I Need Some Advice On Stocking A 90 Litre Tank!

[Ric]

Hello folks,

I was hoping to get some advice on a new tank, its 90Litre, 80cm Wide x 40cm high, by 30cm deep - I'm just wanting to use gravel and silk/plastic plants as I'm not knowlegebale enough yet to go all out with sand, planting etc (that'll be when I convince my wife to let me get a 300 litre tank!).

As well as the above size specs, i'm using a fluval U3 filter & a rena 100w smart heater.

My previous tank had some guppies and a hopplo catfish in my old 60L tank but my hoplo choked on a bit of gravel (poor little guy) and my guppies have been donated to my mum for her new tank. Anyhoo, I'm having a bit of doubt on what to stock in this tank, Its about 3 weeks in to the fishless cycle so i'll be waiting a week or two before i add anything, but I was looking at getting a hoplo again cause they always look so happy and I was considering some dwarf gouramis, but i'm open to suggestions (the hoplo is non-negotiable!). I was also looking at Malawi Cichlids or some odesa barbs as they are fish I like the look of, but i'm unsure of how compatible they would be with each other/hoplo.

can anyone lend some advice?

Thanks!

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Hoplos do better in groups, I have four that have rapidly grown from <5cm youngsters to chunky ~11cm teenagers in the space of ~8 months in my Rio240 (I grew them on while quaranting them in a ~65x35x35cm tub until they reached ~8cm). I still wonder if I should try and obtain another two or three and I was very lucky that only one is male in my current group (males can fight apparently).

They are greedy fish and very friendly too, happy in a whole host of water conditions including brackish. Tankmates will need to be boisterous feeders to stand a chance.

Malawi Cichlids are definitely out of the question, they need a significantly bigger tank.

Odessa Barbs are lovely fish that also come from very alkaline water, with a pH recorded as high as 11. However, I suspect an 80cm tank will cramp their style, they are quite active.

Must admit I'm struggling to suggest a fiesty feeding species that is not too active and is found in the 20-24C ballpark... Time for another caffeine and I'll get back you you later on!

 

[FishBlast]

Rather use sand for hoplo though. They don't seem to like gravel, but in sand mine plows all day.

 

[Ric]

Hoplos do better in groups, I have four that have rapidly grown from <5cm youngsters to chunky ~11cm teenagers in the space of ~8 months in my Rio240 (I grew them on while quaranting them in a ~65x35x35cm tub until they reached ~8cm). I still wonder if I should try and obtain another two or three and I was very lucky that only one is male in my current group (males can fight apparently).

They are greedy fish and very friendly too, happy in a whole host of water conditions including brackish. Tankmates will need to be boisterous feeders to stand a chance.

Malawi Cichlids are definitely out of the question, they need a significantly bigger tank.

Odessa Barbs are lovely fish that also come from very alkaline water, with a pH recorded as high as 11. However, I suspect an 80cm tank will cramp their style, they are quite active.

Must admit I'm struggling to suggest a fiesty feeding species that is not too active and is found in the 20-24C ballpark... Time for another caffeine and I'll get back you you later on!

Dang! thats a shame about Malawi's! but odessa's could be a possiblilty then, they are a group fish but how many should I have in the tank? I read somewhere that a 85 litre tank is sufficent but that being said, i don't want to cramp their style! hmmm.... i just checked my tank and it is infact a 95Litre but still just 80cm long

 

[FishBlast]

Hoplos do better in groups, I have four that have rapidly grown from <5cm youngsters to chunky ~11cm teenagers in the space of ~8 months in my Rio240 (I grew them on while quaranting them in a ~65x35x35cm tub until they reached ~8cm). I still wonder if I should try and obtain another two or three and I was very lucky that only one is male in my current group (males can fight apparently).

They are greedy fish and very friendly too, happy in a whole host of water conditions including brackish. Tankmates will need to be boisterous feeders to stand a chance.

Malawi Cichlids are definitely out of the question, they need a significantly bigger tank.

Odessa Barbs are lovely fish that also come from very alkaline water, with a pH recorded as high as 11. However, I suspect an 80cm tank will cramp their style, they are quite active.

Must admit I'm struggling to suggest a fiesty feeding species that is not too active and is found in the 20-24C ballpark... Time for another caffeine and I'll get back you you later on!

I've read that males fight, but all this time I've had 2 males together for 8 years and they didn't fight, but my current one was very angry when his buddy was taken out first during water changes.
He seemed to miss that one after he died, as he was sad a few months and was looking for his friend. Now he's hanging out with a swordtail female, but I can't add another hoplo, doubt my tank would allow it. I was pushing it when I had 2 of them (consecutively: male/female, male/female, male/male) in one of my older tanks that had 40-50L and I had no idea what I had to do.