Ugly aquarium grass, and what fish to put in a small aquarium

Ozdude wrote:

I personally avoid Neons because they bred en-mass using all sorts of
"boosters", in Asia usually. I prefer Cardinals any how (slightly more
expensive) and I don't know of anyone I know that has had them for more than
6 months before they go off to fishy-heaven.

Me, me, me! My cardinals usually live at least 2 years but I have had
big, fat 4 year old cardinals crusising a heavily planted tank. If you
buy small ones, so they're not adults at purchase, they should have the
same lifespan as healthy neons. They're wild-caught, and I have had
whole batches die in my tank within days of purchase but once you find
healthy ones, they should live for a long time. I think the key to
cardinals is warm water. I usually keep my cardinal tanks at 76-80F.

With Neons, make sure they look robust and healthy in the shop and ask the
LFS person these questions: 1) How long have they been quarantined? 2) How
long have they had them in the shop tank? 3) Do they have a good appetite?
4) Can you show me them eating? Also check the tank and notice if they look
generally healthy, perky and "full". It's not uncommon for Neons to last a
month or so after bringing them home - it's terrible what the trade is doing
to them. If you can find wild caught ones then all the better, but I don't
fancy your chances.

When I worked in a fish store, the big neons did fine on arrival. We
typically lost half of the tiny ones within a week. So pay the extra
and buy large neons for better results if you don't choose cardinals.
Neons do OK at lower water temperatures.

I won't guarantee you'll get robust Neons this way, but you'll get an
indication of the LFSs commitment to healthy stock. I say go with the better
looking Cardinal, or Black Neon (completely different species to the Neon)
in any case.

snippety snip...

Another question: Do I need to vacuum the gravel? As I mentioned
above, the gravel is fairly large, so most of the 'junk' seems to be
settling to the bottom. I've also got these snails and shrimp in there
which seem quite happy scooting along the bottom and I assume eating as
they go. Most of the vacuum setups I've seen require a running tap,
which means I would have to move the aquarium to do it. I'm a bit
afraid of doing that without making a mess, or at least stirring up the
tank pretty thoroughly. Also, since I've got these plants covering a
fair portion of the bottom, there aren't too many places I *could*
vacuum around and between them.


I am not sure about this. In my new tank I am not vacuuming near the
plants - just a couple of selected spots where the plants are. I think by
the sounds of it your tank doesn't need it, but I could be wrong. If your
Nitrates/Nitrites/Ammonia are high and your tank is cycled and well planted,
you may want to look at cleaning the gravel once in a while, but more
importantly your filter should be cleaned regularly.


Yes, you must vacuum your gravel. Particularly with pea gravel, bits of
food and debris settle into crevasses between the pieces of gravel where
fish and snails can't get to it. With a 3 gallon tank the small volume
of water can go downhill very fast if debris builds up in the gravel.
Trust me on this - I've learned the hard way with a 2 gal tank. You
don't need a running tap. Find one of those siphons with a fat tube for
the gravel and a thinner hose attached to it. Python makes a very tiny
one that's perfect for your size tank. Be gentle right around the
plants so you don't disturb the roots too much and all will be fine.
Move any decorations and vacuum underneath too - you'll find a lot of
gunk collects there.

Good luck with your tiny tank.

--
o __ __ o
o __' Elaine T '__ o o