Sandra the fish rookie Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Hi ~ I have been on the look out to increase my corydora population in my main tank. Well, my LFS got some peppered corydora's and albinos as well which will be perfect for my existing little dude's in my main tank. I am getting 2 of each type with give me a total of 6 corydora in the tank (3 of each species). I asked them to hold them for me. I will be picking them up today. I set up my QT tank on Monday afternoon. I have a sponge filter from my main tank (advice I got from all of you!) and have 1 boring rock.. and a plastic plant that kept falling over.. I also had some plastic wall plants, that I used for a home project, that I cut into carpets for additional security. I can either sterilize or ditch them (I have a giant box of this stuff). This is my first time.. and will admit, that I a bit nervous. Am I missing anything? Please let me know. The last time I sued this tank, was for a sick fish that died (see Guppy work saga in old post). Any additional feed back would be appreciated. I did the chemistry this morning: PH 7.4 Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites: 0ppm Nitrates: 0ppm Temp was 75 but I have boosted it up to 78ish.. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkarahW Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Greeetings! Looks good! Personally, I like a minimal tank to start. Over time you find things you wanna add either for benefits or aesthetic. Building up my tank as I go; upgrades and new additions. Makes the hobby long lasting and more enjoyable. I started with a 20 gal and now have moved into a 37gal. I prefer live plants. The oxygenate, look nice and I have found them to be easy to maintain. 2 years ago had 1 tank now I have 4 and a grow out. It's a slippery slope. lol. Are you looking to breed those corys (in there)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra the fish rookie Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 @SkarahW No I don't plan to breed them. I am just doing QT prior to adding them to my existing tank which has 1 Guppy, 2 Corydorya's 1 Mystery snail, and a Ramshon snail. I have already been through medicating that entire tank.. and am being on the safe side. This tank is strictly a ugly QT tank that I don't keep set up. I only use it for this purpose. My LFS has had these corydora's for 2 weeks. Although they assure me they are healthy, I am not taking any chances.. I have had enough heart ache of fish death in my short time in this hobby (I have had my main tank almost 4 months) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkarahW Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Gotchya. Looks good to go. I like having temp gauges in my tanks because my home has been fluctuating in temp recently with storms and power outages, but I see one in the corner there. Good idea. QT is a painstaking and time consuming, but such a good precaution. I have some blue velvet shrimps QT right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra the fish rookie Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 I have a digital thermometer on the side.. and I use an infra red one as well to check tank temps as well. well because I am a maniac.. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsten Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Looks great, @Sandra the fish rookie! One thing I'll add is that you won't technically need a light on the aquarium. There are no plants to keep alive, and if they're sick, they'll need some R&R. So I just use the indirect sunlight in the room and a nearby floor lamp to be able to see in my QT. I know it seems like a hassle, but as someone who's going through multiple illnesses in multiple tanks right now, I'm really kicking myself for not effectively quarantining first. Better safe than sorry! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra the fish rookie Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 @Kirsten OH NOOOO.. I am so sorry 😞. I have no idea why I felt they needed a light.. that room gets a lot of natural light.. LOL.. again wanting them to be happy but your right.. there is nothing but green plastic in there.. haha I hope that your tanks and fish do okay .. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsten Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Just now, Sandra the fish rookie said: @Kirsten OH NOOOO.. I am so sorry 😞. I have no idea why I felt they needed a light.. that room gets a lot of natural light.. LOL.. again wanting them to be happy but your right.. there is nothing but green plastic in there.. haha I hope that your tanks and fish do okay .. Hahah, no worries! You were just doing what you thought was best, and it probably wouldn't have hurt them, just one more enhancement. It's good to have an extra light around in any case if you wanted to start another tank. My trials and travails with fish illnesses are (hopefully) nearing an end. I'm so grateful to have this forum for all my crazy questions and for the co-op's quarantine trio for giving me all the major tools I need to face them. It's a good feeling, to know that you can face any challenge and have a good chance of success. We'll get there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkG Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 It certainly won't hurt to include some cheap, disposable plants, e.g. hornwort or any fast-grower you already keep. Few stem plants need substrate, short term. I think. And with plants, you may not need much biofiltration, short term. I haven't even gotten my first fish yet, so I'm not exactly speaking from experience. 🙃 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra the fish rookie Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 Update** Went to the LFS, picked them up, and they are floating to temp acclimate. However, there was a dead corydora in the tank. not sure the cause. Regardless, the ones I have are quite active, and look pretty good. but will be on QT anyway. Fingers crossed that these guys make it. I am not sure I can take anymore fish loss. My tank has had 3 fish and 2 snails for so long. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsten Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 1 hour ago, darkG said: It certainly won't hurt to include some cheap, disposable plants, e.g. hornwort or any fast-grower you already keep. Few stem plants need substrate, short term. I think. And with plants, you may not need much biofiltration, short term. I haven't even gotten my first fish yet, so I'm not exactly speaking from experience. 🙃 True in theory! And I have put some hornwort and java ferns etc in my QT in the past to help the tank feel a little more homey. But I recently underwent an ich treatment on one of my larger tanks and I noticed that almost all the hornwort's needles had fallen off. Makes sense when you consider that hornwort is especially good at sucking up minerals and nutrients in the water, which it stores in the needles. I had been putting in all this malachite and formaldehyde with the ich-x, and I think the hornwort was trying to suck it all up! I appreciate the effort, but I want those meds going to my fish. So I say, remove the extra variables if possible and avoid live plants in the QT if you can. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkG Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Interesting, thank you Kirsten! Removing things to decrease complexity makes sense to me. As long as the microbial community endures, I agree plants probably offer little benefit in the quarantine tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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