the-obstacle Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 I've got a 1200 x 250 x 250 (in milimetres) 75L tank that I'm about to setup and cycle. Once that's complete I'll need to add a few more fish to it. It's going to be fish only at this stage with an eheim 2222 and heater, bubbles, some big rocks and a mixture of black gravel and silica (seperated by an acrylic strip). What fish should I stock this with? I've got 4 guppys and an SAE at the moment in my 22L tank but I think they're a bit crowded which is why I had the tank made. I can either transfer them all to the big tank or just take a couple (or just the SAE?) I've looked at the stock calculator but don't know what's easily available in NZ so I thought I'd ask what you would set this up with. Give me your ideas! (please ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Shellies 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Sam beat me to it! x2 for shellies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Sam beat me to it! x2 for shellies! It'd be an awesome shelly tank right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 oh oh make it a stream rapid tank. input one end output the other. fast flow. hillstream loaches, or whiptails. im sure others will have more fish ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave+Amy Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Get a troop of 20/30 dwarf chain loaches! they are AWESOME when they school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted September 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 oh oh make it a stream rapid tank. input one end output the other. fast flow. hillstream loaches, or whiptails. im sure others will have more fish ideas I quite like that idea but it'd take a bit of convincing with the wife - she wants some of those nice flashy little fish . Would my eheim produce enough flow for this? I assume a few scattered large rocks and some hardy substrate would be all I'd need? Would the sillica stand up to the currents or should i abandon that idea? Maybe some plants? edit: I've done a bit of reasearch and I might reserve this idea for a future use for this tank once I've upgraded to a larger tropical in a few years time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Plant it and put rainbows in it. Trust me you wont regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted September 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Get a troop of 20/30 dwarf chain loaches! they are AWESOME when they school Interesting, I'd need to add some plants for them (seems that's the best way to go for the water and other fish anyway) and the sand looks like it'd be right up their alley. Would I need to go to a breeder or are these readily available in the shops around Auckland? I assume they'd live happily with a bunch of guppys and a SAE or 2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Dwarf cichlids. Your wife would love electric blue rams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Plant it. Neon blue dwarf Rainbowfish + Mossie Rasbora. Panda cories for bottom feeders and a dark sandy substrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 an ehiem 2222 sounds perfect. you could even have the water cascading down some rocks if space allows. do a search for rapid biotope aquarium. for example: Fish found in the Zaire River rapids include African Red-Eyed Tetras (Arnoldichthys spiolpterus; Banded African Tetras (Distichodus sexfascatus); African Glass Catfishes (Eutropiellus debauwi); Butterfly cichlids (Hemichromis thomasi); the very beautiful Congo Tetras (Phenacogrammus interruptus); the quirky Blockhead Cichlids (Steatocranus casuarius); the peculiar Upside-down Catfishes (Synodontis nigriventris); and a number of other fish (in fact, more than 60 species). - http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i6/biotopes_p1/biotopes_p1.htm several main rapid biotopes - african (as above), South American, central american. also check this page out: http://www.loaches.com/articles/a-river-runs-through-it lots of options, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruju Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 oh oh make it a stream rapid tank. input one end output the other. fast flow. hillstream loaches, or whiptails. im sure others will have more fish ideas x2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave+Amy Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Interesting, I'd need to add some plants for them (seems that's the best way to go for the water and other fish anyway) and the sand looks like it'd be right up their alley. Would I need to go to a breeder or are these readily available in the shops around Auckland? I assume they'd live happily with a bunch of guppys and a SAE or 2? You'll definitely have to order them from your local petshop - don't think anyone's been able to breed them in captivity yet :-? my 10 set me back $160 with fish club discounts Plenty of silica sand/more coarse sand (if you're worried about currents) and wood and plants and they'll be right at home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Blackwater stream, a few smaller whiptails, corys, and a big school of cardinals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 all of the above! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Sam beat me to it! x2 for shellies! +3 for shellies. I have actually been thinking of doing this for mine (the low water level after the earthquake looks really good!). Sand, shells, rocks and dwarf sagittaria. Stunning! You won't regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted September 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Blackwater stream, a few smaller whiptails, corys, and a big school of cardinals. Not so keen on the brackish / tannnin filled water look. Have I go the wrong idea there? Would the need for low currents (slowing the filter down?) lower the quality of the filtration? I am however very keen on the stock list. I'd be concerned the whiptails would outgrow the tank fairly quickly though, or is that not likely to be a problem? Just researching all the other awesome suggestions too. Thanks everybody for the ideas so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Not so keen on the brackish / tannnin filled water look. Brackish is a salt and fresh water mix, like an estuary. Tannin filled water is very soft water, usually not near an ocean. Hope this helps 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted September 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Brackish is a salt and fresh water mix, like an estuary. Tannin filled water is very soft water, usually not near an ocean. Hope this helps 8) hahaha, I knew I was going to get learned on that one! Am I right in thinking that the blackwater stream would consist of darker water (not crystal clear) though? Also - would a pair of shellies co-exist with a school of tetra and/or a pair of the blue dwarf chiclids? I like the fact that they dig. I think the goal is going to be the smaller the breed the better as far as depth goes but with the length I'd like to break it up a bit. Maybe planted rocky at one end and open sandy at the other with a mix in between then find the fish to populate those areas? I definitely want a community tank so there's a lot going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted September 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 all of the above! That's the problem, I'm already designing my next tank and this one hasn't even cured yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Am I right in thinking that the blackwater stream would consist of darker water (not crystal clear) though? Yep, although its up to you how dark you make it, in fact you don't even need to make it "blackwater" to have that set up. Tangled driftwood, a few little plants, leaf litter and clear water is still going to look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice222 Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 I think I saw that tank for sale, was thinking of using it as a river tank but just a bit too long for the space I have . I'm not sure what exactly shellies are but imo river tank would be awesome. I bet as soon as someone tells me what shellies are, I'd realize I should've known it all along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 viewtopic.php?f=13&t=47924 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted September 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 I think I saw that tank for sale, was thinking of using it as a river tank but just a bit too long for the space I have . I'm not sure what exactly shellies are but imo river tank would be awesome. I bet as soon as someone tells me what shellies are, I'd realize I should've known it all along. My tank? I had it custom made by Greg at tanks2u to fit the only space I have for it - a long breakfast bar area that only gets used for storing stuff we haven't quite put away yet (junk) in between the kitchen and lounge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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