New around here help me out, please.

[jennypenny0379]

Hi,

I just bought a 36 gallon bowfront tank, I bought the tank and hood only as I thought the filter in the kit was terrible.

I will be doing a fishless cycle.

So, any thoughts on filters, heaters etc. would be much appreciated. Would like to have sand and some low/med light plants.

This is what I am thinking as far as stock:

I really want 9 tiger barbs (4 tiger, 3 albino, 2 green).

Would like maybe: 5 dwarf corys
2/3 upside-down catfish
2/3 Khuli loaches
2/3 otos once tank has been running a while

I also have a school of 6 zebras danio in my daughters 10 gallon, that we got them before we new better. While they seem quite content in the current set up I would be willing if Her Highness permits me to move them to the bigger tank.

Just tossing around some ideas, I figured it would be much better to throw this out there than to buy all these find out they are totally horrrible tankmates and be overstocked . Went to 4 LFS today, 2 different chains, and small all fish store. Big box 1 said fine but upside-down may be picked on by barbs, loaches would be boring and I would never see them. Small fish store said samething about the khulis and showed me the yo-yo's instead (think I still like the khulis) and said to ditch the otos, but the upside-downs should be fine since I would have a proper tiger school.

Small fish store recommended an Aqua Clear 50/70 depending on tank size.

Sorry for the novel, thanks in advance and please be gentle, I havent bought ANYTHING yet, so I am totally open to other ideas.

Jenny

[rich311k]

I use a 200 watt Stealth heater and a Rena XP2 cannister filter on my 36 gallon.

That stockiong sounds ok. What kind of upside down cats?

[jennypenny0379]

What kind of upside down cats?

Small ones(blush), I will be looking into that!

Would the stocking still work with the danios? Or is that pushing it?

Thanks for the super speed reply!

Jenn

[MonkeyPox]

Hi,

I just bought a 36 gallon bowfront tank, I bought the tank and hood only as I thought the filter in the kit was terrible.

I will be doing a fishless cycle.

So, any thoughts on filters, heaters etc. would be much appreciated. Would like to have sand and some low/med light plants.

This is what I am thinking as far as stock:

I really want 9 tiger barbs (4 tiger, 3 albino, 2 green).

Would like maybe: 5 dwarf corys
2/3 upside-down catfish
2/3 Khuli loaches
2/3 otos once tank has been running a while

I also have a school of 6 zebras danio in my daughters 10 gallon, that we got them before we new better. While they seem quite content in the current set up I would be willing if Her Highness permits me to move them to the bigger tank.

Just tossing around some ideas, I figured it would be much better to throw this out there than to buy all these find out they are totally horrrible tankmates and be overstocked . Went to 4 LFS today, 2 different chains, and small all fish store. Big box 1 said fine but upside-down may be picked on by barbs, loaches would be boring and I would never see them. Small fish store said samething about the khulis and showed me the yo-yo's instead (think I still like the khulis) and said to ditch the otos, but the upside-downs should be fine since I would have a proper tiger school.

Small fish store recommended an Aqua Clear 50/70 depending on tank size.

Sorry for the novel, thanks in advance and please be gentle, I havent bought ANYTHING yet, so I am totally open to other ideas.

Jenny

I would not get ottos until you have some plants and its been running for a while.

An AC70 would make an excellent filter for the tank and is highly recommended.

If you go the canister route, Rena filters are a good choice.

I like the stealth line of heaters.

If you already have an established 10g tank, you can use some of that media to seed your new tank. You can also use products like Tetra SafeStart or Seachem Stability to quickly establish a bacteria colony.

If you're going to add plants, I would recommend looking at some of the Eco-Complete or Flourite line of substrates. Their macronutrients will help out your plants and prevent you from having to dose as much.

[Aeonflame]

Your tankmates seem fine, petstores haven't been known for giving the best advice. Barbs can get a bit nippy sometimes, but I dont see much of a problem. The Whisper EX line of powerfilters have always worked great in my tanks, and I really like the fact that they do not need priming. (ive had filters that burned out in a power failure) As for the heater, I cant help much there..I live on a tropical island =)

[Oscar_freak12321]

Filtration and heating looks like they have been covered already, so I'll go straight to the fish. The tiger barbs may be nippy, so watch that carefully, and the otos will not do well without plants. Upside down cats, if you get the wrong species, can get a little too big for your tank. As for the cories, they should be fine. Just a few disadvantages I can see, but you can try it, sounds like a good stocking plan if done right.

[jennypenny0379]

Thanks everyone!

So, I bought pool sand today and found an Aqua Clear 50 being clearanced for $20 bucks, I went ahead and bought it (can always return it) as far as I can tell it is rated for 40 gallons so I'm cutting it close. What do you think is it worth a shot? I suppose I could always add more filtration. Or do I suck it up and just get the 70?

I am planning on getting a stealth heater. I didn't see any at PetSmart, and need to call the LFS to see if they stock them. Anybody have a prefered online store?

Now back to the pool sand. Can I go ahead and start to rinse it even though I am still not ready to add water to the tank. I want to check in to the Eco-Complete or Flourite for my plants. I'm pretty sure the anwser is just to wait till I have all my ducks in a row!

I do already have some Stability, but even thinking about cycling is a LONG way off!

As I'm sure you can tell I am a bit of a planner and double checker, so I would also love some tips on how to stock. Who should go in first how many of which etc. Oh, and yes I was planning on adding the Oto(s) later when things are more established, I just wanted to make sure they would be o.k with the other fish I am planning.

Any other helpful hint, tricks and advice is appreicated.

I am trying to go slowly (but it is so hard for me) thankfully I have a vacation planned in early September so that is keeping me in check. I would hate to be in the middle of cycling then leave and have to start over!

Jenny

[jennypenny0379]

Anybody? I promise those will be the last questions for a little while!

Jenny

[MonkeyPox]

Sand: Yes, you can add it anytime you want but decide what you want to do first. The combination of play/pool filter sand and eco complete or flourite would look horrible.

Online store: Drs. Foster and Smith, Big Als, Marine and Reef are a couple of the more popular stores.

If you already have some Stability, you just need to get your tank and filter setup and you should be good to go.

Stocking: don't add everything at once, but other then the ottos after a month or so, it really doesn't matter.

[Crispy]

yeah, you should wait on the ottos since you'll need some algae growth so they don't starve.

[Cristoff]

1. Yes on the Aqua Clear 50. AC filters are top notch for the price. I use 50s on both my 29 gal tanks and they work great. Only upgrade if it seems to have difficulty with the bio load. WORST case scenerio is you're out 20 bucks.

2. Yes on the Stealth heater. [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] is an online store I have had good luck with.

3. I'd wait on cleaning the sand. It won't really matter that much, but if you start now, it gets REALLY hard to stop and wait...(blush)

4. "Her Higness" will give you much blowback on the danios (I know from experience). Approach this as you are giving them a bigger and happier home where they can romp and play with their new friends. Of course if "her Highness is 10 or older, she will probably just look at you like you're stupid.:hmm3grin2orange:

[jennypenny0379]

Of course if "her Highness is 10 or older, she will probably just look at you like you're stupid.:hmm3grin2orange:


her Highness is only 4 but, I am all ready very familar with that look:help:

Thanks for all the help everybody.

Jenny

[jennypenny0379]

Does anyone have a small algae eater that would be suitible for my tank. I think I might be biting off more than I can chew with the Otos, after I delved into past posts on them. Better to find out now!

Oh, and I will not be placing an algae eater in the tank until it is well established with some yummy algae for them to eat up!

Almost there!

Jenny

[robflanker]

Not really - otos are pretty easy

[jennypenny0379]

Not really - otos are pretty easy

Really? I read, they can be really finicky eaters, and are super senstive to tank fluxuations. Also that they need a fairly large group to be happy (and I feel like I have already outgrown my new tank, that I havent even set up!). Of course, I have been looking at so much stuff I may be mixing up a lot of my information. I think I need a notebook.

9 Tiger Barbs (I bought the tank to get these)

6 Zebra Danios (who her Highness has graceiously allowed to move up from their 10g digs)

6 Dwarf Cories

and I would still love couple of
Khuli Loaches

in a 36g with an AC50


Jenny