65 Gallon Build and question

[mesto]

I am planning big things this year! I am looking to replace my 30 gal long with a 125 gal Oscar tank. As part of this, I am upgrading my 37 gal angel tank (2 beautiful saucer sized Angels I grew out from dime sized babies) to a 65 tall. I will consolidate my fish and plants from my 30 gal into either the new 65 or my 40 gallon breeder tank. All tanks are densely planted low tech set ups.

My primary question is, what to do with the gorgeous, but a bit shy, aposto agazzisi in my 30. If I move him to the 65 he will be with the big Angels. They are not mean Angels but they do get curious and are pretty large. They used to beat up on each other a little but as they've gotten mature even that has basically stopped. But they have never harmed the praecox rainbows or other fish I had in there.

If the apisto goes to the 40, it would be in there with 3 German blue Rams.

I realize if I try one or the other and it isn't working I'd try the other, but I want to get this right the 1st time if possible, bc I love that apisto and don't want to stress him too much. What do you all think?

This is a build thread so I promise pictures, and my next question for you all will have to do with substrate. Super excited for this change-up!

 

[mesto]

For info:

40 breeder: deep sand bed, Rams, endlers (oh god why did I do that), a blue phantom Pleco, 4 cories, 4 Otos

30 gal: 20 cardinals, 1 bulldog pleco (6 inches), the apisto, unknown # of kuhli loaches as they hide

37 gal: 2 adult pterophyllum scalare, 1 bulldog pleco (4 inches)

 

[mesto]

Ok here is the substrate question, which ties into the fish question:

The 30 gal has 4-year old ADA aquasoil. Its ph is 6.5. My tap water/ both other tanks are more like 7.6-7.8. I'm going to reuse the aquasoil in the new angel tank (along with the old ecocomplete from the 37). So it may get a lower ph. Has anyone switched their fish like that, and did it go well? Is it hard on them getting a very different substrate?

 

[rufioman]

Hello!

For info:

40 breeder: deep sand bed, Rams, endlers (oh god why did I do that), a blue phantom Pleco, 4 cories, 4 Otos

30 gal: 20 cardinals, 1 bulldog pleco (6 inches), the apisto, unknown # of kuhli loaches as they hide

37 gal: 2 adult pterophyllum scalare, 1 bulldog pleco (4 inches)

I would not put your little guy in with the rams. Why they do not move fast, and pose little initial threat, they will sequester the apisto and give him less freedom. That 65g would be perfect for him if he had plenty of coconut hut caves/areas the angels could not get to (his own little grotto type deal on one side of the tank). He'll get food if you feed the angels and other fish to one side of the tank, and him the other. I've had to do this with fish before, and no problems. Since he is so small the space he'll need to feel comfortable is very small as well. Plant broad leaved plants around a coconut hut or his favorite rock cave space, and I'm sure it will be fine.

EDIT: big tetras would do well to get the angels' attention fixated in the upper water columns, as well. I do this with my rams in the 40breeder, because my rams are super shy little guys ><

 

[rufioman]

Ok here is the substrate question, which ties into the fish question:

The 30 gal has 4-year old ADA aquasoil. Its ph is 6.5. My tap water/ both other tanks are more like 7.6-7.8. I'm going to reuse the aquasoil in the new angel tank (along with the old ecocomplete from the 37). So it may get a lower ph. Has anyone switched their fish like that, and did it go well? Is it hard on them getting a very different substrate?

I switched ph drastically on a pleco once....kind of surprissed he survived the shock, to be honest. I don't know how to stabilize it either, with planted tanks. Maybe try the planted tank forum?

 

[Kannan Fodder]

In regards to the pH, I haven't done anything remotely like you're doing, but my 29g has mopani in it which lowers the pH gradually. At one point my pH read at 6.4, while my tap water is 8.0-8.2. The tank is planted, and I had a ton of ghost shrimp. Things were going fine with regular water changes, then I ended up with an excessive amount of nitrate. Started doing large volume water changes to bring the nitrate down, which brought up the pH drastically. The fish had no problems (gambusia, bristlenose plecos, and rams), but the shrimp vanished. Now I'm having a hard time getting shrimp to survive.