25G Fish Community and Live Plants

[mfzzzoo]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum and new to the hobby. Just bought a 25G tank with HOB power filter after I read a lot stuff here and there online. I PLAN to put in live plants (anbias, swords, bacopa, java moss) and have a fish community of angels (definite), with either dwarf gouramis, tetras, or livebearers (ideally three kind of fishes in the tank in total). Basically a community described in this page:
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106community3livebearer.htm

I have the following questions:
(1) What are plant substrates? Is it something I should mix in the gravels for plant growth?
(3) Would you recommend to put in an undergravel filter, given there will be live plants? I'm hoping an UGF will better filter the water and reduce the frequency I need to clean the gravels.
(4) Do I have wait for biological cycle before I put in live plants?
(5) What sequence should I introduce the fish into the tank - angels, d gouramis, tetra, livebearers? Or would there be problems with this kind of community?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[Ms.Bubbles]

Substrate simply refers to what you cover the bottom of your tank with--plain gravel, sand, or other soil-like substrates like Eco Complete. Some plants do fine in plain gravel, others require a substrate with lots of nutrients because they feed off their roots. Eco Complete is also somewhat expensive, so some people just use plain gravel/sand and put some fertilizer tablets into the soil under the plants instead. It really depends on what types of plants you choose, and what kind of look you want your tank to have.

I don't recommend an undergravel filter for a planted tank. A filter that doesn't create too much surface agitation is good. Cleaning the gravel can be done with gravel vacuum, when you do a partial water change every week. It's easy to do, just suck stuff up!

Yes, wait for your tank to cycle before adding plants. The reason is that they take up ammonia as a food source. You want the bacteria in your filter to get as much ammonia as possible at the beginning. Plants can take up all the ammonia (if there's enough of them) and will complicate and sometimes slow down the cycle. Also, having plant lights on for 10 hours a day with high levels of nutrients in the tank can lead to algae outbreaks.

 

[jm1212]

go with livebearers (platies are the hardiest) first, and then the gouramis (only dwarfs are suitable for the community aquarium in my experience), then the tetras ( if you are going to have an angel, NO neons, cardinals, or rummynozes... go with black skirt, black or red phantom, or lemons), and the angel should be last

 

[mfzzzoo]

Thanks for the replies.

So for a 25g tank, would it be considered overstocking if I have 3 angelfish, 2 dwarf gouramis, 6 platies and 1 algae eater? For angelfish, what are the species that are smaller (3.5" - 4" when fully grown)? Thanks

 

[tai95]

Thanks for the replies.

So for a 25g tank, would it be considered overstocking if I have 3 angelfish, 2 dwarf gouramis, 6 platies and 1 algae eater? For angelfish, what are the species that are smaller (3.5" - 4" when fully grown)? Thanks

That would be way overstocked. There are no angels that stay small, they all should reach about 6". If you really want angels your gonna need a larger tank. Also angels and gouramis are not usually the best tankmates.

 

[TheZoo]

As far as an algae eater, what kind are you thinking about? And why? Most of any algae you may get should be removed by you, not your pets. Many of the commonly available fish sold as algae eaters get too large and/or agressive for a tank this size. If you just want something for activity at the bottom level of your tank, think about a few small cories (panda cories stay small).

 

[mfzzzoo]

Thanks, I guess I have to forget about having angelfish in my 25 tank. No need for algae eater either.

 

[Star_Rider]

you can have a pair of angels in a 25 but i would probably recommend ditching the gouramis. I don't keep livebearers so I am not familiar with their feeding habits..but I do have angels..and they are voracious feeders. if your tank was bigger i would say you could possibly keep the dwarf gouramis.

you can keep larger species of tetras with angels. cardianals are the smallest recommended ones .

most of the angels in fish stores are scalare. scalare will generally get to be 6" sans the fins if the condition is right. the leopoldi is the smaller of the angels but this species in NOT readily available. the largest is the Altum.

the scalare is the species we most commonly see and the one probably most suited to a commuity tank..definatley stay away from altums in a community tank.

 

[jm1212]

i like my angels (not signature lol) and they get along nicely with everything else in the tank, but as i said before, the other types of gouramis, especially the three spots (and their morphs), are not suitable for a tank with fish less than 3 inches.