14 g New Tank

ravichr

ravichr

Medium Fish
#1
Apr 18, 2005
50
0
0
Mansfield, CT
#1
I'm planning to buy a 14 g (I know its small - but living in an apartment and no room to have bigger tanks). I'm planning to

-replace the water filter that comes with it.
-replace the heater that comes with it.
-Use Spring Water (There is a spring 2 miles from my home)
-Use sand and gravel mixture
-Use live plants

I looked for bio-spira and not getting in my area/LFS. So planning to gradually populate the tank.

Any ideas for what kind of fish I can have in the tank? What should I start with and what fish can I add on later.


Thanks.
 

TabMorte

TabMorte

Superstar Fish
#2
Jan 17, 2008
1,470
0
0
#2
Welcome to the world of little fish tanks! THey're sweet in their own way.

What I would recommend is setting up your tank and getting your plants in order while it cycles and honestly, not adding fish until then, especially given you don't have access to any precycled media to help it along if this is your only tank.

That way you can plan out the tank you really want not the tank full of 'what ever will survive'.

I know, not the most fun (my daughter asks me every day when she can have her frogs for the tank we're cycling fishless), but unless you can get the biospira it's probably the way to go (and don't let the pet store tell you a product called Cycle does the same thing, it doesn't particularly if it's left at room temperature).

After your tank is cycled then what you get is up to you... what sort of tank are you intrested in? There are plenty of fish that will be happy in 14 Gallons. You could go with some of the more exotic tetras and some cory catfish to keep the bottom clean and then pick something colourful like a Betta (Siamese fighting fish) or Dwarf Gourami as your showpeice fish but that's only one example of the diverse little tank you could have.
 

ravichr

ravichr

Medium Fish
#3
Apr 18, 2005
50
0
0
Mansfield, CT
#3
I have taken extra care to keep my fish happy. Hopefully they will be happy. I brought a Suntail Platy (Male) and a Blue Platy(Female). Just added them this morning after a few minutes of adding Bio-Spira. The Blue Platy is very inquisitive and is nibbling all the plants and pebbles.

The Suntail Platy is spending some time at the top - should I be concerned about it?

Can I get a Dwarf Cichlid in my tank? Just curious. I will probably end up getting a Dwarf Gourami.

Overall, can I have about 2 Platys, 6 Neon Tetras and a Dwarf Gourami in my tank.

Here are my tank stats:

AG 14g - Moderately Planted.
Temp - 76-78 F
Currently housing a Suntail Platy and a Blue Platy.
 

pwrmacG4

pwrmacG4

Superstar Fish
#4
Jan 16, 2008
1,086
0
0
My LFS!
#4
I read in a previous thread that using spring water isn't a good idea. There could be parasites and harmful bacteria in it.. Your best bet is to use treated tap water. But like I said I read this in a previous thread here.
 

ravichr

ravichr

Medium Fish
#6
Apr 18, 2005
50
0
0
Mansfield, CT
#6
DwarfGourami said:
I read in a previous thread that using spring water isn't a good idea. There could be parasites and harmful bacteria in it.. Your best bet is to use treated tap water. But like I said I read this in a previous thread here.
Click to expand...
I did use Spring Water but spend money and brought Poland Spring (hopefully it is purified Spring water:) I tested the water before adding teh fish. The pH was a little low - so added some buffer to bring it up to neutral.
 

tom91970

tom91970

Superstar Fish
#9
Jan 2, 2007
1,305
5
38
Tejas
www.myspace.com
#9
Welcome to MFT!

I would be interested in seeing a pic of the tank as soon as you get it all together. I have a planted 14g tank with sand and some gravel on top. I replaced the stock heater after buying the tank and replaced the stock filter last week. Sounds like we're thinking alike here!

Your stocking ideas sound fine to me. You can check out the link to my 14 in my sig.
 

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