Another Stocking Question?

[bordercollie05]

I've spent the past three weeks trying to decide what to put in my new 55. It's not set up at all yet, (empty in my apartment, not even out of the box yet actually) so I still have some time. I just wanted to get some feedback about my latest idea. Here's what I'm thinking:

3-5 Bosemani Rainbows
~ 6 Congo Tetra
~ 6 Five Banded Barbs
~ 8 cories (I can't decide which, I love the pandas, but am interested in the Hasbrosus, would those be too small?)


Does this sound okay? What about numbers? I'm really not sure on the numbers for the rainbows. I can't find a definite adult size (I've seen anywhere from 3-6 inches...). Can I have as few as three and have them be happy? What sort of sex ratios do you need for rainbows? This is another thing I've seen varying info on...

Thanks and Happy New Year!!

Laura

 

[Colin_T]

depending on which species of 5 banded barb you get will determine if they get eaten or harrassed by the boesemani. Most fish sold as 5 banded barbs are quite small and could be knocked around by the rainbowfish.

keep rainbows in groups of 6 or more. 3prs is a good way to go. Melanotaenia boesemain grow to about 4 inches long, some will get to 5 inches but they need a really big tank to do that.

Keep the PH slightly alkaline (above 7.0) for the rainbows and feed them lots of plant matter.

 

[MHunt]

Sorry if this is a hijack it's kind of the same question, I'm just setting up my new 200L (55US GAL) and i'm working on what to keep in it too. I'm thinking 5 angels, my 8 bronze cory's and probably my three cherry barbs for now, but what else, I do like the congo tetra, but are there any other good mid size schoaling fish? Black widow tetras perhaps, Would emporer tetras get big enough not to be angel food when the angels grow up?

Edit - Oh, I have two bristlenose plecs to go in there too

 

[bordercollie05]

Hi Colin,

Thanks for your info. I guess I didn't realize there were more than one species of 5 Banded barb; are there specific ones your can suggest or that I should avoid if I want to put them with rainbowfish? Or are they out of the question all together? Maybe I should just do the Rainbows, Congos, and Cories? Is there something else I could add to that?


MHunt,

There's lots of other mid sized tetras. Maybe look into the Columbian tetra? These are another fish I really like. One thing I can say for sure. Don't get serpae tetras if you have angel fish. I learned that from experience, they are much too nippy, at least the ones I have!



Any other advice or input is still greatly appreciated. Or any other suggestions for fish to add etc.


Laura


Edit:
Just added up the fish lengths and it looks like 6 Rainbows + 6 Congos + 8 Cories is 55" of adult fish. Looks like that would fully stock my tank. Still any suggested replacements or anything are welcome. I'm still curious about the barbs as well. I'm set on the rainbows and cories, but flexible with the congos.

Thanks again!

 

[MHunt]

Oh yes I know about nippy fish, which is why i'm a little wary about putting the cherry barbs in there, one of the females did a great job of eating my apisto caciatuoids tail while they were together which is why there were separated.

I would like to put some lace gourami in too later, they are lovely fish when they mature.

In terms of the cory's, pandas or hasboratus are really small fish, probably too small to compete with their tank mates you're probably better going for one of the larger types like bronze, peppered etc see what takes your fancy at the LFS there are loads of them out there.

The 5 banded or pentazonia barbs are pretty peaceful compared to the similar tigers. I think they get to about 2 inches.

 

[Colin_T]

For Mhunt

Adult angelfish might eat cherry barbs when the angels are full grown. However, cherry barbs are pretty quick and if they are grown up with the angels, should be fine. All barbs are schooling fishes and should be kept in groups of 6 or more, (preferably 10 or more) to help prevent them getting bored.

5 adult angelfish might have problems in the tank when they mature and start breeding. I would let them grow up and when they pr off, keep 1 pr and get rid of the others.

Black widow tetras are fin nippers, as are serpae, red-eye, columbian & beunos aires. It is best to avoid these fishes if you have angels or other fish with long fins. Even congo tetras can become a bit nippy if they get bored. If you keep a group of 6-8 congos there shouldn’t be any problems.
Emperor, bleeding heart, rosy & diamond tetras are usually fine with angels and get to a couple of inches long so shouldn’t get eaten. They are also deeper in the body and this makes them less likely to become food.

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For bordercollie

Unfortunately the same common name is often used for many species and this can cause problems in identification. There are a number of species and subspecies of smallish barbs from Asia which are called 5 banded barbs. If you can get a species that grows to 3 inches then they should be ok, but the smaller varieties that only reach 2 inches might be pushed around.
Generally any barb or tetra that grows to 3-4inches will be fine with the boesemani and as long as they can tolerate slightly alkaline water. The rainbows need alkaline water otherwise they can become nervous and skittish.

Although you will have about 55inches of adult fish in the 55g tank, the one inch per gallon rule is not all that accurate. It comes down to how often you do water changes and gravel cleans, and how often you feed the fish. If you have 6 adult boesemani rainbows in the tank and feed them heavily 5 times a day, then you will need to do water changes every couple of days. If you only feed 6 rainbows once a day you could do a water change every few weeks.
If you have 6 rainbows, 6 congos & 8 corydoras and feed them twice a day, they should be fine with a weekly water change. If you want more fish in the tank then feed them less or do more water changes to compensate for the extra waste that is produced.
If you monitor the nitrates then you can see if you are doing enough water changes. If the nitrate levels stay level then you are doing enough. If the nitrates go up between water changes, then you need to do more water changes or reduce the feeding or number of fishes in the tank.

 

[bordercollie05]

Hi Colin,

Thanks, that information all makes sense. Generally, I feed my fish once a day and do a 20% H2O change every 7-10 days. I think I'll probably start with 6 rainbows, 6 congos, and 8-10 cories. I'll be moving in May, so I guess that is one reason not to over load my tank; more fish to move! Maybe after I move and the tank has resettled, I'll see if I want to add more or not. I really appreciate your help, I'm very excited about the rainbows, they seem like wonderful fish

Also, to MHunt, I'll look around for a bit larger cory. I'm not sure what else my LFS has and such. Thanks for the tip though, I wouldn't want my little pandas to get eaten . Good luck with your stocking decision!


Laura

 

[MHunt]

Thanks for that Colin,

Yeah the cherries are still a bit on the small side compared to the angels, but the angels are going to be pretty small so should be ok, the cherries don't have to do in the big tank so it's not a major issue. I'm planning on having lots of plants in the tank and bogwood eventually, so there'll be loads of room to hide if any angels (or other fish) get harrased by a breeding pair. I saw some black neons today(looked suspiciously like emporers, common name misuse perhaps?) which might fit the bill.

I cetainly agree on the inch per gallon rule, it's a good guide to stop beginners filling a tank full of too many guppies, but with bigger, mature, well maintained tanks you can go over that comfortably, i've read up to about 2" per gallon according to some calculators, but just be aware that things will go wrong quicker if you have a problem.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi bordercollie05

~ 8 cories (I can't decide which, I love the pandas, but am interested in the Hasbrosus, would those be too small?)

I wouldn't recommend either of them with the other fish you are planning to get. There are many really nice looking corys that are larger and more suitable. While you might not be able to fit as many, I think they would be more active and outgoing than the smaller corys would be.

Here's just a few:

C. rabouti:

C. arcuatus (skunk corys)

C. robinae:

 

[pippoodle]

i would also recommend peppered - c. paleatus

 

[bordercollie05]

I like all of those Inchworm and pippoodle! I was looking at the Peppered cories today and also Adolfi cories. I think I like the Rabouti better than the aldofli though. And I really like the Robinae, I haven't seen that one before. Thanks for the cory ideas

MHunt, If I'm thinking of the fish you're talking about, black neons stay rather small...I'd suspect the angels might eat it when grown. However, I have heard stories of angels doing well with little fish if they grow up together (I don't know if I believe them though looking at mine, but I think mine may be especially aggressive for an angel)


I'm getting so excited about this tank! I really appreciate everyone's advice


Laura

 

[MHunt]

I like all of those Inchworm and pippoodle! I was looking at the Peppered cories today and also Adolfi cories. I think I like the Rabouti better than the aldofli though. And I really like the Robinae, I haven't seen that one before. Thanks for the cory ideas

MHunt, If I'm thinking of the fish you're talking about, black neons stay rather small...I'd suspect the angels might eat it when grown. However, I have heard stories of angels doing well with little fish if they grow up together (I don't know if I believe them though looking at mine, but I think mine may be especially aggressive for an angel)


I'm getting so excited about this tank! I really appreciate everyone's advice


Laura

I'm not sure what schooling fish i'm going to choose yet. I've seen loads and i'm gonna take my time before I decide. I do like the thought of having a school of hatchet fish. Anyone had bad experiences with these and angels?

 

[bordercollie05]

I'm not sure what schooling fish i'm going to choose yet. I've seen loads and i'm gonna take my time before I decide. I do like the thought of having a school of hatchet fish. Anyone had bad experiences with these and angels?

I really like hatchet fish, they seem like they would be interesting to keep. I think I've seen them kept with angels, but otherwise know nothing about it.

So, I had a chance to check out my LFS today and they have both Bosemani Rainbows and Congo Tetras. Thats the good news. The bad news is they're 10 and 13 dollars a piece respectfully. Is this about the price you'd expect to pay (that's US dollars)? I really like this combination, but I'm not sure I can afford to spent $138 on fish, and that's not counting the cories. Anybody know of anything similar but a little less expensive? Or any ideas about where to go from here?

Thanks!

Laura

 

[Colin_T]

if you contact MikeV, he's on here sometimes, he buys rainbows from a website in the US and they are a lot cheaper than normal. However, they don't always have the correct names on the fish. Most of the time they do but not always. Unfortunately I can't remember the place otherwise I would tell you

The other thing is to buy young fish and they will be a lot cheaper. Or go to a fish club, rainbowfish society, and buy fish from the members.

 

[bordercollie05]

if you contact MikeV, he's on here sometimes, he buys rainbows from a website in the US and they are a lot cheaper than normal. However, they don't always have the correct names on the fish. Most of the time they do but not always. Unfortunately I can't remember the place otherwise I would tell you

The other thing is to buy young fish and they will be a lot cheaper. Or go to a fish club, rainbowfish society, and buy fish from the members.

Thanks Colin, I'll PM him. I'm planning on going to a fish auction in a couple of weeks, so hopefully that will be a good alternative.