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So after keeping a stable 5 gallon shrimp tank for several months my wife and I have now purchased a 16 gallon Fluval Spec. It's gonna be planted but I'm not sure how I want to scape it so I've decided to work backward based on what I want to eventually stock it with. I want at a combination of some (not all) of the following: Galaxy danios, fancy guppies, one or two peacock gudgeons, otos or kuhli loaches, assorted shrimp, an apple snail, and maybe a couple pom-pom crabs. I'm currently playing with with the bio load calculator in the OP but I was wondering if more seasoned hands here had a good idea of what that tank will support and what's easiest to keep together.
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Jan 4, 2019 05:45
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So here's what my current plan is for the 16gal Fluval: 2 Peacock Gudgeons 9 Galaxy Raspbora 5 Kuhli Loaches Some shrimp and a big snail This puts bioload at ~80 on the calculator. I want to do black sand and driftwood with some sword grass or anubias on the filter side tapering to some shorter narrow leaf grass on the opposite. Here are my questions: Is this too crowded for a 16 gal, particularly a Fluval where the filtration shaves off a decent chunk of space? I'm mostly worried about the Loaches being crowded. Are there any good (non Java moss) grasses that do particularly well adhered to driftwood? Should I do any kind of soil or planting substrate beneath the sand? What do I do with new buddies if I don't have a spare tank for quarantines? In other news I got my wife and I got a pair of guppies for the shrimp tank but one of them did not make it home alive. The surviving guy seems to be doing real well though. 
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Jan 8, 2019 20:01
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What's a good heater to slot in the back of my 16 gallon Fluval Spec? Apparently the Fluval brand heaters aren't supposed to be fully submerged which seems dumb given their tank design.
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Jan 31, 2019 18:25
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Mozi posted:I've used Cobalt NeoTherm heaters which seem good. NeoTherm is a little spicy for my wallet and what I'll be keeping in the tank. How is the Erheim Jager? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SNO8VS/ref=twister_B00TQZ7G7K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Also for 16 gallons should I get a 75w or 50w? It's on the line and I don't know which one will be more power efficient or better for the tank in the long run.
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Feb 1, 2019 02:46
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Here's my tank cycling, I'm not sure how much cloud is sediment from insufficiently washing my sand and how much is bacterial bloom.   I just planted the mini renickii and hope it does well but I'm not holding my breath with stock lighting. I want some sword along the filter side, some moss or carpeting something on the driftwood. I want something to give cover to the underside and will probably use anubias nana for ease, but am open to anything more grassy. I'm trying to decide if I want more rocks to build a cave under the log or just buy one of those ceramic tube pyramids and concealing it with plants.
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Feb 3, 2019 05:13
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Mozi posted:If I were you I’d do a large water change and stick some filter floss in the filter, should clear up after a couple of days. Thanks! I bought some polyfil while I was out buying the plants. I put it in a filter media bag, is it better to just stuff a few handfuls in there? I was concerned about it getting loose and spreading into the tank.
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Feb 3, 2019 18:01
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Stoca Zola posted:What kind of sand is that anyway? It looks nice, a bit more natural than plain iron sand. It's Seachem Flourite Black Sand. After a bit of a water change it was clear for a while and clouded back up so I'm certain it's just bacteria and not sediment, which is fine. I'm still trying to pick out a plant to go in a kind of curtain in front of the log. I want something that's like 3-4 inches tall and won't take over the tank. Ideally I want a medium sized grass between Val and Dwarf Sag but I dunno if that exists. I'm open to anything else that is bushy and tall enough to give a hide-y spot, but will probably default to some anubias nana if I can't find anything I'm into.
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Feb 4, 2019 01:11
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I hosed up and copped a betta I was halfway through the video before I even noticed the heater, this is a great scape. mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 14:27 on Feb 6, 2019 |
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Feb 6, 2019 14:12
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Stoca Zola posted:Does the betta have a name yet? Are you putting it in the cycling tank? For a single fish in a planted tank of that size I think you could do a fish in cycle pretty safely (if somewhat slowly). I keep looking at bettas myself but I don't have the tank space for one right now. Her name is Garnet. Due to a mishap, our guppy Boyfriend is now a single stepfather to two dozen adorable babies. Garnet is in the 1.2 gallon tank we bought to treat the guppy mom. The guppies will be moving from their 5 to a 10 gallon and Garnet moving into the 5. Still planning for the 16 to be CPDs and kuhli loaches. Related, what's the earliest that we should take most of the new guppies back to an aquarium store?
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Feb 6, 2019 17:07
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Doing a fishless cycle, and after three weeks and half a bottle of Fritz Zyme I've got a happy healthy tank full of hair algae a ton of ammonia with no other nitrogen compounds. Water changes just seem to feed the hair algae and ammonia slowly creeps back up. I'm feeding water directly from the tap then adding dechlorinator to the tank. I'm thinking I should fill a bucket, dechlorinate, then add it to the tank and try another dose of cycle starter. I assume amano's will make short work off the algae once it's safe to get some, I'm just stumped as to having zero nitrifying bacteria at this point. In better news, my mini recknii are getting perky and bushy in spite of having to brush algae off near daily. They're losing some red color but I assume that's because I'm not dosing iron fertilizer yet. I've also got a grip of new plants from H2O Plants I'm excited to see next week.
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Feb 8, 2019 18:51
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w00tmonger posted:Any seed bacteria from another tank? Our other tanks are 5g and 2g so there's not a ton of media to spare. Last night I swapped the small ceramic media packet from the 16 gallon for one of the 2 inch sponges in the 5g hob, so I'm waiting to see if that helps at all.
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Feb 8, 2019 19:14
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Mozi posted:If you have any filter floss that you can attach to an established filter somehow that's great for transferring over bacteria. You don't need a lot to get it going. What flavor are they?
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Feb 8, 2019 21:10
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Phi230 posted:Hey ya'll I'm starting a freshwater tank for the first time since I was a kid and I've been doing my research into the nitrogen cycle, bioload, the types if fish, lighting for plants etc... 50 gallon is a fine size. It will probably cost a bit more in the long run because you have more to stock and decorate, but probably not significantly different in maintenance. More tank space gives you a lot more options for what you can keep and lets stuff that would be a little cramped in a 30 feel much more comfortable and active. The price of a glass aquarium depends on a lot of factors like curved glass, rimless, build quality (can you see a lot of extra sealant on the seams), and glass content (low iron glass is more crystal clear but expensive.) There's nothing wrong with a real basic tank, you're mostly paying more for aesthetic improvements. My suggestion if you want to maximize your value is be patient: PetSmart and PetCo regularly do Dollar Per Gallon sales on their basic models and if you can wait a few months you'll pay a third as much for that 50 gallon.
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Feb 11, 2019 18:22
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There's a better, reliable technique for starting a siphon that doesn't involve sucking. I can find a video later but basically you submerge the siphon at an upward angle, raise it up above the tank until water starts draining, then completely submerge it at the same angle and you should have suction. For a tank that big I would definitely look into a Python hose. I'm also curious about filtration on a tank that size. For a big tank without sump/canister intakes I see a lot of people on youtube running two large HoBs or a combination of large HoB and sponge filters.
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Feb 11, 2019 22:18
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You don't need to dose ammonia. If you want to jump start you can just drop a flake of food in there, but most of the aquarium dosing products are ammonium chloride. You can plant your tank immediately. Plants can uptake ammonium and nitrates and are safe with ammonia and nitrites outside of crazy high amounts. Edit: I have no idea what shrimp substrate is, but no, you don't need it. Shrimp like heavily planted tanks with maybe a little calcium supplementation but are otherwise not fussy livestock. mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Feb 11, 2019 |
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Feb 11, 2019 23:17
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Still no nitrifying bacteria but my plants are doing well. Here's when they were planted on the 2nd  Here's today the 11th 
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Feb 12, 2019 01:17
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Phi230 posted:
I put flourite black sand in my tank for kuhli loaches but I'm still waiting to get fish so I can't give a trip report, I hadn't heard of any issues but I do worry it's not fine enough. Sand is the most difficult substrate for most plants but by no means impossible. If you want to make planting easiest, get a shaped aquarium soil like ADA, Azoo, or Fluval Stratum. It's ideal for plants and bottom feeders can easily root around without hurting themselves. The only thing you're missing out on is watching them sift feed. If you want to get really fancy, when you're setting up you can use some cardboard or plasticard as a temporary divider and use multiple different substrates. You could have mostly planted Stratum then also have a sandy beach area in a corner or in a triangle in the middle or something. Edit: haha beat me because I kept having to walk away between writing at work. Edit edit: I wouldn't have eco-complete in the tank at all with those fish, they may favor the sand but would probably still tear up their skin/barbles in the rest of the tank. mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Feb 12, 2019 |
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Feb 12, 2019 20:06
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My wife and I keep a spreadsheet of ideas for future tanks. One of like some day is a 30g or 23 long for tiger barbs. What I'd like to know is will different color tiger barbs shoal together? If I have a mix of green tigers and red and green glo tigers, will they all buddy up or will they self segregate like different flavors of cories?
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Feb 13, 2019 19:00
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I got my plants   Edit: this is a Spec 16 gallon, added a third picture so Good been could get an idea of all the dimensions. Realized while taking pictures that my crypt roots are donked up, should I try to tuck those? GoodBee posted:Is it stand chat time? I like how my Spec 16g is looking and the all in one is pretty nice. I do have a corner that came apart a little and I need to silicone but it's nothing that bad. Maybe be wary of build quality.  Do you spend a lot of time in your guest bedroom? Your fish should be in a spot where you will see them often. The only real barriers to a small tank in your bedroom are how much bubbles, flowing water, or the hum of small motors will keep you awake. mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Feb 14, 2019 |
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Feb 14, 2019 02:57
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Chilis are tiny even by nano fish standard so be careful about anything nano tank suggestions that are bigger or rowdy.
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Feb 14, 2019 16:41
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My first livestock in the 16 gallon
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Feb 16, 2019 14:20
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My transplanted bladder snail resurfaced after a month being MIA so check out this TRIPLE SNAIL ACTION. I'm having a crisis over what fish I want to stock. I was originally gonna put in celestial pearl danios, some kuhli loaches with maybe a peacock gudgeon or a honey gourami. I'm set on the kuhli loaches but I've been eyeing other group nano fish like chili rasboras and kubotai rasboras. I'm also worried a bigger one-off fish would just eat any shrimp I put in. I think shrimp and a 2-3 inch fish is just mutually exclusive in a tank that small. Anyone have any suggestions or input to help guide me? I'll probably be ordering fish in a week or two.
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Feb 17, 2019 06:26
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Mozi posted:For a larger shrimp-safe fish you might consider coryroras of some variety. I'm just looking for a single bigger guy, not another community fish. That vampire shrimp is incredibly cool. I had been considering some bamboo shrimp for my next tank because I like watching them eat but dislike that the look like long water crickets with their coloration. Vampire shrimp is basically the alternative I was hoping for.
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Feb 17, 2019 17:52
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So I forgot the Fluval spec has that one safety flow outlet in the middle of the tank and my new shrimp decided getting back into the filter is the best place to be. Is there a good way to plug that hole without draining the aquarium?
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Feb 18, 2019 18:18
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I made a big mess with superglue like a dumbass before I remembered I had a couple extra small sponges sitting around and just sandwitched two inside the filter part shrimp can't get in. Thanks thread. Edit: goofus 
mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 01:36 on Feb 19, 2019 |
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Feb 19, 2019 00:37
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Peat in a media bag will lower pH and soften water by leeching out minerals. Don't buy peat with added fertilizer, it's full of ammonium nitrate. It will also add tannins to your water which is generally good for fish in a number of ways but makes your aquarium look full of tea. If you don't want that, Fluval sells peat pellets that I think are less prone to this, or you can soak your peat in a bucket for a while before adding to your tank. That white stuff is cyanobacteria, a photosynthetic bacteria, and pretty common when you use quick start in a new tank afaik. It will usually subside on it's own after a while, but if persists as a problem once the tank is cycled, a toothbrush and gravel vac are your main recourse afaik.
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Feb 19, 2019 01:49
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AFAIK nearly all plants, even ones grown submerged, will melt some when you first get them just from the stress of shipment/replanting. Just keep an eye on them for a while, they seem to be doing pretty good to me but I'm barely more seasoned than you are.
mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Feb 19, 2019 |
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Feb 19, 2019 03:37
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SNAILS! Here are the common snails I know about : Malaysian Trumpet Snail  Tiny little dudes that seem pretty shy. They mostly like to burrow in substrate until it's dark. Good for turning over your substrate and are efficient detrivores. These snails are hermaphroditic and will proliferate if you have more than one. Bladder Snail  Tiny little dudes who are not shy and are incredibly fast (for snails.) Will still burrow some but are generally much more active in the tank during visible hours than MTS. They are also hermaphroditic and will proliferate. Nerite Snail  Medium dudes that come in a wide variety of colors and stripes including the yellow and black horned variety. Really good algae eaters in addition to other detritus. Nerites will only breed in brackish water and will not proliferate in your tank. Apple/Mystery Snail  Big boys who will slowly lumber around your tank and poop as much as they eat. Get these guys because you think they look neat, not to help with cleanup. They are fixed sex and will only breed if heavily overfed and have lots of room to lay eggs above the water line. Ramshorn Snails  Medium buddies who are very active and also good algae eaters. I'm least familiar with these guys. They are hermaphroditic and will proliferate. Assassin Snails  Murderous assholes that will jab a proboscus in your other snails and drink them like a Capri Sun. Only get these if you're a monster. The hermaphroditic snails will only populate to a level food supply will allow. If you're not overfeeding you won't be overrun. If you're still wary of snails but want cleanup help, I'd suggest some nerites since they won't populate and do a solid job of cleaning. Be aware you will probably still end up with one of the "pest" snails as a plant hitchhiker at some point.
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Feb 19, 2019 20:21
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Well my tank is finally cycling. (Edit)  Those are before sitting for five minutes. I lost a couple shrimp, snails seem to be trucking along. I checked two nights ago and maybe almost saw some nitrates, didn't check yesterday (but noticed my algae was going buck wild, cutting my light back,) and checked this morning to find that. Did a big water change, am hoping I'm stable soon. Next job is getting my pH down. mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Feb 22, 2019 |
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Feb 21, 2019 15:30
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Whoops yeah, meant that it started cycling. After five minutes that was at least 2ppm Nitrite and 40ppm Nitrate. I found one dead shrimp and suspect at least one other, but can't find it. Did unexpectedly see a new baby bladder snail scooting around though.
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Feb 21, 2019 16:12
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w00tmonger posted:Gonna get a lot of dead shrimp if youre not well past cycling. Their basically canaries in the coal mine for poor water conditions Anecdotally, Tetra Safestart Plus often gets tanks going without a Nitrite spike because of whatever bacteria cocktail, and it's what I saw in my 5 and 10. I've been having issues with this one, particularly creeping ammonia levels, so I'm guessing the ammonia oxidizing bacteria just multiplied way faster with the nitrite oxidizing bacteria playing catch up like the process usually goes. I've got a few weeks before I can pick up fish and I'm still waffling between celestial pearl danios, chilis, and kubotai rasbora. I've heard conflicting info that kubotai can get up to two inches and other people saying they max out at 3/4". Are there just two different varieties?
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Feb 21, 2019 20:28
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It says the shelves will hold 400kg and a 15g with all the kit is under 60.
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Feb 22, 2019 19:13
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mango sentinel posted:AFAIK nearly all plants, even ones grown submerged, will melt some when you first get them just from the stress of shipment/replanting. I wouldn't be alarmed yet.
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Feb 23, 2019 16:03
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Bladder
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Feb 23, 2019 21:01
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Kuhlis don't eat snails, they may be the only loach who won't. They may still eat egg clusters and babies though. Bladder snails are fine if you don't mind seeing them. They will run wild if you overfeed but otherwise you'll just see a few zipping around. They only eat dead plant matter, not healthy plants. AFAIK ramshorn are the only common aquarium snail that eats healthy plants and that's only if they don't have algae or other, better options. The bad news is once they spawn, babies hide in the substrate. So if you get rid of what you can see, you're probably gonna just walk in to see a few in you tank again a month later. They're negligible bioload, clean algae, and break down other detritus to more easily take it out of the water column. They're good for your tank ecosystem.
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Feb 23, 2019 22:01
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I've read that rabbit snails are likely to eat java fern but not other plants, which is funny to me. Java Fern seem to be the premier goldfish/big cichlid plant since nobody will eat it and even if they dig it up and toss it around, it does just fine as a floating plant until replanted. mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Feb 26, 2019 |
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Feb 26, 2019 06:58
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Wrath of the Bitch King posted:So I'm really confident with freshwater setups, but I've never done anything with saltwater outside of a few instances with mudskippers in a brackish setup. And really, that isn't even comparable. My eventual saltwater plans: 13 Gallon Fluval Evo, lots of resilient coral, one firefish, one lawnmower blenny a few inverts. I imagine maintaining parameters on a small tank is even more meticulous once you add corals and salt to the equation but it's much cheaper to fill out and easier to decorate. Plus I can keep the same number of firefish in a 40 as a 13...
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Feb 28, 2019 20:37
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BONGHITZ posted:The guppies are breeding out of control. Is this complaint or excitement? Edit: May as well do a tank update. My tank has been like this for a week and I dunno what it means.  In better news, nerites are DESTROYING my algae. Both rocks in these pics were solid green a few weeks ago. Also apparently I only lost one shrimp. My wife saw all three this morning, I've only been seeing two at a time.   mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Mar 1, 2019 |
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Mar 1, 2019 15:49
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Finally decided to stock my tank and my local fish folks had nothing I was looking for but I ended up getting some otos. They've got a little ich though so hopefully that clears up soon with medication.  Also since my last water change a few days ago I've had wiggly filamentous white worms floating around. I'm assuming these are detritus worms. Is there a good way to deal with them?
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Mar 4, 2019 02:13
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Thanks! There's still a ton of algae and they've been going to town on the glass and plants. They really love hanging out on my recknii. The two bigger nerites are from my wife's guppy grow out tank and were in my tank while we waited for algae to show up in hers. Their tank is good to go now, and I'll be moving them back as soon as I can catch them. Unlike my lone horned nerite, her tigers are nocturnal and hide when the lights are on. As for the worms I transplanted the three runtiest adolescent guppies and they went to town on them like kids on Halloween. They won't stay in there long term (going to the fish store when they're bigger), but they're doing a good job for now. I'm using Ich-X to treat the ich and have heard from multiple people with experience that it's snail and shrimp safe so I didn't move them.
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Mar 4, 2019 18:05
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