🐟Rachel's Fish Adventures🐟

[Whitecloud09]

Here’s some ideas, 

1. A betta tank, add one or two snails for a cleanup crew. 

2. White Cloud Mountain minnows, (my favorite fishes I’ve ever kept.)

3. Guppies. 

4. All shrimp tank, and let me tell ya, that could be a lot of shrimp.

Some general ideas for a 10g. 

On 5/24/2024 at 10:16 AM, CoryWithAKatana said:

@Whitecloud09 I have a feeling you might be bias to these fish...Just a thought 🤣

lol

[GuppyLover123]

5/25/24: Omg, today I set up my 29-gallon!!! Tomorrow I am hoping to move over the guppies, and I am going to my LFS to look at other types of fish! It's not complete, I still need a LOT more decorations haha, but it's a start.

Edited May 26 by GuppyLover123

[GuppyLover123]

5/26/24: I bought 6 new fish today, and moved my four guppies into the 19 gallon as well, so now I have ten fish in the 29-gallon!!! 🙂 Still working on adding to it, but it's progress! ❤️ 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Your first bigger tank is always a fun one!

Just a couple of thoughts I had while reading through your journal:

-The others are correct that a 29 is way too small for a clown loach. Good call to avoid them.

-Rams can be very finicky and difficult. I’ve tried Black Rams twice, and failed both times. I waited until I was about a year and a half in with 14 tanks before I even tried them, and haven’t been successful yet. I’m now 4 years in and haven’t tried again yet. In my experience, Rams can be tough and I’ve been successful with every other fish I’ve kept and bred, including other species like Pea Puffers that are labeled as “more difficult” 

-Consider moving your heater to the right side of the tank, right next to the intake of the HOB. Doing so will ensure there is good flow around the heater, so it should be more efficient and help ensure even temps throughout the tank. As a plus, I also think it just looks better and more natural. If you end up with tall live plants, it can also make it easier to hide the equipment behind the plants if the equipment is close to each other  

-Consider getting a pre filter sponge for your HOB on the 29. Fish getting stuck to the intake, or fry getting sucked up into the filter (Guppies and Swordtails are livebearers, so if you have males and females you’ll end up with babies) isn’t fun. A pre filter sponge is a cheap and easy way to prevent that, and I find that I have to clean my HOB media way less often due to the pre filter, which is a plus for me with as many tanks as I have. 
 

-Did you cycle this new tank or at least seed it with anything from the already existing tank? If you didn’t, just watch your parameters and be ready to water change as necessary as you’ll be doing a fish in cycle. I believe there is nothing wrong with a fish in cycle if you do the work to handle it correctly. Either way, you should always test often on new tanks and make sure the tank is safe for your new friends. 
 

Most importantly, have fun! Aquariums are a magical thing and it should be a fun and relaxing hobby. 
 

Holler if you have any questions! This community is full of excellent people that share the love of their tanks, and want to see others be successful and enjoy the hobby to its fullest. 

Edited May 27 by AllFishNoBrakes

[Guupy42]

On 5/23/2024 at 7:13 PM, GuppyLover123 said:

Please give opinions, or recommendations of other types of fish I might not have thought of yet!

You already have swordtails and guppies, why not keep going with livebearers? They will be similar in care and size to the guppies you already have.

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/top-10-livebearers (This is where I got most of my information)

Endlers / Endler's Guppies (https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/endlers-livebearer-care-guide)

It might be biased, but as many people on the forum already know, I love Endlers. The guppies you get from PetSmart sometimes are a little bit inbred, but Endlers will most likely be healthier. If you search up pictures of swamp guppies, they will be slightly dull, but wild Endlers already have color to start. This means they have to go through less breeding, and will likely be more "Natural" and less inbred. Purebred and Endler's Guppies should both be fine, but it depends on what you prefer. For some reason, people don't like Endler's Guppies, and they think that they should be kept purebred.

Pros: Less inbred; Easier to care for

Cons: Harder to find, because they are not as popular as guppies

Platy (https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/platy-care-guide)

Pros: Can go with colder temperatures; 3-4 years lifespan

Cons: Larger size (2-3 inches)

Molly (https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/molly-fish-care)

Pros: High tolerance for salt (You can treat diseases with salt safely); 

Cons: More sensitive to GH or PH fluctuations (Need more minerals in water); Larger Size (4-5 inches)0

Swordtail

You already mentioned these, so you probably already did some research on them.

Guppies

Same as above. They will also do better with your other four guppies.

[GuppyLover123]

On 5/27/2024 at 8:27 AM, Guupy42 said:

You already have swordtails and guppies, why not keep going with livebearers? They will be similar in care and size to the guppies you already have.

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/top-10-livebearers (This is where I got most of my information)

Endlers / Endler's Guppies (https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/endlers-livebearer-care-guide)

It might be biased, but as many people on the forum already know, I love Endlers. The guppies you get from PetSmart sometimes are a little bit inbred, but Endlers will most likely be healthier. If you search up pictures of swamp guppies, they will be slightly dull, but wild Endlers already have color to start. This means they have to go through less breeding, and will likely be more "Natural" and less inbred. Purebred and Endler's Guppies should both be fine, but it depends on what you prefer. For some reason, people don't like Endler's Guppies, and they think that they should be kept purebred.

Pros: Less inbred; Easier to care for

Cons: Harder to find, because they are not as popular as guppies

Platy (https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/platy-care-guide)

Pros: Can go with colder temperatures; 3-4 years lifespan

Cons: Larger size (2-3 inches)

Molly (https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/molly-fish-care)

Pros: High tolerance for salt (You can treat diseases with salt safely); 

Cons: More sensitive to GH or PH fluctuations (Need more minerals in water); Larger Size (4-5 inches)0

Swordtail

You already mentioned these, so you probably already did some research on them.

Guppies

Same as above. They will also do better with your other four guppies.

Thanks for the advice I actually got two platys yesterday as well!

On 5/27/2024 at 1:32 AM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

Your first bigger tank is always a fun one!

Just a couple of thoughts I had while reading through your journal:

-The others are correct that a 29 is way too small for a clown loach. Good call to avoid them.

-Rams can be very finicky and difficult. I’ve tried Black Rams twice, and failed both times. I waited until I was about a year and a half in with 14 tanks before I even tried them, and haven’t been successful yet. I’m now 4 years in and haven’t tried again yet. In my experience, Rams can be tough and I’ve been successful with every other fish I’ve kept and bred, including other species like Pea Puffers that are labeled as “more difficult” 

-Consider moving your heater to the right side of the tank, right next to the intake of the HOB. Doing so will ensure there is good flow around the heater, so it should be more efficient and help ensure even temps throughout the tank. As a plus, I also think it just looks better and more natural. If you end up with tall live plants, it can also make it easier to hide the equipment behind the plants if the equipment is close to each other  

-Consider getting a pre filter sponge for your HOB on the 29. Fish getting stuck to the intake, or fry getting sucked up into the filter (Guppies and Swordtails are livebearers, so if you have males and females you’ll end up with babies) isn’t fun. A pre filter sponge is a cheap and easy way to prevent that, and I find that I have to clean my HOB media way less often due to the pre filter, which is a plus for me with as many tanks as I have. 
 

-Did you cycle this new tank or at least seed it with anything from the already existing tank? If you didn’t, just watch your parameters and be ready to water change as necessary as you’ll be doing a fish in cycle. I believe there is nothing wrong with a fish in cycle if you do the work to handle it correctly. Either way, you should always test often on new tanks and make sure the tank is safe for your new friends. 
 

Most importantly, have fun! Aquariums are a magical thing and it should be a fun and relaxing hobby. 
 

Holler if you have any questions! This community is full of excellent people that share the love of their tanks, and want to see others be successful and enjoy the hobby to its fullest. 

Thanks for the advice! 

[Jeff]

On 5/21/2024 at 3:56 PM, GuppyLover123 said:

What brand / name is this substrate? I'm always looking for a good natural looking gravel.

[EricksonAquatics]

I’m not Rachel but it looks just like the Aqua Naturals Gold Pearl gravel? It’s one I’ve had my eye on for a while🫢

[Whitecloud09]

It looks awesome! I would get this for my new tank if it were not for my interest in sand lol.

[Guupy42]

I think it is something from Top Fin, maybe this one?

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/decor-gravel-and-substrate/gravel-sand-and-stones/top-fin-premium-aquarium-gravel---classic-beach-71907.html?cgid=300103&fmethod=Browse

[GuppyLover123]

On 5/29/2024 at 11:02 AM, Jeff said:

What brand / name is this substrate? I'm always looking for a good natural looking gravel.

@EricksonAquatics is correct, it is Aqua Natural Gold Pearl Gravel 🙂