New Tank - Stocking Suggestions??

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alimcgehee

New Fish
#1
Oct 31, 2009
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#1
Hi all, I'm new to the forum, and new to aquariums. I have a 45 gal. tank (12"x36"x24")(not planted) right now with only 3 mollies that are doing fantastic. I would like a bala shark and/or a dragon goby eventually, maybe a pleco? Will I have problems with these in the same tank? Is the goby a total pain? What other fish would you recommend with those combos? I don't want to rely on the sixteen year old at the pet store :D Any suggestions/advice is appreciated!
 

A

alimcgehee

New Fish
#3
Oct 31, 2009
7
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#3
pH 7.0
GH 60ppm (occasionally reads lower, around 45)
KH 40ppm

rarely varies - also we keep our home constant @ 76 F, so the tank remains at a steady 75 F without a heater (although I have a nice submersible) the few mollies I have (one dalmation, 2 lyretail) seem to be thriving - super eaters, quite active.

thanks for responding, much appreciated
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#5
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
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Northern NJ
#5
well with a pH like that you can really keep a lot of fish in there. you can add driftwood, some live plants and CO2 injection to lower your pH and go with acidic water-loving fishes like angels, tetras, and many species of catfish.

Or you can do nothing with your water and keep pretty much any livebearer there is.

But according to your GH and KH...those are very low btw. a bit low for mollies from what ive read about them. hell thats low enough for discus, if you can get your pH down. i dont advise you just throw some discus in there because your tank size isnt big enough for em. looks like you can keep a lot of fish that come from asia or the amazon (gourami/angels/catfish)

Basically go with the fish you like, that can live around your tap water's pH and GH/KH. that way you wont have to spend mad money on maintaining those parameters for specific species of fish. Researching the ones you like is key.
 

A

alimcgehee

New Fish
#6
Oct 31, 2009
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#6
i lucked out with the pH and natural temp - i add water conditioner and a pinch of aquarium salt and everything seems perfect. zero problems with ammonia or nitrite spikes, beginner's luck?! here's what i've come up with, tell me if this sounds alright...

3 Yoyo Loach
2 Dwarf Gourami
2 German Blue Ram
maybe an african dwarf frog or a couple of bumblebee gobies?

of course not adding all at once, just a species at a time.
 

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O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#7
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
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#7
alimcgehee said:
Hi all, I'm new to the forum, and new to aquariums. I have a 45 gal. tank (12"x36"x24")(not planted) right now with only 3 mollies that are doing fantastic. I would like a bala shark and/or a dragon goby eventually, maybe a pleco? Will I have problems with these in the same tank? Is the goby a total pain? What other fish would you recommend with those combos? I don't want to rely on the sixteen year old at the pet store :D Any suggestions/advice is appreciated!
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I believe your tank is too small to support a bala shark or dragon goby. A smaller pleco like a bristle nose or pitbull pleco would fit. Also, the bala shark should be in groups of at least 5, so no room for that many.
 

JRB__

JRB__

Large Fish
#9
Oct 24, 2009
285
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Australia
#9
alimcgehee said:
Hi all, I'm new to the forum, and new to aquariums. I have a 45 gal. tank (12"x36"x24")(not planted) right now with only 3 mollies that are doing fantastic. I would like a bala shark and/or a dragon goby eventually, maybe a pleco? Will I have problems with these in the same tank? Is the goby a total pain? What other fish would you recommend with those combos? I don't want to rely on the sixteen year old at the pet store :D Any suggestions/advice is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Don't get a bala shark, as orangecones said they need to be in groups of 5+ and also they grow WAY to big for a 45g. They can grow as large as 5 feet in length. I know this sounds unbelievable but they can. They are commonly sold to people (just like the oscar) without informing people of how large a tank they will need eventually. They really aren't suited to be kept in most home aquariums. I would not put 5 balas in anything less than 300G and thats 300G just for them. There are so many other cool fish out there, my advice is to pick another.
Also for the pleco, same problem, not as big as the bala of course but way to big for a 45G. BTW most pleco's are notorious large waste producers aswell.
IMO, stick to the dwarfe cichlids like the Kribensis & or Rams
Good luck and welcome to the hobby :)
 

JRB__

JRB__

Large Fish
#10
Oct 24, 2009
285
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Australia
#10
alimcgehee said:
.....everything seems perfect. zero problems with ammonia or nitrite spikes, beginner's luck?!.....
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LOL!
You really are new. Give it a few more days and re-check your levels. If your tank has yet to cycle, I'm sorry to say, prepare for fish deaths. Mollies won't live through the nitrogen cycle.
My advice before you even think about what fish to get next, read, read & read some more. Research on the net about the nitrogen cycle and any other info you find regarding tropical fish keeping. Its not a difficult hobby but it involves alot more than most people think, especially at first.

Start here - Cycling a Tank

Don't give up! you'll get there.
 

Stillness

Stillness

Medium Fish
#11
Feb 21, 2009
87
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#11
I think a school of Cories would look awesome. But yeah bala sharks, common plecos are a little to big for your tank. But Bristle noses are VERY cool.

Don't mollies require little more salt that most freshwater fish? Not saying they are at brackish, I just thought they needed a little more salt...

No to the AFD's your tank is to big. Besides the fact that you will have problems feeding them, it will be hard for them to swim to the top for air.
 

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Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#12
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
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Northern NJ
#12
Mollies are really weird in that they apparently can adapt to freshwater, brackish water, and full marine water 0_o

They do best in brackish water, cuz thats where they normally live in Mexico. Bumblebee gobies will also need brackish water...i think.

AFTER you cycle your tank, here are some stocking ideas i came up with:

#1. 8 corydoras of any variety (species that grow to 2", beware of emerald corydoras as they get big) 4 dwarf gourami of any variety (1 male and 3 females) 4 Pitbull plecos. and if youre growing more algae than your pleco can eat, get an amono shrimp or two.

#2. the 8 corydoras of any variety (or substitute with 3-4 yoyo loaches or botia loaches/other smaller varieties), 12-15 neon tetra (or any of the smaller tetra, or rasbora species, or two schools of different tetras. throw in either a few otocinclus or amano shrimp for even more clean up.

#3. 4 German blue rams, a school of some sort of tetra or rasbora...again.

One thing to remember that during breeding, the GBR could be agressive to bottom dwellers such as cories or loaches. however i would let a GBR owner decide on that.

Those are just some random choices that popped into my head, and some that i would've kept, had i had a change to redo my 40 gallon.
Obviously there are many more choices.
 

A

alimcgehee

New Fish
#13
Oct 31, 2009
7
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#13
I started the tank with a seed filter from a known healthy established aquarium, and have waited a couple of months to start thinking of putting more fish in the tank (I knew I would get excited and impatient if I did) cos I DON'T want to be the brace-face little girl from Finding Nemo. So with no hiccups, I'm fairly certain the tank is cycled - I wanted to make sure the few little fishies are strong, disease/parasite free, and good eaters before continuing to stock the tank (slowly). Is it possible the tank still hasn't cycled after that long?? I definitely don't want to put anything in my aquarium that doesn't belong or won't be comfortable. I want to do this RIGHT - I look forward to cultivating this hobby into a skill. after doing more research, I came up with the list I posted earlier (thanks Newman). no worries - balas and plecos are out of the question. another time, another tank.

it's extremely tedious going through lists and lists of species to find out all the details as a beginner and you don't know where to start, so to those who took the time to suggest a few neat ideal tank mates - THANK YOU. any more advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!
 

JRB__

JRB__

Large Fish
#15
Oct 24, 2009
285
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Australia
#15
alimcgehee said:
.....Is it possible the tank still hasn't cycled after that long??......I want to do this RIGHT - I look forward to cultivating this hobby into a skill......
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Get yourself API master test kit, test for ammo, nitri, nitra and if you get levels of nitrate and 0ppm for ammo & nitrite then your tank has completed its cycle.
All pleco's aren't out of the question. Maybe a bulldog pleco or like mentioned above the bristlenose, my favourite is the peppermint bristlenose.
Newmans given you a great line up of fish and ideas so go to a few pet shops and see whats avaliable and what you like.
 

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