DebSills Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 So, first of all - I will be taking care of the tank in terms of water changes, and any issues that come up, but will probably only be "with" the tank once or twice a week. Here's the situation...I'm looking at setting up a tank for my father in law, he suffers from aphasia and currently sits at a window and watches the world go by as it were. We are moving him and my mother in law into an assisted living facility soon and unfortunately their view out the window stinks (for lack of a better word). So I thought he may enjoy watching a fish tank instead. What I'm hoping for is a tank that has a lot of interest for him to look at as well as stocked with fish that won't be spooked if he sits at the glass all day watching them. It will be planted, with probably a nerite or two and probably some amanos for help with algae. Tank size will probably be a 20, maybe a 29, but no bigger than that. doesn't need to have a ton of stock, just something active and not skittish (and also preferably something that does well on pellets since I want to set up an auto-feeder). I'm not sure if I'll be able to do a sponge filter unless I can figure out how to make the pump absolutely silent (he also has Tinnitus, so a constant sound like that may drive him crazy and then he won't be able to verbalize what's wrong) - so something that can have at least a little flow either from an internal filter or a small canister would be good. Anyway, no true rush on this, but looking to get some ideas from everyone so I can build him the best tank possible 🙂 Thanks in advance!!! 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 (edited) It sounds like you're nearly complete with stocking. As far as interesting fish. I think something like amanos, white clouds, corydoras would be perfect. You can feed the whole tank with flake foods or pellets if you get small enough ones (I'd recommend the hikari ones over the Xtreme ones for that specific tank). As far as activity and interest, Jimmy has a pretty similar WC tank and probably a dozen videos. If you want to, another idea would be to setup a TV and have one of those channels that have good views. Maybe next to the tank or something. For the tank, I imagine a decent centerpiece of wood, to be planted with a few kinds of Anubias and other very low demand type of plants. I think it would look pretty amazing. Edited October 18, 2022 by nabokovfan87 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebSills Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 hi - just to clarify, my father in law is active and aware of what's going on, but his aphasia makes it impossible for him to read, has some trouble finding his words especially when he is stressed and struggles with long term memory. I am just trying to find some ideas for fish that will be ok with him sitting by the glass, fun to watch and also something that will eat a pellet so I can set up an auto-feeder. I want to make this as low stress as I can for my mother in law and just something to enjoy for my father in law. My initial thought was platies, but I am always open to as many ideas as possible 🙂 Thanks all!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 Cherry barbs are bright, inexpensive and fun to watch. The males flit around, sparring and flicking their fins. I think they’re one of the most underrated fish in the hobby. They look great next to Neon tetras. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 On 10/18/2022 at 8:29 PM, DebSills said: hi - just to clarify, my father in law is active and aware of what's going on, but his aphasia makes it impossible for him to read, has some trouble finding his words especially when he is stressed and struggles with long term memory. I am just trying to find some ideas for fish that will be ok with him sitting by the glass, fun to watch and also something that will eat a pellet so I can set up an auto-feeder. I want to make this as low stress as I can for my mother in law and just something to enjoy for my father in law. My initial thought was platies, but I am always open to as many ideas as possible 🙂 Thanks all!!! Guppies!!!!!!!!!!!! Eat practically everything, and love to swim around. Maybe put some rummy nose tetras in with them as well to add a bit of pazzazz? Pygmy Corys would be my second choice. Keep us posted on what you choose! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 Agree with coryadoras- so much fun 🤩 and lots of action with a good group. 29 g you could have up to 20 mature pandas with no trouble. Livebearers are great to watch be they guppies, platys or mollies look ads of action, breeding is fun and if you put in a centerpiece fish to control the population you’ll be all set. I think you could do a single angelfish, a pair of apistos, a group of Bolivian rams, honey gouramis or pearls, or dwarf rainbows if you opt for the 29. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flumpweesel Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 I second the rosy barbs they are also a low temp fish so you could go without a heater, I have a gang of three males in my community tank and they are pretty always up to something but don't bother any of the other fish . I've even had pigmy cory fry survive with them. Garra rufa or Panda garras are surprisingly cute in small groups and eat algae and any sinking food readily. They kinda cuddle when resting I only suggest going heater free because my granny's sheltered place was always very warm and the fewer things plugged in is fewer things to go wrong when your not there 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/18/2022 at 11:29 AM, Pepere said: Well, my data set is one, me.. but I have tinnitus as well and love my bubbling airstones, air driven filters and airpumps…. The sound drowns out the tinnitus for me and gives me relief. Silence is what makes it worse for me… You might be able to set up a jar with an airstone for an hour or a day and see if it is good or bad. I have noticed and would use the ziss airstones because they are ridiculously quiet when you want them to be compared to the normal cheaper ones. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryC Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 (edited) Ultra active fish for a 20-29: Zebra/leopard danios (lil torpedoes) Fancy guppies (slower but more flamboyant) Cherry barbs (ultra fast + shiny) I might get hated for this, but i think a glofish tank would be the best choice for him. Add a bunch of glo danios and watch the laser show in your tank. Super eye catching and easy. https://youtube.com/shorts/pRTYwk3bq3E?feature=share https://youtu.be/spNXJsWd0qk As you can see, they're far from shy. Can even hand feed them. Edited October 19, 2022 by HenryC 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 First off, this is a beautiful gift. I think it has the potential of providing a lot of pleasure for your loved ones. "We are moving him and my mother in law into an assisted living facility soon and unfortunately their view out the window stinks (for lack of a better word). So I thought he may enjoy watching a fish tank instead." Be sure that you speak with the management before moving forward. All the best laid plans can be shut down directly if an aquarium is disallowed. We have kept many small tanks with varied stocking. A 29 gal can be really beautiful. For a smaller tank size, it is tall enough to require adequate lighting-throw to grow plants. @HenryC is onto something with a Goldfish aquarium. I know it is "against the rules" . . . but we kept a 20 gal with three goldfish and a Bristlenose Pleco going for a few years. It was a planted tank too. If you establish very hardy plants before adding _young_ goldfish -- we used Hygrophyllia difformis (water wisteria) -- the plants can stay active despite the goldfish munching. We even had a group of Corydoras aeneus with them. You must be able to perform water changes bi-weekly though. We use a "python" siphon attached to the faucet... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebSills Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 6:24 AM, Fish Folk said: Be sure that you speak with the management before moving forward. All the best laid plans can be shut down directly if an aquarium is disallowed. They do allow pets, but I will definitely confirm that they will allow the aquarium in their unit - they have a koi pond in the lobby, so I'm guessing it won't be an issue 🙂 On 10/18/2022 at 4:20 PM, Flumpweesel said: I only suggest going heater free because my granny's sheltered place was always very warm and the fewer things plugged in is fewer things to go wrong when your not there I will definitely look into this option - they do have their own thermostat in their unit, but they're also from KY so they may keep it warmer once they move up here to MA with us. I think Cory has a no-heater video out there somewhere that I'll have to find I also love the idea of danios (glo or standard), I've never had them, but they do seem very active I'm thinking that guppies may be a little small - just in terms of the food size - but they are definitely still an option. We may be able to get to a point where my father in law would want to feed them, but I want to make sure at least in the beginning that I have the auto-feeder and I think super small pellets may be hard to get the portion size right (?) I am loving all of these suggestions! and I think the Rosy Barbs are the only one that my LFS doesn't have right now - but she would definitely get them for me if I wanted 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 1:54 PM, DebSills said: guppies may be a little small - just in terms of the food size - In that case maybe swordtails? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 I just realized @HenryC said "Glofish" not "Goldfish" 😅 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebSills Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 that's ok @Fish Folk I read it that way too at first and then realized it was glo 🙂 @TheSwissAquarist I may look at swordtails, but maybe just girls - I had a male sword eons ago and he was a total jerk and attacked all my other fish in the tank 😐 my LFS does have some really cool looking "koi" swords or the red lyretail would be cool...they also have "peppermint" platies, that I want someday just because of the name 😄 (they're red and white and I just love the name...lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 2:57 PM, DebSills said: koi Look great and the babies are very sweet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbo99 Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 I like platies a lot, all of the upsides of guppies but not as prone to illness as the guppies seem to be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 3:31 PM, Gumbo99 said: illness as the guppies seem to be. I agree with you on that, guppies seem to be getting weaker and weaker these days.😢 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbo99 Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 8:38 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: I agree with you on that, guppies seem to be getting weaker and weaker these days.😢 I have only had big box store guppies, and it has never ended well. If I ever get the courage to try again I'm definitely skipping that route and ordering some from a hobbyist breeder instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 3:40 PM, Gumbo99 said: If I ever get the courage to try again I'm definitely skipping that route and ordering some from a hobbyist breeder instead. I think @KittenFishMomhas some mutt guppies available... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 8:57 AM, DebSills said: I may look at swordtails, but maybe just girls - I had a male sword eons ago and he was a total jerk and attacked all my other fish in the tank So… be advised that male swordtails are well-known to disguise themselves as females in order to bulk up without harassment. When you buy a bunch of females, often one ends up a male. (This has given rise to some urban myths about sex-change BBC among Livebearers, but I don’t think that’s exactly what happens.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenFishMom Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 (edited) Yes, I have an overstocked tank of fearless, strong, colorful, male guppies. The cats jump on the lid and drink from the HOB filter. Each fish looks a bit different. Depending on what you think. you might want identical fish, in case you want to change the number of fish, or ones dies. Or you my want unique fish so he can follow different ones to see how they interact. I'm in Central NY. You can see some photos in my post for free guppies in the swap thread. I can pay shipping too. Fritz Turbo Start 700 might be helpful in starting or restarting the cycle once you move the tank. I have been giving my over started tanks a some with water changes and it seems to help. If the places does not allow tanks, I bet you can find live feeds of tanks, or bird feeders from schools or museums. Or maybe a live feed from a zoo would have interesting active animals with sound and few thing to go wrong. Edited October 19, 2022 by KittenFishMom lots of sleepy typos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebSills Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 10:00 AM, Fish Folk said: So… be advised that male swordtails are well-known to disguise themselves as females in order to bulk up without harassment. So...maybe I won't go with swordtails after all...lol 🙄 On 10/19/2022 at 10:17 AM, KittenFishMom said: Fritz Turbo Start 700 might be helpful in starting or restarting the cycle once you move the tank. I have been giving my over started tanks a some with water changes and it seems to help. I'm not quite ready to start setting up the tank, I'm just looking for ideas - basically "if you could stare at a tank all day, what would you put in it" - I have three tanks set up right now, so I can get some BB from there, and I'll run it for at least a month with just the plants and nerites, and once the algae starts I'll put the amanos in to nip that 🙂 I'm not in a rush, just looking for ideas at this point 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 (edited) I'd stock a 29 as follow: 12 pygmy cory (they can be a little skittish but they do swim/school more than any other cory). 8 to 16 kubotai rasbora - these are a small schooling fish that constantly swim - unlike most tetra and rasbora that sit around all day looking pretty these constantly move. 8 cherry barbs (i'm not as happy with these are others in this thread and mine mostly hide and swim very little but the red constrast nice with the kubotai green); or 8 serpae tetra (these are larger and much more active). You could consider 8 kuhli loaches but how they will behave is a gamble - sometime they come out and play all day long and sometime they hide for months; but they have a very low bio-load. - At this point the tank is quite full and not another fish could be considered unless you trim something. All of these fishes are soft-water fish - the softer the better and they will be quite happy at 76. Edited October 19, 2022 by anewbie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smm333 Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 My pygmy corydoras draw me in a lot! I would definately recommend a group of them with whatever else you choose. They are cute amd very active. Mine always perch on plants and stare back out at me. I think they know how adored they are, lol! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebSills Posted November 15, 2022 Author Share Posted November 15, 2022 thanks @smm333 I have a small group of pygmy cories in my 29, but they hide a lot of the time 😞 they're so darn cute though!! So...we finally have a date for my in-laws moving in, AND the assisted living facility said we can have an aquarium...they just said "we don't recommend anything too big" well, that's relative depending on who you ask, but I think I'll cap it at a 20 just to make it easy...I'm leaning towards a 20L, unless someone can convince me why I may want a 20H instead... I'm still not sure of stocking, I'm going to get the plants going and then see what my LFS has in stock when I'm ready - I definitely appreciate all of the suggestions, and I'll try to focus my "troll" of my LFS stocking list with these suggestions...the only thing I'm really set on is Amanos...and probably panda cories...I can't decide what I want as the main draw to the tank though...always fun to keep looking 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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