I Have Several Questions That Need Answering

[southyorkshireguy]

I need some questions answering please if possible.

1) My Tank is 150cm in length, 65cm in height and 50cm in depth, could anyone tell me roughly how many litres this tank is? it is a large tank.

2) These are the fish that i want in there, please could you tell me if i will be overstocked and if any of the fish would not be compatible.

2 red platys, 6 rasboras, 5 guppys, 2 clownloach, 5 corydoras, 2 plecos, 2 siamese algae eaters, 1 flying fox, 2 neon red dwarf gouramis, 2 east euro rams, 4 lemon tetras, 4 rummynose tetras, 4 glowlight tetras, 4 black neon tetras, 4 neons, 2 purple emperor tetras, 2 sailfin mollies, 2 yo yo loach, 1 axelrodi rainbow, 1 praecox rainbow, 1 red tail banded rainbow, 2 black phantom tetras.

Hopefully i can have all these in my tank.

I would be grateful and appreciate any advice.

 

[Ter]

480L
128 US gallons
Large tank..

 

[Confused]

It is 450 litres. I am also giving a link for the aquarium calculator
http/www.petfish.net/calculators/utankcalc.php

 

[SamUK]

2 red platys, 6 rasboras, 5 guppys, 2 clownloach, 5 corydoras, 2 plecos, 2 siamese algae eaters, 1 flying fox, 2 neon red dwarf gouramis, 2 east euro rams, 4 lemon tetras, 4 rummynose tetras, 4 glowlight tetras, 4 black neon tetras, 4 neons, 2 purple emperor tetras, 2 sailfin mollies, 2 yo yo loach, 1 axelrodi rainbow, 1 praecox rainbow, 1 red tail banded rainbow, 2 black phantom tetras.

not sure if thats overstocked or not cos i jus got in from work and im not adding all that up lol.


theres things that need groups that dont tho.


Clowns will be pretty much miserable all the time unless theres more than 4 of them and any tetras like to school so groups of 5+ are preffered.

also, what type of plecs? 2 commons would be a bit of a heavy load unless you get really good filtration and even then i think 2 x potential 2 foot monsters is a bit much for the tank.

id go for something smaller but they mite be a bit trickier to find.

 

[southyorkshireguy]

It is 450 litres. I am also giving a link for the aquarium calculator
http/www.petfish.net/calculators/utankcalc.php

Thanks for the replies, it is much appreciated, so i should not have any problems housing all of those fish above then.

 

[triskele]

Your tank is roughly 450 litres in volumes (allowing for a 2 inch air gap at the top), after allowing for gravel and ornaments that will drop to about 400 litres (about 87 UK gallons)

A few comments on your fish selection (bear in mind some of this is personal view and others may disagree)

Platies – if your keen on staying with 2 make sure both are female, if you want a larger group of platies, try to stick with a ratio of 1 male to 3 females, an all female group or an all male group.

Rasboras – which ones in particular, they can vary greatly in size depending on the species.

Guppies – similar to platies, for pure colour an all male group would be best. Otherwise, 1 male to 2/3 females.

Clown Loach – Personally I feel that your tank is large enough for these (for a time). Bear in mind they can get large (10â€￾ plus) and prefer to be in groups of 4 or more.

Corydoras – again they can vary a bit in size, do you know what species your after.

Pleco’s – again a huge variance in size, and dietary requirements. Try to avoid the common pleco (gets huge) and investigate the L-numbers. Maybe ancistrus ?

Siamese algae eaters – a personal preference here, I don’t much like them. Ancistrus would be good.

Flying Fox – never kept one, but should be okay in that mix, especially if you miss out on the SAE’s and go with ancistrus.

Dwarf Gouramis – never has much luck with these, 2 males will squabble and in the past I have found sole females get picke don. But it is a large tank and with plenty of cover it may be okay.

Rams – delicate fish, like soft water and a pH of 6-6.5 or so. Have you considered Bolivian Rams?

Tetras – personal preference again, they will all work together, but could look better if you stuck with a larger numbers of maybe 2 tetra species.

Sailfin Mollies – Prefer hard, alakaline water (maybe even brackish, though I’ll bow to the brackish people on that one).

Yo-Yo loach – never kept this one. Fish base claims an adult standard length of 6 inches.

Rainbows – axelrodi and banded can get up to 3-4 inches in length. Paecox to 2 inches. Look better in larger groups of the same species (probably happier that way to).

A few questions and pointers. Forgive me if I’m teaching grandmother to suck eggs but have you had a look at the cycling pinned links. Your local water, do you know if its hard or soft?

Now if it was me (selfish indulgent moment) based on you selection of fish I would go with an eventual stocking of the following;

6x 1â€￾ 6 Male guppies
4 x 6â€￾ 4 Clown Loach (they grow larger but at the point they are best moved on)
6 x 2.5â€￾ 6 Corydoras Green Lazer
2 x 4â€￾ 2 L260 Plecs ‘Queen Arrabesque’ (male and female)
1 x 6â€￾ 1 Flying Fox
6 x 3.5â€￾ 6 Melanotaenia hebertaxelrodi
12 x 1.5â€￾ 12 Black Neons

I’d be tempted to add amano shrimp but I have a feeling the clown loach might consider them a snack. I keep Dwarf Chain Loach with them and don’t have a problem with the shrimp and the dwarf chain loach, however, Clown Loaches get a lot bigger.

Total fish length = 98â€￾ (stocked gradually)

(edited for spelling)

 

[southyorkshireguy]

Your tank is roughly 450 litres in volumes (allowing for a 2 inch air gap at the top), after allowing for gravel and ornaments that will drop to about 400 litres (about 87 UK gallons)

A few comments on your fish selection (bear in mind some of this is personal view and others may disagree)

Platies – if your keen on staying with 2 make sure both are female, if you want a larger group of platies, try to stick with a ratio of 1 male to 3 females, an all female group or an all male group.

Rasboras – which ones in particular, they can vary greatly in size depending on the species.

Guppies – similar to platies, for pure colour an all male group would be best. Otherwise, 1 male to 2/3 females.

Clown Loach – Personally I feel that your tank is large enough for these (for a time). Bear in mind they can get large (10†plus) and prefer to be in groups of 4 or more.

Corydoras – again they can vary a bit in size, do you know what species your after.

Pleco’s – again a huge variance in size, and dietary requirements. Try to avoid the common pleco (gets huge) and investigate the L-numbers. Maybe ancistrus ?

Siamese algae eaters – a personal preference here, I don’t much like them. Ancistrus would be good.

Flying Fox – never kept one, but should be okay in that mix, especially if you miss out on the SAE’s and go with ancistrus.

Dwarf Gouramis – never has much luck with these, 2 males will squabble and in the past I have found sole females get picke don. But it is a large tank and with plenty of cover it may be okay.

Rams – delicate fish, like soft water and a pH of 6-6.5 or so. Have you considered Bolivian Rams?

Tetras – personal preference again, they will all work together, but could look better if you stuck with a larger numbers of maybe 2 tetra species.

Sailfin Mollies – Prefer hard, alakaline water (maybe even brackish, though I’ll bow to the brackish people on that one).

Yo-Yo loach – never kept this one. Fish base claims an adult standard length of 6 inches.

Rainbows – axelrodi and banded can get up to 3-4 inches in length. Paecox to 2 inches. Look better in larger groups of the same species (probably happier that way to).

A few questions and pointers. Forgive me if I’m teaching grandmother to suck eggs but have you had a look at the cycling pinned links. Your local water, do you know if its hard or soft?

Now if it was me (selfish indulgent moment) based on you selection of fish I would go with an eventual stocking of the following;

6x 1†6 Male guppies
4 x 6†4 Clown Loach (they grow larger but at the point they are best moved on)
6 x 2.5†6 Corydoras Green Lazer
2 x 4†2 L260 Plecs ‘Queen Arrabesque’ (male and female)
1 x 6†1 Flying Fox
6 x 3.5†6 Melanotaenia hebertaxelrodi
12 x 1.5†12 Black Neons

I’d be tempted to add amano shrimp but I have a feeling the clown loach might consider them a snack. I keep Dwarf Chain Loach with them and don’t have a problem with the shrimp and the dwarf chain loach, however, Clown Loaches get a lot bigger.

Total fish length = 98†(stocked gradually)

(edited for spelling)

Thanks for your advice i will be taking all that into consideration, but i would like at least the following

5 Guppys
2 Clownloach
1 Flying Fox
6 Harlequin Rasboras
3 Platys
5 Purple Emperor Tetras
5 Black Phantom Tetras
4 Rainbow Fish
5 Various Corydoras (Sterba, Panda, Green, Albino, Aldolofi)
2 Plecos (I'm not sure what pleco's mine are however if they are common ones i will give them away).
2 East Euro Ram
1 Yo Yo Loach
2 Dwarf Gouramis

 

[diademhill]

Thanks for your advice i will be taking all that into consideration, but i would like at least the following

5 Guppys
2 Clownloach
1 Flying Fox
6 Harlequin Rasboras
3 Platys
5 Purple Emperor Tetras
5 Black Phantom Tetras
4 Rainbow Fish
5 Various Corydoras (Sterba, Panda, Green, Albino, Aldolofi)
2 Plecos (I'm not sure what pleco's mine are however if they are common ones i will give them away).
2 East Euro Ram
1 Yo Yo Loach
2 Dwarf Gouramis

You have to consider the social grouping that the fish need. 2 clowns & 1 yoyo will not be happy. How about compromising on 4 Botia histrionica instead.
The cories need keeping in a same species group but you could mix albino & normal variants of the same species.
East Euro Ram could be either species - both are bred there.

 

[southyorkshireguy]

Thankd for your reply, i was wondering what do common plecos look like? to be honest mine look like leopard plecos but i'm not 100% sure.

I love the look of the east euro rams, i just hope they dont attack my little fish, but i know that they are fairly peaceful so hopefully they will be ok.

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

I have to agree w/Triskele- you really have to consider the social groupings of the fishes. Yes- technically you could have just one clown loach, but they NEED to be in groups to be healthy and social.

 

[Spinal]

A Just a quick message (nothing as long, details, or precise as Triskele's pos )

Mollies are in fact Brackish fish, and though will survive in freshwater (they are hardy little things) they will be more prone to disease and will be fairly stressed in a pure-freshwater environment for long periods. Also, as with most livebearers, keep a 1:2 or 1:3 male:female ration with them.

As for the tetras, watch out, different types of tetra will NOT school together, hence the tank will end up looking a bit... strange with fmall clumps of fish here and there... (and IMHO, juts like everyone is saying, you want 4 clowns at least, they don't like being in small groups and easily get stressed)

Michele

 

[chiqui_baby]

Another note about Mollies, they are not as "brackish" as some, but....honestly....they need salt!!!!!
Yes, they can do just fine without but I have noticed a WORLD of difference once I added salt and seemingly happy fish before, they are now active, fun and seem to all in all be a lot happier. Plus, any illnesses (ie ich) are a lot easier to clear up if they are in salted water. Just something to keep in mind. While they would do ok in freshwater, to be kindest to them I think you should consider adding a bit of salt. This may make them incompatible with other fish though since some really do not tolerate salt at all.