Introduction and advice

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Haz43

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Apr 24, 2004
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I wanted to say "Hello" to everyone initially and introduce myself a little bit. I am 24 years old and am active duty military stationed in Texas. My wife and I love our pets that include a full blood German Sheppard, a mix breed Sheltie and Basset hound (sounds weird but she's cute), a hedgehog and now we are adding fish.

I am running a 30g Hex tank. Not my choice of tank but it was cheap and I like how little space it takes up. I know there are more problems with these but I am running an Emporer 280 overwater filter. We just set it up last night. What can I expect for cycles that I'll be going through and what can I do to speed things up. Also what types of fish would be good for it.

Thanks ahead of time and hello to everyone.
 
You have a hedgehog?

As for cycle questions you should first read the stickies at the top of this forum and also there have been some recent cycle questions that you can read through to get a better idea of what's going on.

As for stocking I'm not real big on aquariums with small footprints. That being said I would think along the lines of having one angelfish, one small species bushymouth catfish (ancistrus species), and a schooling type fish. Maybe like 8 harlequin raspborra or 6 cherry barbs. If you go this route you probably won't want to have small schoolers such as neons because they would eventually be food for your angelfish. Some people may suggest cory cats for your tank, but since they need air to breath they like shallow tanks and can be very nervous in tall tanks.
 
Yeah we have a hedgie. The funny part about the whole thing is we bought her pregnant and ended up having 3 little hedgies. She's a blast. They are a completely different type of animal. They really aren't much work either. You just have to pay a little attention to them everyday (at least) or they start secluding themselves and get angry easy. We play with ours all the time and she is so comfortable with us that we can't get her to ball up anymore.
 
hehehe, hedgies are awesome.... I will be getting my sister one in a month or so, she's soooo excited.

As for Hound's suggestions, I will agree on the most part, especially with the mix starting off with Angels... of course this is also my opinion. But I would also suggest the cories, and I don't understand the problem with them being in a 30 gal hexi. I have quite a few of them in a 55 gallon without a single problem at all, they seem to love it. However, from time to time they do zip to the suface for a gulp of air but not to the point as something as much a betta? How tall is the tank?
 
I agree with dangerdoll. Cories don't need to breathe air, they just occasionally do and can zip quite high to get to it. My bronze cory has never zipped to the top while I have been watching, while my albino always does.

As for stocking, I would suggest you go to the pet store and see what sort of fish catch your eye. Then make a list and come back here. It is often hard to judge what the adult version of the fish will be from the stock in most fish stores so getting advice prior to buying is always a great idea.

Also do you want a couple of bigger fish or a school of smaller fish?
 
From what I understand all corys need to take in an occasional air bubble in order to get the required oxygen they need. Also to my knowledge a 30g hex is taller than a 55g tank. From watching my own corys in a 50g long tank I do know when they go up they make a dash for it. I'm thinking that a 30g hex is somewhere along the lines of 24"-26" deep so that makes is a fairly deep tank for a fish that prefers shallows. As I figure it you might as well save the fish the stress of having to make the trip away from where it prefers to be.
 
I've seen my 2 corys dash to the surface of my 55gal many times. It would make sense what has been said about wanting that breath of air, but I dont really know myself.
 
A 30 gallon hex is quite limited when it comes to stocking... much more limiting than a standard 30 gallon tank... or even a 20 gallon long. I would keep the stocking light and easy. I would put one angelfish in there... and maybe 3-4 smaller tetras. Neons will be fine, as long as they are large enough. Angelfish will eat other fish, but only if they are small enough to fit in their mouths. I've kept neons with angels before, and I still do... and they're still around. Thats about all I would do in terms of stocking.

As per your question on cycling, do read the threads around the newbie forum. I highly suggest utilizing the fishless cycling method to cycling your tank.

HTH
-Richer
 
Wow!! I appreciate all of the replys. Great board. I am thinking that I definatly want some angels. I'm gonna look around for some of the fish that I want. Does anyone know anything about getting fish through the mail. The reason I say this is that the town I live in is crap for options. There really aren't any good fish anywhere about that are out of the normal stuff you would give a child to take care of. I was wanting something a little different, the angels aren't that big of a deal if I can find something really cool.

Thanks for the help again and any info is valuable. I am reading the boards for ideas on how to set stuff up. Good info in here.
 
One of the members on this board (maybe more) has purchased fish online before, but I can't remember who. I've looked into it before, but shipping costs are kind of prohibitive. I have been able to get at least two LFS to order certain species. One of the shops was newer and while I was talking to the owner he asked me what fish I don't see in the area that would be good to carry. Two weeks later and now its the only shop in town that stocks rams (german and bolivian) and apistos. I guess what I am saying is talk to a LFS and see what they can do. I would also suggest a quarantine tank for fish purchased especially from online where you can't inspect before you buy.
 
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