# My little 70 ltr



## Genetic (Jul 16, 2006)

Hi ya
Im pretty new to fish keeping but really starting to love the experience.
My tank is around 2 months old now , im doing 12 ltr water swaps every 4 days, i would leave it a bit longer but the bog wood is still tea baging the water even after some proper cleaning and soaking before i started (2 of the pieces are 20 years old ) the 3rd piece is new and thats the one thats staining the water.
my levels seem to be ok ish , Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20, and ph 10 , tested by a friend.
water temp is 76/77 and my filter is a elite stingray 15.
plants are Eustralis stellata , hemiographis colorata , micranthemum micranthemoides and two others im not sure of the names.
fish are 1 male bristlenose pleco, 5 green tiger barbs, 5 guppys (3 female are gravid) lol, and 3 mollys.

any suggestions/advice ?

crappy photos, cant seem to get the right setting.




















Paul.


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## SwampK (Aug 7, 2012)

nice looking tank, and welcome to the world of tropical fish! : victory:
Do the tiger barbs bother the guppies at all? it's a combination that would have many keepers gasping in horror!


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## Genetic (Jul 16, 2006)

the barbs leave them alone completely, at first i had 2 but got a bit worried when they started chasing the other fish around, got a little advice and ended up with 3 more, they stay in their group combating each other for the dominent roll, actually this last week one has changed shape a bit, dropped belly and just looks a bit bigger, it was darting round the tank with another for about a week , pretty much together all the time, now it seperates its self from the group and stays low in the tank, only joining the rest when they feed. im wondering if its pregnant.

Paul.


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

you will likely find your baby guppies will be eaten fairly sharpish by your barbs - personally i would not keep these species together but others may.... barbs can be agressive and guppies would make a nice snack for them. 

Also remember that guppies and barbs come from different parts of the world, needing different types of water, so while you may cater to one lot of fish, the other lot will suffer. Though appearing active and healthy they can suffer dulled colours, poor digestion, increased risk of disease and shortened life span.

I would also not have my Ph at 10.... but again others may disagree with me.


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## Genetic (Jul 16, 2006)

i understand that the barbs can and most probably will eat the guppy fry, i do have a small 14 ltr tank that can be used for the pregnant guppys if needed.

Im new to the world of fish keeping so can only take on advice and make decisions as i go along , as it goes everything seems to be getting along real nice, the guppys are vibrant in colour , feed and poop well , thats the same for the other fish too, any invisible factors that may be their ? if things change then i can act.

Im still learning whats best (water wise). what PH would you suggest ?.

Thanks for your advice frostpaw


Paul.


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## benh (Sep 12, 2011)

Are you sure you read the ph correctly? 10 is really high. It will fluctuate a bit, but 10 is exceptionally high.

It would seriously damage your fish. Ammonia becomes way more toxic, the higher your ph.


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## Genetic (Jul 16, 2006)

benh said:


> Are you sure you read the ph correctly? 10 is really high. It will fluctuate a bit, but 10 is exceptionally high.
> 
> It would seriously damage your fish. Ammonia becomes way more toxic, the higher your ph.


well i do remember 8 on the night but my buddy said 10. so 8-10 :lol2:

thats got me worried now, will have to get a kit tomorrow and test it again.


Paul.


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

I doubt it's 10. Your fish would be dead or dying. That's too alkaline for all of the species you have. Aim for a pH around 7 to 7.5.

In an ideal world your guppies would be in alkaline water around pH 7.5. The barbs as they're captive bred will be fine inbetween pH 6.5 and pH 7.5. There are actualy _*at least*_ five seperate species sold as tiger barbs in the trade and their natural water sources vary between pH 6 and pH 8. But hardly anyone will know the exact species of what they have! 

Tiger barbs are nippy. They tend to attack fish with long flowing fins, such as male guppies. Unfortunately this can lead to them dying through a combination of stress and disease caused by infection. You may want to rethink your stocking.


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## Genetic (Jul 16, 2006)

Mynki said:


> I doubt it's 10. Your fish would be dead or dying. That's too alkaline for all of the species you have. Aim for a pH around 7 to 7.5.
> 
> In an ideal world your guppies would be in alkaline water around pH 7.5. The barbs as they're captive bred will be fine inbetween pH 6.5 and pH 7.5. There are actualy _*at least*_ five seperate species sold as tiger barbs in the trade and their natural water sources vary between pH 6 and pH 8. But hardly anyone will know the exact species of what they have!
> 
> Tiger barbs are nippy. They tend to attack fish with long flowing fins, such as male guppies. Unfortunately this can lead to them dying through a combination of stress and disease caused by infection. You may want to rethink your stocking.


Thanks for the heads up and info Mynki, what would you suggest to be a good swap for the guppys ?

Paul.


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

id go for more barb species personally , cherry , spanner , ruby etc


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

agreed with the above: other barbs

albino tigers
ruby
rosy
green
golden


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## Genetic (Jul 16, 2006)

Ok thanks guys :2thumb: , i was looking at the cherry barbs, i may get some of those , a group of 5

My PH is 7 by the way : victory: 


Paul.


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

cherrys are AWESOME! ive had several shoals in the past and the males are SO pretty!


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

Just to let you know, the green and white plant at the back on the right isn't aquatic and will rot and ruin your water. Same with the green-red one on the left. 
: victory:


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