Stocking ideas!

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
šŸ¶ POTM Poll is Open! šŸ¦Ž Click here to Vote! šŸ°

Sofishticated

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
I have a matured cycled 120L aquarium and Iā€™m looking for stocking advice. My tank has spiderwood and plants. I fell in love with pictus catfish and tiger barbs, so can anyone suggest tropical/ exotic fish along those lines I could get? Iā€™m an experienced fish keeper so I can care for most fish :)
 
We will be better able to suggest suitable fish if you could provide us with the source water parameters. GH (general or total hardness) and pH especially, but knowing the KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) is worth knowing as well. If you don't already know these, you should be able to find them from your water authority (assuming you are on municipal water), check their website or contact them. Provide us with the unit of measurement as well as the number, as there are several units.

While waiting, I can comment on the two species you mention. Pictus catfish will not work in this tank as they need a group (they are a shoaling species) of five minimum and attaining five inches plus being very active swimmers, a larger space such as a 4-foot tank.

Tiger Barbs, subject to water parameters, could work, as a single species tank. A group of 10-12 in a 30 gallon tank (120 liters) is the minimum for this species. Any fewer and they can get very nippy. No other upper fish, but substrate fish like catfish could work.
 
Hi! Thanks for the reply! Itā€™s a shame about the pictus catfish, thanks for letting me know. As far as I could find online, (my water is from Cambridge) the GH is 17 (unit of measurement says degrees H) and the PH is high, around 7.8 which definitely limits the fish I can get! I cannot find the KH on the websites of my areaā€™s water supplier however am still looking.
 
Your water is in what I tend to term the "fairly hard" range. The Tiger Barb should be OK, if you decide on just this species in a group of 10-12. You could find some substrate catfish as I mentioned previously. If you decide against TB, you could find some other fish, some of the barbs, danios, and livebearers come to mind in general terms. Seriously Fish is a good site for data like suitable parameters and tank size.

Don't worry about KH (Alkalinity), it is going to be on the high side, and what this primarily means is the pH is buffered and not subject to fluctuations. It will likely remain close to what it is in the source water.
 
Okay, thanks. One more question :) can I get a bristlenose catfish with tiger barbs, or should I get a fish like corydoras? And how many should I get if I do, ideally?
 
Okay, thanks. One more question :) can I get a bristlenose catfish with tiger barbs, or should I get a fish like corydoras? And how many should I get if I do, ideally?

To be honest, your water is on the hard side for cory catfish or bristlenose. I had forgotten the number previously, sorry for misleading. Harder water substrate fish don't come to mind easily, but others may know of some.
 
To be honest, your water is on the hard side for cory catfish or bristlenose. I had forgotten the number previously, sorry for misleading. Harder water substrate fish don't come to mind easily, but others may know of some.
Is there a way for me to lower the hardness of my water? I heard that using Indian almond leaves helps, but it there something that doesnā€™t stain the water like they do? Thanks :)
 
Is there a way for me to lower the hardness of my water? I heard that using Indian almond leaves helps, but it there something that doesnā€™t stain the water like they do? Thanks :)

The principle behind Indian Almond leaves and other organics (peat, wood, dried leaves) is that as these organics decompose, they tend to have a softening effect on the water, and also acidify it, so the pH lowers too. The same thing occurs from having fish in the tank, as the organics settle into the substrate and decompose. However, the initial GH and KH factor in; the higher these are, the less they are going to lower. So while it is true that such organics lower pH and GH, here it will be minimal.

The only safe way to deal with softening hard water is to dilute it with "pure" water, such as rainwater (if otherwise safe to use), RO (reverse osmosis) or distilled water. However, this gets involved. You need to have this ready for the regular weekly partial water changes, and there may be emergency water changes. RO can get expensive.

The easiest approach is to select fish that are suited to your source water.
 
To be honest, your water is on the hard side for cory catfish or bristlenose. I had forgotten the number previously, sorry for misleading. Harder water substrate fish don't come to mind easily, but others may know of some.

The only hard water catfish I can think of is the dwarf lake synodontis/pygmy leopard catfish (synodontis petricola), but like pictus they prefer a group of 4 or more. Beautiful fish if you can get hold of them.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Members online

Back
Top