Want to do it right

[KLGFCG]

I've dabbled in fish tanks before, but it's been a few years. Now, I'm looking to set up a tank and want to do it right. I'd rather have no fish tank than an ugly fish death trap! So... your honest advice is appreciated.

I'm looking to get something around 30 gallons (no bigger than 30" long x 20" wide... height doesn't matter much). I want guppies and panda cories.

My specific questions:
1. How many of each species can I comfortably put in the tank? (I know there will be inevitable fry, but I'm planning on a Darwinian approach to keeping them - hopefully this will prevent a population explosion?)

2. What type of substrate should I use? I've heard cories prefer sand?

3. If possible, I'd love live plants but I really don't want to do anything special for them. Any suggestions for some good plants that would do well with pretty much no maintenance and just a standard light for that size tank?

4. What type of maintenance routine am I looking at with the tank? 25% water change weekly? More? Less?

Any other general advice or suggestions for things to purchase/not purchase?

Thanks in advance!

[jm1212]

try here

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97203
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120192

they have stock lists for both 29 gallon and 30 gallon long tanks, which are near what you want.

[AfroCichlid]

I've dabbled in fish tanks before, but it's been a few years. Now, I'm looking to set up a tank and want to do it right. I'd rather have no fish tank than an ugly fish death trap! So... your honest advice is appreciated.

I'm looking to get something around 30 gallons (no bigger than 30" long x 20" wide... height doesn't matter much). I want guppies and panda cories.

My specific questions:
1. How many of each species can I comfortably put in the tank? (I know there will be inevitable fry, but I'm planning on a Darwinian approach to keeping them - hopefully this will prevent a population explosion?)
I'll defer to others more knowledgable about the species listed here.

2. What type of substrate should I use? I've heard cories prefer sand?
Sand is great for substrate. Either use sand from your LFS, or pool filter sand works well.

3. If possible, I'd love live plants but I really don't want to do anything special for them. Any suggestions for some good plants that would do well with pretty much no maintenance and just a standard light for that size tank?
I haven't had much luck with plants under a normal comes-with-the-tank ballast. At around 2 watts per gallon, there are a ton of plants you could choose from... here's a link to get you started, a little Googleing should help you find more: http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_lowlight.php

4. What type of maintenance routine am I looking at with the tank? 25% water change weekly? More? Less?
25-30% weekly is probably the average around here. You'd be wise to base the amount on Nitrate readings with a good liquid test kit. Aim for less than 20ppm, should be no problem with good filtration and 25-30% weekly changes.

Any other general advice or suggestions for things to purchase/not purchase?

Thanks in advance!

In the Freshwater Newbie forum there are several " Stickies " at the top of the page. The one on cycling is especially important if you're not already familiar with it. Good luck and happy fishwatching.

[mayhem]

try here

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97203
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120192

they have stock lists for both 29 gallon and 30 gallon long tanks, which are near what you want.
Those are both really great articles. I will have to re-visit them myself when I am trying to decide on what to stock with

[avatar]

Definitely read the articles that were suggested above. They are all very good. Especially read the one on cycling. Doing a fishless cycle is really the best option for the animals.

I think you will have a great tank with panda's and guppy's. Corries like to be in schools of 5 or more, which will be fine in a 30 gal. You could also consider a centerpiece fish. There are a few dwarf cichlids that would be fine in there. They would also eat the guppy fry.

You could grow java fern or moss with pretty much any kind of lighting. If you really want plants you may want to consider a plant specific substrate, like eco complete. Also its a fine substrate to use with corries.

The maintenance is going to depend on the bio load (how many fish, how big, how messy) and the filter you get, though you will probably be fine with weekly water changes.

You did not mention a heater which is going to be critical for tropical fish. So add that to the list if it was on already on there.

Good luck!

[SchizotypalVamp]

1. How many of each species can I comfortably put in the tank? (I know there will be inevitable fry, but I'm planning on a Darwinian approach to keeping them - hopefully this will prevent a population explosion?)

You can have a nice school of both, around 10 guppies and 15 panda cories. I would stock slowly and see how many seem comfortable in the tank.

2. What type of substrate should I use? I've heard cories prefer sand?

Yes, they do


3. If possible, I'd love live plants but I really don't want to do anything special for them. Any suggestions for some good plants that would do well with pretty much no maintenance and just a standard light for that size tank?

You will need at least 1.5 watts per gallon of fluorescent lighting (I'm oversimplifying) . In that you can grow anubias, crypts, java moss and fern at least. There are a few other low-light plant lists on the board right now. Also, check out plantgeek.

4. What type of maintenance routine am I looking at with the tank? 25% water change weekly? More? Less?

Most likely

Any other general advice or suggestions for things to purchase/not purchase?
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155028

[Cory Keeper]

I've dabbled in fish tanks before, but it's been a few years. Now, I'm looking to set up a tank and want to do it right. I'd rather have no fish tank than an ugly fish death trap! So... your honest advice is appreciated.

I'm looking to get something around 30 gallons (no bigger than 30" long x 20" wide... height doesn't matter much). I want guppies and panda cories.

My specific questions:
1. How many of each species can I comfortably put in the tank? (I know there will be inevitable fry, but I'm planning on a Darwinian approach to keeping them - hopefully this will prevent a population explosion?)

2. What type of substrate should I use? I've heard cories prefer sand?

3. If possible, I'd love live plants but I really don't want to do anything special for them. Any suggestions for some good plants that would do well with pretty much no maintenance and just a standard light for that size tank?

4. What type of maintenance routine am I looking at with the tank? 25% water change weekly? More? Less?

Any other general advice or suggestions for things to purchase/not purchase?

Thanks in advance!

1. With the guppies, start small. Corys require a tad more care to get fry and usually wont reproduce without a little help. The guppie population will probably explode, even more so if you have live plants.

2. Sand, it looks nice, and is easy to work with.

3. With the stock hood, not much will grow. You can try anubias, Java Fern, Java moss and most crypts. Don't expect much if any growth. DIY'ing a new light shouldn't be too hard, you could always retrofit to PCs to get some really decent growth.

4. 25% is a great start.

[KLGFCG]

Thanks for all the advice and great articles! Very, very helpful! After doing some more research, this is my plan:

36 gallon bow front
11 panda cories
12 guppies (three males, nine females)
Once that's all done, maybe a single dwarf gourami? Depends how it looks...
Temperature kept at 77' F
Sand substrate
Low light plants - java fern/moss and anubias mixed with some realistic-looking fake plants and other aquarium decor

I'm thinking I'd like to use a mirror for the background, but would this agitate the fish at all?

Does this sound like a viable plan? (after fishless cycle, then adding the fish slowly over say six weeks)