Doing a fw tank right

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
aclockworkorange;4959367; said:
Some Cory cats get pretty big, a good small species would be panda corys. They also prefer sand over gravel...
If you could track them down, some LDA025 plecos only get a couple inches and are great algae eaters.
The most common small and best algae eater would be an otocinclus catfish. Avoid anything like "Chinese algae eater" or anything like that... Most of those fish get large and aggressive.
Another great choice is algae eating shrimp... Amano shrimp are probably the best for algae control.

Although... You shouldn't have algae problems if your tank is balanced (a small amount of algae is normal in a healthy established tank).
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That I understand. I've had a few fw tanks before but nothing super nice but always well taken care of. I like the peco because they kept the glass clean so i never had to clean it ;)

Where can I find a LDA035 pleco?

I was looking at the panda or skunk cory cats. What are the thoughts on a Panda Garra?
 
erk419;4959377; said:
Unless you breeding, have fish like aficans who need a higher ph or your ph is really high or really low its best to leave it alone. Most fish will adapt to the ph that you have its much better to have a stable ph then ones that is constantly changing. Using ph chemicals is asking for trouble because they don't last. Plus there's better methods to change your ph without chemicals but for most fish are not needed. So to sum it up leave the ph as it is. Seeing how you replaced the floss in the filter and it would have housed some of the BB leave the gravel in there for right now or you risking going into a mini cycle. After a week or two it will be safe to replace it if you want. I would suggest rehoming the goldfish seeing how one they will out grow the tank and two there coldwater fish and you will more then likely want tropical. I would suggest buying a master liquid test kit that will test for ph, nitrites, nitrates, and ammonia so you know were you are on your water stats. API makes a good one make sure it tests for all those and make sure its the liquid test kit not the strips. Ill let some of the other members chime in on some stocking ideas for you. Welcome to the fish keeping world and be prepared to be bitting by the bug in a month or so you'll probaly be posting how your getting a 125 gallon or bigger lol.


Sorry if I repeated somethings others mentioned those posts weren't there when I started this:)

Posted on mobile.monsterfishkeepers.com
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I've got a few test kits. I have a 30g salt tank and a 10g too so unless the test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates is different then I am a ok... Plus I've had a few other fw tanks, they just always hovered between 6.8 to 7.2 so I was worried about it being so high
 
Garra are cool, kind of an unusual fish. Make sure you don't get a big species. I would pick panda corys over skunks because skunks get pretty big. Pygmy corys are also very small. You don't have a lot of space to work with in that size tank. I'd honestly recommend picking up a cheap 20 gallon long which will give you a much better footprint and more stocking options, and using the 14 gallon as a hospital/quarantine tank.

I didn't mention stuff like African cichlids because I didn't think they applied to this conversation. They are some very small African cichlids like shell dwellers that could work.
 
TMartinez;4959400; said:
I've got a few test kits. I have a 30g salt tank and a 10g too so unless the test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates is different then I am a ok... Plus I've had a few other fw tanks, they just always hovered between 6.8 to 7.2 so I was worried about it being so high
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Those tests should work the same, I believe. What brand are they?
 
i'm not looking to invest much money. It was a free tank and I figure i'll put something together with it. My salt tank is my baby so if anything is getting an upgrade it'll be that and then the 30 will become fw...

I saw that the garra, and panda/skunk cory cats only get up to 2.5 inches. (www.liveaquaria.com)
 
aclockworkorange;4959406; said:
Those tests should work the same, I believe. What brand are they?
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API master Saltwater test kit. i picked up a freshwater pH test kit cause the one in my salt kit is a high range specific test.
 
ccol. Well i think I'm going to do a mini cat tank with a couple skunk cats maybe a panda garra and a cherry shrimp. Doable in the little tank?
 
get a dojo loach, bamboo shrimp, african dwarf frog, gourami, guppies to breed. its a small tank so you can get those little fish you wanted to try but not waste a big tank on.
 
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