New guy here! question...

S

spiffish

AC Members
Sep 14, 2004
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Hello all! I stumbled upon this site, and have really been impressed by the knowledge and community present here, aswell as some very nice tanks!

Years ago I had a 30gal freshwater community setup. Very nice mix of mild tropicals, (tetras, mollies, etc)

Now I have just moved into a new house, and today I am purchasing a 46gal bowfront tank/stand/hood. I plan to test my water and cycle the tank normally. I have been reading up in the FAQ section, and archives and have come upon some great info and tips, but I have a few small questions.

Decor: I plan to go with some smaller, dark/medium colored natural gravel. I have rocks available from my dad's property to clean/boil for the tank. I will start with fake plants and a few live. I would like to eventually get more live. How soon can I introduce plants, and where is a good place to find them? best local place I could find so far is a Petco. (I live in reading, pa)
I also am finding it hard to pay 30-50 dollars for a nice peice of driftwood, So I would llike to find something of my own to use. Are there any varieties of wood that should be avoided in a fish tank?

Fish: I plan to eventually have a nicely stocked community tank. I prefer small/medium tropicals over only a few large ones in the tank. I am very interested in try some more "exotic" tropicals to mix in. I saw at my LFS a small (1-2") freshwater puffer, and some 2-3" discus. How would these do in a community tank that would perhaps be mixed with schools of smaller fish? (tetras, perhaps some mollies/platys)
Also, are there any simple online guides to find out what kind of fish are compatible for a community tank of this type?

Thanks for any info folks! I look forward to spending time on these forums, while working on a nice tank of my own.

-Spiffish
 
For a planted tank, you'd need to have sufficient lighting, even if its just for a few live plants. For low light plants like java fern, java moss, anubias, and anacharis, you'll want 1-1.5 watts per gallon. For medium light plants like ludwigia repens, water wisteria, and baby tears, you'll want 2-2.5 watts per gallon. Since you're starting out with plants, you probably don't want to go for high light plants.

You'll want to add the plants immediately. Not only do they help remove ammonia and nitrates, they will also help control algae problems.

There are several reputable online shops to buy plants from, here's a few:

www.aquatic-store.com
www.aquabotanic.com
www.aquariumgarden.com
www.azgardens.com

I don't know much about types of driftwoods but you'll want to soak and boil driftwood to remove tannin, contaminants, and organisms from them.

Fish: puffers are mean little fin nippers which are not suitable for a community tank. Discus are good community fishes but they have special requirements and are not for beginners.
 
Thanks for the info!

I have a 75w lamp with two flaurescent (sp?) bulbs side by side. What kind of plant life would that support?

So it looks like puffers and discus are out :(
Are there any other quite unique/interesting fish available that would live well in my community tank?
 
I have a kribinsis & a bolivian ram in my tank. They are really neat fish & not the usual community tankmates. They play at the front of the glass & act like they know you are there. Gouramis are neat fish too!
 
i just got some kuhli (coolie?) loaches for my tank. they're quite small, but great entertainment, when they're not hiding (which is most of the time to be fair!). they certainly look different to the norm - they look like little snakes.

-edit-
but they like to burrow, so you have to be careful what substrate you use...
 
I suggest reading through species profiles&the forums some more

:p I LOVE all of my fish- especially the corydoras and clown loaches! Upside down catfish are interesting to watch, mine comes out in the evening and stays out untill around noon the next day. If I had a school of at least three I am sure he would be more active, but I have limits. Also my corys pester him when they see him. Corydoras catfish are also very personable, they will "wink" at you if you blink your eyes at them. They look so cute with there chubby faces. My clown loaches are a riot to watch- the smaller one copies every motion his larger mate makes. Their faces remind me of an aardvark, and they make odd clicking noises when they eat. I also have some more aggressive types that grow quite large and I do not recommend for the community tank-WITH the exception of the African Knife Fish. They are cool looking and peaceful with same size or larger tankmates, but can and eventually will eat smaller fish at night. My african Brown Knife fish only grows around 6-eight inches I have read, but I would not be surprised if it got bigger in the right conditions.
As for the driftwood, I do the boil and soak thing. Soak it for like a week, then boil it for about a half hour.
Good luck picking out your fishies, and always read alot before buying!
 
Thanks for the suggestions on the fish, I will be researching them.

I have always liked the kuhli and clown loaches... Hope to find them sometime.

Today is my birthday, and getting back into tropical fish is my present to myself.

This afternoon I am going to my LFS and pick up some mollies or plats to start out, aswell as a plant or two.


Yesterday, I picked up my tank and stand from who I bought it from. Then I drove an hour to lancaster to That Fish Place. I spent $143 on gravel, fake plants, filter, heater, etc. That place is the aquarists heaven! I spent entirely too long just oogling at everything before I even started shopping for my items.

Anyone from the allentown-reading-lancaster, PA area? Know of any other good LFS's?
 
You're at about 1.5w per gallon, so you'll want to stick with low light plants like anubias, crypts, java fern&moss, hornwort, anacharis, etc.

As for something exotic or different, a large school of glass catfishes would be pretty cool. A pair or 3 angels would be nice as well, as long as none of their tankmates can fit into their mouths.
 
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