Lorien Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 My two boys have decided that they would like their own aquariums for gifts this year. (With my assistance and supervision, of course.) It has been 20 years since I kept freshwater fish. Please help! I am thinking we will limit the fish to 2 or 3 in each tank, and see how it goes. If they lose interest, I would like to be able to put all the fish in one tank. I know my oldest wants a figure 8 puffer, but a 10 gallon is kinda small and possibly brackish. Could I move it to my SW tank when it gets bigger? Would it then destroy anything there? They also like the glass catfish. The betta fish are going to go over well too. Any advice on a small stocking list that would include one or more of their picks? Thanks for any and all advice! This is going to be fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 The figure 8 puffer is brackish but can be converted to FW. You could convert them to full SW, but you shouldn't because they will eat everything except the macros and coral. Plenty of people keep these puffers in 10g tanks for a while. I've never personally seen one bigger than my thumb in captivity. Glass catfish are very docile. They'll get picked on if you put anything aggressive in there. They are well suited to community tanks and you should keep them in schools. Prone to ich. Betta are nice fish, but a little boring. I kept one in every FW tank in the store to showcase their ability to thrive in a community tank. They don't really move around much so a kid might find them a bit boring. One thing about them is that they typically live about seven years, but when they come into the petstore you can't tell how old they are. You may buy one that is five years old already and never know it. For stocking a FW tank community tank I would either stick to live bearers or egg layers. I don't like to mix things like tetras with swords, platys and mollies. Glass cats would work well with bettas, cory cats, any loaches, and any tetras. I would stay away from anything with shark in the name. They either get too big or fin nip. Stay away from anything with cichlid in the name. All cichlids are predators, regardless of what anyone tells you. I would also stay away from goldfish. A lot of people try and mix them, but it's a really bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 Wow, thank you so much! Very helpful. I think we may be able to get them all the fish they asked for and have a couple more on standby. YAY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 You could go with a few pea puffers instead of figure 8's. The pea puffers are completely freshwater and not brackish. They're still puffers though so it limits other stocking since they're prone to nipping. They would do fine with a few cory cats, definitely not the glass cats. Celestial pearl danios are a great small freshwater fish if you haven't looked at them. They go very well with red cherry or other freshwater shrimp. The glass cats should be fine with almost anything peaceful. You could easily do a small school of CPD's a few glass cats and some FW shrimp. If you get any pleco's make sure to get bushy nose or other small varieties that won't outgrow the tank. For other cat's panda cory's stay small and are a great addition to a community tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I would avoid puffers. I think there is a short list of what they won't kill. Also, I don't know that they will actually "puff", which may affect the kid's appeal. I must do something wrong. I've only had one danio that wasn't an evil addition to my tank. None of them ever ate anything, but they just constantly chased everyone around the tank and stressed them. Everyone else finds them docile and lovely, so I don't know. But if you live in opposite day like I do, they may be a problem. I have the panda Cory cats and really like them. They like to be in schools, though. I'd get at least three. I like ottos for algae control. They are small but eat constantly. I actually read someone recommending taking a cucumber slice to give them a snack on your way home, I've never had a problem mixing live bearers and egg layers. Despite convention, there seems to be no evidence that live bearers need small amounts of salt. So, that opens up more possibilities of tank mates. One last thing, especially or kids. Garaumis have been a major problem for us. Years ago we had them live for years, but lately if the live a month it's amazing, I think it's speculation, but I read it's due to inbreeding has basically poisoned the stock. But regardless of the reason, it's matched our experience. If you get one, try standard blue ones as opposed to the fancier colors. You may have a better chance. You may also want to look at thread fin rainbows. They are pretty, friendly, and stay small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I must do something wrong. I've only had one danio that wasn't an evil addition to my tank. None of them ever ate anything, but they just constantly chased everyone around the tank and stressed them. Everyone else finds them docile and lovely, so I don't know. But if you live in opposite day like I do, they may be a problem. Were they CPD's or one of the larger varieties. The CPD's which are also called galaxy rasboras, are extremely small. I couldn't imagine them chasing anything. I do agree with just about any other variety though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Danios are in the Millow family. They don't have a very long lifespan but they can be good additions to a tank. It's best to keep them in groups. When you get a lone minnow they tend to get bossy. Salt helps with live bearing. Don't confuse it with synthetic sea salt though. If I remember correctly, the salt helps with the diffusion of water within the fish as they lose mass during birth. Fancy Guppies will work with the glass cats and such. I've never had a problem with them over populating a tank and they're less aggressive than other live bearers. Freshwater angels aren't awful, but can be aggressive. I kept them in groups of three successfully. Singles can be kept but they tend to be dominant and grow large. Stay away from kilifish at all costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 Thanks yall! I read your notes with my 6 yr old. He has decided he wants glass cats, glass shrimp and bleeding heart tetras. Any concerns with this combo? How a should we aquascape so that we can see these mostly invisible creatures he loves? LOL! My 4 yr old likes the idea but could not be less interested in picking out fish. Mom has decided he is going to have a species tank with shell dwelling cichlids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 I think you want a dark substrate. Otherwise the shrimp and cats will be very difficult to see. Did you/your 6 yr old want a natural layout, or more artificial? Something like eco complete with mazanita or drift wood is a easy setup. You could do low light plants like java ferns and anubias if you want it natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 I'm pretty sure I have a nice piece of driftwood in my fish closet you can have, if you decide to go that way. The tanks sound fun! Lucky boys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Shascha, just to clear something up... Not all cichlids are "predatory". Many are pure vegetarians... I think what you are trying to say is they can be aggressive and pick on each other. This is for 2 reasons, 1 is for dominance or pecking order and the other is in nature they have a large area to feed algae from and in an aquarium, their space is smaller and their territorial behavior is more evident. The other fish have no where to go from the aggressor... In nature they would just move on and find another algae feeding patch in the lake. Being territorially aggressive is not the same as predatory... Think of Tangs for a SW tank, they too are algae grazers and will demonstrate their territorial behavior in our tanks because their roaming space is much more confined that they would have on the natural reef. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 just a note on bleeding hearts, i had a large school that had a male or two that were very agressive. a more passive option is the von rio tetra if you like the reds. just a little concerned that if you get a bad apple bleeding heart that it might bully the glass cats. just something to ponder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 I'm pretty sure I have a nice piece of driftwood in my fish closet you can have, if you decide to go that way. The tanks sound fun! Lucky boys! That would be great Kim! I told him about the bleeding hearts, he is very concerned about the glass cat happiness and would like to get fish that are their friends. Von Rio it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 Can somebody help speed up the cycle of these tanks? Maybe throw in some filter media I could pick up after the holidays? 30 days is forever to a couple of excited kids. Maybe I could buy a hang on back and leave it on someones established tank for the month of December? Any other methods I could use? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Well, I was gonna make a suggestion but it looks like you've gotten a huge list to dig through. I've got some sponge drippings I could give you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 If you do any canister filters I'd be happy to share some ceramic media to seed them. Don't have any room for HOB's unfortunately. Also, even at 6, probably tough at 4, but if you can't pre-seed your filters, it's still a great lesson to teach how a tank is actually filtered and that it's ok and necessary to wait a month before adding fish while the tank is building up beneficial bacteria to support a safe and stable environment. We went through it when my daughter was 5 and I was amazed that she was better than me at holding off stocking. It's tough but it definitely teaches respect for the animals you are keeping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 Yep, I suppose they will live. They were more patient than me for the SW I set up, but that was Mama's tank. You are right about teaching respect for their fish. I will definitely message yall when we get the tanks wet and get some seed gunk. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 Man, last weekend I tore down a tank and let the sponge filter dry out. I must do something wrong. I've only had one danio that wasn't an evil addition to my tank. None of them ever ate anything, but they just constantly chased everyone around the tank and stressed them. Everyone else finds them docile and lovely, so I don't know. But if you live in opposite day like I do, they may be a problem. Were they CPD's or one of the larger varieties. The CPD's which are also called galaxy rasboras, are extremely small. I couldn't imagine them chasing anything. I do agree with just about any other variety though. Fair point, I don't think it was GPD. I've tried a few varieties, usually in groups. So now I've just sworn off anything in the danio/minnow family . Anyway, it's a shame. I tore down a tank a week ago and let the sponge dry out. That would have given your tank a boost. Good luck with the tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 So the kid's tanks are cycled and we went to the dome today for fish. After finding and looking at their previous choices they decided no. The fish they saw pictures of were cool but turned out not to be very active. So we wandered around until they were both completely captured by the guppies. LOL! That was unexpected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Nothing wrong with the classic fancy guppy. I've kept fw tanks just about my whole life and I've literally never had a tank without guppies in it....reason being. My original batch I started back up nearly 10 years ago are the ancestors of my current guppies. Lineage goes way back lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I think we are going to add some to our tank. Never had them before and I'm not sure why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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