Help rounding out 90 gallon stocking list

S

Sugarmag

New Fish
#1
Aug 8, 2011
2
0
0
Houston, TX
#1
Greetings all!

I'm a new member trying to round out my list for a new 90 gallon acrylic tank (60 x 18 x 20) that I am resurrecting. I am moving my current 55 stock to it when it is ready. This will be a planted tank with CO2 and HO T5 lighting. Filtering will be via Eheim 2217 and a Penguin 350. I am planning to add some kuhlis and was considering adding some rainbows. Here is how the stock will look:

What I currently have:
9 Serpae Tetra
15 Tiger Barbs (Some albino; some not)
1 RTBS
1 Opaline Gourami

What I want to add:
6-10 Kuhli Loaches
6-8 Boesemani OR Lake Kutubu Rainbows

The Kuhlis are a must; I just love those little guys. I also like the dwarf neon rainbows and would consider those in place of the larger species if necessary. I am also open to any suggestions that I may not have thought of.

I've got a lot of sanding to do on the tank...so I am just in the planning stage now.

Thanks for your help & suggestions!

~Sugarmag
 

S

Sugarmag

New Fish
#3
Aug 8, 2011
2
0
0
Houston, TX
#3
Fishman1995 said:
The RTBS may turn out to be an issue. He could potentially kill the Kuhli's, Gourami and maybe even the Serpae's and Rainbow's.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I am aware of the potential problems. I know it is kind of a crapshoot with these guys. He has been good so far and I'll keep an eye on him. I was on the fence about getting one, but my son really likes them so I caved.

We had one incident where he rounded up the tigers into a corner. It was just the tigers, mind you which I thought odd. That went on for about a couple of hours and then everyone went back to normal. After that, I watch him much more closely. The new tank will be well planted, breaking up line of sight. And, I am prepared to re-home him if he shows any further signs of aggression.

I am more concerned right now with stocking levels. I am getting mixed opinions from various sources as to whether the rainbows would cross the line into over-stocked territory. I was at one point thinking that I could get away with the rainbows and maybe even adding another pair of opalines, but now I am not so sure.

After looking at rainbows, the praecox are now also in the running, gorgeous little fish that they are!

Any other thoughts?

~Sugarmag
 

Fuzz16

Fuzz16

Superstar Fish
#4
Oct 20, 2006
1,918
3
0
Wellsville, KS
#4
when you get the kuhllis...get like 15ish...youll loose 5 prob in the first month. having no scales makes them not as hardy ive noticed as some other things. just ake sure you have a lot of hiding spots for them. wood, plants. theyll burrow in gravel if they can get through it also

tiger barbs and gouramis can both be nasty..CAN. so i would be careful adding any docile fish. you could get some danios though as ditchers for the barbs...fast and hardy and barbs cant catch them.. :)
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#5
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#5
Personally I don't think the rainbows will push you into overstocking territory (but I'm a heavy stocker myself) - or at least it wouldn't until they get full sized, by which time attrition may have reduced your overall numbers. There is an online tool called AqAdvisor - AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor - that some people use to run stocking ideas. It can be overly conservative, but you might want to check it out . . . . .
Cheers,
Laura
 

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