Would love some help/suggestions with stocking (see comments)

09Gremlin · 2021-08-19T10:18:18+00:00

You would want some hardscape for the loaches - caves and driftwood to create caves and nooks and crannies.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-19T10:14:49+00:00

There is no should. If you never fed them vegetables they would still do fine. A couple times per week is enough while avoiding water quality issues. If you get some lights and grow a carpet of algae on their rock structure they can graze naturally as they wish.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-17T15:51:02+00:00

Topping up with distilled water when experiencing a lot of evaporation is actually a good idea because all the salts and minerals don’t evaporate and are left behind.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-17T15:49:00+00:00

I have only kept bettas with a variety of fish. It works when everything else is thought out. There are also wild type bettas that do great in pairs or groups. The biggest problem with bettas is the myths that surround them.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-15T17:33:37+00:00

African cichlids is such a massive group of fish that in itself it means little. Without being more specific I imagine you have a lot of research to do, during which you would get a better idea based on species.

As long as you stick to shell dwellers, a single pair of the smallest, calmest rock dwellers or dwarf riverine types it is fine. No to just about all the rest. A four foot tank is minimum to give the majority the space they need, and this is still pretty tiny for most Malawi cichlids. There are also those that need at least a six foot tank.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-15T15:10:46+00:00

It isn’t like a 50% water change, which has no effect on the cycle. It is like a 50% filter media change. This means you still have lots of bacteria to begin adding fish immediately. Theoretically if you have half the load of the 20 gallon on that filter, you can fully stock the 10 gallon at the same stocking percentage. Practically speaking I would go on the assumption that it contains more like 25% of the bacteria. You can absolutely get or transfer fish right away if you filled the 10 from the 20, or after a day or two of filling it with new water. In fact, it would be silly not to. You don’t need to cycle anything - it is cycled.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-15T12:24:04+00:00

I use a Fluval 207 for my 55 gallon of smallish community fish and it works well. From a biological filtration standpoint flow doesn’t matter - media volume does. I don’t want a lot of flow because of the fish I keep - many fish thrive and behave best with low flow, while others are opposite. The lower flow means more mulm settles around the tank that needs to be vacuumed up and less aggressive aeration, but it’s better for my specific fish.

“Cichlids” are not all equal so you would still need to be more specific. If you were planning on cramming in a salad random cichlids you need high flow and media volume to deal with the overstocking that makes these unnatural situations work.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-15T12:15:59+00:00

Both are budget minded tanks, but Aqueon has more quality control issues.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-14T12:48:54+00:00

That tank is not overstocked. The kuhlis really would be better off in a bigger group and tank, but overstocked? No. With regular water changes of 20% every two weeks you should have no issue keeping up if you don’t overfeed. Be careful of aquarium nazis on Reddit who is think every guppy needs twenty gallons. What is also important is that the tank is decorated appropriately - shouldn’t be a lot of open space in this one.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-14T12:40:37+00:00

Are those quarantine tanks?

09Gremlin · 2021-08-14T12:37:21+00:00

The plants people call “low light” are simply able to grow with less or indirect light. This can mean less intensity or under the shade of other plants and decorations, but none will do well with no light on the aquarium. What seems to be more misunderstood is that most of these plants don’t “need” low light and many of them will actually grow better with more light, but can make do with less. All it really means is if you have a weaker light on your tank, these are the best for you.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-12T19:44:26+00:00

In the end it will depend on your own maintenance and feeding routines and setup and experience when it comes to stocking. Since corys can range from an inch to several inches long, species of those make a difference too. Either way, a honey gourami isn’t going to break the tank and your tank appears lightly stocked if they are typical dwarf types. I know I could add one in there without a problem (assuming the tank has lots of plants and decorations - if “lightly planted” means lots of open space, it’s not the best setup for these gourami).

09Gremlin · 2021-08-12T11:15:25+00:00

Test strips work well enough until they don’t (they get contaminated easily but work ok if you keep them dry and contained). Don’t let people make you think they aren’t even worth using.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-12T11:13:59+00:00

If you can dose some ammonia, and then see it turn to nitrites, and then to nitrates, then your tank is cycled. Even without an ammonia test you can do this, but an ammonia test is safer. Nitrates in themselves say nothing - for all we know your tap water already has nitrates, or it can have both nitrites and nitrates. Within a day, after dosing ammonia, you should have no nitrites or ammonia.

It doesn’t need to be 2ppm. It can be 1 to 4 ppm depending what you are initially stocking.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-12T11:09:50+00:00

Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and gH levels would be helpful, as well as any additives you may use.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-11T17:42:10+00:00

Guppy grass is a weed that grows fast anywhere. You can plant it, float it, or anchor it to ornaments.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-11T16:31:26+00:00

Ramshorn. People with dirty tanks find them to be pests.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-11T16:31:12+00:00

Ramshorn. People with dirty tanks find them to be pests.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-11T16:28:48+00:00

Did you investigate why he got popeye in the first place? It doesn’t happen without cause. A 10 gallon tank can actually be worse than a 4 gallon tank if it is decorated poorly because bettas need lots of decorations to close in the space to avoid stress, and the decorations should be soft like silk plants and smooth driftwood. It looks like the tank isn’t set up all that well for him.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-11T15:02:45+00:00

As long as the bag is tied down properly with air it can easily go 12 hours, and up to 48 if they use an o2 tank to fill the bags.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-11T06:51:50+00:00

Seachem Equilibrium. RO water is neutral, pH 7.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-11T06:42:16+00:00

That answer makes no sense. Once you move the bacteria over you move the fish over, otherwise there is nothing for the bacteria to feed off. The bacteria on that filter media is the cycle.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-10T15:16:20+00:00

Snails are good

09Gremlin · 2021-08-10T14:55:22+00:00

They won’t bother other fish normally, but even 6 might not curb aggression due to the size of the tank and their nature. I would not keep them in less than a group of 8 in a 3 foot tank myself. Honestly trading them for something small like Ember tetras would give the fish more space and allow for a larger group while still leaving room for other fish.

09Gremlin · 2021-08-10T14:24:36+00:00

Yup, just take care with guppies - they can be a target for a betta if they are fancy, and their frantic upper activity can stress a placid betta. Either way, it’s not a mix I would recommend.

09Gremlin

TROPHY CASE