Like the title said I'm building a 55 gallon freshwater tank community, and I've decided to document the journey here. It's my goal to create something fun and to spark good conversations about the hobby.
So tell me your expirences, stories, cristiscism, everything.
I have purchased a used tank that will need some work and will document that as well, but to start here is my current stocking list. Please excuse the quality of the image. I'm open to switching some species out if there are any suggestions. I'm definently set on the Pearl Gouramis though.
Seems like you're focused on the top end of the ecosystem. How about plant life, microflora, and microfauna? I've had good success building up layer by layer for self-sustaining no-filter setups.
The plan is to heavily plant the tank with various species, but I haven't even begun to think about those species. Which is ironic since they will go in well before the fish.
What do you mean by microfauna? I can't think of any species much smaller than shrimp.
Tell me about one of your setups
Tropical fish diets in the wild typically include tiny invertebrates, worms, and algae. I like to start new tanks by adding some leaf litter from my yard. The aquarium light should be in enough to encourage some algae growth, and rotifers, copepods, daphnia, etc will quickly hatch from omnipresent microscopic eggs on those leaves. Adding a tiny bit of yeast powder (like for bread) will cause these organisms to quickly multiply, and after a couple weeks, they're everywhere. They keep the water super clear by eating excess algae and biofilms, helping keep sensitive shrimp healthy, and they serve as a constant food and activity source for fish assuming the tank isn't overstocked and has hiding spaces for the microfauna to safely reproduce. Many microfauna species are large enough to observe with the naked eye, so you'll know when they're thriving.
Since you plan to have shrimp, you may wish for them to reproduce. If so, look for carpeting plants or dense floating plants with many nooks and crannies for the juvenile shrimp to hide and graze in so they're not eaten by the larger fish before they reach maturity.
I'm actually hoping the bigger fish keep the population under control.
Otherwide I'm planning to heavily plant and add some wood pieces. Including a section of cholla wood. I used that years ago when I had a tank and the shrimp used to successfully hide