New Tank/New to Dwarf's

[Glasgowa]

Hi

I'm new to the forum and looking for your help and expertise.

I have set up, and am cycling, a 220 litre (60g) tank (100cm longx40cm widex55cm high), silica sand, mopani (bogwood) and various rocks (caves either end of the tank). Filter is an external Eheim Prof II 2026.

Once I have cycled the tank and everything is as it should be I would like to stock it with the following:

1 Pair of Blue or Bolivian Rams, 1 pair (or 1m & 2f) Aspisto cacatuoides, 1 pair of angel's, 6 Cardinals or swordtails and maybe 6 cory's (julli or panda).

At the moment my PH is sitting at 6.5 and water is naturally soft.

Do you think this stocking would work? or would you know what would work better. I originally was going to stock it with a pair of firemouths and a pair of rainbow cichlids but my PH may be too low for them.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Andrew

 

[ed seeley]

Hi Andrew and welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you've really done your homework here! The only things I would change is to add more angels and more cardinals (and not swords, they prefer alkaline water). I've had four angels before and they always seem to fight, get half a dozen. I'd go with the trio of cacs and then get around 12 cardinals for a really awesome tank! If you're worried this might be overstocked, miss out the Angels as they will get very large and eat your cardinals eventually, but I think you'll be ok.

BTW I reckon your tank holds 50 gallons (UK ones anyway!). There are 4.4 litres per UK gallon.

 

[Glasgowa]

Ed

Thanks for your help. That does sound a fantastic tank,the angels, trio of cacs and 12 cardinals.

I will deffinately give the angels a try. So do you think a trio of cacs without any rams would be the way to go?

I think I was trying to give the gallons in US but probably got that wrong.

Thanks again

Andrew

 

[ed seeley]

I think you may be able to get both the rams and the cacs in, but it might be a better tank with just a trio of cacs. It will take a bit more management and you'll need to keep an eye on it if you have both, but I think it would work. I have a 36"x18"x18" tank with both Apistogramma and Nanochromis in. BTW I've had wild angels in there too and should have bought 6, they picked on each other too much as a 4!

You'll be able to keep the corys, but they may well eat any babies. The other thing you might want to add is a trio of bristlenoses, or a group of otocinclus to eat any algae that forms.

I think you were pretty much spot on with 60 USgallons. The whole thing confuses me too much!

Keep us updated with some pictures of your tank!

 

[Glasgowa]

Ed

Thanks again. I have attached a picture of the tank with some red eye tetra's swimming about (not that you can really see them). The tank was set up on the 1st Feb so just waiting for everything to calm dowm.

Cheers

Andrew

 

[kingborris]

if you are having both rams and apistos, i would add way more plants and decor to try and break up the tank into different territorys. having it open like that may well cause territory disputes

Also, ive had no issues growing swords in soft water. most swords originate from SA anyway, where the water is soft and acidic

 

[ed seeley]

KB's spot on, you need to add a load more cover; even if you just have the cacs.

I'd plant a load of stem plants at the back and swords, crypts and other things in the middle and forground. Java fern's are superb tied onto the bogwood and rock and really help it look great.

Here's my 40g after a serious trim!

and the Nanochromis still do a lot of chasing each other around!

 

[Glasgowa]

Thanks guys

Ed

What a fantastic tank (puts mine well to shame but suppose it's my first one so learning all the time).

Well I went to my LFS today and was going for the trio of cacs when I noticed a tank of new 'wild caught' blue rams. I came away with 2 males and 2 females so will see what happens. I am over the moon and they look fantastic

I have been trying to get more plants for ages but all the LFS have had poor plants. Decided to order some online today so my rams will have some needed cover.

I'll post pictures when I get it sorted.

Thanks for your help and experience

Andrew

 

[Glasgowa]

Ed

Awaiting some decent plants but, after your photo, decided to go out and get some in the mean time (looks a little better). The new Rams seem to like the added cover.

Cheers

Andrew

 

[ed seeley]

It does look better, but as I said in your post with the Rams (looking good BTW!) they've sold you non-aquatic plants!
Here's a good retailer that sells plants and tells you that some will just rot under water! http://www.aquaticplants.eu.com/acatalog/index.html

I think your grassy plant is this;
http://www.aquaticplants.eu.com/acatalog/info_310.html

And the larger one at the back is either an Anubias (that'll be fine tied onto the rock), or it's a peace lily.

And the fern is this;
http://www.aquaticplants.eu.com/acatalog/info_335.html

I'd be tempted to take them back with the print out and complain! Or put them in a bottle garden, they'll do much better. I'm sorry to give you bad news. The plants will survive for a while, but will never really grow. Sorry. It really annoys me that shops do this, they're selling them as aquatic plants and they're not! If another shop did this it'd be covered under the trades description act!!!!

Your wood and rock looks good and once you get your real plants this is going to look great, way better than my mess!

 

[Glasgowa]

Ed

That's what I get for going to a local (not good) pet shop. I would have been better waiting but wanted somewhere for the Rams to hide!

I am just going to order some today, I have been looking at that website but wasn't sure what to order. I'll give them a phone today.

Cheers

Andrew

 

[ed seeley]

The owner's a great guy, very helpful. Give him your water parameters and what kind of things you're after and he'll recommend a good set for you.

 

[Glasgowa]

New Plants in yesterday

Finally got some proper plants from Aquaticplants.eu and tried my best to plants them properly, suppose only time will tell. The Rams certainly prefer the tank the way it is now!

Cheers

Andrew

 

[ed seeley]

Looking much better Andrew. A great way to start mate. I've got my 3 wild angels back at home at the moment (leaky tank at school!) and I'd forgotten how good they look! Your tank will look great when it's grown in and the stocking's finished.

 

[Glasgowa]

Ed

Yes the angels are nearly all black veil Angels and seem to be ok (hiding in the corner where the most plants are just now, 24 hours on, although they venture out when you are not looking.

Afraid I have another plant question for you! I pushed most of the plants into the sand as far as they could go. Is this ok or should they just be under the sand and no more. Really talking about the Amazon Sword, Creeping Jenny, Baby Tears Bacopaa and Myacca Fluviatilis (nearly them all then I hear you say) as usual just not sure and don't want to kill them all off.

Thanks

Andrew

 

[beleg]

Its ok , you can put most plants deep under sand until they start to send out their roots. It wont kill them.

 

[ed seeley]

The stem plants will be fine pushed in the sand.

The Amazon sword should ideally be planted so that the roots are buried but the leaves and their stems should be above the sand. The crown of the plant shouldn't be buried.
Here's a pic of my Echinodorus 'Red Flame' showing how to have it planted.

I forgot to ask in my last post, have you tied the anubias to some wood now? I noticed it was still buried in the subatrate on one of the photos. It will rot if it's buried.

 

[Glasgowa]

Beleg

Thanks a lot.

Ed

The anubias has actually been removed and passed onto a friend who has tied it onto some bogwood (thanks for that). The photo of the tank (dated the 2nd March) is how it looks now. The 2 plants at the back (in place of the anubias) are swords 1 medium and (i think) 1 narrow although they both look the same to me!

Cheers

Andrew

 

[ed seeley]

Cool.
When they grow in that'll look great.

Keep us 'posted'!

 

[Glasgowa]

Ed

Bought some more plants from the same place, they arrived today, very happy. The tank is starting to look 'as it should'. Although I am getting 6 Otto's tomorrow to take care of the brown algae, cleaned some of it today while putting the plants in and doing a water change but it's everywhere!

Thanks for all your help with all the set up.

Cheers

Andrew