Hey all,
So I got a great new 6 gallon tank (I know it's small, but it sits comfortably on my table), and I have actually spent 6 days getting it right.
When I first got this tank (overpriced at $10, but I was in a hurry), I wanted to use it as a fry tank for my mollies. Well, it turns out that my molly isn't pregnant after all, and I'm not too keen on getting little baby mollies for now. The LFS who sold it to me was quite a cheat and not very good, but at the time, he was the only one I knew who was close. The tank had a mirror at the back, and I think it would have scared the **** out of any fish living in it.
Then I finally found a really good LFS, a guy called Lloyd, who's been in the business for some 20 years now, and when I went to his little store, I could see that he was clearly very careful about his fish. Every tank had a nice light, good aquascaping and extremely healthy fish. He and I exchanged some really good info over the days that I went to his store, stuff about him wanting to culture bloodworms and the like. In my state, there's just one company about 120 kms away from my city that supplies bloodworms to the whole state. Therefore, if anyone were to find out how to culture bloodworms commercially and manage a network, he/she could make big bucks overnight.
Anyways, I gave him my tank, and also gave him the 9 goldfishes I was eager to get rid of. I told him I was low on my budget and just wanted to keep some small fish in the tank. He removed the back mirror, replaced with some good glass, made a DIY undergravel filter out of PVC tubes, gave me 3 kilos of something called "golden sand" and a really cool background. All this, for just $3.50!!!! Can you imagine that???
I actually wanted to get the fish right then and there, but he asked me to wait and setup the new tank, and let it be for a while. I grudgingly gave in, and waited patiently for two days (not much, but I hate having an empty tank). During that time, I put some black paper on both sides of the tank (hopefully, it will reduce stress), some 0.5" thermacole (styrofoam in the US, I think) on the bottom, laid out the sand, then added the bigger gravel that I had and made extensive plans for a proper canopy and light.
I finally went to him again today, and he gave me:
8 neon tetras - about 1 cm in length
2 black stripe tetras - about 2 cm in length
1 green plant - a floating one
2 red plants - floating types
And all this, for free!! I wanted to get more, but he said I should wait for a day or two and see how these fish do.
After setting it all up, it looks really fantastic, and all the fish seem quite content and happy, and the neons are schooling well. I'm already planning on creating a small rock cave using either black slate or white marble, using some boiled coconut shells to create shelters, getting some more plants (not the floating ones this time), getting a small bit of driftwood and perhaps even creating a pebble rock background, like the one I read about somewhere online.
But as of now, the tank looks a little bare. The neons are just too tiny and I'd to see a few more fish in there. And I'm looking to you guys for advice.
Which fish will go best with neons and other tetras, in terms of size, colour and temperament?
I was thinking of getting two yo-yo loaches, but I dunno if I should.
On another note:
How do I find if a certain piece stone/rock/wood is safe for my tank? Any other way other than pouring vinegar over the stones to check for calcerous deposits?
So I got a great new 6 gallon tank (I know it's small, but it sits comfortably on my table), and I have actually spent 6 days getting it right.
When I first got this tank (overpriced at $10, but I was in a hurry), I wanted to use it as a fry tank for my mollies. Well, it turns out that my molly isn't pregnant after all, and I'm not too keen on getting little baby mollies for now. The LFS who sold it to me was quite a cheat and not very good, but at the time, he was the only one I knew who was close. The tank had a mirror at the back, and I think it would have scared the **** out of any fish living in it.
Then I finally found a really good LFS, a guy called Lloyd, who's been in the business for some 20 years now, and when I went to his little store, I could see that he was clearly very careful about his fish. Every tank had a nice light, good aquascaping and extremely healthy fish. He and I exchanged some really good info over the days that I went to his store, stuff about him wanting to culture bloodworms and the like. In my state, there's just one company about 120 kms away from my city that supplies bloodworms to the whole state. Therefore, if anyone were to find out how to culture bloodworms commercially and manage a network, he/she could make big bucks overnight.
Anyways, I gave him my tank, and also gave him the 9 goldfishes I was eager to get rid of. I told him I was low on my budget and just wanted to keep some small fish in the tank. He removed the back mirror, replaced with some good glass, made a DIY undergravel filter out of PVC tubes, gave me 3 kilos of something called "golden sand" and a really cool background. All this, for just $3.50!!!! Can you imagine that???
I actually wanted to get the fish right then and there, but he asked me to wait and setup the new tank, and let it be for a while. I grudgingly gave in, and waited patiently for two days (not much, but I hate having an empty tank). During that time, I put some black paper on both sides of the tank (hopefully, it will reduce stress), some 0.5" thermacole (styrofoam in the US, I think) on the bottom, laid out the sand, then added the bigger gravel that I had and made extensive plans for a proper canopy and light.
I finally went to him again today, and he gave me:
8 neon tetras - about 1 cm in length
2 black stripe tetras - about 2 cm in length
1 green plant - a floating one
2 red plants - floating types
And all this, for free!! I wanted to get more, but he said I should wait for a day or two and see how these fish do.
After setting it all up, it looks really fantastic, and all the fish seem quite content and happy, and the neons are schooling well. I'm already planning on creating a small rock cave using either black slate or white marble, using some boiled coconut shells to create shelters, getting some more plants (not the floating ones this time), getting a small bit of driftwood and perhaps even creating a pebble rock background, like the one I read about somewhere online.
But as of now, the tank looks a little bare. The neons are just too tiny and I'd to see a few more fish in there. And I'm looking to you guys for advice.
Which fish will go best with neons and other tetras, in terms of size, colour and temperament?
I was thinking of getting two yo-yo loaches, but I dunno if I should.
On another note:
How do I find if a certain piece stone/rock/wood is safe for my tank? Any other way other than pouring vinegar over the stones to check for calcerous deposits?
