Stocking lower level of my tank

K

Kellie

Small Fish
#1
Oct 15, 2005
23
0
0
#1
I need some help figuring out what to put in the lower level of my tank.

My tank is a 46 gal, lightly planted tank with bogwood, ph is 7.1, water is on the hard side. I have black gravel, so I like fish, etc. with more color to them to stand out.

I have 3 dwarf neon rainbows, 5 pristilla tetra, 3 rummy nose tetras, 4 green tetras.

I'd prefer to get 1 pleco and either some catfish or some loaches, but I want something that stays 5 inches or less and doesn't require alot of worry to keep it alive.

I also looked at some crabs which I found intriguing, but don't know how they would do.

I had some PH issues in the past, but since adding the bogwood, I have been able to keep it at 7.1

I'd sure appreciate any words of wisdom or advice.

Thanks!!
 

Coolfish5000

Coolfish5000

Large Fish
#2
May 12, 2005
156
0
0
31
TN
#2
Brittlenose pleco Stays small and is a cleaner.
Clown loach is good and NEEDS TO BE IN A GROUP,though it can get ich.
Comman pleco not good unless you are willing to clean the tank often.
The catfish rule is If it fits in the mouth it will eat it during the night.
Listen to these guidelines!
 

CAPSLOCK

CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
#3
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
33
48
39
Cape Cod
#3
Crabs need to be able to reach the air for long term survival, and they are decent escape artists. I think they may also eat small fish, but I'm not sure.

Cory cats would be fine in your water, they stay small (under 2.5 inches for most of them) and are active and fun to watch. You can also browse around for a color that you like... albinos would stick out with your gravel, or a lot of others would work well also. Kuhli loaches or yoyo loaches would also work, kuhlis will appreciate a cave or something to hide in. If you get a large enough group of kuhli loaches (5-6+), they'll be more active and visible in the tank.

Hehe, I reread your post... what about hoplo catfish? They act a lot like cories but they are quite a bit bigger, up to 5.5 inches (I know that's just over your preferred size). Lots of fun, peaceful, active, cheap, visible across the room, don't hide, hardy... only problem is that they're hard to find. They like to be in groups also. You also have to watch out for what kind you buy, there's one kind that maxes out at 5.5 inches, and another that grows to 8 inches.
 

PlecoCollector

PlecoCollector

Superstar Fish
#4
Aug 21, 2005
1,430
0
0
34
Clinton, NY
#4
Coolfish5000 said:
Brittlenose pleco Stays small and is a cleaner.
Clown loach is good and NEEDS TO BE IN A GROUP,though it can get ich.
Comman pleco not good unless you are willing to clean the tank often.
The catfish rule is If it fits in the mouth it will eat it during the night.
Listen to these guidelines!
Click to expand...
Bristlenoses will stay under 5 inches in most cases (mine is about 4.5 inches). There are also Clown Pleco and Rubbernose Pleco, which both stay fairly small.
I don't suggest Clown Loaches for a 46g tank, only because they may be small at first, but they do get really big (10-12 inches).
A Common would be okay for a little bit, though they grow very quickly and will need a bigger home when they get bigger.
Plecos are non-aggressive and won't eat smaller fish. They will sometimes fight between themselves, but will leave other fish alone. Most catfish have such small mouths (minus the Plecos), that only a very very young fry will fit in its mouth.

My suggestion is a Rubbernose Pleco (I love mine! *SUPERSMIL) and 3-6 Bronze Cory Cats. They show up pretty well on black gravel.
 

geekrockgirl85

geekrockgirl85

Large Fish
#5
Sep 16, 2005
276
0
0
#5
i second pleco collector's suggestion of a rubbernose. i have one in my 55 right now and he is awesome. they love the water flow, so if you want to not have to look for him, position your outflow toward a side or front of the tank.

cories are great. fun to watch and hardy as hell. c.adolfoi, c schwartzi, c. panda, and albinos are some of the cutest fish in the world, imo. echo makes fun of me because i cry every time we've ever lost one.

south american bumblebee catfish are another cute possibility. they are supposedly very peaceful and max out at 5". i can't speak from personal experience... but i really want one of these guys!

yoyo loaches are pretty neat too, and not as shy and school-happy as the khulis. we have some that swim to the top of the tank at feeding time and do the backstroke to snag a few flakes... i guess the flavor of shrimp pellets gets boring after awhile? :)

i'd also nix the crab idea... we made the mistake of buying two before reading anything about them... they pretty much need an inescapable semi-aquatic species-only tank. shrimp would be a good invert alternative.
 

MOsborne05

MOsborne05

Superstar Fish
#6
Oct 3, 2005
1,584
3
0
42
Gibsonburg, OH
#6
I would suggest a small pleco and some cory cats. The albino and panda ones would look good against the black gravel. I've also seen some bright orange ones, which would be very colorful if you can find them. They are so cute and comical. They are constantly scouring the tank for bits of food.

GeekRockGirl ~ I almost cried when I lost one of my cories, mainly because it was our fault :( We were taking some gravel out of the big tank to put in our new betta tank, and when hubby scooped it up he accidentally buried one of my little cory cats. It was probably half an hour before I saw him and got him out. Some of his barbells were missing and he was pretty beat up. I put him in a small bowl with some Melafix and kept watching him to make sure he was breathing. He died the next day and I felt awful :(
 

K

Kellie

Small Fish
#7
Oct 15, 2005
23
0
0
#7
I went to the LFS today.

She also recommended the clown pleco and the rubber lipped pleco.

The julii (sp?) cory was pretty cool lookign to.

She discouraged me to stay away from yoyo's as they can be nippy.

I also like the little bumble bee catfish, but everyone that I've talked to said I will likely never see them

I appreciate all the input and advice!!! I'll keep checking back for other people's input and suggestions!
 

geekrockgirl85

geekrockgirl85

Large Fish
#10
Sep 16, 2005
276
0
0
#10
the yoyos are not nippy in my opinion. they sure do like to chase other fish around, but the aggression is only occasional, and never to a point that would concern me. nobody else shows physical signs of nippage, and the yoyos usually lose interest pretty quickly.

also, petsmart carries the SA bumblebees. :)
 

Last edited:
plattygirl

plattygirl

Small Fish
#12
Feb 27, 2006
38
0
0
Australia
#12
Yo Yo's Not Nippy!

I have to agree with geerock and salty on the yo yo loaches. I've never ever ever seen them be nippy with other fish. God i've never even seen them chase after the baby mollys i've got. They do superbly in a small school and if anything they might have a small tiff amongst themselves but not nippy at other fish. Have even seen mine laying on their sides like the clown loaches. I say they're worth a try *twirlysmi
 

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