I'm re-inventing my tank... need suggestions

[dantheman]

Hi all, I've become bored with my tank and fish. Mostly because the fish I really loved became too big for the tank and I had to sell them. The ones I have left are pretty boring or also too big.

I need homes for 3 Rosy barbs
2 banjo catfish
2 common plecos (4 to 5 inch)
1 talking catfish (5 inch)
1 Archer fish.

I have a Juwel Rekord 70 litre Aquarium and when I got the fish originally I had no idea it was too small and this is what happened:



Now I have decided to empty the tank and start over. I really like the banjo catfish and want to get a sand substrate next time round. I also love plants so I need suggestions on what type of sand to use and how to plant. Last time I used a layer of special fertiliser I got in my LFS which worked pretty well. What type of plants would suit sand? I was thinking of a grassy plant that could spread well over the substrate but not grow too high.

Also, how do you clean sand? I have always had pea gravel and used a siphon system to dig out the dirt but this will hardly work with sand?

I'm going to get as many cardinal tetras as is suitable for this tank. Would 30 be too many? I'd also get 3 or so banjo catfish as they are peaceful and illusive creatures.

That’s it; I just want to keep it simple this time. I want lots of small shoaling fish of the same breed. Any other suggestion? Had rummys before but found them hard to keep.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[kelly]

as far as i know all plants will grow in sand.to clean sand keep the syphon a few centimeters away from the sand and it will suck any dirt up.i had trouble cleaning my sand too but members from here helped me.im not really sure about 30 neond i think that is overstocked.hopefully some of the more experienced members here will help you.

[mralgae]

First and foremost DONT DO ANYTHING until you have checked out exactly what it is you want to do.
I have the record 60, but that don’t mean you can have more fish than I have because the 70 is only taller NOT longer, so you have more water than the 60 but the surface area of the tank is the same, and this is what you need to calculate the amount of fish you can stock. The general rule is approx 1inch of fish (excluding tail) to 10 square inch of surface water. This you will prob find differs between aquarists the world over. But a good guide to go by. I stocked 30 neon’s, 3 rainbows & a pleco in the 60. The problem is how much time you want to spend tending the cleaning of so many fish, as I learnt the hard way. Also the size of the banjo fish look very big, so you will have to be careful to how many you stock. Sand will be easier to keep clean than gravel as the dirt won’t get caught between it as bad.
As for the plants, if you allow the sand to become to compact over time the roots will not be able to grow properly and will inhibit there growth, but nothing that can’t be sorted out. There are a number of low growing plants as to what you would like also; the eleocharis acicularis, a fine leaf plant that grows well in med-very high light, very soft –hard water and a pH of 5-8. Height 10-15cm & med growth. One bush of this great little plant can be split many times and will in good conditions throw out runners across the tank.

I would suggest you take your time and consider very carefully how you are going to approach your new set up. I hope this helps you in you quest for your fish and plants.

[dantheman]

Thanks very much Kelly and MrAlgae. I think I will defo go for sand next time. The banjos apparently love it and will bury themselves. They dont get big at all anyway. Least not the ones I have, they are about long (3 inches) but very slender. and they are over 1.5 years old so I'm guessing are adults. I think I will try 20 Cardinals. Maybe introduce 10 at a time.