is this too much?

[Shifty1303]

hi all,

want to stock my tank back up after some disease problems (stable for 10 weeks now). I had some advice previously on stocking levels but im concerned it seems too much? please advise or suggest alternative.

tank: fluval roma 200 - 200l
filter: fluval 306 external - rated for 300l
ph~7.3
hard water (not sure on ppm figures etc)

current stocking:
15x panda cory
1x bronze cory
9x lemon tetra
2x black ruby barb
2x dwarf neon (praecox) rainbow
1x glowlight tetra

my plan from what was suggested previously is to top up the barbs and rainbows to about 10 each so i have three 10-strong schools plus the catfish. is this a case of would work but would require a LOT of water changes?

thanks for all responses

 

[Byron]

While the numbers of the shoaling fish species (the fish listed are all shoaling species) do need to be increased (except for the panda cories and the lemon tetra that are both fine), there is insufficient tank space to do this. I suggest you eliminate some species, according to your interests, and re-home those you don't want and then increase those you do want. The lone Bronze Cory is not badly off, as it has the pandas though ideally another 4 Bronze wouldn't hurt, but space is getting tight as it is.

Ypuop want decent sized shoals; the often-repeated "six" for such fish is a minimum, and the fish will always be better off with a few more, so keep that in mind. What I'm getting at, is that two or three species with more in the groups will be healthier, happier, and more interesting than smaller groups of more species in the same tank.

You mention "hard water" but without the GH number this may mean different things. The fish mentioned will be fine with soft to moderately hard.

Assuming you keep the pandas and lemon tetra, since you have good sized shoals, some water current and lower temperatures are best, say in the mid 70's F (around 23-25 C).

I'm not sure I would have the barbs and rainbows together, so with the rainbows perhaps remove the barbs, or reverse. The lemons should be fine whichever--I had a shoal of lemons in with my Black Ruby barbs, they were both extremely active swimming fish.

Byron.

 

[Shifty1303]

Thanks as always byron

Will stock up the barbs. would a few more bronze corys fit? I'm concerned about space too especially as the pandas are so good at multiplying themselves! had 6 originally and the rest are descendants.

I've also always wanted a BN plec would one of those fit?

 

[Byron]

Thanks as always byron

Will stock up the barbs. would a few more bronze corys fit? I'm concerned about space too especially as the pandas are so good at multiplying themselves! had 6 originally and the rest are descendants.

I've also always wanted a BN plec would one of those fit?

Depending which shoaling fish you remove, you might be OK with more Bronze cories. Yes, pandas are quite easy spawners. I have six in my 70g (in a mix of 12 cory species) and I usually retrieve one fry from the canister filter at every cleaning. The eggs get eaten by the other fish normally, but if one should get sucked into the filter, it can survive. This species is one of the few that are commercially bred, owing I'm sure to the ease with which they spawn.

As for the BN, we don't have the GH yet, but provided it is not too hard, and provided there are reductions in the shoaling fish species, this should be OK.