# 30 gallon hex stocking



## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

Hey guys i posted this in the CA section but wanted to see what SA has to offer too! I hope no one minds about the double post...

I am trying to work with a difficult tank in order to enhance the look. I am going to put some black sand on the bottom with a tree stump root structure as the center piece. My plants are going to be java fern and some grasses, but i cannot settle on my fish selection. The tank is around 22'' high, 20'' wide at its widest point and between 30-35 gallons.

this is a picture of what the tank looks like. This is NOT my tank, just the general shape










this is a picture of the stump centerpiece










There is currently a female convict, full grown about 4'', and 3 rosy red barbs. The fish can be replaced though. I was thinking of clown loaches as a bottom feeder but I am puzzled about what else I am going to put in there. Iâ€™m not even confident that clown loaches would be alright with the footprint of the tank so I might not even get those. Any suggestions?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Hey *cichlidfeesh*,

Nice tank and tree root. I have a few suggestions for your tank. First add an amazon sword plant next to your tree root. For a bottom feeder you could go with a single Peckoltia sp. L134 Leopard Frog pleco. For cichlids you could go with a pair of Apsitogramma, there are many species so it's just a matter of researching a species you like. Or another possible cichlid could be a pair of German Blue rams. Add a school of neon tetras for lower and mid level activity, and a small school of marbled hatchetfish for the upper level.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I would avoid the Clown Loaches. They prefer to be in groups and do grow quite large. They are slow growers but with only a 30" tank I wouldn't expect them to be happy in there for long. I would consider some Cories or a smallish Pleco instead.

A Pair of Rams or Apistos would be very happy in such a tank. I wouldn't push the limits with more than one pair of either though...

I know very little about Angel fish, but I do know they are mid level swimmers that like tall tanks. You may want to see if they would be suitable for this tank (I believe they would).

I've kept Red Seprae Tetras with both Apistos and Rams long term with success. There are several Tetras of similar size that would work well, whichever appearance you prefer...

PS (Added) - The Convict really doesnâ€™t match the suggestions provided by myself or DeadFishFloating. I would consider rehoming it if possibleâ€¦ unless you wanted to keep a pair in this tank but that would limit your tank mates as a pair of Convicts are pretty aggressive.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

yes the convict is going to go, the problem with the tank is that it is my parents and when i go away for college in the fall it isn't under the best care.. So i was looking for some hardy fish that have good color. I definatly realize the concern about the clown loachs as i have seen some full grown ones at the store, so they are crossed off the list. Also i havent found a good LFS in the St. Pete area so my choice is also limited


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## apistomaster (Jun 22, 2006)

I wouldn't keep the convict and I wouldn't add clown loaches. Dwarf Sidthimunki loaches would be fine and are great snail eradicators. Rams are easy to get but I would recommend Apistogramma trifasciata, or A. borelli.
They would be very much at home and would live peacefully with the fish deadfishfloating suggested. Both are beautiful and peaceful species requiring little space.

I would be pleased to supply you with tank raised Leopard Frog Plecos. They have beautiful colors and come out more than other dwarf fancy plecos. They would love to explore your piece of drift wood.I would also recommend a single Bushy Nose Pleco for algae control. Maybe get an albino Bushy nose so it shows up well. The Leopard Frogs can do most of the bottom cleaning since they need high protein foods like carnivore tablets and frozen blood worms and you wouldn't need any Corydoras if you keep Leopard Frog plecos. Here are what they look like.


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

cichlidfeesh said:


> the problem with the tank is that it is my parents and when i go away for college in the fall it isn't under the best care.. So i was looking for some hardy fish that have good color.


That would rule out blue rams IMHO and maybe even apistos, which need very clean water (although I love borelli's). A single angel with some hardy tetras, like black phantoms or pristella might be a better option. i second the albino BN pleco idea.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

Currently i have 3 Neon tetra's, 3 rasbora, 2 yo-yo loaches, and 1 bushy nose pleco. I was wondering if i could put a couple angles in with these fish or if i should go with german rams?


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## apistomaster (Jun 22, 2006)

Under your circumstances, if I really felt I had to add fish prior to going away to school, I would add 2 or 3 more YoYo Loaches and anticipate the loss of the Neon.
The YoYo Loaches will provide plenty of action and entertainment and would subsist on a diet of whatever prepared fish food you have been using and forget about any Angelfish or Rams.
They School well and are always busy fish and that will usually keep the casual fish watchers happy. KISS is the operative principle here.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

I am feeling better about the condition of the tank now that i took out the UGF. I have a feeling that the loss of prior fish was due to the mounds of crud underneath the UGF plate. With a small bioload for this tank i think it will be fairly healthy from now on. The Yo-yo loaches are really fun to watch as you said, and they do look nice. I think i might pick up a few more since they were fairly inexpensive.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

Well I finished re-doing the tank, except for some rocks, and I think it went very well. I took out everything that was in the old tank and replaced it with all new stuff. My biggest accomplishment I feel is the taking out of the base plate for the UGF system. When I would do gravel vac's I would wonder why I wasnâ€™t sucking much debris out. Well I lifted the UGF plate and there it all was, mounds of crud. So I replaced most of the water, took the plate out (for good) and I am now happy with the result. I have informed my parents on necessary maintenance for the tank so hopefully we will have no future casualties. My current stock list is: 3 Rasbora, 3 Neon Tetra, 2 Yo-Yo loach's, 1 Rainbow shark, 1 BN pleco, 2 Angle fish. For all these fish I think the bill came out to 28 dollars. I think I might add some more tetras and a couple yo-yo loaches, but other then that it is pretty much done.

I forgot to take a picture of the tank before I did the transformation, but here is an old photo which can give you an idea of what I was working with










So after I redid everything this is what came out. The plants still need time to grow, and I'm going to add a few rocks but other then that I think itâ€™s done.


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

Oh, yes, much nicer!
 
Now for some unsolicited advise:
I do like the subdued lighting, but it _may not _be bright enough for the plants. 
Watch out that the sunlight from the window, it could cause you algae problems. 
A background could help shield the sunlight and hide the filter. I'd suggest you put a black one on the 3 back sides.
:thumb: 
Congrats on your new setup, it does look great!
alicem


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

Yeah i forgot to mention i have not put the black background on it yet, It is still laying next to the tank waiting to be taped up. :thumb:


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