# 1st timer requiring some knowledge



## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Hi Everyone, 

I have just purchased a Interpet Fishbox 40, which is a 48L tropical tank, with Thermo and 3 stage filter, as I am new to all this it seemed a good choice, as it's a full starter kit. I would like to know from experienced fish keepers as to how many fish I can have in the tank, and also, what would be a good mix of tropical fish I can purchase here in the UK.

Many Thanks to you all.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Hello fellow Uk'er... Nice statre there are many options for a 10g...
Heres a few..
Celestial Pearl Danio / Galaxy Rasboras
Ember Tetras
Pygmy Corydoras
A single Betta Splenden but that would be pretty much it....
And there are plenty more but oither 'pros' will chime in soon. Have fun!


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## Cashmeresocks (Nov 5, 2010)

If you stick with a certain group, like tetras, you will be pretty safe. Watch out for how big your fish will be when they are adults. Go to the fish store, mark down what fish they have, and do a little research on them. Find out what kind of water paramaters they need (pH, temp, hardness, etc.) and then find fish that all have simillar needs. 

Remember to cycle your tank first, before you stock, or you will have problems. A quick search on cycling an aquarium will give you lots of info. 

Avoid over-stocking. Find fish that like to swim in different areas of the tank like top, middle, and bottom, so they are not all competing for the same space. 

Read the Forums, just read. You will absorb lots of knowledge.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Hi Fishboy, many thanks for the reply, I will have a look at what those fish look like and see how easy they are to look after. Is it a problem if I were to add a few crabs to the bottom of tank?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I think that crabs are a no-no in a small tank like that...
And they will eat small fish..
Definatley set the tank up with a good quality water conditioner..
Levae it running for a week or so test it to see your water and etc.Have a look at my tank if you want something to llok forward to (not at my bad aquascaping) but tank stocki and size. Any more questions post away..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Thats very good advice Cashmeresocks, I will look at what fish I like the look of, and from there research how easy they are to care for, and I didnt think about where they may swim in the tank, thats a very good consideration. Thank you.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

ah ok, didnt know crabs would eat the fish, because the ones I had seen looked so small, lol, but I'll bear that in mind. I'll have a look at your tank now, thank you.


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## Cashmeresocks (Nov 5, 2010)

You are welcome  You are going to have so much fun setting up your tank! Taking care to do it right the first time will make everything go much smoother. Learn as much as you can. You will have some time to do plenty of research while your tank cycles. 

I have a 10 gallon with shoaling fish, I like the way they zoom around together. I have Platys for the top, and a burst of color, some Red-Fin, X-Ray and Strawberry Tetras for the middle and corydoras for the bottom. I also keep the tank planted to reduce the amount of time I spend on cleaning it, and two nerite snails that help me clean too! (Note: in my current tank I should have more of each fish, but I have not been able to replace them. Shoaling fish like groups of 3-4 or more. In my profile you can see I only have one platy, Red-Fin and Corydora - that is not how they should be kept)


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Well luckily this kit came with 2 water treatments, 1 to make the tap water safe to use, and a 2nd to help the filter I think (its all still boxed) .

Yes, I've read that some fish like to be in groups, so any that are like that, I'll make sure to have enough of them.

I was going to get some living plants to help the water conditions, so from what you've said, I'll make sure to get some.


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## Cashmeresocks (Nov 5, 2010)

Raisis said:


> Well luckily this kit came with 2 water treatments, 1 to make the tap water safe to use, and a 2nd to help the filter I think (its all still boxed) .
> 
> Yes, I've read that some fish like to be in groups, so any that are like that, I'll make sure to have enough of them.
> 
> I was going to get some living plants to help the water conditions, so from what you've said, I'll make sure to get some.


I personally like live plants. They are not necessary of course, just a preferance. If you have live plants, check that they dont require special lighting, fertilizer or CO2 and that your fish wont eat them as well(unless of course you want that!). I keep Java Fern and Java Moss, neither of which require me to do anything special and they grow well. 

Dont worry, all of this will become second nature soon enough!


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

yeah, it will be enough of a challange at 1st looking after the fish, so my choice would be plants that can look after themselves. Plants put oxygen into the water dont they, which is healthier for the fish?


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## Cashmeresocks (Nov 5, 2010)

they also use the bad stuff that fish emit, and that decaying food emit and make it into good stuff. Look up the Nitrogen Cycle, it will explain what happens.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Awesome, so it makes complete sense to have a few plants (where possible) in there. I'll look that up now.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Lots of plants are good.. Reserch some plants are easy to look after some hardier.. Some need low light some need high... But with heavily planted it cycles it almost instantly...


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Well I'm popping to Pets at Home to get a nitrate testing kit today, so i'll get some plants, and get some water in my tank. What heavily planted by your standard? 2 big plants that run top to bottom, or smaller plants that layer the bottom?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Well quite alot of plants a good few buches.. By the way which part of the uk are you in>> And be a little bit careful about the plants they sell at pets at home.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Im from Cardiff, in Wales. You? Should I find a decent fish retailer for plants? Because i've also got a country wide near me.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Im from oxford... Have alook at the plants and note the names and take a few pics and if you ppost them here we can help you PROPERLY identify them.. Because i seemed to know more about the fish and plants then they did!! :lol::lol:


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Haha, im going to look bonkers taking pictures of plants in the shop, but its a good idea. I've driven through Oxford, never had a proper look though.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

It may look stupid but it helps a little bit. But if the plants look healthy ie no hair algea etc. Then you could purchase 2 or 3 and put them in you tank. From what i know there about 2-4 but you can get like 3 for £10 or something..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Fair enough, well i'll look for what appears to be healthy plants, and go from there then.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sounds good!!


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

I cant wait to get fish in the tank though, but I want to make sure its all done properly, and its safe for the fish. Could I mix plants with dead shrimp to get the tank well balanced, or should I do just 1 or other?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

If you add alot of plants.. Then waith 48hrs and get a few small fish..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Do I not need to add something to the water to create ammonia for the plants?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I dont think soi didnt i just had a few plants (1 or 2) a week later i added my first fish..
But if you had a lot of plants and set it up today you could probably get 1-2 or maybe even 3 platys tommorow. The test waater every other day and a weeklater you could add some pygmy corys.. And maybe some othe small fish////


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Cool, well that sounds like a plan!
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

What were you going to stcok it with.. Are you going to get some platys..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

I like all fish to be honest, but il see what I prefer the most, then see whats compatable with them.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Kl.. Platys are nice you could get a male and 2 femelas and have a variety of colour.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeh, because males and females vary, in colour. How many fish could I actually have in the tank? We talkin 6, or 12 or whatever?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Well i would say 
Top-Middle: 3 platys for mid top...
1-3 Guppys 
1 Scarlet badis
Bottom: 5-6 pygmy corydoras.. Maybe 3-4 Of another slightly larger cory
Middle:6 Mosquito Rasbora
6-8 Celestial Pearl Rasbora are great mini fish
6 Ember Tetra
With LOTS of plants..
I would pick 5 pygmy corys...
6 embers
3 platys
Hope this helps


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

wow, so i could have quite a few fish then. Il need to google them and see what there like.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Yeh not all of them 1 from top middle and bottom would be good..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

yeh, I thought that, but thats still quite a few to me, so happy with that.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Did you get any plants???


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeh, got 4 plants in total, 3 large that i've grouped together, and 1 small, just to help proportion the tank. I've included 2 picstures, 1 with the white light on, and 1 with the blue light, i also got an easter island head staue and black and white gravel.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Wow wow wowo... That is very nice.. That probably wont be enough plants to cylce straight away... But platys are hardy fish.. So keep it running for a few days maybe put 1 or 2 flakes i there. and get the platys say wednesday or tuesday with a few more plants..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

yeh, you like it? I added in Filter Start, to help the start up process, and I added Tap Safe to the water I put in. I rinsed the gravel before that went in, and have fitted the plants, filter, and delta thermo, so I just kinda have to wait now, and monday or tuesday I'll take a sample to Pets at Home to have them test the water, and if they give the go, I'll buy fish then.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sounds good!


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

If it's not too late, I'm totally partial to soil. Despite what some believe, with those huge swords, soil should be painless.

Only problem, is breaking it down to put garden soil (about 1 inch) under the gravel.
Advantage is that if you can find some anarchis, you can add a platy the day you set it up. 

There's a link in my sig if you're interested. 

If soil sounds complicated, that's okay, but you'll need to get root tabs at least for the swords... they are very greedy plants.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

is it a problem that i've put the filter a cm or 2 behind the plants?


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

honestly, I'd be a bit nervous adding soil, but if it will help in the long run, that i dont mind trying. Do i need special plant food for those plants then?


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

ok, I dont know if it's normal or not at this stage, but the water is looking just a little cloudy. do i need to water change already, and if so do i need to add more Tapsafe to it, and more filter start?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

It may be you didnt wash your gravel enough.. I didnt so my tank looked a lil cloudy for a few days.. Or it could be a bacterial bloom..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

I used a siv to rinse the gravel in handfulls being as thorough as possible, and when I put the water in, it was all clear. I did use 2 pipettes of filter start, so could that be it? And is a bacteria bloom a good thing?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Bacteria blooms are good its showing that the cycling process is happening..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Ok cool, thats good then. So will it go back to being clear again, or do I need water polish?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Is water polish some sort of chemical to put in?? Refrain from using any chemical to fix a problem.. Levae it for a day or 2 and if its still cloudy do a 20%water change..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeh, its a chemical. It helps give the water a clear fresh look. But il do as you suggested and leave it.
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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

My thermo seems to turn off, before the rest the tank water gets warm, is that normal? I've set it at 26 to try and keep it on for longer, as it turns off when desired temperature is reached. But the water still feels chilly.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Let me explain..
I had the same problem..
You set your heater to 26 degrres..
It will heat to 26 degrees..
And light will be on...
Once water is 26degrees the heater turns of..
Once the tank water goes below the heater will turn itself on again..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeh, cool. Thought that was the case. Is the intepet products any good then, or should i be looking to change my filter and thermo?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

No it should be ok... Any other queries??


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

No, I think thats it, as long as I know I got the right kit, I've set it up as best I can. Its just a waiting game now. Thanks for all your help, you've been very informative.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Thats ok we are here to help!!


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeh im glad I found this website. So at the mo I've not got anymore questions, but have you got anymore advice, or anything I need to buy, anything I need to do, just to make sure i've not missed anything.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Have you got, (i'll run through everything)..
Tank Filter Heater Fish Box 40cm Tank by Interpet (Available In Store Only) | Pets at Home
Thermostat
(Gravel,deco,plants)
Water conditioner.. Tropical Startup Kit | Pets at Home
Food Tropical Fish Flake Food 25g, 50g and 200g by Aquarian | Pets at Home and maybe you might need some vegtable flakes for the herbavore platys..
Blood worms as a weekly treat??
Net
Gravel cleaner..
Can't think of anything else of the top of my head..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

No, not got all that. I got the PF1 filter, Delta thermo, thermometer,Tapsafe and Filter Start and 3 large plants, and 1 small plant and an easter island head. So I need a gravel cleaner and a net. I was going to buy the food the same time I bought the fish, because depending on what fish I get, il make sure to get the right food.
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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Oh, and I got 4kgs of black and white small stone gravel.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Ok that sounds good.. The net is for when you transfer fish from bag to tank and seperate or just get some things out... And the gravel cleaner for cleaning.. Do you no about acclimating the fish from the bag to the tank?? Would you like me to explain??


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Is it that you put the bag in the tank with the fish in still in it, then let the tempreture equalise, you leave it about 15-20 mims? That right?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

You put the bag in the tank for 15minutes.
Then open the bag and put a cup of the tank water in the bag.. Every fifteen minutes..
And repeat for the duration of an hour.
Then net the fish out aand pour the water from the bag away.. It equalizes the water so the fish dont die of rapid tempertaure change.. And so the water from the fish stor (pets at home) doesnt mix with your tank incase things in that water crosses with yours..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

yeh, that makes sense, make sure that can settle with my water. Thanks for telling me the proper way of doing it.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Thats ok just making sure you do it right and not have any dead fish!


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Lol, yeh, that would be the last thing I want to happen.
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## Cashmeresocks (Nov 5, 2010)

Hey, looks like you are coming along rather nicely! Getting a lot of good information to get you started. good job TheFishBoy.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

oh yeah, you guys have been really really helpful, and have told me things, (like adding the fish) that are really important to know. 

Looking at my water today, it's cleared a bit, but still somewhat cloudy, do you think i should do a water change, and do i need to add tapsafe to the new water i add in?


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Well I bought a gravel vacum and net, and some plant feed, I emptied about 20% of the water out, started cleaning the gravel, made quite a mess at 1st, but I was able to clean it, and use the net to get other bits, and filled back up, it seems to be a little cleaner, so I'll wait another day or 2 and see how it looks.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sounds like its coming along nicely... Every time you add new water you should add the conditoiner..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Are conditioner and TapSafe the same thing? Yeh, the tank has had 45 mins to settle, and is starting to look alot clearer, just hope I've not upset the filter.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

No you shouldnt have had.. And i think tap safe is the same but getting that starter kit i showed wouldnt be a bad idea..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeh, well I thinkin gonna go grab another bag of gravel, and possibly another plant, so i'll get water conditioner at the same time.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

That sounds good..!


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Im hoping I can add fish soon, although still really unsure of what I want! Could I have a few loachs in my size tank, quite like the look of them?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

loaches wouldnt be suitable for your tank.. Most if not all get to big..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

they grow big do they? Just i seen YoYo loachs today that didnt look to big, but i wouldent be cruel and have something if it didnt have enough space


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Yeh they grow to big.. Tthey need at least 40-55g... I wanted some but they wouldnt fit in my tank...


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

fair enough. So if you were stocking my tank, breakdown what you'd have, top - middle - bottom?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

3 platys 1 male 2 female or 3 male 3 female depending if you want fry...
5-6 Pygmy Corydoras or 2-4 normal corys armoured catfish..
Then maybe 8 ember tetra, or mosquito rasbora or my fave Celestial Pearl Danio
And maybe some shrimp??


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

cool, that sounds like a good mix of fish. I do quite like guppys, so I may substitute something for them, but i quite like that mix.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Well maybe 2 guppys 2 platys and 6 CPD and 5 pygmy corys.. Or some endlers instead..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

yeh, i might do that then. Whats the small fish i see sucking the glass, is that a form of loach, and does it get too big?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Well there is quite a few suckers so to speak.. Chinese algea eaters will get to up to 12inches...
BN pleco would be to big for your tank so maybe just some nice snails..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeh, didnt think of snails as an option. Do they not leave slime in their path?
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Not aquarium snails..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Fair enough, thats cool. 

Today I added my 1st fish, 5 Cherry Barbs. And I have identified that I want a bristlenose pleco for the bottom of the tank.
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## lorax84 (Nov 3, 2010)

Raisis said:


> Fair enough, thats cool.
> 
> Today I added my 1st fish, 5 Cherry Barbs. And I have identified that I want a bristlenose pleco for the bottom of the tank.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Just a warning, if you wish to keep a BN pleco you will need to either get better filtration or vacuum your tank a lot. BNs produce about twice the waste of most fish their size and get to be 4-5 inches. I wouldn't say they can't be kept in a 10gal because I currently have one in my 10 gal, but my tank is way over filtered and I make sure to vacuum up the waste regularly.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Thanks for the advice Lorax, I picked up a vacum yesterday, so I'll bear that info in mind, and make sure I vacum regularly.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I wouldnt reccomend a bn in a 10g.. They make a lot of mess and they need a lot of room.. So maybe go with some otos google them they are really neat!


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

They simillar to BN's then? That was what the salesman said in PatH, that i'd have to get 1 young, and i'd only have it 2 years before it got too big.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

You could try but i wouldnt put many more fish in it then and water changes would be like 2 20% a week, i do like 2 40%'s water changes a week.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

So it can be done, but it alot of extra work?
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## harleygirl (Dec 13, 2010)

*Plants*

I went to my local petstore today I got a green canilina, and two other plants that I cannot figure out what they were and they did not know themselves. I would never go there for advice on fish but I new I wanted live plants and seeing they are from the same water source mine is I figured that it would be ok to get them. Well now that I got home checked for snails and snail eggs and I found alot of them. I am wondering if I made a mistake getting plants that I cannot know the needs of. I have looked in the plants species that are posted but cannot find them there. I do not have away to post pictures so any other suggested would be useful. I was hopeing that they would help if I made a mistake when I moved my tank and started a mini re-cylce with amonia. Now that I have read more on plants I might of made a mistake.:roll:


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Raisis: Yeh it would i wouldnt advice it but..


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## harleygirl (Dec 13, 2010)

Sorry I did not mean to post that in here I am still new to this and was trying to start my own thread.


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Haha, thats ok.

I'm guna need to way up the pro's and con's. Anyway, im off scuba diving, catch up with you all later.
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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Scuba diving at half 8??!!!!! Lol have fun.. And harley girl i wasnt ignoring you i just was in a rush copy and paste this into a new thread and we will be happy to answer!


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## lorax84 (Nov 3, 2010)

I would disagree, 10 gallon is enough room to swim for a BN. Most pleco breeders keep their pairs in a 20gal max and I have seen many use 15gal. I currently have 2 BN juvies in a 10 gallon until my 20 gal tank cycles, they have been there for almost 3 weeks along with some fancy guppies. I do 20% water changes every week to 10 days and my water parameters are perfect. I have good filtration as well, but I personally think BNs work great in 10 gal.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Yes i know it will be ok but it will prefer a bigger tank and it will limit him on other fish..


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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeh, I scuba dive on tuesday nights. I see both your points on it, I just really need to weigh up what I want in the tank, and what I can actually have.
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## Raisis (Dec 10, 2010)

Ok guys, my Cherry Barbs are taking on a bit of a deeper red colour, so from what I read, they are happy and healthy. I think 1 of my ladies may be pregnant, she's swollen along the bottom of her body. Do they hold onto the eggs before releasing them?
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