Tank Setup

wirralbull

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want to set up a 48"x15"x15" planted tank with 20"x12"x12" sump filter. would i be able to stock it with 25 mosquito rasbora, 12 pygmy corries, 8 ottocinclus, 4 mini moth catfish, 2 pairs of scarlet badis, 12 cherry shrimp and maybe endlers guppy x15. what is this like for stoking levels? are fish compatible? are endlers guppy ok in ph neutral water with no salt added. any comments/views appreciated
 
I dont know how many gallons your tank is, just by your measurements. But the general rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water. I'm counting 78 fish, so I guess as long as you have 80 gal or bigger, you should be ok. But just wait for some more experienced advice. I could be wrong.
 
58 gallons is what the calculator says inc sump. - decor etc, it maybe overstocked. most of the fish i chose grow to 1 inch or less. what size of pump will i need. tank turnover per hour?
 
Yes, just a rough straight inch add-up puts you a bit overstocked but because most of the fish are small-bodied I'd say it's fairly borderline. A lot depends on your experience. If you are brand new to fishkeeping (this is a beginners section so we always have to consider that possibility) then you won't yet know your own ability to maintain commitment to the sometimes excruciatingly boring tasks of year to year maintenance on a weekly basis.

The problem for beginners is that they are by definition enthusiastic usually, but only have this with which to judge how they will do on the maintenance regimens, not a true retrospective of "how I actually did!" But if you already know that you are reliable at puttering with these things each weekend etc. then being a bit overstocked usually goes ok. It does entail added risk during power outages, so that's a good thing to keep in mind. On the other hand, if you are a true beginner then it is just so much better to remain "inch guidelined" or understocked for the first two years. This is because those first two years will play a much more powerful role in establishing your "feel" for a healthy tank, allowing you to better judge when things are creeping away from normal for the rest of your years in the hobby.

As long as you are at least at a 4 or 5x turnover rate with your filter flow or higher you will be fine. The planted tank folks (it's a special hobby) often run up at 10x or higher but many find this then challanges you in creating an ok environment for the fish to actually swim in. I can't picture an endler tank with such high flow. OM47 (member oldman47) keeps endlers and I think he has pointed out in the past that you certainly don't need especially high flows with them. Salt is not recommended.

~~waterdrop~~
 
i have kept tropical fish before. guppies platties mollies etc neons angels bred kribs corries and the livebearens all the basic fish from petshops. but now i am just getting back into it. and i used to grow alot of plants so no abit about water nutrients etc have ec meters ph meter ets so i guess it will just be a matter of gradually increasing stock until the filter is over loaded. i plan on having 5 sections in my sump. 2 for mechanical coarse and fine foam one for heater pump one for k1 moving bed to reduce amonia quickly for shrimp and a drip tray wet/dry for ceramic core. do any of you use cfl lights with any success? i have used them in the past for terrestrial plants an they worked well. anyone have any guidlines for lumens over depth per sq foot needed for planted tank?
 
i will need 1000lph+ pump 200watt heater min. water depth will be arourd 12"
 
ok, you sound like you know what you're doing. For CFLs vs. standard old fluorescent tubes I'd say you just need to try and figure out if they are some sort of high output. That would mean they are giving off more light per the power going in and basically you'd not be able to use the old rule of thumb that 2 watts per US gallon can sometimes be the turning point between low-tech and high-tech. Your algae would just come sooner. In the long run, adjusting lighting hours is more what you'd probably be controlling and you could take the approach of starting at 4 hours per day and working upward rather than 12 hours per day and working downward.. or some approach more moderate than those that felt better to you. WD
 
anyone no how many lumens per sq inch needed? how does water effect lumen out put. 2 times the distance 1/4 the intensity on land. google it maybe. anyone no any other realy small fish generaly available less than 1"
 

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