Good Community fish for a 15 Gallon Freshwater

[paperdog9]

So I'll probably get shrimp pellets, and did you say to feed them at night, or does it matter?

 

[Newman]

yah. just AFTER you turn the lights out for the night.

 

[paperdog9]

Ok, sounds great, thanks newman!!!

 

[Doomhed]

OH and also, I was wonering if my plants will ever take root. I think they are clippings, and I have been having problems anchoring them down. The perason at the pet store said that they will eventually, so I was wondering if that was true. Also, otos eat plants, right, so is it bad for the plants to keep otos with them, will the otos eat the plants faster than thy can grow?

they make little weights you can wrap around the plants and make them sink.

I would not get otto cats or cories until after you finish the fish-in cycle or you will lose all of them. ottos and cories dont like bad water conditions.

 

[littletankbigworld]

you cant be serious...you cant spare 5 seconds to drop 2-3 pellets into your tank for each night? -_-

Also cories will eat shrimp pellets, not so much the algae wafers, but certainly the carnivore catfish pellets

I agree. I just bought my catfish shrimp pellets. If you're worried about cost, a large can only costs $2.50, and it will last several months. I think 5 or 8 dollars a month is not bad for food.

 

[littletankbigworld]

Er...excuse me...I mean 5 or 8 dollars a year.

 

[littletankbigworld]

Plus, you want to wait a few months to get any scavengers/algae eaters, so that there is enough waste/bacteria for them to feed on.

 

[littletankbigworld]

Ya, I decided to just cycle using fish, because it is already looking good from here.

Be extremely careful with fish-in cycling. When i was a newbie who didn't know about cycling, I did an fish-in cycle and I had about 3 fish die each week. At first, things seemed okay, but then I woke up and half my fish were dead.

 

[aspiringangel]

Not to mention the fact that it's kind of cruel and totally irresponsible when you have the ability to do it without the fish. Especially since this is an advice thread, and the most important piece of advice you could maybe ever get in terms of the well-being and longevity of your fish - and in terms of being an experienced, well seasoned and caring fish keeper! - is to fishless cycle your tank.

Do you have any filter media in your current set up that you can move to the new tank to move the cycling process along?

Good luck with the stocking decisions, sounds like it'll be pretty cool once you get everything going.

 

[paperdog9]

Yes, I do have bio wheel and a filter cartridge. I'm only starting with my one Variatus platy for now, and I probebly won't add more fish for a few weeks, or even a month. That platy is pretty darned tough, so I have high hopes for him (he has survied with a mean bullhead for over a month. When part of his fin got nipped off, that was enough for me. I made a DIY divider to keep the poor soul alive.) Right now, he's looking good in the new tank, nipping algea off leaves and gravel. He didn't except food, but it is only the first day. It's funny because after keeping him in a 2.5 gallon section of a 5 gallon, he look really small in a fifteen. I know that cramping him in that little sectio sounds evil, but I didn't know better.

 

[paperdog9]

If the platy is to die, I'll probably try fishless cycling. But how exactly do you do it, I know you put in that bacteria, and the pure ammonia, but how much of each and when would I add them?

 

[aspiringangel]

You don't even need to put in the bacteria, it will come all by itself. Fishless Cycling article straight from the article section of this site. Move the platy back to the divided space, fishless cycle your tank, then put it back in. No sense losing the fish or stressing it unnecessarily.

 

[paperdog9]

Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I have a new queston. So it has only been like two weeks since I started my tank, and the white filter cartridge is already REALLY brown. I can't even get the brown off rinsing it. (like a stain). Is that normal for it to get brown that quickly, and should I buy a new filter cartridge? I'm only debationg that because I'm still cyling and am worried that a bacterial site that big being removed could be fatel. Also, My new plan is (at the end of the cycle) to have 7 Harlequin rasboras, 2 dwarf gouramis, 3 otos, and 2 (or one) platy. I dropped the corys only because my local pet stores don't have dwarfs Please reply!!

 

[JRB__]

Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I have a new queston. So it has only been like two weeks since I started my tank, and the white filter cartridge is already REALLY brown. I can't even get the brown off rinsing it. (like a stain).....

Yes you won't get it pure white again but that doesn't matter, as long as it isn't clogged up with physical waste.
How did you 'rinse' your filter cartridge?? did you use tap water?

 

[paperdog9]

I just rinsed it with tap water about the same temp as the tank water, and then gently rubbed the physical waste off, also hoping that it would get a little less brown.

 

[OrangeCones]

I just rinsed it with tap water about the same temp as the tank water, and then gently rubbed the physical waste off, also hoping that it would get a little less brown.

If the water was not dechlorinated, you have likely killed the beneficial bacteria on the filter media.

Always rinse the filter media in used tank water, the water you will throw out when doing a water change.

Watch carefully for a spike in ammonia/nitrite in the coming days.

 

[paperdog9]

Ok.. I'll keep that in mind. I have a new question though. So I have some java fern in my fifteen, and it has little daghter plants. The problem is that the daghter plant's leaves are turning clear at the top. Also the plant itself is developing some brown spots. Could this be because of lighting? I have two nine watt flourecent bulbs (it says they look like 40 watts eack, but are nine.)Also, I sent in the heater (which doesn't work) and they said they would send me a new one, but it is taking very long (already been a week.)

 

[paperdog9]

Oh ya, and about the filter, there was no ammonia/ nitrite spike(it might have been because of the bacteria stuff I put on it right after)

 

[paperdog9]

Ok, I think I am positive what I'm going to get now!!! So I'm going to find a home for my platy (already have a few in mind). then once the tank is fully cycled, I'm going to get 7 harlequin rasboras (about three every week maybe), then three otos the next week, 2 dwarf gouramis the next week, and finally 3 peppered corys on the last week. I'm hoping this sounds like a good plan to you guys. Also my filteration is kind of crappy, so I'm going to get a sponge filter to give my air pump a use!!!!! Man am I excited!!!

 

[paperdog9]

I meant 4 pepperd corys!! Sorry