Looking For Stocking Advice

[FishyWishie]

I realise this is very much in advance given my tank wont arrive till friday but .... Im looking on line at various types of tropical fish and ive found a tool Called AqAdvisor for working out stocking levels.

The tank ive ordered is 120cm long x 40cm wide x 55cm high. Volume 240 litres.

Anyone able to give me an idea of types of fish i should be looking at? Ive read much about different fish liking to stay at different levels so trying to ensure a good spread. Im looking for more of advice on the species as i know with fish like tetra's etc theres various types.

I'd ideally like a variety of sizes and not all tiny/small fishes.


I'll obv be cycling for the advised period so it's not time critcal i just would like an idea of numbers and varieties so i can go away and do some more research.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I've been "through the mill" with stocking ideas over the last month, visiting LFSs and then googling different species and then using both Aqadvisor and Thinkfish as stocking guides!

The best advice I can give you, having just started out myself, is to focus on a single species that you want and know is possible to source at a LFS. Then find suitable tank mates that will "play nicely" with the fish you cannot live without!

For me, that has turned out to be a pair of Green-Barred Danios (Opsarius pulchellus) that have green/copper colour with vertical tiger stripes. Apparently, they have been at my preferred LFS for fish stock (Aquajardin, the fish simply seem more colurful and "happy") for over six months. They are beautifully coloured in my eyes and at the same time, zoom around their showcase tank playfully, without hitting each other or the Climbing Perch in with them!

This size issue you mention is quite applicable in my scenario too... The Opsarius reach 11cm and I was thinking about mixing them with the smaller Rainbowfish species (Neon Dwarf (6cm); Forktail Blue Eye (5-6cm); Celebes (7-8cm)). My LFS think that the Dwarf Neons and the Celebes will be fine, as they are quite bulky fish for their size. However, the slim torpedo shape of the Forktail could play into the hands of a significantly larger fish like the Opsarius, in that it could easily be swallowed whole!

(So the Forktails, as lovely as they are, are crossed off the possible list). If a fish can fit another species in its mouth, often it is a matter of "when" not "if" the smaller guy becomes a pricey snack...

 

[FishyWishie]

At the moment im loving the look of black angel fish maybe 2 or 3 of those and then planning the tank around them if this isnt to bonkers or plain wrong an idea

 

[meguro]

4 angelfish
4 bolivian rams
10 rummynose tetra
10 corydoras
1 bristlenose

 

[roadmaster]

I realise this is very much in advance given my tank wont arrive till friday but .... Im looking on line at various types of tropical fish and ive found a tool Called AqAdvisor for working out stocking levels.

The tank ive ordered is 120cm long x 40cm wide x 55cm high. Volume 240 litres.

Anyone able to give me an idea of types of fish i should be looking at? Ive read much about different fish liking to stay at different levels so trying to ensure a good spread. Im looking for more of advice on the species as i know with fish like tetra's etc theres various types.

I'd ideally like a variety of sizes and not all tiny/small fishes.


I'll obv be cycling for the advised period so it's not time critcal i just would like an idea of numbers and varieties so i can go away and do some more research.

Much will depend on what your water is like in terms of pH, and hardness (KH).
Obviously you will want to select fish that will thrive with the type of water you have.
Livebearer's for example prefer hard alkaline water where some other fishes like some of the tetras, perhaps prefer soft acidic water. A good test kit will help deterimne what the water most readily available to you usually,,, tapwater is like. Look for tests that will incude tests for KH, pH, ammonia,nitrites,and nitrates.

 

[FishyWishie]

Water will be good old fashioned scottish water so quite soft will purchase test kit today and measure ph.

Possible lineup i made while suffering insomnia was

Angel Fish (2)
Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish (5)
Harlequin Rasbora (5)
Leopard Danio (5)
Panda Cory (4)

but ive noted down the other fishes mentioned and will check out there availability at the aquatic centre today/tommorow.

NINJA EDIT - Whoa those bolivian rams look amazing

 

[onebto]

Being a Loach nut I would recommend some of the smaller species like Dwarf, kuhli and zebra loach but if you go down that road remember they do get on better if you have a group of them 5 or more is best. They sit on the bottom mainly.

Cory are fantastic fish with a wonderful character they sift bits of food of the bottom of the tank like the Loaches but they are very energetic swimming madly all over the tank again its advisable to keep them in groups.

I am just getting into the wonderful world of rainbow fish they are stunning looking fish there is a range of sizes there colours are amazing they are mid level swimmers.

Sounds like your on the write track study the fish you like make sure you can give them the environment they require good luck with the tank and I look forward to seeing some pictures.

Regards onebto

 

[FishyWishie]

Gah so much choice so little space Im having second thoughts re the angel fish according to aqaudvisor there taking me from 0% to 40% stocked with just a pair of them. My main thing is colour i want to make it a tank full of different colours sizes and shapes.

240l tank at least lets me have some variety but im always interested in how other people would stock that size of tank

1 issue i am having is AqAdvisor and my filter by selecting 4 angel fish and 4 bolivian rams it says my filtration capacity is only 85% can this be right ? My filter is a fluval 305 which i was lead to believe was pretty decent in a 240l tank.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Some interesting shapes that might not play nicely together include
Hatchet fish
Halfbeaks
Leopard Bushfish
African Butterfly
Freshwater Lionfish
Lionhead Cichlid
Debauwi Catfish
Kuhli or Redtail Squirrel Loaches

 

[meguro]

i dont know a great deal about fluval 305 having never used one of their filters, but it appears to be pretty good (based on other users forum posts and a little googling). it says its capable of 1000L/hour and sufficient for up to 300L tanks. you should be aiming for a turnover rate of 5-10x, and this filter is giving u just over 4x turnover. so u could consider upgrading ur filtration in future.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

have a read of the first four links within that link (the 1st post of each link)

when fishlessly cycled, i wouldnt be afraid to start stocking along the lines of what i suggested (if it were my own tank i mean)

edit: any chance that you've tested some of ur water stats yet? like pH etc.?

 

[FishyWishie]

PH is 7.4 according to my API master kit.

Been a bit unwell last few days so going to start my cycle on tuseday give me a few days to get over the last of it.

I just noticed AqAdvisor bases its figures on 66% of your filter capacity.

 

[OldMan47]

A very questionable practice they are following there. Stocking should never, let me repeat that, never be based on filter capacity. All that a filter can ever do is convert ammonia to another form (nitrites and finally nitrates). The only way to remove contaminants completely from a tank is by you doing either a water change or trimming a plant. If you have actively growing plants that remove contaminants from the water, trimming the plants will physically remove those contaminants that have become a part of the plant's mass. If you do not have enough growing plants to completely remove the contaminants, they are removed by doing partial water changes. In an unplanted tank, all of the contaminants are removed that way. The filter can move things around in the water and can also help you remove solids that look messy in the tank but it cannot allow you to have even one fish that a smaller filter would not allow. It is a conversion machine, it is not a removal machine.
The many threads that profess a need for a particular flow rate on filters completely ignore the well over 50 years that people kept fish before power filters were invented that could move even 1 x volume per hour. The right media in a simple box filter powered by nothing more than some air bubbles is enough to keep any fish healthy in their environment. The key is having enough media of the right kind to process all of the ammonia through to nitrates. The flow can be entertaining and can help a bit with localized ammonia build up but it is not needed for a healthy tank. The biggest relationship that I see between a flow rate and a tank size is that a higher flow rate filter is often made larger and can hold more media.