The_Little_One Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Howdy folks. I'm new to the forum and the whole fish-keeping scene. I recently came into possession of a 75 gallon aquarium with all the goods (ie: grow-lights, filter, heater, etc). My plan is to create a diverse and active biosphere that hosts a number of different species without getting overstocked. At present I've got these guys all living with each other in peace. Once in a while the knife fish and crayfish joust for a dark place, but the tank has multiple locations for them to hide. 7 leopard danios 4 otoclinus 3 ameca splendens (not my favorite - came with the tank) 1 ghost knife fish 1 dwarf crayfish 1 betta 6 zebra nerite snails 3 zebra thorn snails I'd like to get a few more danios (12 total), and possibly some red cherry shrimp. Does anyone see any major problems? I am aware that the shrimp could become snacks for the other fish, but I think there will be enough places for them to hide in the aquascape I'm creating. I'm holding off on the shrimp for a couple more weeks. I'm also really wanting to figure out freshwater plants. I'd like to get some kind of tall or floating plants that do well with strong light - suggestions? I'd love any insights you can offer. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quetzalcoatl Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 I see the knife fish growing and eating all of your smaller fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quetzalcoatl Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 About the plans vallisneria giantea and water lettuce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Little_One Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Awesome - I've been wondering about the vals... I've got a couple small ones in the tank but they don't look too good right now. Do you know of any places that sell water lettuce? It looks like a great fit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanmer Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 My favorite floating plant is Frogbit. It reproduces quite well and I find that my cichlids love the extra when it grows too much. I also use it in my smaller tanks and betta bowls to prevent jumping out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Little_One Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Ahhh very interesting. I like the look of it - where can you purchase it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Keep the money in your pocket for the shrimp. They will end up being snacks for the larger fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quetzalcoatl Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 (edited) I originally purchased my plants at pisces pet, and they reproduce like mad. I have lots of it. I will give them to you in trade for your gosht knife and your 3 ameca Edited February 29, 2012 by Quetzalcoatl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Little_One Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Update: 12 leopard danios 4 otoclinus 1 ghost knife 1 crayfish (red lobster) 1 betta 1 african dwarf clawed frog 6 zebra nerite snails 2 zebra thorn snails 1(2) hitchhiking ramshorn snails? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonNeko Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 (edited) Is it an African Clawed Frog or an African Dwarf Frog? If it's a Clawed frog then it'll likely eat some of the smaller fish when it get's bigger. If it's a Dwarf Frog, then it might have trouble getting to the surface for air, since they aren't the best swimmers and often have trouble competing for food in a tank with lot's of fish. The crayfish may also eat some of the fish, but fast swimming fish should be fine. Also, if you have one ramshorn snail, it'll be 100+ in no time. There are ways to deal with them though, like Assassin snails or giving them to someone with loaches or other snail eating fish. If you really want to try putting shrimp in someday, you could always start with a few ghost shrimp and see how the fish react. At least that way if the fish devour them, you're not out a lot of money. Plus the fish get a tasty snack! Edited February 29, 2012 by DragonNeko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Little_One Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 My thoughts exactly. I've read that ghost shrimp eat algae and occasional scraps - so I figured they'd always be a safe bet to try out first seeing as they're hardy and cheap to boot. It is a dwarf frog - my bad. I see the other type(s) would get much much larger. He seems to be doing well so far, and there's a couple patches of hornwort that offer him access to the surface for prolonged periods if need be. Eventually I'd like to get a dwarf puffer or two to balance out the ramshorn snails. I think it's all coming along quite well so far. Thanks for the questions and suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmi7 Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 My thoughts exactly. I've read that ghost shrimp eat algae and occasional scraps - so I figured they'd always be a safe bet to try out first seeing as they're hardy and cheap to boot. It is a dwarf frog - my bad. I see the other type(s) would get much much larger. He seems to be doing well so far, and there's a couple patches of hornwort that offer him access to the surface for prolonged periods if need be. Eventually I'd like to get a dwarf puffer or two to balance out the ramshorn snails. I think it's all coming along quite well so far. Thanks for the questions and suggestions. The puffer will eat any shrimp in there I am told. That why I went assassin snail route Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonNeko Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 With the hornwort there to help it then he may be fine. Getting a turkey baster or long tweezers to spot feed it would help too. I use tweezers to take a pinch of bloodworms and put it in front of my little Tybalt (yes I gave my frog a name from Shakespeare lol). That way you can see them eat and don't have to worry. Plus it's fun to do! I agree with kimmi that Assassin snails work really well. I have to get more MTS (malaysian trumpet snails) to keep my sand from clumping. Those little assassins made a good meal of what I have lol Nerite's work really well for algae control. I have a Zebra Nerite in my 55g and it's big enough that the assassins leave them alone. I remember when I took over an old roomates tank, it was covered in algae...really bad. I added 2-4 Horned Nerites and the algae was gone pretty quick...well I helped with scraping some off with a toothbrush (they work better than the scrubbers you can buy). Plus they don't breed in freshwater, and the assassins breed really slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Little_One Posted March 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Sadly I awoke this morning to seeing my little dwarf frog had passed at some point during the night. No more frogs will be entering this aquarium for now. The hornwort just sorta blows around inside the tank - should I be anchoring it to anything up top? My snails have been working like a boss. Very pleased with them - and they're much faster than I thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie1978 Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 So sad about the frog. If you do decide to get another one you can get several platforms that attach to the tank it's self (hooks or suction cups) to create levels within you aquasphere. They can look quite lovely if do it up with some small plants/deco. Hornwort doesn't like to stay grounded, possibly you could weigh some of it down with some smooth river stones (always boil first). I'm a big fan of Javaferns. Fishes can snack on the plants without much damage to them and they grow spinnerets off so they do replenish quickly. They have a good root system to stay under your substrate. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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