As this is my first post to Aquaria Central, I would like to say I am a advanced beginner who would like some advice on stocking my planted, cycled 4 gallon tank. A picture of the basic system is found here. Nitrate and Nitrite are both at 0, and the pH is about 7.0, leaning towards 6. The plants in my tank are a banana lily, a crypt, and several small sword plants, all of which are thriving. I understand the small nature of my setup limits my stocking options, but I am currently leaning towards either a couple of Western Mosquitofish or a single male Betta. I also would like a recommendation for a good heater for my tank, as I have not purchased one yet.
Stocking Suggestions for a 4 Gallon Tank
- Thread starter Sushigeek
- Start date
what is the ammonia level? how did you cycle? if nitrate is at 0 I would be skeptical of the initial cycle being done. Even with plants you should have some reading on nitrates.
For a 4 gal I wouldn't do anything but a single betta.
For a 4 gal I wouldn't do anything but a single betta.
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
if your nitrate is at zero then your tank is not cycled. how did you go about 'cycling' it?
i would suggest a shrimp/snail tank. being as that pico style tank does not have a lid and doing a DIY lid wouldn't be the easiest task or prettiest looking lid, i would do inverts only to avoid the chance of fish jumping out. a handful of cherry shrimp and a couple rabbit snails would be perfect for 4 gallons.
i would suggest a shrimp/snail tank. being as that pico style tank does not have a lid and doing a DIY lid wouldn't be the easiest task or prettiest looking lid, i would do inverts only to avoid the chance of fish jumping out. a handful of cherry shrimp and a couple rabbit snails would be perfect for 4 gallons.
Since she has a lot of plants, her tank could easily be cycled and no traces of nitrates can be seen. I experience this with my tank.
I would say go for a small colony of Mosquito fish. They are awesome and social little creatures.
I would say go for a small colony of Mosquito fish. They are awesome and social little creatures.
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
this many plants would not account for a zero nitrate reading IMO. a tank would have to be chock full of plants in order to eat up those nitrates.
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
as for a heater (sorry, i missed that at first!), i would go with the Elite brand. this is the only heater i feel safe using (so many stories of heaters failing, or worse, blowing up!). Elite makes a little 25 watt that would work great for that size tank.
I've experienced it myself and I probably don't have as much plants. That swordplant could easily eat up a lot of the nutrients. But only her answers if her tank is cycled will tell
You could do a small colony of gambusia, but be prepared for a lot of violence. These are not very nice fish! I would also suggest only males, as a female has a high chance of killing everything else in the tank.