I got myself a new Tropical Tank

[birdie]

I've decided to get myself a new tank to move up from my fighter fish that died when my mum forgot to feed them while i was away...

So i decided to go for a tropical tank...

I got a Hailea Tank from one of the LFS's

Its 71.4L, its got built in filter (apparently its undergravel filter...) and its got built in lights and a fan to prevent it from the lights from overheating the water...

I'm going to get some Koi Angels, Spotted Pleco, and some other ones the fish shop had, and also Neon Tetra's...

I'm going to add some rocks and plants...

Attached is a pic of the tank taken on my phone... I've just set it up this afternoon, so i'll let it sit (running) for a couple of days before i start putting some fish in...

[birdie]

This is the tank: http://www.hailea.com/e-hailea/product1/FA400.htm

[Alasse]

Thats a nice tank!....Though it states that the tank is 65L capacity :)

Personally i wouldn't put tetras in with Angels, they could (would) end up a meal for the Angels as the Angels grow :)

I have a 68litre and some of the angels i have (in a 350litre) wouldn't fit comfortably in there, just be aware Angels can get big (13 inches approx) and sorta need a bit of tank height.

I can't wait to see how your tank progresses, and will look forward to pics :D

[birdie]

If angel's aren't suitable? what sort of tropical fish would be suitable? i want some colourful easy to maintain and nice looking fish... :-P

[Alasse]

Cardinal Tetras ~ a nice school of them would look gorgeous, hardier than neon tetras

Ember Tetra ~ Nice flashy red fish, again a nice school of them

Livebearers ~ Platys, Guppies (males as they are colourful), Mollies (though these do better with salt added to water)

Cory cats ~ Never sit still, well rarely anyway *L*, such little characters

Pleco ~ I would go with Bristlenose type, ie: Peppermint, Albino, Orange spot etc, as they do not grow too big. Most other types would outgrow that tank.

They are but just a few that are available that would suit your tank :) Just remember, as you are going to do a tank cycle with fish, to only add a few and wait a decent time between adding anymore, you have to give your tank time to build up required bacteria. You also must do frequent small water changes when cycling with fish, or unfortunately you will end up with stressed, ill or dead fish.

Some nice live plants would look great in the tank also :) Java fern, Anubias and crypts are pretty hardy and do well in lower light situations :)

[birdie]

I've just been looking the Koi Angel only gets to 6"(15cm) according to a couple of pages: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/angelfish/p/koiangel.htm

[Alasse]

I have a koi, it is still quite young (plenty of growing to do) and it is already at 14cm (height) :)

[birdie]

I got some plants today to go in my tank :-)

I got a Java Fern (at the back), Anubias (I think)(2 in middle) and crypts (3 at front)

I hot glued the Java Fern and the Crypts to some drift wood...

I spoke to the owner again, and what he has suggested i get is:

3 Koi Angels
2 (M and F) Blue Ram (Cichlid - Blue Ram)
5 Rummy Nose Tetra's (as these will get big enough that the Angel's won't eat them)

There was another one he suggested i can't remember the name which is a small floor feeder that will also clean the glass which i could get 1 or 2 of...

I've attached a photo of the tank now with the plants in it... He suggested to leave it as is for about 5 days then i can start adding fish...

[Alasse]

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?id=99

Maximum Size: 6" (15cm) body length and as much as 8" (20cm) or more in height.

[Alasse]

Looks great so far!!

I love java fern, its a great plant! And it will deliver you pups too, which you can plant elsewhere....

Personally i think the tank will be overstocked with what has been suggested to you. LFS's have a bad habit of suggesting fish for new fishkeepers, afterall once they are sold its really no longer their problem. I just dont want you to get caught, but ultimately its your decision. :)

[birdie]

I'm thinking that if the angels get too big i'll get myself another bigger tank (4ft or so) and move them to that...

And if i do that I'll possibly get some more Tetra's and other small fish and just make it a "small" fish tank... :-P

[birdie]

Cardinal Tetras ~ a nice school of them would look gorgeous, hardier than neon tetras

Ember Tetra ~ Nice flashy red fish, again a nice school of them

Livebearers ~ Platys, Guppies (males as they are colourful), Mollies (though these do better with salt added to water)

Cory cats ~ Never sit still, well rarely anyway *L*, such little characters

Pleco ~ I would go with Bristlenose type, ie: Peppermint, Albino, Orange spot etc, as they do not grow too big. Most other types would outgrow that tank.


I still haven't got any fish yet... still thinking... i am thinking that yes the Angel Koi will be too big as i have looked closely at my tank and a 15x20cm fish (3 of) will be too much for the tank... so i am wondering what sort of "feature" fish would suit the tank... i'm thinking a small school of tetras... a floor feeder fish of some sort to keep the tank clean plus something else thats colourful and stands out...

Suggestions? Pics would be great too ;-)

[Woodsy]

Sorry to but in on your two-way conversation guys, but who suggested gluing the crypts to wood/rock Birdie?

[birdie]

The guy at the fish shop suggested it...

[birdie]

This is what someone else suggested, does it sound ok?

Option 1: 2/3 Rams (either blue or bolivian), 2x Otocinclus, 3x yoyo loach, 5-6x cory's plus something like 10-12 neon tetra's.

Option 2: (same as option 1) except swap the 3x yoyo's for upto 10x Dwarf Chain Loach (they look awesome in a large-ish school).

[wombat1100]

The problem i see is that you have an awful large amount of bottom dwellers and nothing else really, other than the neons, middle tank swimmers, what about upper tank? I would also be careful of overcrowding in a tank of that size.

[birdie]

Well any other suggestions?

[Woodsy]

Are the Crypts dead yet?

[birdie]

Are the Crypts dead yet?

No they're not... why should they be?

I've had another suggestion for stocking the tank:

1-2 bristlenose cat (good for cleaning
1-4 rommy nose tetras i think they are
a snail also good for cleaning
1 ram
1-3 clown loaches
1-5 kuili loaches
1-4 guppies or neons

What i am thinking is getting a school of tetra's 10 or so (either cardinals or rummy nose), a pair of blue rams and then i dunno what else...

i'm not really sure what to get... I'd like to have a school of fish (so probably the tetras) and then a few others so its not just all the same fish... variety in looks and personality...

[fish_tails08]

Hi Birdie. Even thou blue rams are a community fish, they prefer their own species tank. They don't do any good with other types of community fish.... I found out the hard way!

[birdie]

Ok i've had another suggestion:

1x small pleco - one that tops out at 5inches or so
5-6x Cory's (any suggestions as to which ones?)
?x Rummy Nose Tetra's (How many?)

Also should i get any rocks or driftwood? would any of those fish like rocks and maybe caves setup with the rocks?

As far as cycling goes... i'll need fish to do that right? Currently i've got the plants and yeah i've already got 2 small snails that must have come with the plants or gravel...

[birdie]

Ok i've finally stocked my tank...

I've bought:

10 Neon Tetra's...

A pair of Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami

And two little bristlenose catfish :-)

So i think that'll about do for my tank i think... probably can't really go for much more without overcrowding the tank right?

It's basically how i wanted it anyway... a small school of fish: 10 neon tetras, a couple of colourful "feature" fish: the gourami's (well the male), and the cleaner fish: the bristlenose's...

What do you think?

I've just added the pair of Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami to my tank a day or so ago but the female is quite timed yet... she hides down around the base of the plants under the driftwood when anyone goes near the tank but once you are away she comes out and swims around...

I've also noticed that male chases her when ever he sees her, so she goes and hides in the plants or in the corners behind the plants...

Is this normal? is there anything i can do to stop him chasing her?

They both came from seperate tanks at the fish store (males are in a different tank to the females)

He doesn't chase any of my other fish (10 Neon Tetras, and two bristlenose catfish) just the female...

[Alasse]

The male will harrass the female as he will be trying to entice her to mate..it is normal behaviour and will be no problem as long as she has room to get away from him and still be able to swim (not sit in the plants all day). There is nothing you can do to alter his chasing behaviour.

[birdie]

Well small update... I lost my female dwarf gourami... I was away for a couple of weekends and neglected to change the water for about 3 weeks (normally i do it each weekend), and when i did a PH test after she died it was about 6.2 or so if i recall correctly. So i suspect that may have had something to do with it. She didn't ever seem a happy fish though as she was always hiding from the male who chased her every time he saw her.

I've also added an air-pump and bubbler to my tank to add a bit more oxygen to the tank, as i have been only running the spray bar at the top of the tank which the LFS who sold me the tank said would be enough but i've had conflicting advice from all them so i thought i'd be better to be safe and add a bit more oxygen :-)

I think i may have lost a neon tetra or two as i haven't been able to count all 10 for ages, but they hide behind my plants and driftwood... so i dunno if they are all still there, I have been able to cound 8-9 most of the time... but the move around so much too which makes them hard to count...

I'm thinking of getting a couple more fish to go in there too.. I'm thinking maybe 3-5 male and a couple of female guppy's as they don't take much space and they add a bit of colour.

Any suggestions for maybe another medium sized fish that will add a bit more to my tank that won't eat my other fish...??

[wombat1100]

Once you get a few guppies you will find they will populate your tank rather quickly, what about adding some cardinals or maybe a few pearl danios native blueeyes they are all smaller fish.

[birdie]

Well I got some new fish today :-)

I got:
4 Platie's - 3 Female and 1 male
4 Guppies - 3 Female and 1 male
1 Silver Shark

And then i got some new fish food: algae disks, protein pellets, and frozen blood worms. So they'll get the tropical flake, algae disks, and protein pellets alternatively and the blood worms once a week.

[birdie]

Anyone got any suggestions for re-aquascaping my tank? I'd like to redesign my tank to look a better :-)

I'm also on the look out for a 3ft or 4ft tank which I'll then move my fish to and convert this tank into something else... maybe a guppy tank or something... or a tetra tank...

I just noticed the dwarf neon gourami seems to be chasing a few of the new fish...? should it be aggressive or is it just because they are new? maybe i might remove him...??? I don't have another tank big enough for him though... (I've got a couple of betta tanks which are about 2-4L or so)

[birdie]

I've pulled the Gourami out for now... I've got him in my betta tank (by himself) which is 3.5L... so its too small for long term... but i want to find out whether he is ok before he kills another fish or stresses them out too much... i've stuck some of the water out of the big tank in it so hopefully that won't shock him...

[birdie]

The temporary Gourami tank:
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/_MG_2380.jpg

The main tank:
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/_MG_2381.jpg
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/_MG_2376.jpg

[birdie]

My dwarf gourami seems to be sulkig a bit now... he hides down behind some of the plants a fair bit now... never used to do that... he comes out for feeding but spends a fair bit of the time hiding behind some of the plants which you'll see in the photos. Heres a heap of photos i took last night :-)

Heres some new photos:
Overall Tank, now with fixed white bulb holder (replaced tube holder)
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2392.jpg

Platies, Guppies, Neons, and gourami hiding down on right side
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2394.jpg

Platies, Neons, Silver/Bala Shark
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2395.jpg

Guppies
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2396.jpg

[birdie]

Gourami Hiding
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2399.jpg

Silver Shark
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2400.jpg
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2414.jpg

Female Platie
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2402.jpg

[birdie]

Female Platie
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2405.jpg
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2411.jpg
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2412.jpg
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2416.jpg

[birdie]

Pregnant Female Guppy
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2404.jpg
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2406.jpg
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2409.jpg
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2413.jpg

[birdie]

little male guppy (has a purple tail)
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2408.jpg

Male Platie
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2410.jpg

Neons
http://www.birdiehq.net/images/gearnfish/_MG_2417.jpg

[Alasse]

The silver shark isnt appropriate for the size tank you have, they get very large and also are a schooling fish. You really should exchange him for a fish more suited to your size tank :)

Other than for that, the tank is looking quite good :)

[birdie]

I plan on getting a 4ft tank to give me a bit more room once i get married and move in with my wife... still living at home atm... so have only got my bedroom which is already full with my computer desk... bed... bookcase... and fish tank...

This is the sort of thing i'd like to do with my tank: http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascaping-showcase/1939-60l-hideki.html

[Woodsy]

Ahhh, the beauty of simplicity...
Having said that, SAVE YOUR CASH!
HC (The groundcover) is hard to get in any volume (at least it is here in Vic), and will require CO2, intense lighting, and a commercially prepared substrate. The plants appear to be: Rotala sp. "Green", Ludwigia inclinata (or Rotala sp. "Magenta", I can't quite tell with the low res.), Blyxa japonica, and a little bit of Micranthemum micranthamoides to the left? The UG is something I don't think you can get here in Australia, but we do have native Utricularias that you may be able to use if you wanted to try something similar. Beautiful tank :)

[qaisar]

Hi,
Im also planning to buy this tank. Just had a few questions about it.

1) How often do you have to clean the built in undergravel filter? Do I need to install any other filters or air pumps or is that sufficient?

2) You mentioned that you have installed a bubbler, can you tell me which one? (Is bubbler and ir pump the same thing)

3) What do you do if your going away for 3-4 weeks. I saw some automatic fish feeders on some websites, do they work?

Thanks and regards
Qaisar