Currently have a 30gal, eventually moving up to a 55gal.
Discussion in 'Members Fish Tanks' started by DanGer1285, Dec 27, 2012.
So right now I have a 30gal freshwater fish only setup. In it I've got 17 tiger barbs (6 reg, 6 green, 5 albino - all living happily) and a golden algae eater. I've read on various sites that the algae eater has potential to become a fish sucker, causing problems down the road, but most accounts seem to say this is with larger fish (than barbs).
In preparation for the fish getting bigger (they've only been in my 30gal for a month), I went out and got a 55 gallon tank. I'm not a huge huge rush to try to stock it, but we'll see how long I can possibly wait.
So I'm looking for some advice on stocking it and a few other things.
- a few loaches, kuhli or yoyo or something similar and bottom dwelling-like.
I don't think that would overstock the tank, but correct me if I'm wrong.
One question I have is: Would it be beneficial to have a powerhead in a tank like this? I've never worked with one before, and I've never had anything other than goldfish in tank larger than 30gal, so I don't really know much about powerheads except for what I've read recently.
Second question: I've also never tried to have live plants in a tank before but I think I would like to. Would my proposed fish stock be one that destroys, eats, clips, etc. the plants effectively ruining them? Also, in a 55gal tank, would CO2 diffusion be mandatory for success or would I just get enough light, fertilizer, and call it a day? Or should I just experiment with low-light plants in the 30gal after I move the fish to the new tank and bring a more experienced self to plant in the 55gal later on?
Lastly: Any suggestions on successfully re-housing the fish from one tank to the other? Assuming the parameters are the same, should I move them all at once - pick up from one and place in the other right away, or should I only move a few at a time?
Chinese algae eaters become highly aggressive as they age and are truly only suitable for tanks with other large aggressives, such as African cichlids. At some point it will stop eating algae and turn into a murderer of small fish. Sometimes this literally happens overnight. The sharks (red tail black or rainbow) also become quite aggressive, but generally tiger barbs are suitable tankmates and 55g is big enough for such a shark.
I don't think that would overstock, no, but I must reiterate the warning about the algae eater and note that the loaches could easily come into conflict with the shark - and lose. They are both bottom-dwellers.
No idea. I've never ventured to use one.
Second question: I've also never tried to have live plants in a tank before but I think I would like to. Would my proposed fish stock be one that destroys, eats, clips, etc. the plants effectively ruining them? Also, in a 55gal tank, would CO2 diffusion be mandatory for success or would I just get enough light, fertilizer, and call it a day? Or should I just experiment with low-light plants in the 30gal after I move the fish to the new tank and bring a more experienced self to plant in the 55gal later on?[\QUOTE] You should be fine with some plants. In a low-light, no-CO2 setup, I would recommend java fern, java moss, anubias, water wisteria and cryptocoryne.
If you move your cycled filter to the 55 along with the new filter, you can move all the fish at once. Place them in a bucket with some of the 30's tank water and drip-acclimate into the 55. Even if the basic parameters are the same, there will most likely be other differences, so it's best to drip them.
Lots of great info here, thanks very much!
All right, so a few options of grass and plants for a no-CO2 tank. Loaches might come into conflict with the shark, so that's not a great idea.
Does anybody have experience with both yoyo loaches and red tail black sharks and have an opinion which are nicer fish to go with? I'm preferential to a more active tank and like to have variety and colour. I guess the two options would be to go with loaches and get a few of them or go with the shark and get one, but then get some upper water swimmers like zebra danios (shouldn't have an issue with the tiger barbs in the 55gal, right?).
Are there any suggestions on a larger fish that would complement this community of semi-aggressive fish, something I could get one or two of that are middle swimmers and aren't too shy.
Zebra danios should be fine with tiger barbs. They're fast enough to stay out of trouble.
Personally, I haven't kept either, but I would go with the loaches rather than the shark. I'm keeping clown loaches (these get too big to stay in a 55, though it's suitable for a while) and I've seen videos of other loaches. Really fun personalities.
If you get zebra danios, I would recommend a school of at least 8. Mine were never happy with less. Another option might be the rosy danio (danio roseus). They have some pretty cool color to them.
Hmmm...larger fish...not sure...something might come to me later. If it does I'll stop by and let you know. Maybe Blood Parrots, but they tend to be hard on plants.
Here's a picture of the 30gal.
Red Lilly, ludwigia, rotala, anubias eye, duckweed, amazon frogbit, coral moss, Christmas moss, dwarf sag, microsword, onion plant, and one other that looks like a crypt but I have no clue lol.
I have 9 tiger barbs, 5 gourami, 5 roseline sharks/denison barbs/roseline barbs (very colorful), 3 bolivian rams and a chinese algae eater in a 55 gallon planted with cryptocoryne. Barbs will thrash many plants, especially amazon sword. They didn't like the taste of anubias but I relocated them to my neon tank.