Hypothetical Future Stocking

[Curiosity101]

My current tank is a 125l running a fluval 3+ and 2+ in it at the moment.
I plant to buy an external Eheim 2026 Pro2 when I get paid...so that should be here in less than two weeks.

Current Stock:
5 Neon Tetra
5 Rummy Nose tetra
1 Bolivian Ram
4 Kuhli Loach
3 Cory Cats
5 Gold Barbs

4/5 Amano Shrimp + 2 snails also...if interested.

I've planned out my dream stocking but it's roughly 2inch per gallon as opposed to one:

5 Neons
5 Rummy Nose
2 Bolivian (m/f)
4 Kuhli Loach
5 Cory Cats
1 Queen arabesque pleco
5 Emerald Dwarf Rasbora OR 4 Dwarf croaking gourami

(I haven't forgotten the barbs, I'm selling them)

Right...well a couple of questions
1) Are there any incompatibilities you can see arising there?
2) With the external I plan to buy will I be ok as far as good and stable water conditions? The tank will be well planted...
3) Should I up to the next size filter?
4) Are there any other things you think could cause a problem.

Please bear in mind that although the stocking is around 2inch per gallon...kuhli loach contribute almost 15cm when fully grown and with a tank dimensions WxDxH 80cm x 35cm x 45cm. I may have to think about rehoming them in a year or two anyways. And also can you take into account the bio-load that the fish will actually kick out...
This is why I'm asking peoples opinions...and not just going by the numbers in a fish calc!

 

[Curiosity101]

No suggestions? Oh well...I'll just keep to stocking levels that I KNOW are safe then I guess...

 

[JustKia]

In my 125L my stocking is pushing the boundaries of "2 per gallon, but they are all small peaceful fish and it works. It's well planted up and has a Fluval 405 external.
I presume you are just going to stuff the media from the internals into the external? Fill the external with tank water and try to take the media from the internals as quick as possible with as little time out of water as you can and you should avoid much (if any) die off. Also rinse your new media in siphoned off tank water before putting it in the external.
I'd say, as regards the filter, always buy the biggest you can afford to buy and run without turning your tank into a whirlpool. That way if you decide to upgrade your tank you don't need to upgrade your filter later as well. We could easily have gone for a 305 for our tank but for the extra (I think it was) £15 we chose to get the 405 instead.

I don't know about the Rams much, I think they are quite sensitive, so you may want to wait until after you have changed the filters over and made sure you don't get a mini cycle before adding them.
As you will have noticed kuhlis have very little body mass in comparison to their length, so they put out less waste/ammonia than other 4" fish. Corys are also relatively low on the waste/ammonia output. So, my only other suggestion would be to up the corys and kuhlis to at least 6, preferably 8 of each, as this brings out the best in them.

 

[Curiosity101]

Thanks very much for the detailed reply!

I don't plan on adding to my current stock until after the new filter has had a settling in period.
Seeing as I get paid in 5 days I'm going to order the ProII 2026 before the site I found runs out...they are only going to be stocking the proIII's soon. So I can get the Eheim 2026 for £108 (and that's inc delivery )

But thanks for putting my mind at rest. I'm not about to dump a whole lot of fish in. I'll do it over time and make sure everyone is happy with their tank mates. I'm not in a huge rush.
How do you find your nitrate levels are on a week to week basis? Is it kept in check by the plants? Or do you have to do significantly larger water changes?

 

[bagu]

in my 20gal i have

6 rummys, 1 SAE, 2 german blue rams

thats around 23"-24"

If your tank is matured then i see no problem with 2" per gallon, IMO.

Just keep it sensible and keep on top of maintenance!

 

[JustKia]

I don't test that often anymore, but the tap water here is usually around 20ppm and tank tests are usually about the same. I know some people with heavily planted tanks actually end up with less nitrates in the tank than tap water, but mine seems to stay fairly consistent with tap water.

 

[Curiosity101]

At the moment with my current stocking my nitrates haven't reached 10ppm once... I'm very lucky that my tapwater is near enough 0 for nitrates so...