How Would You Stock My Tank?

[ladymaverick]

Hi all,

Looking for guidance/suggestions/inspiration on my stocking. It is going to be a good few weeks away before I'm ready to start but I want to get an clear idea of what I want so I can think about 'scaping and stocking order.

The tank is a Juwel Rio 180 (at least, that's what it was advertised as, but having seen it, I think it might be a 240, but I'll plan for a 180 to play it safe) which will running Tetratec Ex1200 filtration, Hydor 300w external heater and the standard Juwel T5 lighting. Obviously, it is all theoretical at the moment so I can't give water conditions but being in NE Scotland, the water is fairly soft.

I'm looking for a broadly South American theme. The only thing which must be accommodated are the 10 cardinal tetras coming from Rorie (thanks!).

In addition, my current short list is:
- Otocinclus
- Dwarf cichlid species (really like rams, A. borelli and A. hongsloi. Would borelli or hongsloi be more appropriate given temps and water conditions req'd by rams?)
- Corydoras species (probably pandas)
- 1 or 2 further tetra species (glowlights? black neons? bloodfins? any other suggestions?)
- Endlers or endler-type guppies
- 1 or 2 angels
- Harlequins (I know, not South American but they are my favourite fish - I will take other suggestions on fishes with a hint o' purple about them)

As I say, I am very open to suggestions on mix and number. My only requisite is something fairly peaceful and colourful.

Thanks in advance.

L_M.xx

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Angelfish should be housed either singly or 6+, unless they are a bonded pair, anything inbetween can lead to bullying. They also need a lot of water depth because they are deep bodied fish, 45cm is regarded as the minimum. Be warned, they will try and eat anything small and torpedo shaped, Neon tetras are part of their diet in the wild, Cardinal Tetras are considered ok if the tetras are mature compared to the age/size of the cichlids.

Bolivian Rams are far easier to stock around than German Blue Rams, as they as far happier an normal tropical temps of ~25C, whereas GBR tend to need at least 27C for good long term health. persoanlly, I would choose either them or Apistogramma, not both, if you plan to have a group of Corydoras on the tank floor as well.

Otos tend to need slightly cooler temps, so research the Oto species to see if any are fine at 25C, most tend to do better at ~22C.

Panda Corydoras are again a more sub-tropical species, something such as a group of C. sterbai would suit Bolivian Ram temps much better.

Endlers might be ok in Scottish soft water, but I think of them as being a typical hard water livebearer myself. Angelfish will almost certain eat any fry and might consider the males as live lunch too.

Harlequin Rasbora would certainly be safe with Angelfish, as they have quite deep bodies for their size.

I'm not sure how they would do with Angelfish, but Beckford Pencilfish would keep a South American theme going, there are more exoticaly coloured specis out there that might tick your purple box.



Personally, if it is a Rio180, would stock something like...

8x Beckford Pencilfish
8x Cardinal Tetra
8x Sterbai Corydoras
2x Bolivian Rams or Apistogramma or Keyhole Cichlids or Laetacara spp. Cichlids

 

[blackops]

+1 for what he said but keyhole cichlids

 

[TekFish]

What are your water parameters?

TekFish

 

[ladymaverick]

As I said, its theoretical at the moment add I don't get the tank until next week, so I can't give anything for water parameters. Being in NE Scotland, I expect something very soft and slightly acidic and I'm planning worth that in mind.

However, speaking to Rorie at the weekend (he's 10 minutes up the road from me) he was saying his water is more alkaline and harder, so I am prepared to scrap this and start over again if I have similar.

So it really is a matter of wait and see what I get when I plant and fill the tank next week