Lou Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 On 8/11/2024 at 11:17 AM, johnnyxxl said: You will get contradictory info because fish keeping is like baking a cake 100 recipes. But there should be a few constant themes. Water quality, I used to live in Black Mountain I used to frequent Exotic Pets for fish in Asheville, they were beginner friendly for helping new fish keepers. They used to test water for people and show how to do it yourself. If you are adding plants like you have you will need to watch light time making sure to give enough light to feed the plants and not too much to encourage algae. And you will want to decide what fish friends you want. Sounds like you have a few guppies and platies so fun community fish live bearers easy fish once you have your "cycle" ready meaning bacteria is ready to keep the tank healthy for your fishies. You can add some shrimp, and kulhi loaches and more platies or guppies but not tons of them. I would aim for about 10 fish for the size because you will have some babies with those fish Awesome! He did see the loaches and really like them? Are they schooling? Thank you On 8/11/2024 at 1:20 AM, FishFan said: Does your son like community’s with lots of little fish swimming around, maybe some shrimp. If so, I would suggest getting Chilly Rasboras some cherry shrimp, and a snail. If your son likes 1 big center piece, I would suggest a betta. I love their personally, and I have had at least 1 betta at all times for years. If he wants a mix of both, I would do a honey gourami. They are peaceful, and have wonderful personalities. Also they stay small, and you could do 6 pigmy Corys and 1 honey. And you have a beautiful tank with lots of action. The pet store said do not do corys because the tank was too small. I had two false julii at first but they didn't make it! Water is improving! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishFan Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 Instead of doing false julii, I would highly suggest Pigmy Corys. I have some in my 10 gallon and that are super funny to watch. They only get about an inch. And, they like to swim mid water sometimes! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 On 8/11/2024 at 11:28 AM, Lou said: Awesome! He did see the loaches and really like them? Are they schooling? Thank you The pet store said do not do corys because the tank was too small. I had two false julii at first but they didn't make it! Water is improving! They love to be in groups, you will see more of them if they are in groups of 5 or more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 On 8/11/2024 at 11:34 AM, FishFan said: Instead of doing false julii, I would highly suggest Pigmy Corys. I have some in my 10 gallon and that are super funny to watch. They only get about an inch. And, they like to swim mid water sometimes! Awesome! I will look into that once my water gets more established and I know we will have no more unnecessary casualties due to my inexperience! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 On 8/10/2024 at 11:49 PM, Lou said: Thank you all so much!! Can I get some of the floating plant on the AC website? right now there is anubia and java fern I believe Might be out right now like @Tony s said, but their best floaters when in stock are water sprite and water wisteria imo. Both great beginner floaters and only require some EG or whatever ferts you got. I have both and I love them. So easy, I don’t do anything to em unless there is a lot of algae on them I give a quick rinse. Like @johnnyxxl has put in, light schedule can be huge sometimes, like a consistent time of where it turns on and turns off, so I recommend a light timer so you don’t have to do this yourself if you don’t have one lol. hope this helps! I agree with everyone here so far. Good luck, @Lou! Happy fishkeeping!! On 8/11/2024 at 11:34 AM, FishFan said: Instead of doing false julii, I would highly suggest Pigmy Corys. I have some in my 10 gallon and that are super funny to watch. They only get about an inch. And, they like to swim mid water sometimes! Yes I agree. Pigmy’s are the best nano Cory. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 Well I tested my water again today after the water change last night and it was 1.0 ppm! Do I do another water change? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiba Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 (edited) I'm not super experienced so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I do feel like another water change would help things a lot. Sometimes excessive water changes may stress out the fish, depending on how aggressive you are on cleaning the tank lol. But, I feel like its better than letting them live in ammonia. If I were you, I'd do a 50% at least. Of course, I'm sure yove little bacteriu heard this, but I do hear plants help a lot with ammonia. Even if you have little bacteria, the plants will suck up the ammonia. I think floating plants would also be good like everyone said. I would probably do mostly more anubias or java ferns. You should put those on the driftwood you have. I know they may seem expensive but I think that could help a lot. Just know you will need a decent amount of them. You could probably have other plants like stem plants if you decide to use fertilizer and root tabs with the substrate you have. Another thing to worry about so I understand if you decide not to go with that route. The thing about stem plants (water wisteria, rotala h'ra, etc.) is that they grow very fast. Use the snippets to replant them. They will take over the tank in no time. Again, I'm not super experienced, but I have done a lot of research recently (I'm working on restarting my 20g high) and wanted to make sure I start off right. Edited August 11 by Shiba 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 Thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 I did a 50% water change and the little plate that's been hiding for days finally came out! The new tank for the frogs isn't ready yet, so I am hoping they can hang another week. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woowala Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 (edited) The thing with plants is they need to be growing fast in order to be useful for reducing nitrogen waste, so rhizome plants like Anubias and Java fern don't help much in that regard. This is why floaters are so great, you can almost see them growing. It's all about nutrient export. Whatever you add to the tank stays there until you remove it, generally speaking. When you add food much of the nitrogen in the food ends up as ammonia. Cycling allows it to be converted to a less toxic form (nitrate) until you remove it through water changes. Plants build their bodies with it until you ultimately remove it by trimming the plants. I would add nothing to this tank until it's done cycling, other than floating plants and a small amount of fish food once per day. The fish already in it can probably stand the 1ppm ammonia, but if you notice it getting much higher reduce it back down with 1 or more 50% water changes. Don't worry about kh, gh, or pH for the time being. Just track ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate until it's done cycling. Get a little notebook or dry erase board and write down any test results and other observations- fish looking sick or dying, cloudy water, etc. If you use test strips that also test for things like pH, gh, and kh when you're checking the ammonia, write that down too. Edited August 11 by Woowala 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 On 8/11/2024 at 6:01 PM, Woowala said: The thing with plants is they need to be growing fast in order to be useful for reducing nitrogen waste, so rhizome plants like Anubias and Java fern don't help much in that regard. This is why floaters are so great, you can almost see them growing. It's all about nutrient export. Whatever you add to the tank stays there until you remove it, generally speaking. When you add food much of the nitrogen in the food ends up as ammonia. Cycling allows it to be converted to a less toxic form (nitrate) until you remove it through water changes. Plants build their bodies with it until you ultimately remove it by trimming the plants. I would add nothing to this tank until it's done cycling, other than floating plants and a small amount of fish food once per day. The fish already in it can probably stand the 1ppm ammonia, but if you notice it getting much higher reduce it back down with 1 or more 50% water changes. Don't worry about kh, gh, or pH for the time being. Just track ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate until it's done cycling. Get a little notebook or dry erase board and write down any test results and other observations- fish looking sick or dying, cloudy water, etc. If you use test strips that also test for things like pH, gh, and kh when you're checking the ammonia, write that down too. I am actually keeping a running record in my notes section on phone. Planning on running to Petco to grab some wisteria tomorrow 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woowala Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 Nice, then you're ahead of the game already. As they say, the difference between science and just screwing around is writing stuff down. Don't get any magic bullet products, time and knowledge are your weapons here. Wisteria will be helpful, but keep an eye out for plants that actually break the surface of the water and have access to atmospheric CO2. You don't have to run out and get some right away, but eventually. More CO2 = more growth = more nitrogen uptake = healthier water for the fish and fewer water changes for you. Observe the plants at petco. If you see lots of algae or sick looking fish, don't buy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWilk Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 Wisteria is the best plant, everyone should use it. Everyone else covered it pretty well so far, the tank hasn’t even begun to cycle yet. You need nitrite to very slightly show up and nitrate to be on the rise before adding any more fish. do you know the sex of the platies and guppies you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 On 8/11/2024 at 7:46 PM, MWilk said: Wisteria is the best plant, everyone should use it. Everyone else covered it pretty well so far, the tank hasn’t even begun to cycle yet. You need nitrite to very slightly show up and nitrate to be on the rise before adding any more fish. do you know the sex of the platies and guppies you have? There are only two of each right now and I'm pretty sure they're both female. I added a catappa leaf today and did a 50% water change and the fish seem MUCH happier. I am not adding anything else right now. I will re check the water tomorrow. Waiting on the other tank for the frogs but they seem happy as well and the fish and frogs pretty much leave each other alone. I am ordered one of the sponge air filters from AC along with more plants, easy green, and a couple other things. Will I need a biofilter if I don't have the other filter on the back? On 8/11/2024 at 6:30 PM, Woowala said: Nice, then you're ahead of the game already. As they say, the difference between science and just screwing around is writing stuff down. Don't get any magic bullet products, time and knowledge are your weapons here. Wisteria will be helpful, but keep an eye out for plants that actually break the surface of the water and have access to atmospheric CO2. You don't have to run out and get some right away, but eventually. More CO2 = more growth = more nitrogen uptake = healthier water for the fish and fewer water changes for you. Observe the plants at petco. If you see lots of algae or sick looking fish, don't buy. Unfortunately Petco and PetSmart are about my only options where I am located. But I think I may drive to Asheville which is about 1.5 hours away to check out a place someone else had mentioned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 On 8/11/2024 at 11:17 AM, johnnyxxl said: You will get contradictory info because fish keeping is like baking a cake 100 recipes. But there should be a few constant themes. Water quality, I used to live in Black Mountain I used to frequent Exotic Pets for fish in Asheville, they were beginner friendly for helping new fish keepers. They used to test water for people and show how to do it yourself. If you are adding plants like you have you will need to watch light time making sure to give enough light to feed the plants and not too much to encourage algae. And you will want to decide what fish friends you want. Sounds like you have a few guppies and platies so fun community fish live bearers easy fish once you have your "cycle" ready meaning bacteria is ready to keep the tank healthy for your fishies. You can add some shrimp, and kulhi loaches and more platies or guppies but not tons of them. I would aim for about 10 fish for the size because you will have some babies with those fish @johnnyxxl is the pet store Amy's Exotic pets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWilk Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Before getting any more fish, you’ll want to make 100% sure what sex the fish you have are, before those 2 platies turn into 50. Guppies are easier to sex, if they are bland and boring colored, they’re females. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 @MWilk I feel like my guppies are really pretty. They are like silverfish with pretty black tails. The platys are orange but there bottom fins aren't point and kinda fan out. I also ordered the "trifecta" of medicines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWilk Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Are the platies fully mature? I have been deceived by mine before. The tails can change shape as they go through fish puberty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woowala Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 On 8/11/2024 at 8:52 PM, Lou said: Unfortunately Petco and PetSmart are about my only options where I am located. But I think I may drive to Asheville which is about 1.5 hours away to check out a place someone else had mentioned It's definitely worth checking out if they come recommended. A good fish store is like a good mechanic. There's plenty of fish stores near me, and I don't go all that often, but when I do I drive an hour to the good one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 On 8/11/2024 at 9:29 PM, Woowala said: It's definitely worth checking out if they come recommended. A good fish store is like a good mechanic. There's plenty of fish stores near me, and I don't go all that often, but when I do I drive an hour to the good one. I think I found one in Boone that has great reviews! On 8/11/2024 at 9:14 PM, MWilk said: Are the platies fully mature? I have been deceived by mine before. The tails can change shape as they go through fish puberty. Gosh I have no clue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaperoot Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Have you considered having a Honey Gourami as a feature fish? They're beautiful and mild mannered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 @Scaperoot i actually do really like them. This has turned into my project now! lol. My son wants to put some shrimp in there now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 14 Author Share Posted August 14 Y'all! I had to do a small water change today and was cleaning it. Added my new water and was scooping floaters and I see BABIES!!!! I don't know how many I sucked up with the aquarium vacuum 😭 what do I do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woowala Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 How old is your kid? Can he handle them dying? I would personally do nothing, they'll either live or get eaten. But if you want to save them, collect them all with a net and bend the handle to hook it onto the side glass and make a little temporary spot for them until you can get a breeder box. Or just float a plastic container in the tank for them with some holes in it. Or just put them in a gallon bucket or something with some plants in it and do frequent water changes, couple times a week should be fine. Crush up whatever you're feeding the adults for them and add just a bit so their bellies look round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted August 15 Author Share Posted August 15 @Woowala ok. I can only see one, I'm afraid when I did the water change I got a lot of them or maybe she just started. It was TINY. So it's hard to find. I will do one of these things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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