Ok- Ammonia finally 0, Nitrite barely visible, Nitrate 5-10. I believe I'm finally almost there! Obviously, will let that nitrite disappear completely before I add, and wait a couple of days to be sure, but I'm starting to think about a trip to the fish store and could use some ideas.
Tank is 29gal regular. Temp is 77-78 degrees. Current inhabitants are:
2 Mickey Mouse platys
2 Neon tuxedo platys
Ph is 8.0- tap is 7.6, but must be CO2 treated, because after a couple of days, raises to 8.0, even outside the tank.
When I first bought my tank, I envisioned a community tank with platys, swordtails and guppies. Maybe some cats and an algae eater. (Coincedentally, that's a carbon copy of the tank my parents had as I was growing up.) Hmmmmm. But now, after reading on this board, I think maybe I can do something more interesting, with some advice. So, I'm asking for suggestions.
I do have a couple of concerns as follows:
My Ph- I don't want to fight with it, so I'm hesitant to try too hard to bring it down. I think it may rule out tetras and some of the other "acidic" water fish.
One of my Mickey Mouse Platys is a bit of a chaser. I've never seen her actually nip, but I would worry about long finned fish that might not be quick enough to get away from her. I love Big Al, though. She's a tough broad like myself. Hee hee......
Now for what I might like:
I think I'd like a school of zebra danios- I like the way they zip around- but is a 29 big enough for them to zip without bashing into things? Are they jumpers? I have that ugly hole around my filter/heater and would hate to lose fish that way. How many should be in a school? I've read everything from three to ten. Thoughts?
My son loves gouramis. I know nothing about gouramis except that you can't keep two male dwarfs together without a fight to the death. Thoughts?
I'm still interested in some bottom dwellers. My son thinks glass cats are pretty cool, I'm partial to corys. Pros and cons? I know these also need to be kept in schools, but how many to a school in my tank? Other suggestions for the lower levels of the tank?
Any other thoughts, advice and suggestions welcome. Sorry for the novel length of this post. If you're still awake, I'd appreciate your input. Thanks!
Carol
Tank is 29gal regular. Temp is 77-78 degrees. Current inhabitants are:
2 Mickey Mouse platys
2 Neon tuxedo platys
Ph is 8.0- tap is 7.6, but must be CO2 treated, because after a couple of days, raises to 8.0, even outside the tank.
When I first bought my tank, I envisioned a community tank with platys, swordtails and guppies. Maybe some cats and an algae eater. (Coincedentally, that's a carbon copy of the tank my parents had as I was growing up.) Hmmmmm. But now, after reading on this board, I think maybe I can do something more interesting, with some advice. So, I'm asking for suggestions.
I do have a couple of concerns as follows:
My Ph- I don't want to fight with it, so I'm hesitant to try too hard to bring it down. I think it may rule out tetras and some of the other "acidic" water fish.
One of my Mickey Mouse Platys is a bit of a chaser. I've never seen her actually nip, but I would worry about long finned fish that might not be quick enough to get away from her. I love Big Al, though. She's a tough broad like myself. Hee hee......
Now for what I might like:
I think I'd like a school of zebra danios- I like the way they zip around- but is a 29 big enough for them to zip without bashing into things? Are they jumpers? I have that ugly hole around my filter/heater and would hate to lose fish that way. How many should be in a school? I've read everything from three to ten. Thoughts?
My son loves gouramis. I know nothing about gouramis except that you can't keep two male dwarfs together without a fight to the death. Thoughts?
I'm still interested in some bottom dwellers. My son thinks glass cats are pretty cool, I'm partial to corys. Pros and cons? I know these also need to be kept in schools, but how many to a school in my tank? Other suggestions for the lower levels of the tank?
Any other thoughts, advice and suggestions welcome. Sorry for the novel length of this post. If you're still awake, I'd appreciate your input. Thanks!
Carol
