# Round 2 with a Fluval Edge



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Recently, I have been getting the itch to dig my Fluval Edge out of storage. I had the day off from work because of weather so I began the process. After about 20 minutes I finally got it out. I can't say that it's not wrse for wear. My nearly brand-new Edge has a big crack in the plastic (non-structural) and is somehow missing the lightbulbs. I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet but as andakin had said it is just going to waste in storage. SO I now begin the process. Any advice/suggestions are welcome.

What I need to decide:
1. Planted Tank?
2. Substrate?
3. Décor/Theme?
4. Stocking? <---no betta, I just wouldn't trust that they could find the air hole

Yup, so basically everything  I'll try and get pics of it up ronight in case you haven't seen an Edge!


----------



## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

*Possibble fish/invert options*

What is you pH, GH, and KH? API has liquid test kits to check all these.
Note: do not mix any of the species I'm listing below. They do better as species only tank (as the name implies, only one species of fish (or invert) in the tank.. exception being cherry shrimp.. you can keep multiple dwarf shrimps but some will breed with eachother which is shunned on).

*Ghost shrimp








Cherry shrimp*








Depending on where they are you can try a shrimp! Cherry shrimp are the cheapest colorful ones, but you can get ghost shrimp for under $0.50 each, but are probably the most durable for first time shrimpers. But there is a huge world of dwarf freshwater shrimp, some have very specific water parameter demands, but if you're water is naturally at their needs then they are easy to keep (plenty of people use RODI water then re-mineralize for the shrimp's needs.. but that gets expensive and seems a bit much work.. imo anyways.
If you do try shrimp a planted tank is strongly recommended, they are very sensitive (won't tolerate ANY ammonia or nitrite, and nitrates need to stay low). They eat micro organisms in the tank but need food supplements (shrimp food or very tiny portions of blanches veggies).. mosses are a great plant for shrimp tanks as they tend to catch/grow these micro organisms, also give a good place for the shrimp to hide if they feel insecure. They can be kept in fairly large groups, but its cheaper to start out with a small number and give them good water quality so they breed to increase population.


*Dwarf/pea Puffer*
















Dwarf aka pea puffer (awesome little fish, husband has one but I take care of the tank).. could wrote a huge post on these guys, very territorial micro predator, one would *love *an edge all to themselves. Again MUST be cycled tank, no ammonia or nitrite, nitrates must stay low. Densely planted is strongly recommended. They prefer live food but some owners can train them onto frozen (the one here only eats live). They eat ANY of the 'pest' snails (pond/bladder, ramshorn, Malaysian trumpet snails (trap door style snails are not safe from them)) and will peck apart any large breed snails (don't put your fav nerite, mystery, or apple snail with this fish). I keep a live black worm culture (aquatic worm) for the one here and harvest snails from my other planted tanks for him. I tried giving it cherry shrimp as a live food after a fail attempt keeping cherry shrimp (1/5 survived).. puffer did not eat them ad not the shrimp are breeding like mad... figures (most of the time they will pick shrimp apart and eat them.. the one my husband has is an idiot though haha). Very inquisitive tiny adorable fish, they are smart and will learn you're the food giver and start begging for food. They're fun to watch hunt snails and other small live foods in the tank. Shier big eyes can move independently of eachotehr like a chameleon. 



*Scarlet Badis*








If you're not interested in shrimp, depending on you pH and hardness you can try Scarlet badis (dario dario), this is a colorful micro predator but its also very sensitive (no ammonia or nitrite, and nitrate needs to stay low), its also an extremely picky eater, usually only eating live foods, but some owners train them onto frozen foods. Like bettas the males are more colorful and often the ones that are sol (females are hard to find but in larger tanks you can keep a harem.. like bettas its not a good idea keeping multiple males in a tank (not for your size anyways.. 20g you could.). This fish needs a densely planted tank to feel secure.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

*Thanks!*



Aqua Aurora said:


> What is you pH, GH, and KH? API has liquid test kits to check all these.
> Note: do not mix any of the species I'm listing below. They do better as species only tank (as the name implies, only one species of fish (or invert) in the tank.. exception being cherry shrimp.. you can keep multiple dwarf shrimps but some will breed with eachother which is shunned on).
> 
> *Ghost shrimp*
> ...


Thanks! I will be adding RCS to my shrimp tank (Fluval Ebi) once I make the necessary repairs to the tank. I have some ghost shrimp in with my guppies so I'm thinking I wanna try something different with this. I LOVE the idea of a dwarf puffer but I am limited on space and wuld have nowhere to culture live foods+that kind of freaks me out LOL Scarlet Badis are gorgeous!!! I'm going to do a bit of research on these guys 

Just for anyone else, I have EXTREMELY HARD well water lol my pH is like 8.0-ish and I am constantly scrubbing calcium or lime r whatever off my tanks. With only one fish I don't think I'd have an issue with ammonia, this tank cycled super fast last time I ran it because I plant it so densely. Also, I do have an API master test kit


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

What is GH and KH?


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

*Pictures*

Here's some pictures of the Edge set u and the whopping whole I put in it


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Does anyone have experience with desert gobies?


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

I'm excited to see your Edge in action! You might be limited to only housing micro-fish, shrimps, or a betta. My personal opinion would be to use it as a planted betta or shrimp tank and wait to get a larger tank to do a proper community. Substrate and lighting can be expensive if you want the 'good' stuff for a planted tank.

In addition to what has been suggested, other popular neat small fish are Peacock Gudgeons, Galaxy Rasboras, Daisy's Ricefish, and other small Killifish and Rainbowfish. The availability on these might suck though.





Veerie said:


> 4. Stocking? <---no betta, I just wouldn't trust that they could find the air hole


I have never used a Edge and have no idea how it works. What would prevent a betta from breathing? Also, to solve whatever the issue might be, could you lower the water level slightly?


----------



## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Veerie said:


> Thanks! I will be adding RCS to my shrimp tank (Fluval Ebi) once I make the necessary repairs to the tank. I have some ghost shrimp in with my guppies so I'm thinking I wanna try something different with this. I LOVE the idea of a dwarf puffer but I am limited on space and wuld have nowhere to culture live foods+that kind of freaks me out LOL Scarlet Badis are gorgeous!!! I'm going to do a bit of research on these guys
> 
> Just for anyone else, I have EXTREMELY HARD well water lol my pH is like 8.0-ish and I am constantly scrubbing calcium or lime r whatever off my tanks. With only one fish I don't think I'd have an issue with ammonia, this tank cycled super fast last time I ran it because I plant it so densely. Also, I do have an API master test kit


Ah I did not know you already had shrimp. I feel your pain with the calcium deposits. I make it a point to wipe down the water line at water changes to remove it. I can't recall the pH and hardness needs of the scarlid badis off the top of my head but I think they need a low pH range.
As for live cultures, there are so many varieties, some take very little space and effort, like micro worms or vinegar eels (they are so tiny they shouldn't gross you out.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

*Community*

I have a 46 gallon bowfront that eventually is going to become my community tank. I've never heard of peacock gugeons (cute name), I'll do some research! I am also considering galaxy rasboras but if I go that route I deinitely want a very tight schooling fish.

The way an Edge is designed is that it is basically a glass cube. There is glass sealed together on 6 sides except for a 5x7' or so hole for ventilation and filtration. I could lower the water level but I would lose the 360 effect which I dont want to do.

I am also considering adding a nerite snail if I can find one. Do you think a tank this size would provide enough food?

Also, I have decided on a planted tank, I took the plunge and bought better bulbs so now I need to decide:

1. Low-ish maintenance plants that are semi-easy to find 
2. Substrate

On a side note... Does anyone know where to buy duckweed?


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

Does the fixed top make maintenance, scaping, and netting difficult? Duckweed might not be a good idea because it'll be submerged.

If you can put a piece of small driftwood in that tank, the nerite snail should be able to slowly eat at it without you ever needing to feed it. Some people will tell you otherwise.

You'll only need a single bag of substrate for a tank that size. It might be worthwhile to buy the better stuff. Eco-complete Fine is awesome. The granular size is in between that of sand and gravel.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

andakin said:


> Does the fixed top make maintenance, scaping, and netting difficult? Duckweed might not be a good idea because it'll be submerged.
> 
> If you can put a piece of small driftwood in that tank, the nerite snail should be able to slowly eat at it without you ever needing to feed it. Some people will tell you otherwise.
> 
> You'll only need a single bag of substrate for a tank that size. It might be worthwhile to buy the better stuff. Eco-complete Fine is awesome. The granular size is in between that of sand and gravel.


I'm actually not wanting the duckweed for the Edge I'm wanting it for my guppy tank. Maintenance and scaping are a little more difficult but not major issues.

I have a piece of driftwood planned already so I think I will definitely get the nerite snail.

What brand is Eco-complete? I'm shopping off amazon and I can't find it. What other high quality ones do you recommend?


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

Eco-complete is readily available at many pet shops and amazon US. The Fine variety is a lot tougher to find.

http://www.amazon.com/CaribSea-Eco-Complete-20-Pound-Planted-Aquarium/dp/B0002DH0QM


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Is it by CaribSea?


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

Ya. It's one of the better substrates you can buy without going to the 'professional' level.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Awesome! I'm only seeing a 20 lb. bag so far so I'm going to see if I can find it anywhere smaller and I will buy that tonight


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

I think they only come in 20 lb bags. A single bag can do a standard 10 gallon tank with a bit leftover.

My personal opinion of the regular eco-complete is that it looks a bit big for smaller tanks. As mentioned, the Fine grade is hard to find. I was lucky to find mine at a local mom-and-pop shop. Although I have no experience with sand, Seachem's Fluorite sand might be worth considering.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Found Fluorite Sand! 

Man do I wish we had a Mom and Pop type shop. All I have within an hour is a PetCo and Walmart.


----------



## Jonthefish (Jun 16, 2014)

+1 on the seachem fluorite , I've only heard good about that stuff . I've always wanted to do that substrate with a swirly path of plain white sand down the middle . I feel that would compliment the driftwood nicely . Then again you could always go heavily planted , I never liked planted tanks but this site has me obsessing lately .

As for plants a banana plant would be awesome , darn love those things they look so weird and funny , I'm getting a few for my tank for Christmas :-D

As for fish I +1 on the pea puffer , they look adorable and eat snails so they are good for keeping the snail count low . Also reccommend a good amount of snails for that exact reason .

Mabye endlers would be nice too !


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

Just a disclaimer, I'm not recommending the Fluorite sand over the Eco-complete. Even though the substrate size is a bit large, I still prefer the Eco-complete over Flourite. I don't wanna be blamed if you don't like it.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

andakin said:


> Just a disclaimer, I'm not recommending the Fluorite sand over the Eco-complete. Even though the substrate size is a bit large, I still prefer the Eco-complete over Flourite. I don't wanna be blamed if you don't like it.


Bahahaha no worries lol I wouldn't blame anyone but myself


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

I am starting to get a workup here... What do you guys say to a borneo sucker, 3 WCMM and a nerite snail? Would a nerite snail we okay in colder temps? The WCMM and Borneo Sucker like cooler temps so I wouldn't need to heat the tank and I could keep the filter on the highest flow for the borneo sucker since they like a current. I realize this is pushing my bio-load but with as heavy planted as I plan it to be...


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

That's a very popular combination. It reminds me of a video I saw a while ago.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

I'm sold on the borneo sucker! I may need a small power head to improve the current but I think they're absolutely gorgeous and I don't think he'll be too bothered by the small size of the tank if I give him plenty of hides. My petco carries both the long and shortfinned varieties of WCMM and also carries Borneo suckers so all of these should be easy for me to find


----------



## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

If you want to try a dwarf puffer but want it pre-trianed onto frozen foods so you don't have to keep a live culture, get in touch with [msjinked]. She lives in pa (fairly close to me but not enough to drive over often). Sh sells fish and invertebrates, and I had originally planned to buy my husband's puffers from her, but due to a family emergency her business was temporarily closed when I was ready for the fish (tank cycled and planted), so I had to go else where (which I regret as I have extra work now maintaining the black worms). I'd talked with her before and she says she gets fish in, quarantines, de-worms, makes sure they're healthy, and trains them onto non live foods before sale. You can get in touch through the "how to order" tab on her page and ask when/if she'll have another shipment of dwarf puffers, and reconfirm that she gets them to accept frozen foods. She has a lot of other cool fish and inverts she sells. You can give her you tank and water stats, see if she recommends any others to try.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Aqua Aurora said:


> If you want to try a dwarf puffer but want it pre-trianed onto frozen foods so you don't have to keep a live culture, get in touch with [msjinked]. She lives in pa (fairly close to me but not enough to drive over often). Sh sells fish and invertebrates, and I had originally planned to buy my husband's puffers from her, but due to a family emergency her business was temporarily closed when I was ready for the fish (tank cycled and planted), so I had to go else where (which I regret as I have extra work now maintaining the black worms). I'd talked with her before and she says she gets fish in, quarantines, de-worms, makes sure they're healthy, and trains them onto non live foods before sale. You can get in touch through the "how to order" tab on her page and ask when/if she'll have another shipment of dwarf puffers, and reconfirm that she gets them to accept frozen foods. She has a lot of other cool fish and inverts she sells. You can give her you tank and water stats, see if she recommends any others to try.


Awesome! Thanks I will get in touch. I have another 5 gallon spare somewhere so if I can find it I could get both!


----------



## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Veerie said:


> I am starting to get a workup here... What do you guys say to a* borneo sucker*, 3 WCMM and a nerite snail? Would a nerite snail we okay in colder temps? The WCMM and Borneo Sucker like cooler temps so I wouldn't need to heat the tank and I could keep the filter on the highest flow for the borneo sucker since they like a current. I realize this is pushing my bio-load but with as heavy planted as I plan it to be...



Hill stream loaches (which the borneo sucker is a member of) need absolute BARE MINIMUM of 10g tank, 20g is better. Also they need a *[censor] ton *of current and heavily oxygenated water! You'd need a power head or a canister filter to increase flow enough for them. Not given proper flow and oxygenation of water will result in short life spans (at best- a few months) as they are specially adapted to such environments and cannot survive outside of them.
I'd looked into getting these a while back when wondering what to do with my 20g long. I spoke with a member on another form that has kept sevral of these hill stream loaches (a few varieties). Basically I'd have to use my sunsun canister filter (525 gph) on the 20g to get enough current for them, the aquaclear70 HOB I have on the tank (300gph) wouldn't be enough, I'd have to supplement with a power head if I wanted to use the HOB.
These fish also need fully cycled and well aged tanks with a lot of algae covered smooth river rocks to feed from. It was suggested that if I did try keeping them, to have several extra rocks I could put in a bucket of dechlorinated water and set out in the sun to form algae and rotate with in-tank rocks to keep the loaches fed.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Hill stream loaches (which the borneo sucker is a member of) need absolute BARE MINIMUM of 10g tank, 20g is better. Also they need a *[censor] ton *of current and heavily oxygenated water! You'd need a power head or a canister filter to increase flow enough for them. Not given proper flow and oxygenation of water will result in short life spans (at best- a few months) as they are specially adapted to such environments and cannot survive outside of them.
> I'd looked into getting these a while back when wondering what to do with my 20g long. I spoke with a member on another form that has kept sevral of these hill stream loaches (a few varieties). Basically I'd have to use my sunsun canister filter (525 gph) on the 20g to get enough current for them, the aquaclear70 HOB I have on the tank (300gph) wouldn't be enough, I'd have to supplement with a power head if I wanted to use the HOB.
> These fish also need fully cycled and well aged tanks with a lot of algae covered smooth river rocks to feed from. It was suggested that if I did try keeping them, to have several extra rocks I could put in a bucket of dechlorinated water and set out in the sun to form algae and rotate with in-tank rocks to keep the loaches fed.


I had mentioned getting a power head to increase the current in the tank. While oxygenation could be a problem, between the fluval filter and the power head I would think it would be good... Maybe not. I looked into the dwarf puffer more and I do like them but that wuld require that I ship a fish. In the middle of Winter. Which would make for ne very expensive fish. I think for now I am going to try and find fish I can find locally.


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

There is a lot of debatable issues with concerns to the puffer fish in general. Some say they do better in brackish water. Some say live snails are needed to help grind their teeth down as they never stop growing. Those are the main issues that's stopped me from trying a puffer fish.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

You should do what I did and cut the top off your Edge. I couldn't stand that tiny hole to get my hand through so when the top panel on my tank got a crack, off it came! 

But all jokes aside, have you thought about trying a pair or trio of high-quality guppies in your tank? I think I read your water is hard, and guppies prefer harder water. 

There are some strikingly beautiful strains out there. These are the sorts of guppies I am talking about. Just that step above the standard pet store guppy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU7hdz4RAYk&list=UUADDH5lFQ70pTR9DB0b90Sg

But then you would probably have to purchase them through somewhere like AB and have them shipped which could be an issue. Plus I'm not certain if you actually like guppies. 

I believe the Fluval Edge is only 6.6 gallons. It does have a decent footprint, but even so, I feel it would be rather cramped for a school of WCMM. Plus being a schooling fish you really should keep them in a minimum group of six individuals.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Went ahead and ordered Eco-Complete for the Edge along with a new thermometer, a new siphon, a couple betta leaves, a new heater, and a new filter for my 'lotls. Getting excited to get going with the Edge  Of course practically as soon as I hit order I found both another thermometer and my small siphon. Oh well LOL can't have too many thermometers.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

LittleBettaFish said:


> You should do what I did and cut the top off your Edge. I couldn't stand that tiny hole to get my hand through so when the top panel on my tank got a crack, off it came!
> 
> But all jokes aside, have you thought about trying a pair or trio of high-quality guppies in your tank? I think I read your water is hard, and guppies prefer harder water.
> 
> ...


While I must admit that those guppies are beautiful, I absolutely do not want more guppies LOL I already have a 10 full of them I don't particularly want. At one point in my big tank I must have had a 100+ Unfortunately where I am nobody seems to want guppies because I've tried to sell them on CL a bunch and PetCo will take them but only if I give them to them. Platies and guppies would not be a fish I would consider.


----------



## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Veerie said:


> I had mentioned getting a power head to increase the current in the tank. While oxygenation could be a problem, between the fluval filter and the power head I would think it would be good... Maybe not. I looked into the dwarf puffer more and I do like them but that wuld require that I ship a fish. In the middle of Winter. Which would make for ne very expensive fish. I think for now I am going to try and find fish I can find locally.


Opps sorry I did not see the comment on the powerhead, but I'd still discourage a hillstream loach as it should have 2x as much water volume.



andakin said:


> There is a lot of debatable issues with concerns to the puffer fish in general. Some say they do better in brackish water. Some say live snails are needed to help grind their teeth down as they never stop growing. Those are the main issues that's stopped me from trying a puffer fish.


Dwarf puffers are most assuredly fresh water puffers, not brackish at all. There are a few larger species that are more iffy and debated over still, but many people keep and breed dwarf aka peas puffers in purely freshwater environments. Also the tooth thing is a myth for the dwarf/pea, many people think that applies to all puffers, but some breeds do not have it (they still love to eat snails though but its not a mandatory dietary need).


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Good to know!


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Grrrrrr.... Research, research, research, still no stocking plan. I don't wanna buy plants until I know what fish I want. Must make a trip to PetCo this weekend and find inspiration!


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Eco-Complete purchased! It will be about a week before I can get plants, can I add it to my tank now or should I wait?


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

Nice. Do you have the substrate now or waiting for it come in? There's no reason why you can't start a tank without having plants or fish at the same time.

The packaging says rinsing is not required. Don't believe it. Sometimes it comes smelling like rotten eggs. There is also a lot of fine particles that I like to flush away during the rinse.


----------



## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

I have it now  I actually was pleasantly surprised to find my local PetCo had 2 bags of it over by Saltwater substrate! I will add it now


----------

