Advice on a new 3ft

Hi All,

I am wanting to start keeping fish in an aquarium as a hobby but also as an attractive piece of furniture for my home.

I wanted to make it a planted 1 ~ 3 species tank, but after doing a lot of research I am getting afraid of the idea. People speak about C02 infusers, and all kind of mineral substrates, special lighting, different ways of water changing and it's all left me at a bit of a dead end.

I just need some short and sweet advice, and some of these questions answered:

Am I wasting my time trying to keep anything other than guppies and tetras in a 3ft tank?
What substrate and gravel should I use if I want to keep the tank planted?
Do I need special lighting?
Are CO2 infusers actually neccessary?
Where can I buy a reasonably priced pine cabinet to put the tank on?
Do I have to have polystyrene on the bottom of the tank, or is a blanket or something else ok?
Where can I buy aquarium plants in JHB, or even online? Is importing them worthwile?
Should I just leave the plants idea and stick to rocks and driftwood?

Then... What fish do u suggest? I was thinking, Tiger Barbs and Corydoras... Or some cichlids... Basically I dont like the idea of having 20 different kinds of fish with 1 of each species. I'd like to have more of the same, and try to get them to school.

Sorry for the wall of text, please help...

 

i dont thik C02 is all that needed but good fertilizers are definetly a must...
one fish i can really suggest is harlequin rasboras... amazing fish in every sense!!
sorry dont know to much bout the other questions :\

 

Hi,

Here are some answers... there will be other opinions, but I'd like to encourage you to try with a low tech setup for starters. Keeping a lowtech planted tank is really not that complex and plenty of folk are managing just fine. Honestly, nothing beats the way a planted tank looks...

Am I wasting my time trying to keep anything other than guppies and tetras in a 3ft tank?
There are plenty of smaller fish that you can keep in a 3 ft tank.
What substrate and gravel should I use if I want to keep the tank planted?
If you stick to the lowtech "beginner" plants, you can use pool filter sand or riversand or gravel
Do I need special lighting?
Yes, but its not complicated. Just go to your electrical supply shop, tell them you need fluorescent tubes with a K rating of 6500. Thats enough to get you started and they cost less than R20 each.
Are CO2 infusers actually neccessary?
Not if you stick to lowtech plants like java ferns, moss, vallis etc - and you can have a very attractive planted tank.

Do I have to have polystyrene on the bottom of the tank, or is a blanket or something else ok?
You can also use closed cell mat (yoga mat) or car floor matting
Where can I buy aquarium plants in JHB, or even online? Is importing them worthwile?
You need an import permit to import plants. Plenty of folk here can help with cuttings etc. Perhaps some of the Jhb folk can help with store recommendations!

 

Thanks for the feedback @tracyp (and @KennyG).

I've got a 20W fluorescent tube (Bio-Lux T8) that has a K rating of 6700, I'm assuming that would be ok?

Yoga mat is brilliant idea! Might just do that.

I'm interested in what you would suggest as occupants for the tank too...

 

I think a good idea if you're looking for a simple setup would be pool filter sand with a nice arrangement of driftwood and lots of Java fern growing on the wood. Then you add more kinds of plants as you feel more ambitious. There are a lot of real tiger barb fanatics here who I'm sure will be happy to give you advice on stocking - if you've already thought about tigers I'd suggest you go with it; I don't have them myself but my feeling is that any fish that can inspire that much enthusiasm and devotion has to be a good fish. Just search the forums for tiger barb and chat with the most prolific posters on the topic... good luck!

 

...the 60 page thread on the front page looks like a good place to start, and the latest post in that thread seems to involve corys as well.

 

Thanks @PsyXe, just finished reading the thread now and it's quitre inspiring. I've also been browsing the "Species Tank" section and the Threadfin Rainbowfish in http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?12295-What-Species-for-my-tank looks super. Maybe I was a bit hard on the Tetra's before as there are some stunning ones. I'm gonna browse around a bit longer before making a call, I also have to setup the tank and do the cycling thing, so fish are a long way off for now. Although I do want to have some idea first as it believe it might impact filter choice with low/high flow systems??

 

@tracyp, following on from your comment about plants:

Taxiphyllum Barbieri, looks great.
Microsorum Pteropus, this is the Java Fern right?
Vallisneria Spiralis, is listed as a noobie plant, so...

I've been reading that the flow for the java fern needs to be quite high, would this be the case for the others as well or...?

 

I love Threadfin Rainbows. Another good rainbowfish is the Spotted Blue-Eyes, just to make your life more difficult

 

@tracyp, I'm interested in your reply here, as I had never heard of Java ferns needing high current. It's my favourite plant at the moment because it resists my efforts to kill it.

 

It grows faster with a current in my experience.

 

i have also noticed that since i added current to my tank.

 

@RaD - yep, all good choices! The mosses are all real pretty, and the Microsorum comes in several "varieties" - I have collected four leaf variants to date and I know of several others. I'm afraid I have no experience of current affecting their growth - so can't comment there. I do know that they are rewarding plants. It takes a while to grow them into imposing specimens, but they really are beautiful when you get there. I love watching their fresh fronds unfurl.

Fish? well - I'm prejudiced! I'm really hooked on the rainbowfishes - I have a group of threadfins and will soon have neon dwarf blues too. Cory's are also a favourite and I also have a little group of Botia striata which are great fun to watch... I've never had Tiger Barbs as they have a rep as plant nippers - so they're not really my cup of tea, as I'm really a planted tank sort of fishkeeper!

 

@RaD Hi and welcome, I am hopefully the biggest Tiger barb fanatic on this forum and I would definitely go with Tiger barbs if you are interested in them.

That is why I went with a species only tank, they are much better in a huge group then where you would have 3 or 4 different species e.g. Tetras with only 6 of each.

They are really the most active, lively sweeetest fishes I have ever kept. Here is a link to my thread MY 650 Liter of pure Tiger Barb (The ) you can go and read up on them, I currently have 64 Tiger barbs in total, 40 Plain, 17 Albino Tiger barbs and 7 Green tiger barbs with 4 Zebra Loaches. A huge school of tiger barbs are the most awesome sight I will post a new video on youtube so you can see them in action. At feeding time they are at their best they are real little beggars :bigsmile:

In a 3 foot you can probably get a nice school of about 15-20 Tiger barbs, I would suggest to rather get your school up to 20 before you add any other fish like the corydoras or maybe zebra loaches.

Good luck with your setup enjoy it.

 

Welcome @RaD

Looking at your tank, I think that goes without saying

 

Thanks a mil bro, yeah I think I can officially brand myself the BIGGEST Tiger Barb Fanatic on TASA!!!

 

@RaD, Look at this statement. Once you have decided what plants you want give me a shout and I'll chat to you about the Tiger barbs in planted tanks. They are not too friendly with some plant species. But Ferns, Sword species, Crypts, Anubias, and Bacopa's will be fine with them and they are all low tec options with the exception of some Swords. Personally I like the Tiger barbs, but I'm at a stage in the hobby where my plants are what it's about.

Java Ferns do benefit from water flow, but it's not a factor when you decide to keep them. Most low tec plant options are slow growers so you will do good with maintenance and general upkeep money wise. Don't be too alarmed by all the hype about lighting, Co2, fertz etc. Once you get to know the differences between low tec setups and high tec, cost and upkeep you will be able to make more informed decisions on what you want. Your 6700k tube is perfect for plant growth.

Have a look at this thread. This is a link to easy growing plants. If you don't know what they look like just google them. Some very nice low tec plants on the list. Just be warned though some of the plants have changed to BL species, so if you find something you like just say the name and someone can tell you the current status of the plant.
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?3921-Plant-database-for-easy-growers

Good luck, you'll definitely enjoy planted tanks.

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

Can someone recommend a well priced quality LFS for me? I stay in Fourways area but that doesnt really matter. Online store would be even better but I haven't had much luck. PM me some suggestions plz.

At this point I am looking for a stand for the tank so I can actually fill it!
I'd ideally like some sort of pine chest of drawers as the tank will be sitting in the lounge and I don't want the wires etc visible. The cabinets you see in the FS are hellishly expensive though, so I may just settle on the square bar idea.

 

3ft tank is in my opinion the ideal size because a smaller than 3ft tank is more difficult to maintain: neglected little tanks have not enough water and go toxic easily...Also, a 3ft tank can be set up very attractively, and be a focal point in any room.

 

I would advise you to go for African cichlids, rocks, driftwood and hardy plants.