Stocking my tank.

[Kayleigh750]

I have a 26 gallon bow front that has been running since the beginning of this year, and still haven't decided what i really would like to stock it with. It currently houses 3 female platy, and although i would like to add three or four more platy i would like to hear some reccomendations for other fish that could work in the tank. I'm pretty open to everything as long as they are fairly hardy, attractive/colourful and readily available at a specialty fish store. I'd like to hear what you guys think My tank is at 78 degrees an parameters are ammonia-0 nitrite-0 and nitrate <20, pH i believe is 7.8 for anybody wondering. Thanks!

 

[lauraf]

Wow, there's lots to think about. Livebearers, tetras, rasboras, barbs, gouramis, cories, some kinds of loaches...what have you seen that appeals?

 

[exhumed07]

you can also do a few cichlids if u want to go with a fewer but bigger fish route. depends on the overall loot that you want. but like laura said there are tons of different fish to think about.

 

[Kayleigh750]

I mean I don't want cichlids they're too large I'd think for my tank, I'd like more small fish. I like tiger barbs but worry about their aggression. I'd love something like a dwarf gourami if I could squeeze one in, are they not too finicky about water conditions? They seem so quaint and delicate. I like Cory cats but would they be ok with just one o two in the tank? I also saw some very nice swordtails at my aquarium store that I'd like. I know some of these aren't compatible either but some further ideas from here would be nice with pairings and possible numbers to fully stock and so on also maybe a few zebra danios... I don't know my mind is all over the place because I honestly would love to have different tanks with different species all over the place if I only had the time and money! I'll post some pics of my tanks as well soon.

 

[Thyra]

I have a tank like your and it has 6 serpas, 1 gold angel, 2 silver mollies 6 neons and 1 blue and 1 gold female betta, Oh and two otos. This has been its stocking for about 1 1/2 years and I have had not problems with nipping. I have serpaes with angels in two tanks and it is my feeling as long as they are in a group they play together. They are active and colorful, but an alternative is platies because they can be found in so many different colors. I recently found some called "green tuxedo" (don't ask me how they name these fish) They are very dark navy with iridescent green backs. I have no experience with gouramis because they aren't suppose to be with bettas and I have a male betta in each of another two tanks. I have never put a male betta in with the serpaes because I've heard it could be a problem, but I have had no problems with the angel - betta mix.

 

[exhumed07]

i got some friends with gouramis and they are a nice medium splash of color and pretty gentle. and if u are wanting lots of small fish and a very active looking tank u realy can't go wrong with the stocking thyra mentioned. but i would toss in some german rams or bolivian rams. I'm looking at getting a few for my 20 gallon myself. if it was my tank though i would do a nice school of at least 10 neons, maybe a dozen guppies, some koolie loaches and cories and maybe a couple of rams. guppies will stay near the top for the most part wih the neons active in the middle and the loaches cories and rams pretty much hanging out on the bottom. so the tank would be pretty full of activity on all levels.

 

[Kayleigh750]

So what if I were to do this:
5-6 platy
6 rummy nose or neon tetra (can't decide :$)
1 male swordtail

And possibly some sort of bottom feeder... I really like kuhlis and cories but I don't want to overstock my tank... I'm not sure also if they would be ok preferably alone but possibly in a pair at most. I also have absolutely no algae or anything in my tank and my platy hardly ever drop food so what would be good to feed them that isn't to expensive? Thanks!

 

[InfamousMob]

Just keep in mind platies are super prolific, so if any babies do survive, there could potentially be a problem with overstocking. If you're going to do swordtails do the guy a favor and get him some playmates. Male swords or any live bearer can be pretty aggressive with out the proper amount of mates (minimum 1 male to 1 female, better of 1 male to +2 females).

I would suggest that you look into sparkling gouramis (pygmy gourami, Trichopsis pumila). If you can find them, furcata dwarf rainbows are really nice, praecox rainbows, featherfin rainbows. I MEAN THE LIST GOES ON!

remember settle for what you ultimately want, not necessarily what you can get at the time!

Enjoy the fish you buy, you are taking care of them!

CHeers

 

[Kayleigh750]

Yeah I'm thinking I might scratch the swordtail. And as for the platy, I know what they're like, mine are all female for that reason. And I absolutely love the colours I can get and that I have of the platy. So I'm thinking a lot about it I need to go to my lfs and see what they have. They often have some different stuff so ill see what I can do... Last question - ill post some pictures below of my aquarium, but I'm wondering if it may be too bright and open for a dwarf gourami... And still wondering if a single or pair of cories or kuhli loaches would be ok...

 

[Kayleigh750]

Too much light and open space for dwarf gourami?

 

[exhumed07]

wouldn't think so. my friend with his are in a 55 and it has nearly 0 deco and they seem to do just fine. but one thing to think about is not every tank is the same and not every fish is the same.

 

[Kayleigh750]

True enough about not every fish being the same. Any word on my question about the bottom feeders?

 

[exhumed07]

the loaches would be fine, i have 4 in my 20 gallon. i find loaches to better in slightly larger groups. i've seen 20 of them in a 55 and they all cram into the same cave lol.

 

[Kayleigh750]

Lol that's too funny! I'll see how my trip to the lfs goes tomorrow and depending on what they have that I've looked into I will make my decisions as such. I've never seen the loaches there before but every time they have something new so you never know...

 

[Thyra]

I just wanted to add that I have not had a problem with platies over populating my tanks. I think it may be the mix of fish so that most of the fry don't make it. Bettas are really great at stalking and seeking out the fry in small places and I suspect the angels do a pretty good job too.

 

[exhumed07]

dojo loaches are kinda cool as well. i had some years ago in my first tank, little 10 gallon. but the bottom of the glass broke one night when i was out. came back and all but the dojos were dead. i had nowhere else to put them so they went into my 55 with my cichlids but i knew they would probably get killed and they did. but if a storm is coming the dojos go absolutly nuts. one reason y they are called weather loaches as well. another interesting loach that is a very effective algea eater is the chinese hillstream loach or also known as the river loach. they are one of my favorites. unless u need to catch them cause they stick to the glass very very well lol.

 

[Kayleigh750]

Yeah so I think I'm going to get a group of at least three kuhli loaches if I see them at my lfs... Ill also need to purchase some sort of sinking food for them as well if thats the case, know of anything cheaper that they like?.. Maybe not purchase them right away I'm just gonna scope out if they are there. I also hear that those huys burrow... do they not hurt themselves doing that lol? and are they like really social or scared in your experience? I was debating getting a male beta for the tank. Say if I just had platy and the kuhlis do you think a male beta might work?

 

[InfamousMob]

i like the hikari sinking pellets for bottom feeders (cories on the cover). or nutrafin bottom feeders (pictus cory and a clown loach on cover?). Male bettas are always a risk, never a promise if its going to work or now...i find that as long as the betta is the largest fish in the tank they seem to do alright...plenty of deco also helps so that the fish has a place to go if they need to run away. But i don't think id ever recommend putting a betta with platties or any other live bearer (too nippy).

 

[Thyra]

I repetitively disagree - unless you're saying the livebearers are too nippy. I have not found the bettas to be the aggressive ones. Of course every fish has a personality, I have found that bettas in a community situation do very well with the to other fish once they get use to having all that room to roam in. At first they are rather shy, but after a couple of days they accommodate and eat with all the other fish. People tend to refer to them as "fighters" but they were probably just defending a territory and I am starting to think that because of the way they are bred and kept alone they don't no longer have that instinct unless there is a female involved.

 

[exhumed07]

when it comes to the loaches i just give a little more flake food then the rest of my fish can eat fast. that way some falls to the bottom. the loaches and cories will make sure ANY uneaten food will be eaten. mine will even swim up to the top and grab food realy fast and shoot back to the bottom. now they do tend to hide alot if there are few places for them to hide. but if there are alot of places for them to hide they are accually out in the tank more often cause they have alot of places to shoot to if they do feel threatened. and they do burrow but i don't see it to often. mostly if u are trying to net them or they feet realy threatened. and they don't burrow to deep. one thing to watch for is if u have larger rocks sitting on top of the substrate. if there is a start to a cave like a small hole going under the rock they may dig it out and the rock can shift crushing the loach or falling into the glass and breaking your tank. all things to keep in mind.