Is this combo good??

[cougargirl50]

*SUNSMILE*

Hi Of course you all know I have a 20 gallon tank (for as many questions as I been asking). Since I hear that I'm almost done my cycle, here is my list of fish I would like to put in. Tell me what ya think.
Or even if this is to many.

2 sunburst platy
2 red wag platy
2 mickey mouse platy
3 zebra danios
2 black skirt tetra
and a algea eater (suggestions on that would be well appreciated)

 

[f8fan]

Wow, quite a "livebearer" tank you have planned . Hope you are expecting a lot a fry.....
The only suggestion would be more tetras as they seem to do better in school of three (or more - 6 is optimal).
As far as an algea eater. there are so many possibilities, what do you have in mind that you are interested in? With a 20 gallon, a bristlenose pleco, a chinese algea eater, a trio of ottos.....
As far as the stocking, you should be fine for now, but look out when the "power of love" strikes with all those livebearers, you could be in for a lot of babies

 

[bravefish90]

Yes, IMO, your stocking list looks ok on paper, but babies will soon flood the world! I would probably get one of each of these platies and get some more tetras and danios(two more danios or tetras) And I would also get the otos, but thats because they are rare here and I have never had the privelage to own them before, so it is truly up to you on those Oh, and BTW, should you keep those platies in the list, get more females then males(IME i would get one male, but that's how I do it becaue I breed them and some people think that that is a little, umm, much? but it works better if you want babies) And another BTW the danios love to eat the babies, so if you wanted to keep all of (only some will make it otherwise) the babes you will need a net/box or breeding/grow out tank

 

[f8fan]

Good point bravefish90, maybe narrow those platties down to one male and two females? Then with schooling-loving fish, like the danios & the tetras, try to make their numbers in the "sixes" as they do best when in those numbered schools (or even more...I have about 15-20 danios now, and to really see their happy schooling behavior it's pretty incredible to see them in a larger school)....otherwise you will have a constant supply of babies with all those platies

 

[bravefish90]

So.. I would agree with myself and you of course, but i put it to eeryone their own thing, MIO if cougargirl wants to keep the platies, She should not get the danios or tetras(one or the other) in otherwords.And I still Would loe to see those ottos in there!

 

[Jadenblack]

Just get all female and you will be ok!

I just got rid of my boy mollies and my girls are so much happier!!

 

[bravefish90]

That's a good idea, but sometimes people like babies

 

[cougargirl50]

This is going to sound cruel. But I really like the colors in the platy's the sunburst ones are my favorite. I really dont want the babies, so would it be OK (sorry hope I don't get into trouble for this) to just let the other fish eat the fry????
Or am I going about this all wrong.

 

[bravefish90]

IMO, it would be ok
some others may not but survival of the fittest right?

 

[f8fan]

Not cruel at all! In fact it's a very nutritious snack, although I dont have a lot of experience with livebearers and their eating fry or not but I think the tetras and danios would eat them. However, your bio-load could get pretty large if those fry make it and grow up into adult platties. (Which, believe it or not, they sometimes do even in my 25 gallon tank my puffers live quite nicely with a couple of adolescent black molly fry)

 

[Lotus]

It would be better to get two trios of the platies (2 females/1 male), as pairs of m/f can be stressful on the females. Make sure you don't add all of the fish at the same time, as I think you've done a fish-in cycle. Add a few fish each week, and monitor the ammonia/nitrite levels before adding more fish. It's not a problem to allow the babies to get eaten, but often a couple will survive each time a female gives birth, so be warned.

 

[cougargirl50]

male), I think you've done a fish-in cycle. birth,

Yeah I did do a fish-in cycle. But only because I had goldfish in the tank first. And didn't realize I had to go through all this cycle stuff. I am more into fish now doing alot of reading (not saying im understanding it all) but I have been reading up on everything. Everyone was saying that goldfish were nasty and hard to do. I used to do alot of like what everyone else does. Set up the tank, fill it up add water and walla. Then when they would die I just added more.

Not no more

I did a water change again this morning and my levels came down even more.
PH 7.2 (which that has been stead)
NITRATES 20
AMMONIA 0
NITRITES .25

My NITRITE level has really come down the last couple days. *BOUNCINGS
But when I get the things together to get my 29 gallon started. I will not do a fish-in cycle.

f8fan As far as an algea eater. there are so many possibilities, what do you have in mind that you are interested in? With a 20 gallon, a bristlenose pleco, a chinese algea eater, a trio of ottos.....

I don't know a thing about the algea eater so that is why I was asking. Thanks for the examples though *celebrate

 

[Jadenblack]

This is going to sound cruel. But I really like the colors in the platy's the sunburst ones are my favorite. I really dont want the babies, so would it be OK (sorry hope I don't get into trouble for this) to just let the other fish eat the fry????
Or am I going about this all wrong.

That is what I am going to do when my mollies have their babies (I had males)


In nature the fit survive. If you have plants and hiding places some might survive but I wouldn't think a lot would.

 

[ozziegt]

You had used bio spira as I recall so I would think you would be ok just adding all the fish. IMO, you should have added all the fish when you added the bio-spira...are you adding ammonia every day to keep the bacteria fed?

 

[cougargirl50]

There really isnt anything in this tank. There is 2 small bushes and a little cave like thing. So more in likely the other fish would eat them.

 

[cougargirl50]

You had used bio spira as I recall so I would think you would be ok just adding all the fish. IMO, you should have added all the fish when you added the bio-spira...are you adding ammonia every day to keep the bacteria fed?

Yeah I did do the Bio Spira, and I did get some fish to put in. I read on the Bio Spira bag that your supposed to stock your fish right away when you add that stuff. So far the fish that I have in there look like they are doing really well. *BOUNCINGS


I would like to get a couple more plants to put in, cause I looks kinda bare. And would like to pick up a couple more fish, I just dont want to overload my tank.

thanks e1

 

[ozziegt]

Just watch your nitrites and ammonia...if they aren't going up you can add a couple more.

 

[bravefish90]

Umm, Plants help with the nitrogen cycle, and consume them, so if you add more plants, you expand your possibiklity of fish, however, in my experience, there is no rule of thumb, like one guy said at my shop, "two fish to every plant, and you'll have no problems" I have been running my fifty gallon tank for 3 years, and during the last year, added some live plants(five to be exact) and those plants have always kept my nitrates down to the zero mark for weeks( mind you i do weekly water changes) but they help.

 

[cougargirl50]

Ok hows this. Im not going to get the tetras for this tank.
In this tank how about (and this may be to many)
I already have in this tank

2 sunburst platy
2 red wag platy
2 mickey mouse platy
3 danios
thought about maybe adding

3 more danios
2 dalmatian mollies
2 oto cats

As far as all the platys. I'm gonna let the other fish eat the fry. But now that I got my 20 gallon tank going, and the levels ok.
I'm gonna soon start on my 29 gallon tank. When I get my 29 gallon tank done. I'm moving all the female platys out of my 20 and putting them in the 29. That way the females will be separated from the males then.

I thought about getting one or two plants. Will it hurt to just lay the plants on the top?

 

[andytwite]

Glad to see you settled on the Otto's for your algae eaters and not a CAE. In case you didn't know, CAE are NOT very good at eating algae will harass other fish in the tank, they can be very aggressive. And Praise the Lord you're no talking about putting a pl**o in there! *celebrate

Speaking as someone who has had livebearers in their tank from the start, I can assure you that SOME of your fry will survive to adulthood so you will need a way to keep the numbers in your tank down. Either transplanting to a bigger tank or many LFS will accept them for store credit.

It seems that once the fry get to certain size, other community fish stop seeing them as a potential snack and recognize them as little fish. I have observed this often in my tank. *twirlysmi