New Nano tank owner. How am I doing?

[Sc0pe92]

Hello ive had my tank set up for about 2 months now. After trial and error my tank seems to have been running great.

What I currently have in the tank

3 Amazon Swords
1 Anubias Nana

5 neon tetra (had 6)
1 guppy (had 2)
1 red cherry shrimp (had 2)
2 Nerite Zebra Snails

I did lose one of each fish at the beginning

Well if you had to rate my tank what would you give it

Note: This is my first tank ever in my life. So I am very new to the hobby.

Thinking of adding 2 platties this weekend and replace the fish I lost in the beginning. Also what other plants should I put I was thinking a Moss Ball in the bottom right corner theres an empty space there but need some expert ideas on what to put. Thoughts?

[joey24dirt]

For your first go its looking good. Nice and clean. Just be careful you don't overstock the tank and cause the fish stress with poor water quality. It can be so hard to hold back though lol

[Barbgirl]

How many gallons is that tank? I would hesitate to put platies in there, based on the size of the tank and that they breed worse than rabbits. I would add to those cherries instead. The neons may go after the shrimp so keep an eye on them.

Those swords will also get quite large in there so be prepared to trim! Also, make sure that only the roots of the anubias are in the gravel and that the rhizome is NOT buried, they don't like that much.

Looks like you are off to a great start! Love the clean and simple look!

Oh yeah and maybe get some moss on the driftwood for cover for the shrimpies!

[Sc0pe92]

Originally Posted by Barbgirl

How many gallons is that tank? I would hesitate to put platies in there, based on the size of the tank and that they breed worse than rabbits. I would add to those cherries instead. The neons may go after the shrimp so keep an eye on them.

Those swords will also get quite large in there so be prepared to trim! Also, make sure that only the roots of the anubias are in the gravel and that the rhizome is NOT buried, they don't like that much.

Looks like you are off to a great start! Love the clean and simple look!

Oh yeah and maybe get some moss on the driftwood for cover for the shrimpies!

Thanks for the feedback! It is a 12 gallon tank

And as far as the anubias I did lose one I had before because I buried the rhizome(did not know) but this one is currently doing fine. What moss is recommended to grow on the wood?

[Darth Toro]

You could go with flame moss, Christmas moss, java moss. Looks great for you first tank! Defintely watch the over stocking. You could go with smaller fish then the platies. Maybe Ember tetras they are much smaller and have a reddish hue to them.

[Sc0pe92]

So having 2 guppies 2 platies and 6 tetras would be overstocking?

[tetra10]

Originally Posted by Sc0pe92

So having 2 guppies 2 platies and 6 tetras would be overstocking?

the general rule of thumb is to have one gallon per inch of FULLY GROWN fish. you have to account for how big the fish will grow when it is an adult. some people dont like to follow this rule but its a good idea to follow if you are just starting out. honestly i always like to understock my fish tanks because it gives me some wiggle room when it comes to water changes. that means that if i skip a scheduled water change, everything will be fine because i dont have the maximum amount of fish. if i were you, i would stop getting fish and start getting more shrimp because cherries are nice and do not produce much waste. take it easy on the fish and do some 20-30% water changes every week or two. good luck!

[Sc0pe92]

Originally Posted by tetra10

the general rule of thumb is to have one gallon per inch of FULLY GROWN fish. you have to account for how big the fish will grow when it is an adult. some people dont like to follow this rule but its a good idea to follow if you are just starting out. honestly i always like to understock my fish tanks because it gives me some wiggle room when it comes to water changes. that means that if i skip a scheduled water change, everything will be fine because i dont have the maximum amount of fish. if i were you, i would stop getting fish and start getting more shrimp because cherries are nice and do not produce much waste. take it easy on the fish and do some 20-30% water changes every week or two. good luck!

Thanks for the advice. Im learning as I go. How about some red crystal shrimp are they easy to care for?