30 Gal Tank Setup (Planned)
- Thread starter jiffy
- Start date
The tiger barbs and gourami will be great together as long as you get the tiger barbs when they're small. I had seven tiger barbs and an opaline gourami in my 29gal tank and got the tiger barbs when they were less than 1" long, so the gourami kept them in line. Now they're afraid of everything, including "Jaws," my peppered cory who loves to mess with them (he'll circle underneath them until they aren't paying attention and then dart up into the middle of their school and watch them scatter). They're now about 1.5".
I'm not sure the RTS will fit in your tank, though. They get to be quite large (about 6-8", I believe) and are VERY active fish, so it is generally recommended that they be kept in tanks 55gal or larger.
Try plugging your potential stock into aqadvisor.com and see what it has to say.
I'm not sure the RTS will fit in your tank, though. They get to be quite large (about 6-8", I believe) and are VERY active fish, so it is generally recommended that they be kept in tanks 55gal or larger.
Try plugging your potential stock into aqadvisor.com and see what it has to say.
TAL, otos won't clean the bottom. They're strictly algae-eaters. A small school of cories *might* work since they have a small bio-load, but the OP would have to overfilter quite a bit (example...I have seven tiger barbs, four cories, two otos, a BN pleco and a SA bumblebee cat in my 29gal and I'm running an AquaClear 50 to keep up with it).
Aqadvisor is wayy too cautious in there stocking recommendations.
That being said, I agree that if he were to add the cories then beefing up the filtration is necessary.
And heck...add in two ottos two. Algae needs to be eaten!
Yes....I do think "properly" stocked tanks are understocked and boring.
But stuffing way to many is crazy....so you try to get top swimmers....mid levels, and bottom fish, and night fish who mostly hide in order to overstock the way I like to overstock.
OP........please post pics and tell us your final decisions!
That being said, I agree that if he were to add the cories then beefing up the filtration is necessary.
And heck...add in two ottos two. Algae needs to be eaten!
Yes....I do think "properly" stocked tanks are understocked and boring.
But stuffing way to many is crazy....so you try to get top swimmers....mid levels, and bottom fish, and night fish who mostly hide in order to overstock the way I like to overstock.
OP........please post pics and tell us your final decisions!
According to AqAdvisor:
1 Opaline Gourami, 10 Tiger Barbs, 1 Rainbow Shark = 85% stocking level and 120% filtration. But, they suggest the Rainbow Shark will outgrow my tank. So, I'm considering a Bristlenose Pleco instead, which will still keep the stocking level around 82%. Upping it to 12 TBs would give me 90% stocking level.
1 Opaline Gourami, 10 Tiger Barbs, 1 Rainbow Shark = 85% stocking level and 120% filtration. But, they suggest the Rainbow Shark will outgrow my tank. So, I'm considering a Bristlenose Pleco instead, which will still keep the stocking level around 82%. Upping it to 12 TBs would give me 90% stocking level.
You'll love the BN pleco! Mine is so adorable (she was an accidental buy from Walmart...I saw her when she was about 1.5" and she just looked different than the commons they carry, so I bought her and figured if she turned out to be a common that I'd take her to the LFS...imagine my surprise when she started growing bristles on her nose!).
I like the 1 opaline gourami, 12 tiger barbs and one BN pleco idea.
At 90% stocked, you could even add four cories (of the smaller varieties like albinos, peppereds, pandas, pygmies) and still be okay.
TAL-otos need a tank that's been established for AT LEAST six months with a generous source of algae. They are all wild-caught using cyanide and many don't make it regardless of being in a well-established tank with plenty of food. I've had pretty good luck with most of mine, but I've had some that didn't even make it home from the store. That being said, I also had one that lost an eye while in my 18gal tank (still don't know how it happened) and she was with me for over a year after that. She finally died when the 55gal went Chernobyl.
I like the 1 opaline gourami, 12 tiger barbs and one BN pleco idea.
At 90% stocked, you could even add four cories (of the smaller varieties like albinos, peppereds, pandas, pygmies) and still be okay.TAL-otos need a tank that's been established for AT LEAST six months with a generous source of algae. They are all wild-caught using cyanide and many don't make it regardless of being in a well-established tank with plenty of food. I've had pretty good luck with most of mine, but I've had some that didn't even make it home from the store. That being said, I also had one that lost an eye while in my 18gal tank (still don't know how it happened) and she was with me for over a year after that. She finally died when the 55gal went Chernobyl.
