33 gallon long stocking suggestions?

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Pareeeee

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Ok so my tank has been fully cycled for about a week and I'm ready to add fish but can't decide what I want.
I need some good algae eater suggestions as well - algae is trying to take over while plants begin to take hold.
All fish need to be plant and shrimp-compatible.

Thinking of doing a couple larger, peaceful fish (maybe Pearl Gouramis?) and some peaceful, smaller schooling fish. This is not set in stone and I'm totally up for suggestions! All the fish don't all need to be showy, I like unusual fish too.


pH is between 8 and 8.2
GH is 20ppm
KH is 150ppm
Substrate: PFS
Bright lighting (22 lumens/litre) and Co2


If there are some fish suggestions that need lower pH, what's the easiest way to lower it?
Looking forward to your suggestions! Thanks! :)
 
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I would ignore the pH. Adding chemicals to a tank to reduce it is never a good idea. You have a reasonable KH so it will be hard to alter pH as KH prevents the pH changing. And GH is more important anyway.
You could try putting wood in the tank. That might work, as might things like Indian almond leaves. But even if they don't, the important parameter is GH.
 
I would ignore the pH. Adding chemicals to a tank to reduce it is never a good idea. You have a reasonable KH so it will be hard to alter pH as KH prevents the pH changing. And GH is more important anyway.
You could try putting wood in the tank. That might work, as might things like Indian almond leaves. But even if they don't, the important parameter is GH.

Thanks. I do have a small piece of driftwood. I like the idea of some leaf litter but I am not fond of the look of brown tannins in the water. I have heard there are some health benefits from using them though. I wonder if just a couple would darken the water much.
 
Thanks. I do have a small piece of driftwood. I like the idea of some leaf litter but I am not fond of the look of brown tannins in the water. I have heard there are some health benefits from using them though. I wonder if just a couple would darken the water much.
I have a 2-3 indian almond leaves in my 15-1 gallon, and they don't darken the water much at all. Unless I'm just used to it.. but it's not very visible if at all. I water change 50% once a week or once every 5 days, depending. Most people need to do more than add a few leaves to make a tank really blackwater, so I think you'd be fine with just some leaf litter, and could up the water changes if the water gets darker than you like it.
 
I have a 2-3 indian almond leaves in my 15-1 gallon, and they don't darken the water much at all. Unless I'm just used to it.. but it's not very visible if at all. I water change 50% once a week or once every 5 days, depending. Most people need to do more than add a few leaves to make a tank really blackwater, so I think you'd be fine with just some leaf litter, and could up the water changes if the water gets darker than you like it.

Thanks for the info. I've never used almond leaves but have been intrigued of late because of all the benefits they provide. The only thing that was keeping me away was that they dye the water. I will look into finding some (somewhere?) - I have also heard oak leaves work if you can't find almond leaves?

(I'm getting super off topic lol - still looking for stocking suggestions! :) )
 
Thanks for the info. I've never used almond leaves but have been intrigued of late because of all the benefits they provide. The only thing that was keeping me away was that they dye the water. I will look into finding some (somewhere?) - I have also heard oak leaves work if you can't find almond leaves?

(I'm getting super off topic lol - still looking for stocking suggestions! :) )
Yep, I haven't used oak leaves yet myself, but @mbsqw1d does in his tank :) I get my almond leaves from my LFS, but you can buy them online too. The shrimp and otocinclus really enjoy the leaves too, they seem to feast on the biofilm and microcreatures that break down the leaves, so it's a good idea since you're planning to keep shrimp.
 
If you're basing your stocking on pearl gouramis, you could keep a nice little school of six (two males and four females) and still have room for 15 harlequin rasboras, 20 or so amano shrimp, and five panda garra.
 
Try Celestial Pearl Danios, Harlequin Rasbora, or Neon Tetras. I think those are great for that size tank.
 
If you're basing your stocking on pearl gouramis, you could keep a nice little school of six (two males and four females) and still have room for 15 harlequin rasboras, 20 or so amano shrimp, and five panda garra.

The large fish don't necessarily have to be Pearl Gouramis, they are one of my considerations, however. I've never owned them but I've been admiring them.

I had to google those Panda Garras, I would love those! Sadly, I have never seen them for sale here (Ontario Canada). I've owned the regular, plainer-looking Doctor Fish in the past. I love how they chase your hands around when you are cleaning a tank!
 
If you want to collect leaves, they must be in an area which does not have any insecticide used near them. The leaves must have fallen from the tree naturally not green leaves pulled off - in autumn the sap is pulled back into the tree before the leaves fall but they are full of sap if you pull them off. And they must be free of bird poop or any other contaminant. Wash them in water and allow to dry before storing, then using.

An alternative is alder cones. They can be bought from Ebay in the UK; maybe in Canada too.
 
If you want to collect leaves, they must be in an area which does not have any insecticide used near them. The leaves must have fallen from the tree naturally not green leaves pulled off - in autumn the sap is pulled back into the tree before the leaves fall but they are full of sap if you pull them off. And they must be free of bird poop or any other contaminant. Wash them in water and allow to dry before storing, then using.

An alternative is alder cones. They can be bought from Ebay in the UK; maybe in Canada too.

Oh that's cool - will any species of oak work or does it have to be a specific kind? I think I know of a few places I could look in the fall.
 
I don't know if it has to be a specific kind of oak - are there many different types where you live?
 
I don't know if it has to be a specific kind of oak - are there many different types where you live?

Red Oak, White Oak, Pin Oak, Black Oak, Bur Oak....depending on the habitat. I believe the most common directly around my area is Pin Oak and Black Oak.
 
We don't have those trees in the UK so I'll need to leave it to someone familiar to them to advise you.
 

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