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had tanks for a few years now, but have a couple questions...my current stock list for the ten gallon i have is 1 male sunset red dwarf gourami, 5 ember tetras, and 1 south american bumblebee catfish. now before everyone says i am over stocked and shouldnt add anymore, i am not adding anything else...for now anyway.

the dwarf gourami is several years old and is starting to show his age...i dont think he is going to live too much longer...doesnt appear sick, just old,lol...not active anymore, no bubblenests,ect.

what i was thinking when he does pass was to add more ember tetras...they are playfull and cute, and i had more stocked to begin with, but i found them to be fragile and lost some of them in the acclimation(i cant spell) process after first buying them, so i ended up with 5.

what i was wondering, was how many? should i only add a couple and look for another centerpiece fish like a DG that stays under 2 inches?

a little more info about the fish...the ember tetras stay very small, only 1 inch, and they dont poop alot or eat much, very small bio load...the south american bumblebee cat scavenges most of the time and only needs fed every few days, i have not noticed him to be messy in the slightest...he is a little over 2" long but slender, and seems quite content with the tank as it has lots of nooks and crannys to hide in, but lots of open space for his night time romps around the tank.

my one problem is, i tried to plant the tank a while ago, but dont have a green thumb at all...I ended up killing every plant i tried, no matter how hardy it was...so i went back to plastics...however...some junk snails hitched a ride on the plants...so now i have them in my tank...the bumble cat and my weekly vacuumings keep the population mostly under control, but the bioload is still there i am assuming...do those things produce enough waste i should start over from scratch to get rid of them?

if i can scrape the money together should i try to find a 30+ gallon long tank and get rid of my 27 gallon tall tank and consolidate the stockings together?(the tall tank has such poor surface gas exchange you cant over stock it).

anyway, water peramiters are very stable...no nitrogen/nitrate spikes, no measurable ammonia ect in either tanks...ph is a little high from the water i use, but still in the parameters of what my current stock list is comfertable with.

water changes are 25% twice a week in the 10 gallon with ammonia absorbing resin and charcoal replaced in the filter once a week. filtration on the ten gallon is a bravo 200 over the back filter and a small powerjet/filter besides. pictures of the tank are in my bio.

so, suggestions welcome, and help with stocking ideas or know if the junk snails in my tank pose enough of a problem to completely move the fish and clean out the substrate in the tank and start over please let me know!

As a plant, you can go for an Anubias attached to a piece of Drift Wood. They are hardy plants & they don't need alot of light.

Ads with fish, you can add a few Otos or a different type of Tetras that stay small.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

you wouldnt happen to know if those small "junk" snails are creating a large bioload would you?

hornwort is great for control of fish waste biproducts

1-Ancistrus triradiatus 4-Gymnocorymbus ternetzi 2-Danio frankei
2-Danio rerio 2-Danio Starfire 2-Chromobotia macracanthus 2-Erpetoichthys calabaricus 4-Ampullariidae 1-Mastacembelus erythrotaenia

Ten Gallons....

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2000.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=0&id=24

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2000.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=0&id=43

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2000.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=0&id=46

Just a few suggestions!

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

wow! those are beautiful tanks! methinks i wouldnt be able to keep a single one of those plants alive though...

anyway...my origional questions still havent been answered...how many more ember tetras? just a few and another smaller centerpiece fish like a DG? or like 5+ and no centerpiece? ottos are out cause the water in my area is just too hard for them, and i dont think they would acclimate to it...they might survive but they wouldnt be happy.

for the other question...are junk snails a big bioload? the tank doesnt seem stressed with the amount of filtration,water changes, ect...but would their numbers that i have to struggle to keep in check affect the water quality down the road?

P.S. if i was going to do real plants, which i have invested alot of money in my failed attempts to keep, i would have to fix the snail problem. i just dont have the money to keep buying plants since i obviously have no clue how to take care of them...even after coaching from people on this forums i still kill them rapidly.

Hi Reun

I'm for upping the ember tetra school - I recently added a school of 10 to my 10g shrimp tank and I love them (only lost one so far, but it wasn't looking good when I received it). However in saying that, your final stocking, possible centrepiece fish and final size of the tetra school will depend on whether you decide to revamp the 10g or go for a larger tank.

On the purchase of larger tank - you'll hear no arguments from me on that count... more and larger tanks are always good IMO . If you decide to go that route you will need to assess what you have in both tanks and whether they are all suitable to share a single tank. (I'd be concerned about the embers becoming an expensive meal for any larger or more aggressive fish)

As far as your snail issues go - the easiest method I have found to control a pest snail population without chemicals, a complete tank stripdown or danger to your prized tank residents is what I call the "cucumber capture".

It's really simple... just before lights out place a piece of cucumber in the tank (weigh it down with an elastic band and a river pebble or whatever you have handy as long as it stays down). As soon as the lights go on the next day simply remove and dispose of the cucumber and all the pesky snails that have come out to munch on it. You may need to use a net or a cup to scoop it out so you don't have too many snails fall off as you take it out of the tank.

Repeat this once a week for a month or so and you'll soon notice a drastic reduction in the pesky little pest snail population. Just remember not to leave the cucumber in much longer than overnight or the snails will work out that there is an abundance of food and you'll find yourself with a population explosion.

I hope that helps to answer some of your queries.

Have fun

G_T

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

well, in that case i wont look for another centerpiece fish when the DG does pass, instead will just add 5 more embers. i will try the cucumber method to help keep the numbers down to help control the situation without stripping the tank completely. while i could stick them in the 27 gallon while revamping the 10, i would run into the issue of that i would have to completely strip all the decor out of the 27, i have noticed the little embers are small and lightning quick, and a tank with that much "stuff" and that deep makes catching even slow and large fish a chore.

at some point when finances permit i do want a 30-36 gallon long tank...i already have the filtration and heaters required for it, at this point what i am missing is the money for the tank and stand,lol.

the current stock in the 27 gallon wont conflict with the embers at all...27 gallons stocking is a bolivion ram(shy and old, prolly will have passed by the time i have funds for a new tank), lemon tetras,corys,and cherry barbs...small fish and not very aggresive...if i ever get the money im thinking that the 36ish long would be a great move for all my reisidents.

well, i gave it some thought and have decided to purchase a larger tank and consolidate the two tanks i have.

thanks for the help everyone, and i will be starting from scratch...so, no more snail problem

Remember not to add anything from the 10 gal. snail infested tank to the new tank. no matter how much you check, there will always be a snail or snail eggs.......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com