15 Gallon Set UP

[Mjnorcal922]

Well as many of you know i lost shark bait yesterday....
I was just wondering about my 15 gallon set up i know i gotta get a 55 with the pleco but i was wondering what other fish i can add into my 15 for now and when i do get the 55 ill transfer them all after the tank cycles. im going to save up 50 bucks -20 for the walmart test kit and 30 for other fish/food
idk what im going to do with the small cichlid pellets i have but i dont think i should get another oscar. Anyways could you guys list some set ups for my 15 gallon with fish that go well with alage eaters/pleco's??
Thanks,
Mike

P.S: Also if i can id like to get a semi-aggressive fish
Along with that i wanted to add that i have a 15 gallon tank but my filter is built for a 30 gallon tank....i dont know if this will make a difference or not but yeah the filter i have is the AquaClear PowerFilter 150/30

 

[aakaakaak]

Right now, until your tank is cycled, the only thing you should be worrying about buying is a liquid test kit. Your pleco will be giving off plenty of bio-material in order to get the cycle completed.

 

[Mjnorcal922]

Right now, until your tank is cycled, the only thing you should be worrying about buying is a liquid test kit. Your pleco will be giving off plenty of bio-material in order to get the cycle completed.

ok until i get the test kit how many water changes? daily?

 

[aakaakaak]

If you're doing them daily I'd probably only change 20-30% personally. Maybe up to 40% since lippy is a sh** machine.

 

[jamiejay09]

Dont add any fish the the 15g. Focus on getting the liquid test kit. perform regular water changes about 25% every few days, using a dechlorinator. Cycle the 55g when you have it for about 6 weeks, depending on whether your using old filter media from an original filter, but the tank will still need to be cycled for around 4 weeks this will give the tank time to build up the neccesary bacteria to support healthy life.

 

[Mjnorcal922]

ok thanks so much im going to start saving for thr 55g too

 

[phin]

Try and set up the filter for the 55g on the 15 once the 15g is cycled. The media in the filter for the 55g will have established bacteria within a week and you will have an instantly cycled 55g.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

WOW.....Sorry to hear about your loss.

As all have already stated, don't get any more fish until this tank is cycled. Save your money and get the test kit. When you have all your money saved, the test kit in hand with the 55 and no other fish, set up your 55 add water and your current filter with all the "stuff" inside. Add the pleco and poof, instant cycle. Monitor the water for a few days to be safe, remember you are looking for 0-0 and under 20 (Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates) then you can add more fish slowly, depending on the spices and bio load. At this time add the new filter for the 55, If I can recommend a brand I like Aqua Clear and Marineland. That filter will need to be in the tank for about 6-8 weeks before you remove the smaller filter if you plan on it. One thing you need in this hobby is patience. I don't have any, so this is hard for me! LOL

 

[Newman]

dont discourage him for planningout his fish choice guys lol
this is the perfect time to plan things out, its a time when youre not adding anything to the tank and you can go over countless setups and possibilities/fish combos.

 

[brian1973]

dont discourage him for planningout his fish choice guys lol
this is the perfect time to plan things out, its a time when youre not adding anything to the tank and you can go over countless setups and possibilities/fish combos.

+1 for Newman

As for stocking I would probably go with 5 or 6 neon tetras and possibly a dwarf gourami as the center piece fish. There are numerous possibilities but I havent had a smaller tropical tank in a very long time.

@dylandrewsdad .. quick question, if the beneficial bacteria replicate within 1 to 8hrs why would he need to run the smaller filter in the 55 for 6 to 8 weeks?

I too am very impatient so I have always used some sort of media from an established tank and have never had it take more than a week to completely cycle. In my wifes 55G I ran the filter on my established 90G tank for 2 days before setting up and stocking it, I had no spikes of any kind with this method. Of course this is what has worked for me, which doesn't mean it will work for everyone.

Since it was a bit hijacked on this I will tell you what I would do on the 55G setup. Once the 15G is fully cycled, install the used 15G cartridge into the new filter, place it in back of the new filters media. Add a few fish and watch your readings.

 

[Newman]

Here's what I would do with a 15 gal:

8-9 pygmy cories
7-10 Smaller tetra/rasbora species
1 small gourami species or something similar.

 

[Mjnorcal922]

ok well im supposed to be getting a call about an interview 4 a job tmw so im hopeing i get this job then ill be getting my 55 gallon tank very soon but yes i am impacient too and im going to get my setup b4 i add anything

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

@Brian-Because it takes time to for the bacteria to colonize on the new filter. The bacteria will multiply based on the bio load in the tank. I use this method with all my tanks, I once added a new filter to a tank and removed the old one after 3 days and had a rather large "mini" cycle.