Ideas On What I Can Add To My Current Community

[STEWARDSONS]

i have a 190ltr tank 100cm x 40 x 50 with an aquis 1050 extenal filter.

i currently have

6 emperor tetras
4 scissor tails
4 cardinals
2 popendetta furcatta
1 denisonii barb
2 rams
2 african dwarf frogs
1 blue phantom plec

could i put anything else in? if so some ideas please as im thinking 3 honk kong plecs but am not sure

 

[KittyKat]

More than anything else, I think your stocking would benefit from proper schools.

 

[waterdrop]

I'd bring the scissors and cardinals at least up to 6 before doing anything else (or even higher if you've worked out your overall load and feel you still have capacity.) Tetras below a certain level of species-grouping (6 is a very minimal number we quote to try and get them to the bottom of this) will exhibit stress symptoms, often leading to poor health when stocked below their limit (basically they just always feel they've been separated from their shoal and are going to die, is one way of picturing it.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[STEWARDSONS]

ok so lets say i want to bring the number or cardinals up. what total number would you suggest?

do you think i could get away with say another 6 cardinals then 2 honk kong plecs? or would that take me well over the ammount i should have in the tank?

 

[KittyKat]

From what you have..
* 6 emperor tetras
* 6 scissor tails
* 6 cardinals
* 6 Pseudomugil furcatus
* 6 denisonii barb
* 2 rams
* 2 african dwarf frogs
* 1 blue phantom plec

But personally, I would go for..
* 10 emperor tetras
* 4 scissor tails - too large for this tank
* 10 cardinals
* 10 Pseudomugil furcatus
* 1 denisonii barb - too large for this tank
* 2 rams
* 2 african dwarf frogs
* 1 blue phantom plec - too large for this tank when adult, but is slow growing

I would avoid hillstream loaches (hong kong pleco) because most species do better in coolwater, not tropical. If you want more bottom fish, look at dwarf chain loaches and Corys.

 

[STEWARDSONS]

had a chat with my LFS and ended up adding a few more cardinals a hong kong plec and a baby bristlenose. so am borderline or slightly over stocked now. i now have..

10 cardinals
6 emperors
4 scissor tails
2 popendettas
2 rams
2 frogs
1 blue phantom
1 hong kong plec
1 bristlenose plec
1 denisonii barb

i understand that when they start to grow i will need a bigger tank but that wont be for a good year or two.

would it be benificial to get an internal filter too?

 

[Tizer]

no reason you cant get another external filter, internal filters will only reduce the amount of space/water you can hold.

also you can just up the amount of water you change every weekend to cope with the excess nitrate.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree, adding external filters has the advantage many never think of that it is increasing the water volume of the overall system that is servicing your fish! This is nothing but good in many ways.

Also, since I didn't answer before, let me mention that I think it's great you got 10 cardinals. We often quote the minimums like 6 but I'm just like Kitty Kat - I like it when people go for more than this if they can make it work in the stocking plan, especially as the body size of the species gets smaller, like with cards/neons.

~~waterdrop~~