him but now he swims around all over the tank and spits water at her finger when she hovers it over the water. 
 
We bought Wisteria, Amazon swords, Java Moss and an Anubias Log. The LFS owner recommended some fertilizer only if the leaves started turning yellow and said they should be fine otherwise.
 
Lastly about Mollies/Platies; how are they in terms of real world caring and lifespan?
 
Seems to vary wildly depending on site.

 

[Byron]

What do you mean by more Calcium. Is it as simple as buying the additive and adding it to the tank water?
 

Shrimp have exoskeletons and calcium is a major component.  I have never kept shrimp (other than hatching for fry food) but I believe some species need harder water.  There are some that are OK in softer water.  Other members with more experience with shrimp can help you here, I just wanted to make the observation so you are aware of it.
 

We bought Wisteria, Amazon swords, Java Moss and an Anubias Log. The LFS owner recommended some fertilizer only if the leaves started turning yellow and said they should be fine otherwise.
 

Considering how soft your water is, I would question this.  The complete liquid I mentioned is probably going to be necessary, and should provide sufficient.  You use so little of this, it is in my view worth getting.  But make sure of what you buy; not all plant "food" is the same.  Flourish Comprehensive Supplement (Seachem product) has everything in proportion; FlorinMulti (made by Brightwell Aquatics) is much the same.  For your 100 litre tank, just half a teaspoon of the Flourish once a week after the water change will likely do the job.

 

Lastly about Mollies/Platies; how are they in terms of real world caring and lifespan?
Seems to vary wildly depending on site.
 

Your water is much too soft for these fish.  Mollies in particular must have the "hard" minerals (calcium, magnesium, and others) and will develop illness, fungus, shimmying, etc without.  Platy are similar.  These fish should never be housed in soft water, they simply cannot last.
 
Byron.