I'm New: Please Help Me Stock and Setup My Tank

[deeda]

Dan, it is much easier to suggest which fish to stock your tank with if you know at least the basic water parameters of your tap water.

At a minimum it's nice to know what the pH and hardness of your tap water is so that you don't need to worry about having to buffer or adjust the pH or hardness for the fish you end up getting.

You can usually get these water parameter results from your local water company website or you can take a sample to your local aquarium store or buy an aquarium water test kit yourself. Naturally hard or soft water supply can determine what species would work best for your needs.

Do you have city water or a private well for your water supply?

Nobody is trying to be difficult in their responses, it's just the normal answers when someone asks what fish should be purchased.

 

[Daniel Johnson]

You say you want a densely planted tank yet when trying to give you the right advice on how to do that you chose not to answer a single one of my questions. Therefore I can list a hundred of plants to try but if you don't have suitable substrate or lighting or nutrients or co2 all could die. Maybe you want low tech? Or Dutch style?

How am I to know.

This comment

"I gave a list of things I like, but not necessarily need. I've seen 55 gal tanks with heavy vegetation and a pretty decent amount of fish, and the aquarium didn't seem crowded at all (you can normally tell when one is), even from a critical standpoint.

Maybe I posted this on the wrong site, in that I'm not building a 4,000 gal Vivarium Megatank with Gar, Arapaima, Granulated Cats, and Arowana. I just want a small showcase cichlid tank, and am mainly looking for advice setting up and stocking one, that way I get started in the right direction."

wasn't directed toward you - my fault.
I replied directly to the one that was.

 

[Daniel Johnson]

Dan, it is much easier to suggest which fish to stock your tank with if you know at least the basic water parameters of your tap water.

At a minimum it's nice to know what the pH and hardness of your tap water is so that you don't need to worry about having to buffer or adjust the pH or hardness for the fish you end up getting.

You can usually get these water parameter results from your local water company website or you can take a sample to your local aquarium store or buy an aquarium water test kit yourself. Naturally hard or soft water supply can determine what species would work best for your needs.

Do you have city water or a private well for your water supply?

Nobody is trying to be difficult in their responses, it's just the normal answers when someone asks what fish should be purchased.

I used city water. I also am shooting for a pH of 5-7 optimally, but 5-8 realistically, KH 14-16. I don't mind going through the arduous motions of treating the water until it is in my desired pH range.

 

[deeda]

A pH range of 5 to 8 is too broad a range IMO. Do you know what your tap water pH is?

Generally African cichlids such as from Lake Malawi and Tanganyika do just fine at a pH range of 7.4 to 8.0 and moderately hard to hard water. I don't find them a difficult fish to keep as long as you choose care in mixing species that are compatible and have less a chance of cross breeding. I have a private well with moderately hard water and a stable pH of 7.6 so I chose to stock fish that do well in my tap water and I don't have to mess with adjusting the water parameters.

It can be difficult to keep many plants with Malawi Mbuna cichlids since they enjoy munching on them so the only one I had success with was Anubias sp. 'nana'.

Malawi peacocks (Aulonocara species) may be better with plants though I would stay away from soft leaved plants myself.

 

[Daniel Johnson]

A pH range of 5 to 8 is too broad a range IMO. Do you know what your tap water pH is?

Generally African cichlids such as from Lake Malawi and Tanganyika do just fine at a pH range of 7.4 to 8.0 and moderately hard to hard water. I don't find them a difficult fish to keep as long as you choose care in mixing species that are compatible and have less a chance of cross breeding. I have a private well with moderately hard water and a stable pH of 7.6 so I chose to stock fish that do well in my tap water and I don't have to mess with adjusting the water parameters.

It can be difficult to keep many plants with Malawi Mbuna cichlids since they enjoy munching on them so the only one I had success with was Anubias sp. 'nana'.

Malawi peacocks (Aulonocara species) may be better with plants though I would stay away from soft leaved plants myself.

I don't have your experience though, so keeping the African Cichlids maybe tough for me, whereas it's not for you. I heard American Cichlids were as hardy as Cory's, that's what turned me onto them. But I thank you for the help, you've set me in the right direction with regards to vegetation and pH, and that's exactly what I was looking for.

 

[deeda]

You are very welcome.

Actually, I've only been keeping tanks since 2004 and I did a lot of research online to find which fish would do well based on my water type, pH and hardness and yes I made some mistakes early on though it does get easier. I am often envious of people that can keep softwater or low pH requirement fish without messing with adjusting their water though I'm sure they could be envious of me too!

Something else to consider it that if you are buying fish locally or via mail order, find out what the seller is doing to their water if anything. Many times the listed water parameters for a fish species is either based on the natural habitat samples taken by divers/collectors and may not reflect the seasonal variations that can occur, are outdated in literature or were recorded at the water surface.

 

[Bandit87]

Personally IF you think you really wanna do this, I would start at a 125 setup. You can go many directions from there. 6 foot is gonna give you many options with fish and or plants. Someone else suggested this already. Its an investment type thing. THEN I would research everything a LOT.

Opinion wise a 55 is tiny. Id throw A rock and TWO fish. It would be done. Haha

 

[james99]

I wouldn't mess with trying to change your pH. I did that when I started out and it was more of a headache than anything. Constantly testing and dumping chemicals in. For easy plants I would pick up a bunch of anubias plants and tie/glue them to a lot of tangled driftwood. Anubias doesn't require a lot of light so care is pretty simple. A small pair of cichlids like keyholes or rams, a large school of tetra and cory catfish, maybe a bristle nose pleco and you have a nice tank with easy fish and plants.

 

[philipraposo1982]

OK for fish I would say get something like Bolivian rams or kribensis. Maybe with a group of 8-10 corydoras.

That's yours bottom dwellers. Up top you can do some black skirt tetras. Very active and good size. Super fun to watch.

As for the plant side of things. You should get something like a finnex stingray for lower light. Get some eco complete or ada amazonian or pool filter sand for substrate, each have their own benefits.

No co2 and no ferts needed if you choose the right plants.

Many will recommend slow growing rhizome plants like anubias and Java fern. I love these suggestions but not as you first plants.

Get things like hornwort, Asian ambulia, totals rotundifolia, Amazon swords, dwarf sag, Val's,

These grow fast and will help reduce algae issues when the tank is first getting going.

Make sure you only run the lighting 7 hours a day to start.

 

[magpie]

You can do many smaller fish in a planted community. If money is no object, consider a 75 gallon over a 55, as you'll have a lot more flexibility / options over time with that size.

I am going to reiterate that for us to give the best advice you should test your PH. Don't mess with it, as mentioned.

If you have neutral or lower ph, you can do the SA community I mentioned. Low tech plants - Vals, swords, Java fern, Anubias, and I highly recommend floating plants like water lettuce.

Dwarf cichlids - apistogrammas, Rams, keyholes, dwarf acaras, checkerboards.

Hatchetfish up top.

Any number of tetras in he middle (I like rummynose and ornate/white tipped)

The dwarf cichlids like the bottom-ish level of the tank. You could also add cories or otos and a pleco.

I recommend sand as a substrate.