Right so I am kind of new to this hobby , only got my first 80 Liter tank last month and followed instructions from this site and elsewhere. I have lost two Zebrafish(Very tiny , lost during my second water change) and that's it.
It has a UG filter with two air pumps to provide aeration. After doing research , I decided to have an open top tank with the water line slightly lower to prevent fish from jumping out as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.More below.
Current inhabitants :
4 Serpae Tetra
2 Albino Corys
2 Male Rosy Barbs(I had heard about aggression but they get along fine and are the most peaceful inhabitants with respect to other species.
4 Zebrafish
2 Tuxedo Platy's
A couple of questions , thanks in advance.
Can I add any more fish without screwing up the system?
Do I need a more high tech filter here or the UGF will do.?
Having studied Environmental Engineering and Water chemistry as a part of my coursework , I knew that plants , aquatic or land absorb NO3 - anions from the water , one of the products of chemical reaction involving ammonia. So what I took around four tall cuttings of Dracaena(different species) and placed them in the tank with their stems submerged and buried in the medium gravel and pebble substrate. I did this before setting up my tank so that I had roots develop and a semi functional nitrate filter.
So after a month , my system is working fine with no nitrates and healthy fish. Now I am planning to get some pothos cuttings and immerse the roots in the water.
I have researched about using land plants in aquarium and there seems to be some disagreement about this among the experts. Some say it is great for the fish and land plants are much more efficient in absorbing nitrates than aquatic plants and it could be successfully done provided the leaves are not under the water level and adequate lighting is provided. Others say it is harmful for the fish. I am not so sure about this. Is it ok in the long term with the fish I currently have in my tank? I do have a local duckweed like species and a few plastic plants as well.
Lastly , I see my Platies eating all the time and defecating with even greater frequency
Is it normal? They have long trails of white/pink poo sometimes. Otherwise they are fine.
Also , I dropped a teeny shred of soft mango in the tank to test the reaction of the fish and to my utter amazement , my Barbs and Tetras were in a feeding frenzy like a group of sharks tearing chunks of flesh out of its prey! They seem to love it. They also like soft cucumbers and blanched cabbage(I guess they're safe?). So what vegetables can I feed them without making them ill, as a treat?Is Mango safe?.
Normally I use floating and sinking pellets and also the occasional bloodworm and algae wafer.
Last question
Do fish stress out if I change the layout of the tank ? Move stuff around , nothing radical. They must be pretty used to my current setup by now so I was wondering.
Sorry for the length of the post
It has a UG filter with two air pumps to provide aeration. After doing research , I decided to have an open top tank with the water line slightly lower to prevent fish from jumping out as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.More below.
Current inhabitants :
4 Serpae Tetra
2 Albino Corys
2 Male Rosy Barbs(I had heard about aggression but they get along fine and are the most peaceful inhabitants with respect to other species.
4 Zebrafish
2 Tuxedo Platy's
A couple of questions , thanks in advance.
Can I add any more fish without screwing up the system?
Do I need a more high tech filter here or the UGF will do.?
Having studied Environmental Engineering and Water chemistry as a part of my coursework , I knew that plants , aquatic or land absorb NO3 - anions from the water , one of the products of chemical reaction involving ammonia. So what I took around four tall cuttings of Dracaena(different species) and placed them in the tank with their stems submerged and buried in the medium gravel and pebble substrate. I did this before setting up my tank so that I had roots develop and a semi functional nitrate filter.
So after a month , my system is working fine with no nitrates and healthy fish. Now I am planning to get some pothos cuttings and immerse the roots in the water.
I have researched about using land plants in aquarium and there seems to be some disagreement about this among the experts. Some say it is great for the fish and land plants are much more efficient in absorbing nitrates than aquatic plants and it could be successfully done provided the leaves are not under the water level and adequate lighting is provided. Others say it is harmful for the fish. I am not so sure about this. Is it ok in the long term with the fish I currently have in my tank? I do have a local duckweed like species and a few plastic plants as well.
Lastly , I see my Platies eating all the time and defecating with even greater frequency
Is it normal? They have long trails of white/pink poo sometimes. Otherwise they are fine.Also , I dropped a teeny shred of soft mango in the tank to test the reaction of the fish and to my utter amazement , my Barbs and Tetras were in a feeding frenzy like a group of sharks tearing chunks of flesh out of its prey! They seem to love it. They also like soft cucumbers and blanched cabbage(I guess they're safe?). So what vegetables can I feed them without making them ill, as a treat?Is Mango safe?.
Normally I use floating and sinking pellets and also the occasional bloodworm and algae wafer.
Last question
Do fish stress out if I change the layout of the tank ? Move stuff around , nothing radical. They must be pretty used to my current setup by now so I was wondering.
Sorry for the length of the post
