couple of newb questions

[zxcvbnm]

Hi everyone,
i've been reading this forum for a while, learning about fish and whatnot, and i have a couple of newb questions. On the weekend, i'm recieving a 10 gallon tank from a friend who kept hermit crabs in it. Are there any chemicals used in hermit crab keeping that may be harmful to fish? Also, i have a mature 2.5 gallon tank with a betta in it. if I use water from this, and use bio-spira, could i skip cycling altogether? (i'm going to band camp soon and i dont want to leave a cycling tank with my parents. i left my 2.5 with them for four days while i was in seattle for a school trip and they completely overstocked it). I'm planning to stock this tank with 6 pygmy cories, 4 otos, 5 small schooling fish (tetras?), and maybe some invertebrates (shrimp, snails, clams). Is this too much? Would the cories and otos compete for food? Also, could the cories and otos live off of algae wafers? Also, i was wondering about upside down catfish and kuhli loaches. Could i keep them in a tank this small. Sorry about the whole load of questions but thanks in advance for your answers.

[jm1212]

i woudnt put corydoras or otos in a 10 gallon, unless you can find 4 pygmy corydoras. having both would just be to much along with a school of 6 neons.

i cont think of any chemicals you use for hermit crabs.

use filter media, not water. old tank water has almost no bacteria in it.

[Lupin]

:welcome: to AC!

A 2.5 gallons can't handle anything more than a betta I'm afraid.

[zxcvbnm]

oh lol i was talking about stocking the 10 gallon. oh yeah on more quick question. I'm planning to use sand as my substrate, so are there any good ways to sand-proof a filter? are there any good sand-proof filters for a 10 gallon? again, thx for your answers

[Lupin]

Sorry about that.:) Good luck with the hobby.:D

[zxcvbnm]

:D no problem. If my current stocking plan is too much what about 5 pygmy cories, 3 otos, and 4 schooling fish. could 3-4 kuhli loaches ,4 small schooling fish, and maybe a few otos work?

[TwoTankAmin]

Your orig stocking plan should work just fine. In fact there is likely room for 6-8 small tetras.

Corys are more meat eaters and otos are algae/veggie eaters.

If you want 3-4 kuhlis, then you cant have the corys and otos. Kuhkis need plenty of hiding places and plants are advised. http://fish.mongabay.com/species/Pangio_kuhlii.html

To help with sand re a filter, be sure the intake is placed a few inches above the bottom and then sponge it to help keep sand out of the filter. When vacuuming the tank, turn off the filter to help prevent stirred up sand from being sucked in.

[jac]

Upside down catfish get quite big and they also prefer to be in groups so your tank could not accommodate these.

[zxcvbnm]

how would i use filter media? do I just squeeze out the sponge thingy in the filter into the water?


Your orig stocking plan should work just fine. In fact there is likely room for 6-8 small tetras.

Corys are more meat eaters and otos are algae/veggie eaters.

If you want 3-4 kuhlis, then you cant have the corys and otos. Kuhkis need plenty of hiding places and plants are advised. http://fish.mongabay.com/species/Pangio_kuhlii.html

To help with sand re a filter, be sure the intake is placed a few inches above the bottom and then sponge it to help keep sand out of the filter. When vacuuming the tank, turn off the filter to help prevent stirred up sand from being sucked in.
just wondering, why can't I have a few otos or small cories with the kuhlis? I'm assuming a small group of tetras would be ok, right? also, how do you sponge a filter?

[jonnyfry]

put a piece of sponge over the intake of your filter to stop the sand from being sucked in to the impeller .

i would skip the otos in a new tank they need algae and lots of it they would probably starve to death .

if you had kuhli loaches and coreys together the bottom would be over crowded , i would go with one or the other .

small tetras would be a great addition i like black neons , they look good against the plants .

[IceH2O]

Make sure its a sponge thats used inside the filter and not a kitchen sponge. I think sometimes we forget to mention that because we think everyone knows what we mean. I was on a site and we told the person to rinse the filter media in tank water. Well they did but used the water while still in the tank lol.

I find Aquaclears 20 sponges and just cut a hole halfway through it then put it on the intake tube after removing the strainer.

[jonnyfry]

good point , thank you .

[zxcvbnm]

could i put in 3 otos if algae starts growing in the tank? Also, im confused about the sponge. if I put it on the filter intake, doesnt that defeat the point of a filter? I thought it was supposed to suck up fish poop and dirty stuff in the water?

[jonnyfry]

the filter wont suck up fish poop , the filter is there to clean the tiny waterborne particles in the tank and to remove ammonia and nitrites by the way of bacteria that lives on the element . but yes the sponge will trap some of the bigger stuff , and also your sand .

[-KT-]

Unless you have an algae problem I wouldn't get ottos, my two cleaned my 10 gallon completely of algae in less than a week and I had a bad algae problem. Luckily I caught them eating algae an algae wafer I left for my snail so I know they won't starve. From what I read though it isn't too common for them to eat processed food.

[zxcvbnm]

is there any way to "grow" algae, i really want to keep a few otos. Are there ny small fish besides tetras i could keep? If i got a breeding trio of guppies would all/most of the fry be eaten? about the sponge, if i'm not mistaken, I cut out a piece of sponge and stuff it into the filter intake?

[-KT-]

Algae will just grow on its own in time. My betta tank is about a month old and is just starting to grow algae but not enough to satisfy an otto. Maybe in a few months or so, but any more than 2 would likely starve, 1 is probably better.