New Set-up, now a 30 tall.

Subject: New Set-up, now a 30 tall. Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:04 pm

Well, my best friends mom, for years, has had a 30 tall in the living room. I will have to clean the tank of all gravel cause it's crushed coral and I don't want africans ATM and will switch it for black sand. Covered in algae so, once switched for sand, the Ottos I want will be added when things stabilize. Can anyone help me with using a fishless cycle for it to be ready quick? I don't have tank yet, but will soon probaly.

Will this work as a stock? Same as before. Could I squeeze any more fish in since it's a 30 tall and not a 29?

Stock
3x Angelfish
6x Hatchetfish
10x Cardinal Tetra
6x Glowlight Tetras
6x Sterbai Corycats
3x Ottos

I wonder, could a single Bolivian Ram occupy the bottom? Could another angel fit also?
Thx for any help. This will be a perfect tank, no doubt.

Subject: Re: New Set-up, now a 30 tall. Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:11 pm

Senegal160 wrote:

...Will this work as a stock? Same as before. Could I squeeze any more fish in since it's a 30 tall and not a 29?

Senegal, you're not gaining by goin' from a 29 to a 30 tall, especially since its a tall. IIRC, a 30 tall is 24"L x 12"W x 24" H , which is even less surface area for oxygen and gas exchange than a 29, so yer stocking should be less than the 29, not more. You definitely do NOT want to squeeze more fish in there.

Senegal160 wrote:

Stock
3x Angelfish
6x Hatchetfish
10x Cardinal Tetra
6x Glowlight Tetras
6x Sterbai Corycats
3x Ottos

Well, I've already suggested you pick two species of schooling fish. I'm going to stick with my suggestion in the previous thread you posted. Do away with one of either the glowlights, the cardinals or hatchetfish and only stock 6 of the other two.

Senegal160 wrote:

I wonder, could a single Bolivian Ram occupy the bottom? Could another angel fit also??

Not tryin' to be negative, but no, and definitely no. Yer pushin' the limits on safe stocking as is, and I've already explained why I'd avoid a dwarf cichlid with cories in your situation, in your other thread. IIRC, Mostlycichlids pointed out the same potential issue. As for the fourth angel, not only is the stocking density too high as is (giving you no room for a fourth angel), adding a fourth angel increases the odds of gettin' a pair to 88%. You are asking for trouble.

To give ya a stocking example I'll offer up the stocking option I'm leaning toward for my 30 gallon, which is a standard 36"L x 12.5"W x 16.5"H with more surface area than either the 29 or 30 tall:

4 WC green sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna), 1 m/3 f
3 American flagfish (Jordanella floridae), 1 m/2 f
6 diamond killifish (Adinia xenica)

The mollies will be 3 1/2" for the male, up to 5" for each female, the flagfish are pushin' 2 1/2" or a bit more each and each diamond killie will be in the neighborhood of 2". A little light in the eyes of some people maybe, but as I said before, I've found my fish are better off when not crowded.

As for a fast way to cycle a tank the fishless way, I'm not aware of one. Ya can speed up cycling by "seeding" the gravel with gravel from your existing tank, which should cut down the cycling time, but you still hafta let things cycle through.

WYite

_________________
One can never have too many fish tanks.

Subject: Re: New Set-up, now a 30 tall. Mon Nov 16, 2009 4:32 am

Srry, forgot about the Dwarf thing. So, I really should just cut down a little? I'll see my options for both, the 29 and the 30 Tall. I want to go with the 30 tsll, but want more stocking ideas. Either one I don't use will become a mixed community and any thing that won't work there, will be out in the Mixed, if I have any room. If not, then I do know a few people that are willing to take anything if I can't take it back cause I've owned the fish for over 2-weeks time. I say pretty good warranty. What's the usual price for stealth heaters? About 100 watt?

Subject: Re: New Set-up, now a 30 tall. Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:16 pm

Stealths go for about a $15 bucks 100w if I remember correctly! I agree with wyite on stocking. You will just create problems and more maintnance for yourself. Don't get too excited...good things come to those who wait...the point is if you do this right, learn from it you will be on the fast track to SUCCESSFUL fish keeping.

The easiest way to cycle a tank, and fastest is seeding as wyite has said. Use some filter pads from an established tank to put in new filters....also maybe a bag of established gravel from another tank. Add a group to the tank right away with the established media....I have done this several times with great success.

_________________
"There he goes - one of God's own prototypes -
a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production.
Too weird to live, and too rare to die".

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Subject: Re: New Set-up, now a 30 tall. Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:54 pm

Well, got it today when my grandad picked it up from getting his haircut (she cuts hair too, so no more paying 20 dollars for a cheap haircut). It's dimesions (LxWxH) are 2' x 13" x 2' and is about 32 gallons.

Subject: Re: New Set-up, now a 30 tall. Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:03 pm

Senegal160 wrote:

Well, got it today when my grandad picked it up from getting his haircut (she cuts hair too, so no more paying 20 dollars for a cheap haircut). It's dimesions (LxWxH) are 2' x 13" x 2' and is about 32 gallons.

Alright, so a 30 tall is 13" wide instead of 12". Wink

So I'm a little confused. You have a 29 with a bichir and a pair of HRPs. Then you have a 29 that is empty which was going to be a SA community tank. And now ya have the 30 tall as well, right?

Which means you actually have two empty tanks to play around with stocking. You could work the fish you want into the extra 29 and the 30 tall, just don't put all of the fish in one of them. You'd still have room for a few more fish (not too many though) in the other tank as well.

Or am I missing something?

WYite

_________________
One can never have too many fish tanks.

Subject: Re: New Set-up, now a 30 tall. Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:44 pm

Ok, the one with the HRPs and the Senegal is a 29. One is empty other than the 5 Plecs and the tank is always being cleaned. Plus, I added 6 LF Danios out of temtation, they have somewhere to go if not needed (pond). The 30 tall is empty and has pretty good filtration and a good light from what I see (tested it minute ago while cleaning tank of coral substrate). I will have the SA in the 30 cause of it's filtration and lighting and will have a good effect with my flora I would like (flora may not be just SA though). I think some Fox tails, cambodia, and have some Java Fern underneath a rock overhang I will make and I'm debating about the Leaf litter though, but will have a white sand to show the angels I guess.

Subject: Re: New Set-up, now a 30 tall. Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:40 pm

Senegal look up this product i have used it successfully in the past and still use it for my filters.

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Stability.html