I got myself a new Tropical Tank

[birdie]

Per the cycling method, I do not agree using fish to cycle your tank. They are being subjected to the toxicity of ammonia and nitrites with ammonia more toxic at high pH. Why not just try fishless cycle or ask your friend/LFS for established filter media which you can put in your own filter afterwards? Feel free to read this.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598

Well my LFS told me when i bought the tank that the gravel he gave me would already have the "bugs" that process the ammonia already in it... but it wasn't wet gravel and i washed it when i got it... would it still have the bugs in it?

 

[Lupin]

I've decided to get myself a new tank to move up from my fighter fish that died when my mum forgot to feed them while i was away...

Fish can live without foods for weeks. I do not believe it died of starvation and I would rule this possibility out.

So i decided to go for a tropical tank...

I got a Hailea Tank from one of the LFS's

Its 71.4L, its got built in filter (apparently its undergravel filter...) and its got built in lights and a fan to prevent it from the lights from overheating the water...

I got a Java Fern (at the back), Anubias (I think)(2 in middle) and crypts (3 at front)

I hot glued the Java Fern and the Crypts to some drift wood...

I've had many suggestions as to what to stock it with:
The fish shop suggested:

3 Koi Angels
2 (M and F) Blue Ram (Cichlid - Blue Ram)
5 Rummy Nose Tetra's (as these will get big enough that the Angel's won't eat them)

Your LFS is trying to overstock your tank. 3 angels will require a 40g minimum and 3 is absolutely the worst number. Once two pair off, the last one will be harassed constantly to death unless you have a spare tank to stop this from happening.

Why did you use hot glue on the plants? Are these plants live? Use rubber band or black thread to tie them up on driftwoods. Don't use silicon, glue or anything else.

But a few people told me the angels would get too big for the tank...

They are correct.

Someone on another forum suggested:

Option 1: 2/3 Rams (either blue or bolivian), 2x Otocinclus, 3x yoyo loach, 5-6x cory's plus something like 10-12 neon tetra's.

Yoyo loaches are fast growers and at 6 inches, they need plenty of space. Ditch them from the plan and switch to kuhli loaches (Pangio sp.) as another option. Loaches are sociable in nature so be sure ot keep 5 as the minimum. Take adult size into consideration when deciding a fish.

The others are pretty much okay but you need to be aware that there are cories sold as such but are actually Bronchis sp. which require larger tanks so you need to research further on this. Corydoras are 7 dorsal rays whereas bronchis have 11 so this shouldn't be difficult to distinguish.

Option 2: (same as option 1) except swap the 3x yoyo's for upto 10x Dwarf Chain Loach (they look awesome in a large-ish school).

Chain loaches prefer a long tank. Your tank doesn't have sufficient space, sorry to say. Kuhli loaches are still open here.

But someone told me that would be too overstocked...

So another guy from this forum suggested:
1-2 bristlenose cat (good for cleaning
1-4 rommy nose tetras i think they are
a snail also good for cleaning
1 ram
1-3 clown loaches
1-5 kuili loaches
1-4 guppies or neons

This is absolutely the worst option given to you. Clown loaches may be slow growers but they still need plenty of space in order to grow and these have the potential to reach 12 inches. A 75g would be the minimum growout tank for 10 youngsters but these absolutely are not suitable in a 18g. For more information on loaches, you can go to our Loaches subforum or click the link in my signature.

Keep one bristlenose pleco only but do not rely on your catfish to clean the algae and anything else up. You still have to vacuum the substrate and scrape the algae regardless.

Also, be careful when selecting a tankmate for your snail. Most fish will harass them to death especially loaches of botiine genus like the clowns. If you are considering Pomacea bridgesii, they're a good choice. Consider one per 2.5g ratio. They do not eat plants although you may need to be careful with the Pomacea canaliculata often sold as P. bridgesii. Canas are voracious plant eaters and are illegal in many places due to the destruction they can pose to local fauna. They can reach baseball size unlike the brigs which are the size of the golfballs.

yeah...it's a little overstocked. How bout like 10 Black Skirt Tetras? They're awesome. Or maybe like a couple Gambusia Affins in a heavily planted/artificially planted tank so that the fry can escape/survive? And throw in a few Ghost Shrimp. Or you could try brackish and get some Muskippers and Red Claw Crabs...You can do a lot more with ANY size tank than people say. Go for it!

The tank is too small to consider it a paludarium for mudskippers.

 

[Lupin]

Well my LFS told me when i bought the tank that the gravel he gave me would already have the "bugs" that process the ammonia already in it... but it wasn't wet gravel and i washed it when i got it... would it still have the bugs in it?

Considering it wasn't even damp, I'd ask the LFS for another. Pack them in a nylon or stocking and put it in the filter. Monitor your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates regularly. Be sure your source is free from pathogens that may pose a risk to your fish.

 

[Aquaman_95]

that woulda made a cute little marine tank.
just find some nice fish that you like, that wont get too big for the tank and dont get too many and just enjoy them.

That's what I was about to say! It would have but it looks nice!

 

[Lupin]

You can buy chemicals from your lfs to do a "fishless" cycle, but I've heard they don't work as well. As for test kits... I would start out with the basics... Ammonia, PH, Nitrite and Nitrates. Keep an eye on the Nitrite and Ammonia levels since they are the most likely to give you trouble.

The only chemical necessary is dechlorinator, nothing else. API liquid test kit as always is best recommended. Avoid test strips which are grossly inaccurate.

For the most part I think you can mix cory's. I've never kept them but I've never heard of anyone having any issues. I think they all stay reasonably small.

They're perfect for any peaceful community setup but you have to bear in mind, most cories are temperate species so researching on each species being planned is recommended. Panda cories prefer cooler waters so you really need to keep the temp no higher than 25 degrees Celsius. There are cories even smaller than them...Corydoras pygmaeus, Corydoras hastatus and Corydoras habrosus but they're not as common as the pandas. You may need to be aware that pandas are a little more sensitive to water conditions than anything else.

Id rather ask for something out of there filters, if you do choose to go with neons and rummys make sure to cycle the tank first as they can be quite sensitive to bad water params. The nitrogen cycle can take from 5 to 14 weeks or even more. you might want to try black neons for cycling the tank as they stay quite small and i have heard they are quite hardy. I wouldnt really imagine keeping cherry barbs in there after cycling the tank. 18 gallons just doesnt really provide much swimming room.

Black neons can reach 5-6 cm if properly cared for. Cherry barbs are even smaller than them. 18g should be fine for 6 cherries.

 

[birdie]

Ok as far as tropical goes... i'm pretty limited to what fish would suit this tank (so to be able to have a variety of fish)??? I'm limited to probably mainly tetra's to have a reasonable amount of fish right? (as in 10-15 or so fish)

As far as marine goes, is it right that they are more maintance then a tropical? Would i need to get a protein skimmer? would i need a heater? If i was to go marine, i would like a couple of clown fish and some seahorses and i dunno what else... maybe a "Dori" (the blue fish from finding nemo... )??? What would i need to setup a marine tank? Are marine fish generally more expensive than tropical???

 

[Lupin]

You'll have to delve deeper into the SW. There is a lot to learn there. I'd say stick to FW for now util you are ready. Surgeonfish require bigger tanks. A 18g is too small. Seahorses require supply of copepods, amphipods and other live foods. As far as maintenance, it isn't really difficult. I've been there before but I seem to prefer FW. It's up to you.

As far as pricing, most SW fish are actually cheaper than FW but it depends on supply and demand.

 

[Lupin]

Check this for more information on seahorses and post in that forum if you have more questions. Good luck if you decide to delve deeper into SW.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156078

 

[birdie]

If SW is harder to get into i think i'll stick with FW for now... maybe i'll get a small tank for a nano reef with a couple of clown fish and a seahorse or two at a later stage...

Lupin, what would you recommend as far as tropicals go to stock my tank with?

 

[Lupin]

If SW is harder to get into i think i'll stick with FW for now... maybe i'll get a small tank for a nano reef with a couple of clown fish and a seahorse or two at a later stage...

Lupin, what would you recommend as far as tropicals go to stock my tank with?

Seahorses are not for beginners, Birdie. For a start with marine, you certainly can try clownfish or green chromis. Other species of damselfish are practically very aggressive and will limit your stocks severely. Most blennies such as lawnmower blenny are fine.

As for tropicals, try kuhli loaches, espei/hengeli rasboras, a male betta (halfmoons are nice to look at although you could try plakats)/sorority of female bettas (3-4) and cherry barbs.