First Tank. Stocking Advice :)

[Emily6235]

Hi, I've been reading this forum as a stalker for a while and really respect the advice, so now I'm taking the plunge with my first tank and I'm coming to you guys to make sure I do it right! I have a 56 gallon that is currently cycling (fishless). My hope is to have a colorful community with lots of movement. I dont have exact water parameters yet but our local water trends toward hard and acidic.

This is my tentative stocking list;
20 neon tetra
4 ottocinclus (sp?)
4 mollies
4 platies
5 fancy guppies
1 dwarf gaurami (maybe)

Open to advice, suggestions and criticism! Thanks in advance

Emily

 

[cuda]

I would stock slowly not all at once. Neons like somewhat soft water, and the livebearers like it somewhat hard but they will adjust if neutral. The ultimate load seems ok. Good luck!

 

[Emily6235]

Thanks! I was thinking 5 at a time starting with the smallest

 

[snazy]

I wouldn't add the ottos until 6 months have passed at least. They are supposed to be very sensitive to water conditions, so new setup is a no no and feed on algae solely, hard to get them eat algae tablets or any veg, so they need an established tank that has stuff growing for them to eat, lots of plants and other surfaces like big stones and driftwood.

 

[the_lock_man]

Generally speaking, if you have hard water, it tends to be alkaline, rather than acidic, so definitely worth checking that out - I assume you're getting your own test kit? Furthermore, I believe I'm right in saying that it is easier for nominally low-pH fish to adjust to high-pH rather than the other way around.

If you are fishless cycling by adding bottled ammonia, you can add all your fish at once - that's part of the point of fishless. But as Snazy says, the ottos need a 6 month old tank, and I think neons tend to like a more mature tank too - you could maybe make it 15 cardinal tetra instead (I personally prefer cardinals anyway)