help me stock my soon to set up 35 gal. planted tank

[sea-horsea]

I am gonna go heavily planted with diff. types of peaceful and small community fish...aiming at small tetras or any fish that don't go maybe more than 1 in.....I'll have some RCS and CRS in it as well so I really want them to be peaceful....

I am not expert in freshwater fish but I have reef tanks and I am used to seeing fish from different reef tanks...so I really want fish that has distinctive and bright color....like the "mysterious" fish I was trying to find out in the other thread....

the tank will be 35x16x18 with 72 watts of lights over it...I am thinking about hanging the light so the distance between the light and the surface of the tank is adjustable...thank you :P

[Sponsors]

[Lupin]

It seems you like nano fish. Here's the list.

Trichopsis pumila
Trichopsis vittata
Dario dario
Parosphromenus deissneri-These in particular require soft acidic waters and live foods otherwise they will not thrive for a long time.
Nannostomus eques
Hyphessobrycon amandae
Turboschistura arakanensis-Size is currently not known although they are sometimes available at an inch size. They need high levels of oxygen so you must reconsider this.
Brachygobius-There are over 9 species that exist currently but little is known in distinguishing them apart. Though they do well in brackish conditions, they will nevertheless still thrive in freshwater provided it remains hard and alkaline.
Danio margaritatus

I think I'm still missing many others but those are the ones I can easily remember. Though not all remain an inch or smaller, they still nevertheless make fine additions to your tank. Not together, of course.

[sea-horsea]

how "heavy" can i stock my tank...I will be running a eheim 2215 caniter filter on it...and of course water change regularly....

why not all together?

[Lupin]

The reason you can't keep every fish I listed altogether is that they differ in water chemistry requirements. Take note of the licorice gouramis and bumblebee gobies. Licorice gouramis like pH no higher than 6.5 whereas bumblebee gobies prefer pH higher than 7.6 for best results. You really can't put both altogether. If you do, either species suffers in the long run, if not even both. Please let us know what you have decided so far.

[John7429]

Originally Posted by sea-horsea

how "heavy" can i stock my tank...I will be running a eheim 2215 caniter filter on it...and of course water change regularly....

why not all together?

Remember to leave room in the tank to add stuff... part of the fun is buying things that catch your attention along the way.

[sea-horsea]

the pH for the water in my area(at least out of my faucet) is about 7.5...

true....or maybe just set up another one.....ok ok I am pushing it...

[Lupin]

Would you be willing to get Chanda ranga if you want bumblebee gobies? Chanda ranga grows to 6 cm so they're not really nano fish. If not, you can always try sparkling gouramis, Hyphessobrycon amandae, Danio margaritatus and Pangio kuhlii altogether. Of course, Pangios aren't nanos either.

[BiscuitSlayer]

sea-horsea -

What kind of light are you going to use that runs at 72W? Two 36W bulbs?

Is it a retro kit or a fixture?

Thats a nice footprint for a tank of that size. Should be a snap building a stand for it.

[sea-horsea]

I am working on my stand now..trying to get the exact # pieces of 2x4s so I can put it together this weekend if everything works out fine...

I have an 8 gal. shrimp tank and I am thinking about building a stand with the new tank on top and shrimp tank beneath it....not sure how exactly I want to do it because I will be using canister filter for the new 35 gal...


yes I am going to use 2x36watts 6700K CF.....its an old fixture I used to have for my reef tank and the 2 bulbs were stock bulbs which means I never used them....

anyways I might build a new fixture for the lights just to match my stand...again I am still planning......

OOOOOOPPPPPSSSSSS!!! I meant to say 28"L!!!!!!!

[John7429]

Post pics of the progress!

[sea-horsea]

shoujld be picking up my tank tomorrow or sat....and mayb, I mean maybe get the stand pieces ready for assembly this weekend as well....

I need to find some cheap sand or black gravel...do you know any?


any other suggestions on fish??

[lauraleellbp]

I really like the black colorquartz, T grade; about $25 for a 50lb bag so the price is nice too... go to www.3M.com and find a local pool supply company that carries it.

[sea-horsea]

ok i got the tank up and running...I am sorry but didn't take much pictures when setting up the tank...too much was going on at the same time...anyways...now I got the plants in there and my 7 white clouds in there...its time to come up with a list of fish I plan to get...and I am asking for advise and suggestions.....I do want schooling fish, and fish that are PEACEFUL!!! I mean no nipping on fins and stuff...I have some fish in mind...please help me on this :P

Fish List:

cardinal or neon---------~10
ottos-------------------~5
cory--------------------~3 to 5 (not sure whats good)
god tetra---------------~5 to 10
endlers(peaceful?)------???

Shrimps:

RCS & CRS ------- # depends on if my shrimp tank will produce some good quantity :P

MTS -------------already have 5 to 10 in it...and I assume they will reproduce like nuts?



anything I can add on the fish list? again I am looking for PEACEFUL fish :P thank you all.


btw...my wife's want a pair of angels...are they peaceful in a community tank ? and how do I tell a male/female?

[Lupin]

MTS are very prolific livebearers. Angelfish will not suit well in your tank. There is a danger where angels can attempt to eat the otos, endlers and tetras. If they attempt the otos, they might simply choke to death. I wouldn't attempt those if I were you. Just for future reference, having two angels increases the possibility of one being bullied constantly. One angel will always be better than two although certainly not in your tank.

6 corydoras
6 otos
6 gold tetras
10 cardinals/neons
8 endlers

[MikeS]

I would think ember tetras would be a really nice schooling fish for tank. Those suckers make cardinals look huge.