Hello, I need some information

[reddfox321]

First off hello, I'm new to the forum but not new to the hobby or Apistos.

I got into fish keeping in HS around 10 years ago and learned fairly quickly. My senior year I happened to go to a fish auction and won a trio of wild caught Pandas. They were striking fish with a lot of personality but they didn't thrive in my aquarium probably due to (or lack of) the equipment in my budget.

So after going away for school I finally have a steady job and cash to blow I've decided on setting up a real nice Apisto tank. I'd like it to be in the 120 gallon range. I'm thinking about a planted tank with some aquarium safe wood in it. and maybe 10 or so Tetras or similar schooling fish, a small Pleco (meaning one that won't grow two feet), and maybe 2 or 3 Apistos. I have some questions though:

1) Any suggestions or comments on my fish selection? Can I add more or should I keep less?
2) I've read some posts and people rave about DI/RO units but does the resulting water have a negative effect on live plants? And do you treat the water even after it comes from the DI/RO unit? Could you share your water treatment method and could you point me to some quality units?
3) I've also read about protein skimmers, what are their benefits? Do they have a negative effect on live plants? Could you point me to some quality units?
4) Which substrate is the best to use with live plants?
5) What kind of filtration do you recommend taking into account the live plants, protein skimmer and water requirements?

Thanks to any and all responses!

 

[Cathy G]

Hi Reddfox and welcome to the forum!

I can't answer all these questions but I can start... first, what is your tap water like, hard/soft, pH, etc. Perhaps it is just fine for apistos and you won't need to change anything.

I like my RO unit, it came recommended by another gentleman here, it is from Spectrapure in Arizona. (Google it and you should find them.) I have it set up with a stop valve so I don't overflow my trash can, a pressure gage so I know if the unit is working properly, and a back flush valve so I can flush the membranes every once in a while to prolong the life of the membranes.

As to planted tank substrate, well there is Eco-complete and Flourite just to name a couple. Eco-complete can raise your water hardness, this may or may not be a problem depending on your water. If you have soft water with a low kh - this is a measure of carbonate hardness and is your ph buffer - then Eco complete might be quite helpful. If you have harder water already though, you may not want to add to it. I do believe however that eco-completes impact on the hardness is only for the first few months.

Flourite is compressed/baked clay with iron. It is also great for a planted tank. It does have sharp little pieces and if you have buy cories, the cories will have difficulty sifting through the substrate without getting hurt/damaged.

Sand is an option many go with, but since I don't have experience with it, I won't comment on it.

Plants actually do better in a little softer water, than in hard water. Filters... I use external filters to get rid of particles and also internal sponge filters to add extra aeration and provide more area for bacteria to break down the fish wastes.

With your tank size, you have a lot of options when choosing fish! You could set up colonies of one particular kind or mix in a few types. I'll let others chime in on this one. One thing to keep in mind though - get apistos or dwarfs with the same water requirements. Don't mix cool water borelli with blue rams, etc...

Hope this helps you get started, you have much planning to do!
Cathy

 

[ed seeley]

120 gallons you'll need way more than 10 tetras! They'll look lost! I've got 11 pencilfish, a pair of Epiplatys dageti and three Apistogramma eremnopyge in a two foot tank and it looks empty at times! You could have a huge shoal of one kind of tetra, but they can be very good at eating any fry.

Go with Otocinclus or Ancistrus for bomb proof algae eaters that won't eat fry and I'd definitely recomend a sand substrate (Apistos love to sift through it) with some nutrient for the plants underneath. I've got Tetraplant complete underneath in one tank and that's doing well and Laterite under a couple of others. I think you can pretty much take your pick!

Cathys suggestions are almost exactly what I'd say too. If you have hard tap water I'd really recomend an RO, but if you're water's soft and good quality you might not need it.

Good luck with it and we're all very jealous!

 

[beleg]

If you dont mind loss of fry add a pair of angels, altums if you can get.. they will look majestic in a big tank.