16G Bow Stocking Plan

[FISH-FRY]

Unfortunately I rushed into this to please my little one (I'm not trying to place blame except myself) and should have stuck with my gut instinct and forgotten about the wife acceptance factor. So far I have 3 lone Neon Tetras that should get another 2 added by Sunday or so.

I have a 16G Bow tank that is 20 x 13 x 18 and the calculator at AqAdvisor is what I used for this. I plug in the dimensions and it shows up with 20.3G. I know the bows are harder to calculate since the curving of the glass subtracts volume since the edges are narrower than the center. I started playing with numbers to reach 16G and I didn't like the outcome because I can't fit the fish I'm hoping for. I know the water surface area can play a part with me fudging the numbers to come out to 16G that's why I mad the tank shorter to not change the surface area. Below is what I came up with.

This is plugging in the dimensions and minimum recommended quantities of fish

http://aqadvisor.com/AquStockImage....200909300144:,5:200909300094:,2:200912111346:

This is me adjusting the height of the tank to get 16G and the same number of fish

http://aqadvisor.com/AquStockImage....200909300144:,5:200909300094:,2:200912111346:

This is where I would like to be for the fish total

http://aqadvisor.com/AquStockImage....200909300094:,4:200909300155:,2:200912111346:

I'm hiring fish for a job. The Rasboras are to hang out up top and make sure nothing stays floating. The Tetras are to stay mid level and clean up some of what's coming down. The Corys are to finish off whatever makes it to the bottom and the Otocinclus are to wipe away the sides and surfaces of objects in the tank. I'm trying to get as much help from these guys as I can in keeping the tank tidy.

Of course the filter is supposed to be doing it's job and I'm going to clean and change out water as needed. And of course I'll be feeding them their proper food and passing on treats as warranted. I also have six live plants of three different species that area currently around 3" - 6" each and Flourite substrate.

Do you think the stock numbers are fine with the 16G tank? Using the common gallon per inch of fish and surface area per inch of fish don't get me to where I would like to be. I'm almost tempted to grab me a 26G Bow tank but want to make sure if my 16G will get me there. If I didn't need constant bottom cleaning then I would not get the Corys. I also would rather have about two of them when needed but I'd like to keep them happy and at least go with the recommended minimum. I am also on the fence with the Otocinclus. If I see an algae issue then I'll start with one and see how it does.


This is what I currently have

 

[Jenste]

the numbers seem fine to me....and remember, the inch per gallon rule is not that great of a rule....a ten inch fish would certainly not be happy in a ten gallon tank! it is a very broad guideline for newbies....

good work finding aqadvisor....but remember...that is also just a guideline...

you seem to have a pretty well balanced tank...dont plan on stocking with algae eaters just yet tho...if kept out of sunlight there will be such minimal algae that it would be a moot point...and you don't want to put algae eaters into a newly established tank - they will have nothing to eat! you should also balance out their diet with vegetable matter like cucumbers and algae wafers.

but over all nice work...

and if you dont want cories that is an easy fix....just don't over feed! you should feed enough to make your fish SATISFIED BUT NOT FULL....this means the fish will hunt out any bits that fell to the gravel and will keep the tank cleaner also!


you could bump up both of your schools or add a third schooling fish if you so choose this way


perhaps....6 neon tetras, 6 harlequins, and 6....?
or have schools of 8-10 each of the neons and harlequins with a dwarf gourami or dwarf cichlid? that would look amazing in your setup!

 

[Wills]

The thing with fishkeeping is there is no right answer 100% of the time, it works and sometimes it does not. Inch per gallon rule is flawed but slightly relevant here as the tank is being used for small fish, though that said they dont create that much waste anyway. The end aim of working out a good stocking list is to accommodate fish for life at max size and the filter goes towards this as the adult size of the fish will eat more food and create more waste.

One thing Im wondering is though how did you cycle the tank? Have you done a fishless cycle on it, not by adding products but by adding pure ammonia when no fish were present for about 5-7 weeks?

In my opinion, you will be 100% fine with that stocking. If your thinking of a bigger tank go bigger you wont regret it!

Also dont get fish to clean your tank if you dont like them, they would only have to clean up if you over fed the other fish. I mean I know after every feed there is a little excess but that can just be taken care of by the filter, or a smaller idea that wont impact on your stocking is cherry shrimp. Get a small group and they will soon develop a colony in your tank. Again ottos in a tank that small its not going to be hard to wipe clean and if you get a magnet cleaner you wont even have to get wet!

With your plants I can see 2 plants over at the back that dont actually want planting in the substrate they need tying to rocks or wood as their roots need to be exposed.

And trust me lol if you like a fish and you know what the fish will look like in good condition and you like it the mrs will like them The amount of fish Ive put off getting because she didnt like them in the shop and then I get them anyway and then they colour up and its like I told you! Im now at that stage where she trusts me not to fill the tank with ugly dinosaur looking fish......now then off to get that lung fish (I joke my tank cant handle those bad boys)

Wills

 

[FISH-FRY]

the numbers seem fine to me....and remember, the inch per gallon rule is not that great of a rule....a ten inch fish would certainly not be happy in a ten gallon tank! it is a very broad guideline for newbies....

good work finding aqadvisor....but remember...that is also just a guideline...

you seem to have a pretty well balanced tank...dont plan on stocking with algae eaters just yet tho...if kept out of sunlight there will be such minimal algae that it would be a moot point...and you don't want to put algae eaters into a newly established tank - they will have nothing to eat! you should also balance out their diet with vegetable matter like cucumbers and algae wafers.

but over all nice work...

and if you dont want cories that is an easy fix....just don't over feed! you should feed enough to make your fish SATISFIED BUT NOT FULL....this means the fish will hunt out any bits that fell to the gravel and will keep the tank cleaner also!


you could bump up both of your schools or add a third schooling fish if you so choose this way


perhaps....6 neon tetras, 6 harlequins, and 6....?
or have schools of 8-10 each of the neons and harlequins with a dwarf gourami or dwarf cichlid? that would look amazing in your setup!

Yes AqAdvisor has a great tool to build an aquarium without all the dead fishes. It supplements other information that's available elsewhere. If it had pictures and readable background information on all the species in the database then it would really be killer.

I started with 3 Neon Tetras and then I'll add another 3 soon. Aftwerwards I was going to add 3 Rasboras and then the other 3. Then I was going to see if I needed the Corys and then the Otocinclus. The good thing is that I don't have any direct sunlight near the tank so that should help. I'm trying minimal feeding and only once per the day that I feed them for now until I add the next set of fish.

I thought about two Gouramis...I was also told about them over at AqAdvisor as well. I'm not sure I like the possibility of them becoming hostile if they mate. I've read that the male could potentially kill the female if left in the tank once the eggs are present. Not so nice. I saw pictures and thought I'd like the red ones but then I went to a few stores today and I liked the blue ones better. I'm still on the fence on this and it's a couple of weeks away before I decide. I also could add more fish to the first two schools as you mentioned.

Thanks for the complements and the input. I like the frogs. I used to have some a while back but they always like to eat my fish in the tank.

 

[FISH-FRY]

The thing with fishkeeping is there is no right answer 100% of the time, it works and sometimes it does not. Inch per gallon rule is flawed but slightly relevant here as the tank is being used for small fish, though that said they dont create that much waste anyway. The end aim of working out a good stocking list is to accommodate fish for life at max size and the filter goes towards this as the adult size of the fish will eat more food and create more waste.

One thing Im wondering is though how did you cycle the tank? Have you done a fishless cycle on it, not by adding products but by adding pure ammonia when no fish were present for about 5-7 weeks?

In my opinion, you will be 100% fine with that stocking. If your thinking of a bigger tank go bigger you wont regret it!

Also dont get fish to clean your tank if you dont like them, they would only have to clean up if you over fed the other fish. I mean I know after every feed there is a little excess but that can just be taken care of by the filter, or a smaller idea that wont impact on your stocking is cherry shrimp. Get a small group and they will soon develop a colony in your tank. Again ottos in a tank that small its not going to be hard to wipe clean and if you get a magnet cleaner you wont even have to get wet!

With your plants I can see 2 plants over at the back that dont actually want planting in the substrate they need tying to rocks or wood as their roots need to be exposed.

And trust me lol if you like a fish and you know what the fish will look like in good condition and you like it the mrs will like them The amount of fish Ive put off getting because she didnt like them in the shop and then I get them anyway and then they colour up and its like I told you! Im now at that stage where she trusts me not to fill the tank with ugly dinosaur looking fish......now then off to get that lung fish (I joke my tank cant handle those bad boys)

Wills

I went to about four stores today and looked for either a new Bow Front stand for the current tank because the one I have isn't 100% pleasing to the wife but it was the only one I could get at the time. I did find one I liked better but the thought of the work I had to do to get the tank on the new one made me stop thinking. I also saw a 26G Bow Front that I almost got but then could not find a stand. Then I found a 36G Bow Front with a stand that my wife would love but then I would have to get new Flourite, plants, add water and delay cycling and go though the hassle mentioned above so I left the store.

If I would have picked it up then I would have to redo my stocking list! I would love to have picked up a 150G tank I saw and do a marine tank but there's just no room and I'm not willing to put that much effort into an aquarium at this time. Long story short, it looks like I can do what I want with what I have and have no plans on growing. So for today, 16G is what I'm sticking with.

I did not do a fishless cycle and currently cycling.

I like the Shrimp idea, thanks! I'll look into it. Wont they get bigger and start snapping at the smaller fish? How many do you think will do the job? When you say colony, are you saying they multiply like rabbits? I think my wife may like them better than the corys.

I picked out the faux driftwood specifically for two of the plant types you mention. I didn't want to use rubber bands that would rot (what kind of toxin are they?) and have some poor fish suck it up and get it stuck in them. I used that drift wood to hold them in place. Here are some pics showing what I did without having to tie them up. Now if I get some clumsy fish in there before they take root then my plan may not work.

This is from above and waaaaaavy

This is one of the Anubias nana. See the rhizome on top of the substrate and it starting to dig it's roots? It must love it some Flourite.

This is one of the Microsorium Pteropus. I stuck these in crevices of the driftwood and are not in the substrate.

These are both plants

 

[hihi100202]

One thing that I go buy is to never buy fish just to clean tanks. Why? Because if you do that, you will never get the fish you really want. Like I buy ghost shrip not for cleaning my tank, but because they are really fun to watch. And I'm warning you... Don't get the ottos for like 3 months. They need a really mature tank. Belive me, they are hard the first couple weeks, you have to keep a good eye on them. After that, they should be ok.

 

[FISH-FRY]

One thing that I go buy is to never buy fish just to clean tanks. Why? Because if you do that, you will never get the fish you really want. Like I buy ghost shrip not for cleaning my tank, but because they are really fun to watch. And I'm warning you... Don't get the ottos for like 3 months. They need a really mature tank. Belive me, they are hard the first couple weeks, you have to keep a good eye on them. After that, they should be ok.

I'm holding off on getting any type of "clean-up" fish or shrimp unless I see signs of the tank needing it.

 

[FISH-FRY]

I added a couple male Panda Cory last weekend and today I came home with four Red Cherry Shrimp. I wound up with a male and three females and all with eggs.

One of the Panda Cory and will probably get two more next weekend

The same Cory with one of the female shrimp

A female with eggs

Same as above with different shot

Here is the male which is larger than the females

Another shot

I thought these shrimp would hide out and come out at night but they're running around and not scared of the fish. The good thing is that they started working on cleaning up some of the growth on the plants.

 

[Tortea]

The gravel looks like it has a few sharp edges. It can't really be helped but keep in mind that cory barbs are very fragile, and cen be cut of if something is sharp enough to do that.

 

[FISH-FRY]

The gravel looks like it has a few sharp edges. It can't really be helped but keep in mind that cory barbs are very fragile, and cen be cut of if something is sharp enough to do that.

Thanks for the concern. I've read what you're saying before and taken it into consideration before getting them. A week has gone by and no sign of any damage so far. I've also read on other forums from people that use Flourite and have barbed fishes and no problems. We'll see.

 

[FISH-FRY]

An updated pic with the fishes from my sig and two extra plants.

Might add another 2 Pandas this weekend.

 

[FISH-FRY]

Already did along with 3 Harlequin Rasbora and a Nerite Snail. Only 3 more Rasbora to go and expect to stock this weekend.